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The annual spree to soak up as a lot music as doable that’s South by Southwest wrapped up in Austin final month. Maybe the pageant is returning to its roots, because it looks as if there have been much less large events and extra of a give attention to music discovery. Listed below are seven bands that caught the eye of NPR Member music stations.
Divorce
Origins: Nottingham, England
RIYL: New Pornographers, Stars, Yard Act
Defiant, fearless shapeshifters, British quartet Divorce arrived in Austin with two extremely praised EPs (2022’s Get Imply and 2023’s Heady Steel) and a just-released single, “Gears.” The Nottingham-bred band takes daring twists and turns, mixing craving alt-country, fuzz-blasted grunge, dollops of dance grooves, and scrappy post-punk with wistful, witty storytelling. Fronted by singers Tiger Cohen-Towell (bass) and Felix Mackenzie-Barrow (guitar), who commerce off lead vocals and unite with attractive harmonies, Divorce consistently beguiles with tales of River Thames debauchery (“Intercourse & the Millennium Bridge”), mariticide (“Checking Out”) and awkward declarations of affection (“Scratch Your Steel”). –Kara Manning, WFUV
Britti
Origins: New Orleans
RIYL: Brittany Spencer, Amanda Shires, Linda Ronstadt
New Orlean’s Britti has at all times been singing, but it surely wasn’t till she posted a video on Instagram overlaying The Black Keys that her singing grew to become a profession. After signing to Straightforward Eye – the label run by Black Keys singer Dan Auerbach – she ended up working with the person she coated on her debut album, Hiya, I am Britti. She’s simply starting to play out stay, however that did not cease her from profitable the Stubb’s crowd over together with her country-tinged R&B. Standout songs included her groovy, bass-heavy set opener “Nothing Compares to You” and the attractive “Lullaby.” Count on to listen to extra from Britti this yr. –Lindsay Kimball KCMP
BODEGA
Origins: Brooklyn
RIYL: Parquet Courts, Tv, Wire
Scorching pavement, eccentric figures, blocks of scaffolding, and thriller drips from above – this one’s for the town folks. NYC band BODEGA even carry their city proclivities into their title, presumably an homage to the spot on the nook to your cigarettes, gum and bacon-egg-and-cheese. That includes memorable guitar riffs, vocals that stomp, and a post-punk sound that is each defiant and welcoming, this efficiency caught our consideration at SXSW. –KCRW
Brittany Davis
Origins: Seattle
RIYL: George Clinton, Gary Clark Jr., Brittany Howard
One among my most anticipated SXSW performances befell on the Public Radio Day Stage. With a cascade of vibrant musical flavors, Brittany Davis and their top-notch band delivered on the frenetic funk rock vitality and electronically-tinged R&B grooves I have been jamming to on their new album “Picture Points.” Davis’s exuberance as a singer, piano participant and artistic thoughts was palpable, flinging the pretty mellow afternoon viewers right into a spirited state of joyous hysteria. –Michelle Bacon, KTBG
Sprints
Origins: Dublin
RIYL: PJ Harvey, The Final Dinner Get together, Siouxsie and the Banshees
When you blinked, you might need missed Sprints’ lone look at SXSW. After pulling out of the convention in protest of the sponsorship offers with the U.S. Military and a protection contractor, the Dublin quartet performed an early morning present for KUTX Radio as a result of it benefited a neighborhood meals financial institution. It appeared like Sprints took the vitality that they had been saving for a complete week of reveals and spent it wildly at Scholz Garten. The band caught hearth out of the gate whereas lead singer Karla Chubb proved to be a pressure of nature even at 9am. “Up and Comer,” certainly. –Rick McNulty KUTX
Reyna Tropical
Origins: Portland, Ore.
RIYL: Y La Bamba, Lido Pimienta, Helado Negro
Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Fabi Reyna is a musical pressure to be reckoned with. Because the founding father of She Shreds Media, she’s advocated for the celebration and illustration of ladies and gender non-conforming guitarists for over a decade. As Reyna Tropical, she introduced this similar spirit of community-building and inclusion to her highly effective stay units at SXSW. Drawing on materials from the brand new debut full-length, Malegría, Reyna’s electro-fusion of guitar and Peruvian, Colombian and Congolese rhythmic kinds was a joyous show of cultural revelry. –Want Moses, WNRN
Kassa General
Origins: Seattle / Brooklyn
RIYL: Nubya Garcia, Makaya McCraven, Shabaka Hutchings
Kassa General, a virtuoso drummer, impressed from behind the package and entrance and heart as an emcee/singer. Ferocious jazz-influenced beats melded with 808s, breezy piano runs and dueling saxophones to whip the gang right into a frenzy. This was probably the most authentic, thoughts bending musical expertise I had throughout my keep in Austin and I left the venue with a smile that lasted for days. –Tyler Laporte, WTMD
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