The music portion of SXSW is just a week away, and if you haven’t started making a list of which acts you should see, you’ll probably find it pretty overwhelming when you try. Hundreds of bands flock to Austin every year in the hopes that they’ll be noticed by record labels, booking agents, tastemakers and media, and their careers will advance. There are plenty of artists worth seeing, and sometimes the most surprising ones are playing at parties and events you never mean to go to, but if you’re the type that wants to have a schedule in hand when you get on the ground in Texas, here are 10 musicians we're particularly excited about and suggest you try to make time to experience in person.
The Unlikely Candidates
I first discovered The Unlikely Candidates when they were launching their first collection of songs, and it was a rare finding: the brand new album from a completely unknown act where I couldn’t allow myself to skip a single song.
I find myself still hitting play on these pop-rock masterpieces often, and I’m even more excited for whatever the band has coming next, because so far, they have never let me down. Of all the acts on this list, The Unlikely Candidates are my number one pick for who you must see at SXSW this year.
Devin Dawson
Devin Dawson has everything necessary to become a star these days: good luck, songwriting chops and at least one viral video to his name. The singer was first noticed by a large audience when he and fellow musician Louisa Wendroff mashed up Taylor Swift’s singles “Blank Space” and “Style,” resulting in not only millions of views, but a shout out from the chart-topping country queen herself.
Dawson is now preparing a major label full-length and gearing up for a tour with Maren Morris, so he’s certainly a man to listen for in the country space.
Jain
It’s difficult to describe Jain’s music, because it’s possible nothing even remotely close to what she creates has existed before. She blends so many different styles and influences into one signature sound that is entirely her own, and it’s something you really need to see.
If you only have time for one song, make sure it’s “Makeba,” which is helping the singer/producer become something of a streaming viral sensation.
Walker Lukens
Is it pop? Alternative? Indie? Rock? It’s not clear, and it really doesn’t matter. Lukens sounds like an oddball, but he’s easy on the eyes, and everything he creates is a sensory experience, so he’s all but guaranteed to blow up in some regard in the future.
He’s creating weird, catchy tunes in the same vein as Roisin Murphy or current-day OK Go, and even those comparisons don’t really do his individuality justice.
Cameron Avery
The Tame Impala bassist has been doing things separate from the group for a little while now, but only recently has his own solo output gained some traction.
It’s dark and broody, but somehow still sounds celebratory and joyous...at least as joyous as somebody with a voice like that can pull off. It’s always wonderful to see artists who might not be the face of a popular act grab the spotlight for themselves sometimes.
Mondo Cozmo
Not a single man, but a band, Mondo Cozmo rocks out with sounds you have probably never heard before. Sometimes it’s a bit harder, sometimes they lean melodic, but whatever they’re playing (the band only has a handful of songs so far), they kill it, because those in the group know what they are doing.
It’s rare for an act to have this much buzz while still so young, and thankfully, the near-deafening talk taking place all across the music industry about this band isn’t just spin.
R.LUM.R
The difficult-to-pronounce R.LUM.R (apparently it’s “are-lum-are”) is part of a group of mostly underground musicians who have taken R&B in a more electronic direction — and thank God they did.
For a while, the genre was feeling somewhat stale, and it was becoming difficult for people to latch onto the style, but the past few years have been very exciting for every R&B act. R.LUM.R is just getting started, but he already shows plenty of promise, and with skills like these, comparisons to acts like early The Weeknd and the newly Grammy-nominated Ro James.
Steve James
You might not have heard his name or his tunes just yet, but James is already becoming something of a power player in the music world behind the scenes, while simultaneously looking for some serious electro bangers to call his own.
The producer/writer has only been “working” in the music industry (he just truly started full-time...after finishing high school), but he already earned a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year for co-producing Justin Bieber’s title track “Purpose.” Now he’s collaborating with some of the coolest vocalists out there to craft that one EDM tune that will top the charts, which is all but certain.
SAINt JHN
NYC-based SAINt JHN has something that many up-and-coming artists wish they did: a hip-hop flow unlike anything else out there.
It truly is rare to find a rap artist coming up who has found a way to create music in their own way and still have it be catchy, potentially chart-topping material, but this man has done it. It’s laid back but focused, reminiscent of Future without copping his signature sound and style, and surprisingly captivating for music so chill.
Francis And The Lights
Already quickly becoming an indie staple, Francis and the Lights released one of the coolest alternative/indie-pop records of the past several years in 2016, but sadly only hardcore fans and those truly paying attention noticed.
What makes this even more surprising is the fact that there is a lot of momentum behind F&theL, as Kanye West co-wrote on the album and stars in the music video for lead single “Friends,” Bon Iver has been singing the group’s praises forever (which is no surprise given how much they sound like one another), and the group’s frontman Francis Farewell Starlite was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song this year. If all that isn’t enough to get you interested in the band, just listen.
Want to see more lists? Check out our Everybody Loves a List! page.
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