Sunday at 7:30pm. Last band preview of the year. They play opposite War on Drugs and Blood Orange.
Wikipedia says they are an Australian band formed in Byron Bay who moved to Berlin shortly after forming. They describe themselves as "sort of a blend between electropop and disco-soul".
They collaborated with Daft Punk for their first single "Overnight". I can tell.
Also from Wikipedia: Ahead of their appearance at the 2025 edition of the festival, the Glastonbury website described Parcels' music as influenced by Daft Punk, Fleetwood Mac, and Chic.
Sunday at 5:30pm. They were at ACL in 2024. Preview here. We saw Orville Peck instead. They're my first choice. Three of the four bands at this time are out of L.A. Just an observation.
We know their big songs. Here are some of their newer songs.
"Starlight" is one of the first songs on their most recent setlists. Later Fleetwood Mac feel.
"Carousel" is chill. Good late afternoon festival tune.
This is the next to the last song on their setlists before they play "Fire for You" (Great song).
In December 2024, she revealed that she is facing an international boycott due to her Israeli nationality: "I really wish it was just one case, but the list kind of keeps growing. It’s not for anything that I said, it’s simply because I was born where I was born.
Despite that she has still opened for Florence and the Machine and Pink and is playing both Coachella and ACL.
Sunday at 5:30pm on the BMI stage. From Wikipedia:
Lauren Sanderson (born January 13, 1996) is an American singer and songwriter originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, currently based in Los Angeles. Her music blends influences from pop, R&B and hip hop,
She wrote a brief bio about herself. I won't paste it so go read it here if you're interested.
"COME SAY SUM" features Fred Durst. I doubt you'll like it.
"Smoking Section" is from her latest album. The chorus is catchy.
Sunday at 5:30pm. This band from L.A. played ACL back in 2016. I don't remember seeing them. Preview here.Wikipedia says their "music has been described as everything from dream pop to progressive indie."
Here are some songs I didn't post on my last preview.
Max Winter McNown was born in West Linn, Oregon and later moved to Bend, Oregon. He graduated high school in 2020 and attended college for two years. In August 2022, he moved to Southern California and learned guitar.
Max McNown erupted onto the country music scene just recently, and his momentum hasn't slowed. It's been quick...He gained attention on TV talent shows like American Idol, and while he thought at first that would be a great avenue to get his music out there, he quickly decided he needed to cut his own path — a more unique path.
He moved to Nashville and hasn’t looked back since.
He has 12 Million monthly listeners on Spotify. He hasn't been mentioned at all on savingcountrymusic.com.
Sunday at 4:30pm on the Tito's stage. It's a duo of Mike Del Rio and Kosta Galanopoulos now in L.A.. Per this bio:
There’s also a global energy to Rio Kosta. Their sun-kissed sound echoes much of their respective heritages, with Kosta’s Greek background further flavoured by time in the Bahamas, and Mike being inspired by his Spanish and Italian roots, his time growing up in New York, and especially revisiting his identity following the passing of his Puerto Rican grandmother.
It also says:
It’s also a project that’s adaptable in format. A two-man version toured Europe, speaking to an eclectic Arena filled audience in Prague during their debut show. The sprawling six-person line-up provides an electrifying energy, as seen when they opened for Hot Chip at the Hollywood Palladium and sold out word of mouth headlining performances around LA.
A reddit post said: "It's like a mix of Jungle and Leisure, with a latin touch."
Audrey Sandra Hobert (born February 19, 1999) is an American singer and songwriter. After she co-wrote several songs with Gracie Abrams and Aaron Dessner (from The National) on Abrams' album The Secret of Us (2024), Hobert released her debut single, "Sue Me", in 2025. Her first album, Who's the Clown?, was released by RCA Records in August 2025.
Also:
Audrey Sandra Hobert was born in New York City and grew up in Los Angeles. Her brother is Malcolm Todd, also a musician. Her father, Tim Hobert, was a writer and producer for Scrubs and The Middle. She went to Palisades Charter High School in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.
She graduated from NYU and wrote on a show on Nickelodeon. Her father was the showrunner for the show.
More:
Audrey Hobert then ventured into songwriting, working with close friend Gracie Abrams. The two had met at Abrams's fifth-grade graduation.
Sunday at 3:30 on the Beatbox stage. Fancy Hagood is playing the BMI stage at this time also. He was supposed to play last year on the BMI stage but had to cancel. Preview here. I wouldn't mind watching a little of his show unless we decide to watch all of Calder Allen.
