CITYist

Aaron Short, Alisa Xayalith, David Beadle, Jesse Wood, and Thom Powers make up the five-piece, alternative, electro-rock band from New Zealand: The Naked and Famous. Melding traditional, alternative rock stylings with synth-pop hooks, The Naked and Famous create a sound similar to the Stateside-favored Passion Pit, with an edge.

Enter Ellie Goulding. This doe-eyed, Herefordian canary emerged on the scene in 2010 with her March release of Lights by Polydor Records. Co-produced by British electropop veterans Starsmith and Frankmusik, among others, the album has garnered instant success. Since then, it has gone on to sell 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom, 40,000 of which were sold in its first week debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart.