In a year where synths and 80's throwbacks are in vogue, it's strange that a band whose sound aesthetic is so low key, could grab so much attention.

The XX construct remarkable grooves with only some lo-fi guitar interacting with male and female vocals. Like Tricky meets The Kills had Alison Mosshart channelled Mariah Carey rather than PJ Harvey.

Dark sinister Essex band These New Puritans constantly cross genres. Sticking pins in everything they see and referencing hip-hop, punk, new-wave, dubstep and everything in between. For that alone, These New Puritans should be applauded.

Brighton trio Esben and the Witch channel literature, nature and sorrow to create hauntingly ethereal tales of dark, foreboding romance.

They tread a similar atmospheric template as The xx with hints of Siouxsie & the Banshees and the darker side of Bat For Lashes.