Devon Karpf (born April 21, 2000), known professionally as April Harper Grey and performing as Underscores (stylized in all-lowercase), is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Devon Karpf was born on April 21, 2000, in the Miraloma Park neighborhood of San Francisco, California, to a Filipina mother and a white father....Before coming out as a trans woman, she attended Cathedral School for Boys, a prestigious all-boys elementary school affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of California...In March 2026, she released her third studio album, U, to critical acclaim. Grey opened on tour for Charli XCX in the fall of 2026.
It also says:
Her music has been described as hyperpop, pop-punk, dubstep, electropop, indie pop, electronica, rock, and Midwest emo.
Sunday at 2:45pm. I guess she doesn't need much of an introduction as the hype and the backlash have preceded this. Savingcountrymusic has been covering her as she leans country. Some of his articles:
If you didn't read the article that's the 5th song accused of being plagiarized.
I won't rehash it all.
"Boston" was her breakout hit. She had to add Noah Kahan to the song credits after she admitted it borrowed liberally from "Stick Season". First comment under the video: "You cannot convince me this girl has ever been on a public train." haha.
"I Know I Know" is nice. As SavingCountryMusic says:
Stella Lefty’s music itself is fine and inoffensive. It’s not that especially great, and it’s not that especially country either. But it’s also not bad. It just kind of “is.”
Sunday (1994) is an English-American dream pop band based in Los Angeles, California. The group consists of Paige Turner from Los Angeles, California, Lee Newell from Slough, England and Jason Puma from Lima, Peru.
"Shame" is their most recent release. Reminds me of a more poppy Neko Case.
Andrea Paloma Barrios Gomez Álvarez Morphy (born Mexico City, 2000), known professionally as Paloma Morphy, is a Mexican songwriter and singer. Morphy won the 2025 Latin Grammy Awards Best New Artist award. Rolling Stone en Español named her an Artist you should know in may 2024 and Billboard named her the November 2025 "Latin Artist on the Rise".
It also says:
Paloma Morphy worked as a lawyer before she left her legal career to pursue music.
“I wrote this song because, during my time working at the prosecutor’s office, I realized how many reports of gender-based violence never even reached the investigation stage. From that perspective, I wrote a song to Mexico as if it were a person I love, because I love my country; it’s beautiful in so many ways, but in this song, I ask Mexico: Why don’t you love me the way I love you? It’s truly my way of raising my voice, and it’s made me reflect on how we can truly make a difference.”
Sunday at 2pm on the Beatbox stage. There are 3 acts that go by the name Britton. I started looking at this article about an alt-pop artist from Los Angeles. But there's also a Britton from San Antonio that was on The Voice. According to bandsintown this is who is playing ACL.
DJ, producer, and audio engineer Britton is a West Coast tour de force known for his dark minimal driving style of techno. Inspired by SoCal’s underground collectives and full moon gatherings, Britton has developed his own ominous and sinister sound that compliments warehouse and outdoor environments alike.
But then I looked on Instagram and found a fan page saying the actual Britton playing ACL is the alt-pop artist from Los Angeles. I had to download the bloated Festiverse app to see what band is actually playing ACL. It's the alt-pop artist. So bandsintown is wrong.
Her full name is Ashlee Britton Robinson and it appears she's originally from Toledo, Ohio. There aren't many articles about her and a Wikipedia page didn't come up, either. She has 700 thousand monthly users on Spotify, though.
"Who Am I?" has some bleak lyrics. One comment: "I've never heard someone express depression as well as Britton". Another: "First artist to hit me and read my mind like lana del rey does."
This is one of her newer songs. She wears a huge cross necklace just like Solya. Is that a new fashion thing?
Sunday at 2pm on the BMI stage. Jess Williamson plays at this time but we'll see her at Continental Club so let's see if there's something we may want to check out. There are 4 other bands playing at the same time. Crazy.
This singer/songwriter from Ireland was performing in pubs until a big break. From Rolling Stone:
Aaron Rowe‘s origin story feels like the kind of tale that any discernible screenwriter would dismiss as unbelievable, and yet it’s entirely true. He was playing a regular gig at a Dublin pub last year when Lewis Capaldi walked in while on a stag do and saw him performing.
I had to look it up: a stag do is a bachelor party.
