Boy & Bear

Shortly after forming in 2009, Sydney five-piece Boy & Bear had landed a single on the radio. With its charming, well-crafted indie folk tinged by blues rock, the band sounds more like it formed in the backwoods of the Catskill Mountains or on the banks of the Mississippi, rather than in Australia. Despite its geographic isolation, the group grabbed the attention of indie folk-darlings Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling, who both asked the band to tour with them, building Boy & Bear a reputation for its heartfelt and impressive live performances.