Today, Austin opens its doors to over zealous, BBQ munchin’, peddi-cab taking, Lone Star drinkin’ music enthusiasts of all states, nations and sub-genre lovin’. Today, we give you 32 New Bands you can’t miss at SXSW.
1. Alt-J
Hometown – Leeds, UK
Why you should listen – If you’re desirous of clouds of synths, convoluted lyrics and psychedelic mysticism that gets your happy limbs movin’ and groovin’ this English quartet will have you throwing their sign ∆ in the air.
2. Allah-Las
Hometown – Los Angeles
Why you should listen – oh California, we love you and your 60s surfer-stoner vibrations. The Allah-Las are the quintessential hook up to that ‘endless summer’ ambiance you’re always in search of.
3. Balmorhea
Hometown – Austin
Why you should listen – Say hello to the American southwest – Texan folklore, solitude, nature and starry nights act as the catalyst for Austinites who use layers and texture to deliver genre-defying measures.
4. Bhi Bhiman
Hometown – St. Louis, Missouri
Why you should listen – Bhiman’s craftsmanship is to be understood – his ethereal bellow and earthy lyricism draw a response to the characters he sings of. Reminiscent of Whitman’s “Song OF Myself” Bhiman captures the haunting layers of American life with ease and evocative tenderness.
Hometown – Los Angeles
Why you should listen – Say hello to the alt-dance breakout scene known as Capital Cities. Marketing electro pop at it’s modern finest; the catchy soundscape of CC is known to spark impromptu dance frenzies in even the straightest of straight-laced folks.
6. Caveman
Hometown – New York City
Why you should listen – Their debut album “CoCo Beware” is just so damn pleasant – relaxed, entrancing, full of consciousness and cohesion, it raises the bar for what’s expected from the indie-rock category.
7. Dan Croll
Hometown – Liverpool, UK
Why you should listen – I mean, really, who doesn’t want to hear another Liverpool native? Pop – check. Lyricism – check. Likability – check.
8. Dawes
Hometown – Los Angeles
Why you should listen – SXSW is the ultimate test of “can a band deliver in a live setting – a hyped, often too high of expectations setting.” The men of Dawes are master live musicians that can hold their own individually and collectively.
9. DIIV
Hometown – Brooklyn
Why you should listen – the ultimate shoegazers, these brooklynites created instant likability – the atmospheric quartet relies in impressionistic psychedelia, walking the line of fantastic creativity fused with classic-underground 1980s alternative rock.
10. Foxygen
Hometown –Westlake Village, California
Why you should listen – These raw young people possess wild ambition and a zest for the manic – with Velvet Underground sensibilities, the duo use their album as a love letter to the freewheeling modern times they’ve conjured in the 21st century.
11. Gold Fields
Hometown – Ballarat, Australia
Why you should listen – Australian pop take on the ‘80s with feature vocals and kickass bass lines. Prepare yourselfs.
12. Haim
Hometown – San Fernando Valley, California
Why you should listen – This female trio recently opened for Edward Shapre and the Magnetic Zeros, The Henry Clay People and Ke$ha – talk about taking on a mixed crowd and getting love every step of the way.
13. He’s My Brother She’s My Sister
Hometown – Los Angeles
Why you should listen – These golden folkies are paving new ground with their howling voices, heated debauchery and untraditional glamor.
14. Ivan & Alyosha
Hometown – Seattle, Washington
Why you should listen – This duo is about to be SXSW veterans, making their second appearance to demonstrate not only their keen songwriting abilities but also debut their charming grass-root melodies.
15. Kendrick Lamar
Hometown – Compton, California
Why you should listen – Noted as being, “a breath of fresh air for hip-hop” by XXL Magazine, Lamar uses the weighty, autobiographical material of his up bringing to deliver some of 2012’s best new music.
16. Lianne La Havas
Hometown – London
Why you should listen – Here we are with another British talent who delivers solid vocal harmonies and emotive ballads to narrate the brutal yet beautiful, matters of the heart.
