This is fine.
I had my SXSW cut short by the day job and related travel. That meant our fine readers would have to wait briefly to check out all of the eye candy from the annual day party held with Side One Track One at Hotel Vegas. I have a big gallery of glorious images and a few thoughts on the day.
Click through, please…
If you’re looking for musical escapism, might we direct you to the latest single from South Korea’s Dabda, a hint at what’s to come from their forthcoming LP. Much like their process, the song unfolds carefully, using a vast expanse and letting it unfold very slowly; the vocals are quieted, almost like they’re operating in the realm of texture. Then, the track turns, taking on more power and exploding into this bright atmospheric tune that erupts with colorful stretches of cascading guitars raining upon your ears as the video shares the band’s joyous personality. Open yourself up to the musical journey awaiting you!
The new Sluice record is going to be a beast of a listen, full of slow-burning balladry and indie rock allegiance. Their latest single offers a glimpse at some of their more exploratory moments, letting a sort of experimental moment open up the tune, creeping in carefully before finally settling into a heavy groove that carries the weight with a bit of haunting discord. But, as the track progresses, the song unfolds into more of the group’s folk leanings, sprawling across the last thirty seconds or so in a fashion that seems related to Bill Callahan or the like. Their Companion LP is out this Friday via Mtn. Laurel Recording Co.
When our friend John Laird and I get together to map out invites for our annual SOTO vs ATH SxSw show, we each throw out ten names, try to find some middle ground, and go from there. Our first go round had a glaring act we new we had to get on the bill: Living Set. They dropped the excellent Last Wave LP in late 2025 and already have started sharing new music, like the single below. There’s a real lightness to this tune that draws me in, using the patience of the guitar to seduce while offering really delicate vocal harmonies that are sure to endear themselves to your ears. A slow mantra leads you to a huge guitar solo, reminding us that even at their softest, you can still hear their penchant for rock.
If you’re looking at long and storied careers, you might want to look into Mark Crozer. The English songwriter has released a ton of music, whether on his own, with various projects…and he’s even been playing in some band called the Jesus and Mary Chain. Just this last week, he announced a new collection of pop tracks titled Homecoming, and with that, shared this newly penned tune. It has this sort of glam aspect to it, particularly in the way some of the early percussive elements operate like a metronome before allowing the track to open up with a larger bit of swagger. That otherworldliness is embraced in both the lyrical content and the song’s pop aesthetic, allowing you to figure out a landing place for Crozer and his work. Homecoming is out April 24th via Dusty Mars.
Every Snailosaur song always manages to scratch an itch I didn’t even know I had going, and this new track is no different. They’re churning a brand of indie rock akin to what David Berman accomplished in Silver Jews, spinning humorously mundane stories into alt-pop gems that’ll make you smile just as you press play to go back again. It doesn’t hurt that this particular instance references the proper love of a soccer ball, though I think B.Gray might be unwilling to discuss current soccer trends. This song stretches too, with some great little shredding guitar solos taking a note from the Doug Martsch bag of tricks, and we don’t mind that one bit.
Swedish band Boy With Apple have a brand new LP on the way this April, and another single should encourage audience to take the proper risk and order the LP. They’re one of the various outfits in the dream pop realm that’s dabbling in the mixture between house music and dream pop, with the beat work taking a dominant role in the structure of this song. It kind of feels like if Portishead were pushing to make a more pop-present vibe, though you can certainly hear where the lineage to indiepop and bedroom pop sink into the mixture, particularly with the way the vocals embrace the ethereal haunting of the tune. Their new album, Navigation, is slated for release on April 24th via Welfare Sounds and Records.
Sometimes going back to your roots is the simplest way to finding your footing, and it seems like that’s paying off in heaps for King Tuff. In prepping Moo, he’s returned to classic garage rock vibes with hooks built right into tune, taking us all the way back to his earliest power-pop hits! His latest single benefits from that tradition, not to mention that it features my favorite cryptid, bigfoot (though this looks more like ET in a bigfoot costume), who seems to have also found his calling as he shreds on his own terms. Moo is out on Friday via Mup Records/Thirty Tigers, and its sounding like a classic already!
Longtime Austin resident Matthew Squires has unfortunately left the confines of our unfair city, but it seems like that’s worked in his favor as his move led to a friendship with Sunk Coast songwriter Zach Totta. Together, they’ve penned this ridiculously majestic tune, that works like a Daniel Johnston tune that got a little bit of studio polish and a slight bit more melody. It very much feels accessible yet in an outsider fashion, and in that, I can’t help but feel its charms, so I keep playing it over and over and over, hoping that you’ll do the exact same as you press play below.
If I’m being honest, I expected a lot more political discourse from the indie music scene, and maybe we’re too busy playing it safe, except if you’re Gwen Katherine of Hey Look Listen. She’s long harbored feelings of unease when it comes to the United States and its unearned feeling of superiority. So, she’s turned that into the latest single from the band’s forthcoming LP, letting her brand of shimmering alt rock deliver her animosity and queries to the listener. The jangling opening catches your ear carefully, with subtle vocal notes before turning the distortion up so that it shreds right through your speakers. The back and forth is playful, which perhaps is the best way to challenge the listener, encouraging them to draw into the track before taking on its message. Look for Dystopian Days on April 17th.
