In the magazine December 2014 / January 2015

The Class of 2015: Featuring Years & Years, Lapsley, Shura & more

It’s time for the Class of 2015. DIY’s essential guide to the names capable of defining the next twelve months, be it with a Number One album, an unforgettable live show, anything that’ll catapult these acts into the spotlight. These are the best new artists around - follow their every move. 2015’s crew looks stronger than ever.

Fronting this year’s new music special is Years & Years, a London trio giving pop an exciting new slant. Ditching fancy restaurants and acting roles, together they make a fascinating group, capable of soundtracking 2015.

In a bumper-packed issue, there’s also the giddy, raucous Deers, the fast-rising Gengahr, barely-out-of-school songwriters Lapsley and Soak, an Atlantan that wants to change the world in Raury, thrashing duo (and best mates with Bono) Slaves, genre-melding LA star Ryn Weaver, unique talent Shura, Irish force Girl Band, America’s new sweethearts The Districts, bedroom pop champion Ben Khan, voice of the year Kwabs to name a few.

Outside of the new music extravaganza, we round up the year that’s just gone. Featuring the results of our DIY Readers’ Poll, we take a look at the album of the year, song of the year, band of the year and lots, lots more. We even managed to get George Ezra to review this year’s must-see music videos in the style of Gogglebox, so there’s that. DIY’s December 2014 / January 2015 issue is out now. Read online for free via Issuu ( above) or pick up a free physical copy from our usual UK stockists.