It says:
Rowe’s sound may be rooted in Irish trad (see the subtle fiddle on ‘Hey Ma’) but the stories he tells and his own distinctive vocals are truly universal. With friends like Capaldi, Ed Sheeran and Fontaines D.C. firmly in his corner, it’s only a matter of time before they reach the audience they truly deserve.
Villanelle were given a proper baptism of fire when Liam Gallagher invited them to be the opener on his 2024 anniversary tour of Oasis’ ‘Definitely Maybe’.
That's nice. It also says:
The AFL team will have been eagerly awaiting the release of the band’s debut EP ‘Measly Means’: a gnarly dose of Smashing Pumpkins and Black Sabbath with a truck full of ‘90s colour and swagger.
The EP has now been released. 5 songs. Grunge sound.
"Placebo" is the last song on the EP but it's their most streamed song on Spotify. The ending is good. Would be a good way to end the show.
Solya Ava Lowe (born April 6, 2006), known professionally as Solya, is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer from Abilene, Texas...She began playing the piano at the age of six and later learned guitar and synthesizer as a teenager...Solya has cited Cocteau Twins, Patsy Cline, the Flaming Lips and David Bowie as influences on her music...The Dallas Morning News described her sound as "surreal, retro-leaning ballads at the intersection of Lana Del Rey and Julee Cruise"
It's a pretty comprehensive Wikipedia page for a 20-year old with one album out.
Sunday at 12:45pm on the BMI stage. According to this bio:
Lauded by Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and Billboard for her alchemic blend of dark avant-pop, Rubio is the award-winning brainchild of Chilean artist, songwriter and producer Fran Straube, also nominated to a Latin Grammy for her music video “Nacimos Llorando” and with her most recent debut on Tiny Desk Concert.
Per Rolling Stone: “Nacimos Llorando,” is a short film directed by Fernando Cattori, that tells a shattering story of LGBTQ love and heartbreak. It came out in October (2023), and it’s partially set to “Kitsungi” and “Llorar.”
It's 21 minutes long. I'll skip ahead to play "Kitsungi".
Saturday at 7:30pm. Obviously my first choice. I only post as I haven't really heard much about her since we saw her so many years ago. She just released her 6th and possibly final album, according to this article.
It says:
Maybe that’s why she speaks so casually about walking away from it all — disappearing to art school, studying theology, moving to a remote island without a phone.
This question sums up her new album:
Q:You were in a different chapter while creating this album than the last, having just had your second child and the world being a different place than 2022. Where did this album come from emotionally?
A: I don’t bring motherhood into my work at all. This album actually goes straight against it.
It’s more like the opposite: a creature of the night, a f*ck boy, heathenous… like I don’t give a sh*t. Art is where you get to do something else. I love being a mother for the record, but art is the release. It keeps me in fighting form.
I think this is my attempt to be a male rock star. While making it, I was listening to The Rolling Stones, Radiohead, The Verve, Black Sabbath, The Beatles, just every great male rock artist that's ever lived, I guess, which is a bit sad because it sounds misogynistic, but the world is.
Vincenzo Nischal Camille Bhatia, known professionally as Fakemink (stylised in lowercase) and previously 9090gate, is an English rapper and producer. He has been credited with popularising the UK underground rap scene...He was born on 29 January 2005 in Ilford, East London and was raised there subsequently until the age of 5. After which, his family moved to the town of Basildon in Essex. He is of Indian Punjabi and Algerian descent...Camille is Muslim. He has said he abstains from alcohol both due to religious adherence and because he does not find it enjoyable.
Saturday at 7:15pm. More DJs. According to this bio:
Hailing from Chicago, IL, Levity is an electronic trio at the forefront of a new generation of dubstep – pushing the genre forward while bridging the gap between bass music and broader cultural influences.
Known for their high-impact production, hip-hop-rooted sensibility, and crowd-driven energy, Levity has built a reputation for delivering some of the most dynamic and immersive live performances in electronic music today.
Saturday at 6:30pm on the Tito's stage. Also known as Yousuke Yukimatsu. You're not going to believe this but ACL booked a DJ to play the festival. Wild.
Originally employed in construction, Yukimatsu was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 2016, leading him to leave his job. After undergoing treatment and two surgeries, he shifted his focus entirely to DJing, further developing his experimental style.
It also says:
Yukimatsu is known for performing topless during his sets.
Our other options at this time are ACL veterans Bleachers and Lola Young.
