October’s Underground Artists Spotlight

The Chill Pop Playlist Feature
 
I discovered Oston when I was in middle school, her song “Am I talking too much?” hooked me immediately. To me, her image is leaning towards vintage alt-pop, both visually and musically. Each individual song has a lot of personality and many follow with a bit of attitude. If you enjoy a more modern sad pop, her debut EP “Sitting at the Kids Table” and debut album “I’m Definitely Talking Too Much” will encourage  tears. However if you enjoy the type of music that sticks with her more alternative image, her single “Whatshisface” and EP “Saint Rich” accomplish that.


Monthly listeners: 149.5k 
Hometown: Park City, Utah
Stage name: Oston
Full name: Austin Wolfe 
Genres: alt-pop, indie pop, pop rock, singer-songwriter  
Biggest hit song: “leading me on - acoustic” - 7,930,576 streams
My personal favorite song: “Whatshisface” - 5,196,661 streams
Newest drop: “True-ish” - 7/9/25
Most known for: Performing at Lollapalooza in 2021
Topics: anxiety, adhd, depression, relationships, love, heartbreak, growing up
Inspirations: Julia Michaels, Lorde, Ariana Grande
Discography: 53 songs
First song release: “Addiction” - 7/20/18


The Reality TV Show Star


I discovered Max Wright through his participation in the new reality tv show “Building the Band”, where bands form through anonymous interest in each other's sound. He didn’t get very far yet he was consistently involved in promotion of the show and remained close with many other members. But the singular performance I heard, his cover of “Snooze” by SZA, made me immediately drawn to his voice. His image may fall more under boy band pop, yet his songs feel very romantic, retro, soul-like, and soothing.




Monthly listeners: 1,794 
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Full name:  Max Wright
Genres: pop, contemporary R&B
Biggest hit song: “THE TRACE” - 20,758 streams
My personal favorite song: “still love you” - 2,250 streams
Newest drop: “Fraud (Do You Really Love Me?)” - 9/12/25 - 2,085 streams
Most known for: Competing in the reality tv show “Building the Band”
Topics: love, heartbreak, relationships
Inspirations: Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, SZA, Jack Johnson 
Discography: 8 songs
First song release: “Death of Me” - 10/14/22 - 6,701 streams


The Pop Girl’s Side Kick


I found Amy Allen through my admiration for Sabrina Carpenter’s songwriting in “emails i can’t send”, Amy is a consistent presence in Sabrina's work and I decided to try out her individual music. Her song, “girl with a problem”, had just been released and both the writing and sound were mesmerizing. She is incredibly talented, however is purely known for collaboration on writing with Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae, and Olivia Rodrigo rather than her own songs. Her vibe is very much singer-songwriter, with a much more acoustic approach to her sounds, and her lyricism captures raw vulnerability- standing out significantly. 


Monthly listeners: 41,284 
Hometown: Windham, ME
Full name:  Amy Allen
Genres: pop, singer-songwriter, folk pop
Biggest hit song: “Queen of Silver Linings” - 7/1/20 - 7,936,244 streams
My personal favorite song: “girl with a problem” - 5/1/24 - 276,000 streams Newest drop: Debut album Amy Allen - 9/6/24
Most known for: Co-writing many of Sabrina Carpenter’s songs
Topics: family issues, relationships, love, addiction, heartbreak, societal expectations
Inspirations: Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks, Adrianne Lenker, Vince Gill
Discography: 24 songs