FTA is in the UK! Or rather I am currently in the UK, and that being the case, I figured why not make a playlist of my favorite UK artists to share? I’m always down to share tunes and want to start making playlists and such more of a thing we feature, so here you go!

This is a list of my favorites that range from DIY punk to down tempo electronic to Northern Irish protest songs and indie songs sung in Welsh. Speaking of which, I would be remiss if I didn’t remind readers (who I assume are mostly American) that the United Kingdom is made up of four individual countries— England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales—all of which have their own vibrant culture and histories. Indeed, the UK is not just England even though that is what most Americans think of when they hear the worlds “United Kingdom.” And though yes, England is the most represented on this playlist, I tried my best to include songs I love from all four constituent nations.

Also, this is meant to be a snapshot of my personal tastes and what I’ve been listening to most over the last few years; this is not a definitive list. I left off all of the biggies and obvious ones, you all know who the Beatles and Blur are (and I was never a huge Britpop person anyway), and who the greats of every decade are, so I didn’t feel a need to include bands like New Order, Culture Club, Sabbath, Zeppelin or The Rolling Stones etc even though I do love their music.

And while most of those big names aren’t here, there are a few notable exceptions because I love those artists and that love transcends the fact that they’re widely known (you’ll know who) and some are too big an influence/regular presence in my life to not include. The things that were left off were not because I don’t enjoy them, but rather to focus more succinctly on the artists I did pick, some of whom I know you’ve never heard of and want to make sure you’re aware of them. It’s also only one song per artist because my hope is that if you like what you hear, you’ll be sure to explore more. In any case, enjoy and go ahead in the comments and tell me what you liked and what you’d pick!