If a Levitation set is toplined by festival founders the Black Angels, the lineup features like-minded acts that recall the spirit of the original Austin Psych Fest. With longtime stalwarts Elephant Stone absent, Baltimore sitarist and composer Ami Dang steps into the Indian/North American vacancy with her meditative, electronica-tinged version of acid ambiance. Perennial ATX power trio Ringo Deathstarr brings the noise with their aggressive, Detroit-style attack on British shoegaze via last year’s self-titled bruiser. New York’s A Place to Bury Strangers tends to blow up any stage it strides, and since its noise rocking gothic New Wave is in top gear on new EP Hologram, this year should be no different. Beloved Tokyo quintet Kikagaku Moyo played the festival at the last edition two years ago, but since it doesn’t tour the States much – therefore any chance to see the band’s folky, sitar-laced trance rock should be taken. Austin’s finest psych rockers finish off their own party with what’s likely to be a retrospective set – after all, the band hasn’t released any new music since 2017, and its latest album Live at Levitation recaps its history of festival performances anyway. As eclectic as Levitation has gotten over the past decade, the Angels bill counts as meat-and-potatoes, but it’s also a reminder of the music on which this festival was built.
Fri., Oct. 29, 5:30pm