New year. New noise. Hype is back on the hunt, digging through the chaos, the chatter and the late-night tip-offs to find the acts who aren’t just next up, but about to detonate. Dork’s Hype List is our annual spotlight on the artists who’ve started to really stand out - not because they’re destined for instant superstardom, but because there’s something in what they’re doing that feels fresh, deliberate and worth keeping close tabs on. It isn’t about calling winners or demanding overnight breakthroughs. Consider it a guide to the acts shaping the edges of what’s next: the ones we’re excited about, curious about, and confident enough to back as they take their next steps.

The Sophs’ singer Ethan Ramon has a pretty simple vision for his band. “The Sophs are capable musicians who really like each other and really like getting drunk and talking to people while we’re drunk and meeting new people,” he says in a languid manner that makes it hard to tell when he’s joking. “We consider the band a vessel to do that.” It’s a vessel that has certainly been making waves in 2025, as the six-piece from LA have grown from a knockabout side-hustle into one of the buzziest new bands around. Newly signed to legendary indie label Rough Trade, they’re ready to show the world the idiosyncratic character and stylistic breadth that sets them apart. The band formed quickly once they realised they had something special on their hands. “I knew Seth, Austin and Sam when I was in high school in Phoenix, Arizona,” Ethan explains. “I met the other two, Devon and Cole, when I moved out to LA in 2023. We all became friends. I’d moved out with some other Phoenix people under the pretences of different musical acts. We were all pursuing different things, but The Sophs was always this secret back-burner project going on. We amassed more people into the creative process until we had the six of us, and the quality of the music became too good to just be this secondary thing. Our other musical acts disappeared, and like kismet, that was the same week I sent the email to Rough Trade. It all fell into place within one fell swoop.” It’s a classic origin story for a band suddenly propelled forward, and Rough Trade head Geoff Travis, a legendary figure in UK indie, fell hard for them. “Before signing, I was passively aware,” says Ethan of his knowledge of his new label, home to The Smiths, The Strokes and more. “I knew of the artists who inspired me and shaped eras in my life. Being currently on Rough Trade is an honour of the highest degree. It’s a musical honour getting to work with people who have so much creative acumen and experience. It makes you feel like you’re at the forefront, like you’ve been recommended by one of the most important tastemakers in the music business. It validates what I’ve been thinking and feeling about the music I’ve made for the past X amount of years.”