JesusfreakHideout.com: Highlighting 2015 Part One -- Looking Ahead To New Music In The First Half of 2015

For our 9th annual Highlighting feature, we split the year into TWO pieces -- January to June and July to December. Each list contains 15 artists/releases for a total of 30 in total for 2015. So, without further ado, we give you Highlighting First-Half 2015!

1 of 15

#1. Paper Route
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Release Date: Sometime 2015

Will we get a new Paper Route album this soon in 2015? We're taking the risk and putting it at #1 because this band is just that impressive. Absence and The Peace of Wild Things are superb albums in vastly different ways, and they do a great job of making every song matter. Great things are in store for these alt-rockers, and the sooner this one drops, the better.
- Roger Gelwicks

Their debut intrigued me, but 2012's The Peace of Wild Things made me a Paper Route fan. It represented everything I love about intelligent, well-crafted pop music, with catchy melodies and huge, beautiful sounds to get lost in. While we don't have a definite release date for the new record yet, knowing there's one in the works has made me excited to hear what's coming.
- Jen Rose Yokel

The Peace Of Wild Things is still an album I listen to almost every week and I've been salivating for a follow-up for some time now. Thankfully, I've had the band's various forays into cover songs ("Royals", "Say My Name") to tide me over. Soulful, creative and heartfelt pop doesn't get much better than Paper Route.
- Alex "Tincan" Caldwell

I'm a late-blooming Paper Route fan, but man, these guys have a firm grasp on their genre, and they don't stick solely to the formula of said genre to make their songs. Filled with emotion and unbelievably catchy pop goodness, album number three should be one of the best 2015 has to offer.
- Scott Fryberger

The Peace of Wild Things took me by storm from the first listen (this after being underwhelmed by Absence, a fact of which I realize I am in the minority), and I seem to love it more with each listen. If whatever these guys have up their sleeve next is half as good, I will be more than satisfied.
- Mark Rice

With two stellar and completely different albums under their belt, I'm itching to hear what their next album will reveal about these experimental rockers.
- Christopher Smith

Paper Route's music screams the question: "Why is this band still not well known?" They carry a presence of distinctive rock and late 80s pop inspiration (not the cheesy era) we enjoy, which was also achieved with bands like Anberlin and Acceptance. I invite listeners to give The Peace of Wild Things a try to see why this band has earned the #1 spot; it's one of the most extraordinary albums that I had missed until recently.
- Wayne Myatt

Much like Jen, it wasn't until 2012's The Peace of Wild Things that I became a real enthusiast in Paper Route's music. Their live show has always been engaging and their honest, thoughtful, charm-laced pop has been infectious to say the least. I can't wait to hear what 2015 will bring for these guys!
- John DiBiase

Visit our Paper Route page for more information about them...

2015 Countdown:

15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Here are a few other artists that made our staff's individual lists that didn't quite make the top 15... Brandon Heath, Talkie, The Vespers, Third Day, Falling Up, Hawk Nelson, Andrew Osenga, Grits, Haste the Day, Copperlilly, Aaron Gillespie & more!