Bigger In Texas
Mar 12, 2015
Who: Alvvays
What: The five-piece from Toronto makes the kind of nostalgic, rough-around-the-edges rock that’s meant for chilling with friends and making memories.
Listen if you love: Girlpool, Hinds, Haerts
Star Track: “Archie, Marry Me”
Who: Natalie Prass
What: The former Jenny Lewis band member is busting out on her own, with a smoky, mysterious sound. Ryan Adams is also a fan — which, let’s be real, never hurt anybody.
Listen if you love: Courtney Barnett, Laura Marling
Star Track: “Why Don’t You Believe In Me”
Who: Leon Bridges
What: He’s a 25-year-old soul singer who’s causing major industry buzz, from Nashville to New York, with his impeccable performances and swinging vibe.
Listen if you love: Sam Cooke,
Star Track: “Coming Home”
Who: Shura
What: The 23-year-old singer has been bubbling under the radar for a while now, thanks to electro-pop tracks like “Touch” and “Indecision.” But now that she’s finally making her SXSW debut, it’s about time she blows up stateside.
Listen if you love: Little Daylight, Charli XCX
Star Track: “2Shy”
Who: Tobias Jesso Jr.
What: He’s a Canadian singer, songwriter, and musician who blends ’70s-tinged melodies and sway-along choruses for a result that feels totally fresh. Oh, and did we mention that Taylor Swift and the Haim sisters are fans?
Listen if you love: Father John Misty, Kindness, Will Butter
Star Track: “How Could You Babe”
Who: Mitski
What: The Japanese-born, Brooklyn-based singer and songwriter will make you feel all the feels with her raw, heartfelt tunes. Ryan Hemsworth’s remix of her track “Francis Forever” is currently blowing up the internet (and available to snag free here).
Listen if you love: Angel Olsen
Star Track: “Townie”
Who: Girlpool
What:Harmony Tividad and Cleo Tucker are basically the badass best friends you’ve already dreamed of. They’re cool, they’re talented, and they deliver scuzzy guitar riffs and roaring vocals like nobody else.
Listen if you love: Bleached, Vivian Girls
Star Track: “Alone at the Show”
Who: Summer Moon
What: Talk about a supergroup. This one includes Nikolai Fraiture of The Strokes, Erika Forster of Au Revoir Simone, Tennessee Thomas of The Like, and musician Lewis Lazar. They’re playing a slew of SXSW shows before hitting NYC’s Central Park SummerStage with Father John Misty.
Listen if you love: Any of the above bands, duh.
Star Track: They’re so new, nobody’s heard anything! All the more reason to check them out at SXSW.
Who: Little Simz
What: The London rapper already has Jay Z’s stamp of approval (his site Life & Times premiered her Blank Canvas mixtape), and she’s not afraid to do things her own way by releasing music on her own label, at her own pace. Even cooler? This genre-hopping phenom is only 20.
Listen if you love: Tkay Maidza, Azealia Banks
Star Track: “Intervention“
Who: Kero Kero Bonito
What: A collective of London cool girls who make bubblegum pop that’ll brighten your day.
Listen if you love: Katy Perry, Allie X
Star Track: “Picture This”
SXSW may have started as the little music festival that could, but thanks to recent headliners like Lady Gaga, Coldplay, and even Blondie, the Austin music marathon has since morphed into a full-blown, star-studded extravaganza. Although there’s nothing wrong with filling the stages with famous faces, this year we’re excited to see the event return, at least partially, back to its indie roots. Hundreds of bands from all over the world will be flocking to Texas next week to make cameos — and some, like the Spanish four-piece Hinds, for their first-ever U.S. performance — which means we’ll finally get the chance to check out the most blogged-about artists in person.
But just in case you can’t make it down South (or just can’t filter through the sheer number of artists attending), we’ve combed through the schedule and compiled our must-know list here. Click through the gallery for 10 SXSW artists on the brink, and be sure and click the “i” next to the photo for all the info (including our favorite tracks). Because if you’re not able to soak up the sunshine and the music IRL, consider this the next best thing.