Brotherly Love
Although the Swon Brothers gained valuable exposure as finalists on the fourth season of NBC’s “The Voice,” they’re out shaking hands at country radio to promote their first radio single, “Later On,” which gains traction below Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. Muskogee, Okla., natives Zach and Colton Swon are preparing their first studio album for Arista Nashville. The pair performed the set’s lead track on “The Voice” on Dec. 10 — released digitally the same day, it has sold 30,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Kodaline Surges Stateside
After Dublin-based quartet Kodaline entered the United Kingdom’s Official Albums chart at No. 3 in July with debut effort “In a Perfect World,” RCA has made inroads with the band in the United States. Lead single “All I Want” was featured on MTV’s “Catfish” and the CW’s “The Vampire Diaries.” Now, “Love Like This” is approaching the Triple A chart. Kodaline begins an 18-date North American tour on Feb. 8 in Toronto.
‘Giants’ Steps
Brooklyn band Bear Hands ushers in 2014 in style, as its first airplay hit, “Giants,” re-enters the Alternative tally at No. 31 after a three-week absence. The song is scoring support from stations including KKDO Sacramento, Calif., and KROX Austin. The act’s second album, “Distraction,” is due Feb. 18 on Cantora Records, and the group is slated to play the Coachella festival in Indio, Calif., in April.
Let’s Talk About ‘Sex’
Following the recent flow of new Atlanta rap talent (Rich Homie Quan, K Camp, Que), local R&B singer Bando Jonez slows things down with debut single “Sex You,” which builds below the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop airplay chart. Produced by established hitmaker Polow Da Don, who last year signed Jonez to his Zone 4 imprint (under Epic), the sultry cut exploded by 267% in the Jan. 6-12 Nielsen BDS tracking week, led by WHRK Memphis (32 plays).
Reporting by Keith Caulfield, Wade Jessen, Rauly Ramirez and Gary Trust.