SXSW 2026: Good Flying Birds

Playing Paste Sunday.  They're also playing Cheer Up Charlie's and Tweedy's on Saturday and Hotel Vegas on Sunday. Per the SXSW bio:

Good Flying Birds is a jangling, noisy guitar-pop group based in the Midwest, USA...The influence of jangly lo-fi/DIY heavyweights who came before like Guided By Voices (their namesake), Beat Happening, DLIMC, Talulah Gosh (partly their namesake), and The Vaselines, is prevalent, but they carry a unique charm all their own. It’s the sound of looking at a crumbling world with rosy cheeks and wide eyes, a tambourine by your side.

"Down on Me"  is a 90s college radio throwback.

"Fall Away" is good. 

I like these guys.

This is their most streamed song.

SXSW 2026: Still Blank

Playing the Paste party Saturday. They are also playing the British Music Embassy and SXSanJose. Per the SXSW bio:

Still Blank’s sound is a unique blend of shoegaze haze, folk intimacy, and emotionally raw ambient alt-rock grit. Ben and Jordy met by chance in Liverpool 2 years ago sparking a lightning-in-a-bottle creative partnership. 

This article says it is a duo "Formed by Hawaii-born singer/multi-instrumentalist Jordy and Manchester guitarist Ben".  It also says:

Despite a whirlwind journey, including Jordy’s unexpected deportation during the album’s creation and a move to Los Angeles following their signing to National Anthem (HAIM, Chvrches), Still Blank have quickly established themselves as one of the most compelling new voices in alternative music. 

"What about Jane" is good. Right up my alley.

This is good, too. I'd like to see them.

SXSW 2026: Sassy 009

 Playing the Paste party on Saturday.  The SXSW bio says:

Sassy 009 is the shape-shifting project from Oslo-based producer, songwriter and vocalist Sunniva Lindgård...Steered by freshly distorted vocals and elements of grunge, shoegaze, ‘90s beatronica and gauzy hyperpop, the album is a record of self-discovery and self-effacement at once, studded with guest contributions from Blood Orange, BEA1991 and Yunè Pinku.

This looks to be her only day party. 

Gauzy hyperpop is a good way to describe "Enemy".

Same with "Butterflies" 

This song features Blood Orange.  It's good. He's not in the video, though.

SXSW 2026: The Haunted Youth

Playing the Paste Party Saturday.  The SXSW bio says:

The Haunted Youth is the band of Joachim Liebens and the biggest Belgian indie rock sensation of the last few years...Frontman Joachim Liebens blends dreamy guitars, nostalgic synths, and deeply personal lyrics into songs that, while dark in theme, offer comfort and connection. 

This looks to be the only day party they are playing but they're playing quite a few evening showcases including at the British Music Embassy despite being from Belgium.

They have over 300K monthly listeners on Spotify. 

"Broken" is really good.  Mix of The Cure and MGMT.

This is good, too. May have to check them out.

SXSW 2026: Forty Feet Tall

This band is playing the Paste party Saturday.  This article says the band is originally from L.A. but is now based in Portland. It says:

The band first cut their teeth together in high school before scattering for college then reconvening in Portland to make music years later. Over time, they have managed to hone an engaging and engrossing sound and stage-presence that feels seasoned, yet not settled.

They are described as post-punk.

"Paystub" sounds like a mix of old Pretenders and DEVO.

In this article the band says of this song:

“‘Isochronism’ is a physics term describing how a pendulum takes the same amount of time to complete a swing, regardless of the starting point,” the band explains. “The song reflects on the cyclical nature of life, the passage of time, day and night, and we felt the term captured these concepts well.”

They also remind me of Jane's Addiction.