Every season, mtvU highlights 5 up and coming artists who have captured our attention and below are the 5 bands that we think will own this summer. Pick your favorite and click here for more info on all the bands.
 

Big K.R.I.T.

“Children Of The World”

Featured on the tracks of artists such as Donnie Cross, Collective Efforts and Mike Hartnett, hip-hop artist Big K.R.I.T. has already made quite the name for himself. In addition to producing and starting his own label, the 22 year old native of Mississippi has dropped five mix tapes in the past 5 years: See Me on Top I, II, and III along with Hood Fame and K.R.I.T. Wuz Here.

Dominique Young Unique

“Show My Ass”

A former patron of mtvU’s Ahead of the Curve, Dominique Young Unique returns as a Freshmen Five artist with her overtly confident single “Show My Ass.” This 18 year old rapper originally hails from Florida and dropped her first mix tape Domination last month with producer David Alexander. Already known for her mixture of unique beats and brash attitude, she is an artist to start watching.

Local Natives

“Airplanes”

These West Coast boys gained a great deal of attention with the release of their debut LP Gorilla Manor on label Frenchkiss in February. With comparisons to other indie groups like Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear, Local Natives are undoubtedly in good company, proving that they can hold their own with intricate harmonies and outstanding Talking Heads covers. They bring their single “Airplanes” to mtvU’s Freshmen Five.

The Drums

“Forever And Ever Amen”

Brooklyn-based quintet The Drums became known for their 2009 EP Summertime! and it’s catchy anthem “Let’s Go Surfing.” They continued to impress when they dropped and additional single, “Best Friend,” this past spring. It turned out that “Best Friend” would be the opening track on their self-titled LP, which was a release on Downtown Records earlier this month.

The London Souls

“The Sound”

The band has gained acclaim for reinventing and reworking the “classic rock n’ roll” sound from The Tripwire to Rolling Stone, as they draw inspiration from super groups such as Led Zepplin and Cream. The New York based trio consists of musicians Tash Neal, Kiyoshi Matsuyama, and Chris St. Hilaire who are currently at work on their soon-to-debut LP.

Who will it be this round kids? Vote and tell us in the comments section below.