Elvira, Tripper, Jacky Jeane, AER, Uriel Barthélémi, and Lou

Comprised of David von Mering and Carter Schultz - both of whom had previously played in an ill-fated four piece band - Aer probably stylistically owe their sound, which blends rap with mainstream pop, to their fellow Boston resident, Sammy Adams, as well as to other groups of that nature who’ve made an impact on the mainstream over the past few years: both The Lonely Island and 3OH!3 spring to mind. They initially called themselves Fresh Aer Movement, and their name isn’t the only thing to have changed since; they laid out a pretty straightforward sound on their early mixtapes, 2010’s ‘Water on the Moon’ and 2011’s ‘The Reach’, but by the time that they’d gotten around to releasing their debut full-length, ‘The Bright Side’, in 2012, there was a clear hint of reggae to the direction in which they’d taken their music. Not that it put off long-standing fans, though; ‘The Bright Side’ went one better on the success of their debut EP, ‘What You Need’, which had gone to the top of the iTunes hip hop chart, by reaching the summit of the album rundown proper.

In 2014, the pair released a self-titled follow-up, and resisted the temptation to capitalize on their previous success by bringing in a slew of guests and collaborators; instead, von Mering and Schultz remain the only vocalists on the record, which also serves as a neat metaphor for their position in the pop and hip hop communities; their unique approach ensures that they stand alone.