Here's a short documentary called "The Insane Rise of Yousuke Yukimatsu". The first couple minutes are worth watching. I didn't know there are TWO kinds of DJs. I do now.
Most everything online is his sets at different festivals. Here is a short video of him with his shirt off.
Hailing from Nashville, it’s murph, alias of producer Garrett Murphy, is making a splash in the dance world with his euphoric melodies, gritty baselines and sonically expansive atmospheres. His production draws in elements of tech, bass, and heavy dance inspired by artists such as Fred Again…, Cloonee, Chris Lake and Flume.
Saturday at 5:30pm on the Beatbox stage. Per Wikipedia:
Palace is a British alternative rock band from London. The band has released four full-length studio albums to date...The band have performed several headlining tours worldwide, in addition to playing at major festivals including Glastonbury (2016, 2019) and Coachella (2024).
Four albums and major festivals yet I don't think I've ever heard of them. Do512 describes their sound:
a self-described alternative blues-rock group with a relaxed, atmospheric sound. Their music has an introspective feel. It's melodic and dynamic in its languid movement and the lyrics express personal emotions with a universal emotional spectrum.
They played Stubb's last March.
"Ohio" is their latest single that is going to be on their 5th album. It's pretty good.
Saturday at 5:15pm on the BMI stage. According to this bio:
Fai Laci has quickly emerged from the historically rich music scene of Boston, MA, to be one of the most compelling new voices in alternative rock. The band was founded by Luke Faillaci following the 2022 release of the first Fai Laci EP.
After that he formed a band with friends and released a second EP. Then:
Now signed to Easy Eye Sound, Fai Laci is currently hard at work recording their first full-length album in Nashville with Easy Eye Sound founder Dan Auerbach producing.
"Five" is an older song from 2022 and is the most streamed song.
"Headlights" is one of the better ones I heard from their new album. Has a Cage the Elephant sound.
Saturday at 5:15pm. According to Wikipedia it's a duo that met on Tinder while they were in Florida then moved to Detroit before relocating to NYC.
It says:
Snow Strippers' music has primarily been described as electronic music; they have described it as EDM and it has also been described as electropop. It contains elements of new rave, witch house, electroclash, shoegaze, hyperpop, and techno.
Here's their most streamed song. Not really our thing.
María Victoria Ramírez de Arellano Cardona (born November 8, 1997), known professionally as Young Miko, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter and former footballer.
"FINA" with Bad Bunny. She was part of the Super Bowl halftime show.
This is her latest single which is part of a Gap campaign. According to Wikipedia:
In March 2026, Gap launched a new campaign with Miko as the star. The campaign's name, Sweats Like This, features a slight remix of her hit single "WASSUP". This is the first Spanish language video campaign by Gap and she is the brand's first openly lesbian Latina face.
Saturday at 4:15pm. We've seen her before. She also played ACL in 2023. Preview here. We didn't see her then. Since then she has released a couple albums so I thought I'd listen to what's new.
Skye Newman (born 9 November 2003) is an English singer-songwriter from South East London...Her debut EP SE9 Part 1 was released in October 2025...She has named Amy Winehouse, Adele, Bob Marley, and Eminem among her musical inspirations.
She has since released SE9 Part 2.
"Hairdresser" was her debut single. 9 Million views. A good follow-up to Don West.
For nearly a decade, GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter Ryan Beatty has reinvented himself time and time again, traversing the spectrum of the pop world and beyond...First gaining notoriety for delivering hooks for artists like Brockhampton and Tyler, The Creator, Beatty soon garnered acclaim for the confessional indie-tinged pop of his 2018 debut Boy In Jeans. In 2020, a more heartbroken yet adventurous sophomore outing called Dreaming Of David followed...He also earned critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, Variety, i-D, Billboard, FLAUNT, and more. Amidst tours with Noah Kahan and Maggie Rogers, Beatty secretly worked on what would become Beyonce’s blockbuster 2024 album Cowboy Carter, later winning an Album Of The Year Grammy for contributing four of its key tracks.
According to Wikipedia he gained recognition in his teens and was pigeonholed as a teen heartthrob, a designation he didn't want. He fired his management team and took a break to refine his sound. He's now 30 and released his latest album in June.
Saturday at 3:30pm on the BMI stage. We've seen him twice: once opening for Briscoe at Stubb's and once solo at Luck as part of the BMI Songwriter's showcase. He just released his debut album produced by Dave Cobb. (Producer for Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Colter Wall, Brandi Carlisle, etc. Huge.)
