BY: Lexi Spevacek

Every spring, thousands of live music lovers flock to Austin, TX for performances from some of the year's best up-and-coming artists. Here are a few of Production Director Lexi Spevacek's most anticipated acts!

Sofia Kourtesis

Madres album cover

Sofia Kourtesis's Madres was without a doubt one of my favorite albums of 2023. Her electric sound is dancey and bursting with emotion, the kind of music that makes you feel something deep inside even when it's just instrumental. Beyond excited to experience those live.

Faye Webster

Underdressed at the Symphony album cover

Faye Webster. Obviously. I'll admit I was a little late to the Faye Webster train but trust, I'm here now. Her new album Underdressed at the Symphony is already up there in my top albums of 2024. I find myself listening to her music and just thinking, she gets it.

Nabihah Iqbal

Dreamer album cover

Nabihah Iqbal's most recent album DREAMER is an immersive experience that makes you feel exactly what the title would have you think. She creates a dreamscape with her music, and I remember thinking how cool those songs would be to experience live the first time I heard them.

Eliza McLamb

Photo by Dylan Vanessa

Eliza McLamb has a way with words that makes me wish I was a writer, and I find certain lines or inflections in her voice getting stuck in my head in the best way. Her authenticity stands out to me, and I see her deservedly being one of the next big indie rock girls.

NewDad

Photo by Patrick Gunning

Speaking of authenticity, NewDad caught my eye as one of the most promising indie rock groups of recent years, combining alt-rock, indie pop and shoegazey sounds with lyrics that seem angsty but extremely genuine.

Flo Milli

Ho, Why Is You Here? album cover

I'm so glad Flo Milli is finally getting her flowers, it feels like she's been deserving of her current popularity and more for years now. I'm just obsessed with her style of writing and can tell she'll be so fun live.

The Life

Grace Album Cover

I saw The Life live eight months ago in London, and for a band whose first song was released in January of 2023, I think that basically makes me a day one fan. Grace had me hooked and excited for their future releases.

Porij

Photo by Nici Eberl

Porij has been one of my favorite discoveries in my SXSW research. They're a queer-led dance pop group from Manchester, and their music has a perfect aura of coolness around it. Like you want to dance in the most chill and cool way possible.

DBMK

photo by Luke Rogers

DBMK is one of those artists that have kept making surprise appearances on my Spotify playlists throughout the years, starting with 2020's Rot. Listening to their music reminds me of driving past neon lights at night, if that makes any sense.

Cosmo Pyke

photo by Salsabila Ramadhani

Cosmo Pyke's sound has been described as any combination of indie, pop, jazz, country, soul, hip-hop and probably countless other genres. Though his sound is hard to contain to a singular genre, there's a sense of warmth and comfort throughout his music, the type of feeling that reminds me of sunsets in late summer.