17. Lord Huron
Hometown – Los Angeles
Why you should listen – The lush melodies and instrumentation of Lord Huron capture the beauty of nature and all it’s explorative qualities.
18. Lucius
Hometown – Brooklyn
Why you should listen – This five-piece band is a musical fortress, luscious and inviting, they’ve created a unique environment for their sound to sit in. We want to stay and sit for a while, a long while, too.
19. Mac DeMarco
Hometown – Montreal
Why you should listen – He’s got all the understanding for a struggling suburban teen mashed with creative honesty (which often is comprised of sheer oddity) and thrashy irony. We love that he’s only 22 yet welcome the hazy aesthetic of his past and what lies ahead.
Hometown – Seattle, Washington
Why you should listen – This Seattle duo are gaining speed with their music that is more like that of 1960s spoken word. Their universal poetry is sweeping international waters, filling into airwaves and grabbing the media’s attention by storm.
21. Michael Kiwanuka
Hometown – London
Why you should listen –Kiwanuka has taken his debut album Home Again and subsequent Otis Redding comparisons by the Motown horns, creating an identifiably rare soul resurgence.
22. Pacific Air
Hometown – Los Angeles, California
Why you should listen – This man-duo have lush, bubbly vocals that are as enchanting as they are desirable. Welcome to your spring, feel good dune.
23. Rush Midnight
Hometown – Brooklyn, New York
Why you should listen – The solo project of Russ Manning has recently taken to the subway lines of New York City following street break-dancers. It’s a perfect mix really, the ‘80s synth-pop juxtaposed with the Harlem dancers screams “hello New York” – and we all get to dance along.
24. Royal Thunder
Hometown – Atlanta, Georgia
Why you should listen – They have the momentum and speed of a death match dream. A stunning breakthrough, the Atlanta co-ed quartet delivers southern metal and classic rock with the promise of listening-satisfaction.
25. The Rubens
Hometown – Menangle, New South Wales, Australia
Why you should listen – Comprised of three brothers and the token best friend, The Rubens are rich in soulful, blues vocals that have sold out a national tour and the catch – they’ve only been playing together since 2011.
26. Sea Wolf
Hometown – Los Angeles, California
Why you should listen – They’ve been around for a while, but their new sound and score contributions have revamped andthe bands indie-folk roots. 2012 has provided a new album Old World Romance, with a hauntingly engaging mix of looping vocals and upbeat rhythms.
27. SKATERS
Hometown – New York, New York
Why you should listen – Although they don’t skateboard, they do understand the fine line of youthful bliss and that devil-may-care attitude of skate culture. This New York band has opened for The Strokes and proves to be a sound that will be around for decades.
28. Sky Ferreira
Hometown – Los Angeles
Why you should listen – Hello ‘80s glam-pop with a spin of youthful honesty. Sky is demonstrating electro pop at its finest and she’s only 20 years old.
29. Toro Y Moi
Hometown – Columbia, South Carolina
Why you should listen – Chazwick Bundick is known by is multilingual stage name (toro Spanish for bull, moi French for me) and for igniting the resurgence of chillwave, gio-fi sensibilities. This ‘summer music’ will have you grooving all summer long.
30. Turbo Fruits
Hometown – Nashville, Tennessee
Why you should listen – A rock and roll band out of the heart of Nashville Tennessee with buzzsaw guitars, are filled to the brim with nothing but beer and booze. Turbo Fruits define debauchery and the unabashed good sense to live wild and live loud.
31. The Weeks
Hometown – Jackson, Mississippi
Why you should listen – These long-haired Mississippi’s make music in the heart of southern sensibilities – nature, drunkenness, fathers and freedom. Rising to take their place in history, you’ll hear they saying, “we will run naked through your streets before we sit decorated in your halls.”
32. Youth Lagoon
Hometown – Boise, Idaho
Why you should listen – This quiet but brilliant talent relishes in atmospheric measures, dramatic transitions, daring instrumental tracks and haunting vocals that will make you want to cry and dance simultaneously.
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