Chicoselfie
Friday 14, 10pm, Lefty’s Brick Bar
Chicoselfie’s velvety indie pop exudes a tranquility potent enough to transcend language barriers. A romantic coalescence of Argentinian, Tejano, and Mexican influences, the Austin-based quartet serenades the soul with Spanish lyricism. As guitarist and backing vocalist for Como Las Movies, Alex Camet’s latest project puts him center stage as frontman. Latest release “Burbuja” – translating to bubble in English – emanates an audible weightlessness, inviting listeners to enter a trancelike state and float along. – Catalina Perez
Daily Worker
Thursday 13, 4pm, Batch (unofficial, solo set)
Sunday 16, 12pm, Bobo’s Snack Bar (unofficial, duo set)
Harold Whit Williams, guitarist of veteran Austin power poppers Cotton Mather, has been on an especially prolific run since releasing his first Daily Worker LP in 2020. Five albums in five years cement the band – also featuring drummer Steve McCarthy, bassist Marty Hobratschk, and multi-instrumentalist Jon Bookout – as another welcome addition to the rock & roll canon, one with hooks for days and a lust for live shows. October’s Because I Have To sums up Williams’ cheeky good nature right off the bat: With a “woohoo” enthusiasm, the frontman exclaims in the opening track, “I’m making poor life choices!” Catching this quartet live isn’t one of them. – Carys Anderson
Los Desechos
Friday 14, 1pm, Continental Club (unofficial)
Saturday 15, 6pm, Arriva Abajo (unofficial)
This offshoot of beloved cumbia collective El Combo Oscuro formed last year and immediately started playing unofficial South by Southwest shows. Now performing as true fest-sponsored artists (albeit before this blurb’s publication; catch their free shows this week if you can), Los Desechos create, as they put it on socials, music for everyone: “the tía and tío who know all the dance moves, the neighbor whose speakers blast it across the block, the car cruising down East Austin bumping them, and you – ready to hit the dance floor.” – Carys Anderson
SoundMass
Thursday 13, 10pm, Zilker Brewing
A collaboration between Austin ambient rock illustrators My Education and Utah “math jazz” soundscapers Theta Naught, SoundMass combines the two outfits into a giant post-rock big band. Cinematic arrangements meet psychedelic vibes through widescreen dynamics, as miniature symphonies evoke an acid rock band jamming with a classical orchestra in an imaginary castle between sleep and wakefulness. The walls between propriety and experimentation melt, and the music evolves into a living, breathing entity. The two bands’ locales mean performances come rarely, so this will be a good opportunity to get your head put on crooked. – Michael Toland
Quentin
Sunday 16, 12:30am, Swan Dive
Quentin – yes, Quentin Arispe – is by no means a new Austin act. The 20-something-year-old singer has graced Austin City Limits and other stages with their classic rock-indebted band the Past Lives, and last fall graced the cover of the Chronicle as he released his dance-floor-ready solo project, As Above, So Below. Yet this SXSW marks a new era for the genderfluid, now-mononymic artist, who has performed solo in cities like New York but who has yet to fully perform his catchy and cathartic latest pop music for local audiences. Catch her before she jets off to the big city forever. – Carys Anderson
Vintage Jay
Saturday 15, 9:10pm, Vaquero Taquero
Proudly hailing from Rundberg, Vintage Jay has made it his mission to prove to folks that rap music is alive and well in North Austin. So far so good: Since debuting with 2019’s A Kid From Rundberg, three more LPs have culminated in a Blakchyl collab (the joint EP Process of Shinnin), a KUTX Artist of the Month designation, and an official Vintage Jay Day in 2024. Soulful vocals and smoky instrumentals add depth to the Tampico-born MC’s bilingual lyrics, which often paint vivid pictures of life in the still-impoverished District 4. – Carys Anderson
This article appears in March 14 • 2025.