Saturday at 3:15pm on the Tito's stage. This Australian singer was supposed to play the Tito's stage at 3pm on Sunday last year but he had to cancel. Preview here. He's honoring his commitment and is back this year.
Here are a few songs he recently released that aren't on last year's preview.
"Day to Night" is good, too. Marvin Gaye sound. One of the comments under the video: "I’ve been confidently straight my whole life. Then this guy showed up."
This is the most streamed song from his latest album.
Saturday at 2:45pm. ACL likes to book "Stranger Things" actors who are also musicians. Last year it was Joe Keery (who played Steve) as Djo. This year it's Finn Wolfhard who played Mike.
Finn Michael Wolfhard was born on December 23, 2002, in Vancouver, British Columbia, to a family of French and German descent with Jewish heritage.
His father, Eric Wolfhard, is a researcher on Indigenous land claims in Canada.
Wolfhard was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and songwriter for Vancouver-based rock band Calpurnia, until the band dissolved in November 2019.
A few weeks later, it was announced that Wolfhard's new band, The Aubreys, with Calpurnia drummer Malcolm Craig, would debut on the soundtrack of his film, The Turning (2020).
Wolfhard released his debut studio album, Happy Birthday, on June 6, 2025, via AWAL. After Stranger Things concluded later that year, Wolfhard said in an interview with Deadline Hollywood that he would shift his focus to music. His second album, Fire from the Hip, was released on July 10, 2026.
"Follow" is from his latest album. It sounds like a mix of "Chicago" by Sufjan Stevens and "The Cutter" by Echo and the Bunnymen.
Balu Brigada is a New Zealand indie rock band originally from Auckland. The act, formed in 2016 with four members, is led by multi-instrumentalist brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley. They have released two extended plays—I Should Be Home (2022), and Find a Way (2023)—and the compilation Balu (2024). Their debut album, Portal, was released on 29 August 2025.
They sold out Mohawk in November. They've also played on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and opened for 21 Pilots.
Rochelle Jordan is a British-Jamaican singer raised primarily in Toronto, Canada. Her music is known for its blend of alternative R&B, dance-pop, and house.
She's 36 and has had a quite a journey to get to ACL. Following a bad record deal and complications from sickle cell anemia she took a 7 year hiatus from the industry. After that she released her second album in 2021 and her third in 2025. That album, Through the Wall was shortlisted for the 2026 Polaris Music Prize, and the song "The Boy" was longlisted for the SOCAN Polaris Song Prize.
DJ Cassandra’s experience as a musician, composer, speaker, and mentor has reached listeners across the country. Her ambitions are expanding after being the first woman to win Best DJ at the Austin Music Awards this year.
It says she grew up between London and Austin and studied composition at UT and is a classically trained pianist.
It says she's working on original music. I think this is one of them.
Cure for Paranoia is the Dallas hip-hop and soul collective founded by Cameron McCloud, who was placed on medication for bipolar depression and paranoid schizophrenia a decade ago — and found the music worked better. A preschool teacher by day, McCloud posted a new verse every day of 2025, and those dailies became “No Brainer,” winner of NPR's 2026 Tiny Desk Contest, followed by the ten-city On The Road tour.
The Dallas Observer gave their live show this review:
While McCloud naturally commanded attention, it can’t be overstated how crucial the band was to last night’s performance. They brought every track to new heights and included several instrumental breaks to fully emphasize every moment. McCloud was quick to step aside for a trumpet or sax solo and gave each member their own moment to shine...There’s no other way to cut it: If you weren’t at Trees last night, you missed out on a night of Dallas music magic. Between the stacked bill of dynamic openers and the powerhouse performance from Cure for Paranoia, the record release show was one for the books.
"No Brainer" is the song that won them the NPR Tiny Desk Contest. The lyrics are great. Funky song, too. From NPR:
This year, we received more than 6,000 entries from independent artists across the country, but one act had undeniable star power. Among our judges, the decision to crown Cure For Paranoia was unanimous.
"&Pose" is good. The review of their live show says they extended the song to "10 minutes of all-out, pure, in-the-moment grooves. Everyone on stage was winded by the time they finished, and the audience exploded with applause."
This is the first song on the Tiny Desk Concert but I'll post again. More great lyrics. This may be my pick for this timeslot.
