Austin – SXSW starts this weekend, and it’s time for Austin to do what Austin does best: effuse about tech, gripe about traffic, and feast on live music. To the surprise of no one, this year’s sprawling lineup features lots of emerging talent. Here’s the short list of the new bands we’re most looking forward to seeing.
Kaytranada
Young producer Kaytranada straddles EDM and hip hop, and often finds a way to bring them together. The results are sometimes surprising—see for example, the disco rap fusion he pulls off on Involved ft. Vic Mensa. But whatever he decides to do with a track, he always does it right.
_____
Christine and the Queens
French artist Héloïse Letissier is having a busy month. Christine and the Queens follows label-mate Charli XCX in bringing indie electronic sound and sensibility to the bigger stage of pop music, but with a noticeably softer touch. The music is atmospheric, pretty, and kind of somber even when it’s being catchy.
_____
ODESZA
Actually, if you asked for an example of the kind of indie electronic tapped by Christine and the Queens, I might point you to the spooky, slow, ethereal brand of dance music being produced by ODESZA.
_____
Until The Ribbon Breaks
We’ve featured Until The Ribbon Breaks a few times this year, and we’re going to talk about them again, because they’re really, really good. Critics frequently cite them for blending hip-hop and electronic music, but it’s what they take from hip-hop that makes them immediately distinctive: their dubstep-ish bass and light touches of synth melody would make them only decent if they didn’t have an excellent sense for breakbeats.
_____
Hinds
Spain’s answer to Best Coast is confusingly listed as both Hinds and Deers in the official SXSW program, because they were forced to change their name after a weird cease and desist letter from Canadian band Dears (why yes, those are completely different words). But whatever, Hinds is a little more charming anyway. Besides the aforementioned dreamy pop rock, Hinds adds an unmistakable dash of Libertines. It’s hard to imagine anything better.
_____
Blossoms
Blossoms will surprise you. At the start, you’ll think “Cut Me and I’ll Bleed” is an Echo and The Bunnymen tribute. But when the chorus comes you’ll realize they’re really, really into 60s hitmakers The Zombies. And “Winters Kiss” is something different altogether, indie folk perhaps, but those group vocals have an unmistakable flair of flower child music. I guess “60′s to 80′s” can be a genre.
_____
Viet Cong
The post-punk revival ended too soon. Lucky for us then that Viet Cong have emerged to fill that vacancy. And in many ways, they’re doing it better than their early 2000′s forerunners. Where Bloc Party et al focused on the poppier side of post punk—Talking Heads, Chameleons, that sort of thing—Viet Cong have given equal attention to the darker side of the movement spearheaded by Public Image Limited. They even make it listenable! (When Best New Bands reviewed their debut full-length earlier this year, we wrote that It is “bursting with a healthy dose of understandable angst.” If only they’d change their name.
_____
Ibeyi
Ibeyi are omnivores when it comes to influences. The French Cuban twins are the daughters of Cuban percussionist Miguel ‘Angá’ Díaz, and their name comes from the Yoruba word for twins. But they don’t seem to have any trouble fusing this into a coherent, compelling sound of dark hip-hop beats, soulful vocals, and admixtures of cajón and group vocals that show their world influences. Our recent review called their debut album “breathtaking.”
SXSW music officially begins the 17th, so you still have a little time to browse the full lineup. Look for more coverage next week: Best New Bands will be following the above bands and more with live reviews, features, and interviews.
Will Jukes
Latest posts by Will Jukes (see all)
- Dawes Matures With “All Your Favorite Bands” - June 2, 2015
- Communions Find Balance in New EP - June 2, 2015
- Wolf Alice Takes Austin Back to the 90’s - May 27, 2015
