Well, I had a terrific week at South by Southwest. I went hard on the Instagram story and I ate many tacos (including six visits to the same place — what’s wrong with me?!).
I made it to sets from most of the acts I wrote about in the weeks leading up to SXSW, and those ranged from good to great. The week was a joyous mess I’m still working my way through. Was my favorite band of the week The Beths? CHAI? Black Midi? I haven’t decided yet, but there were many surprises in the running for my favorites. Here are a few highlights from artists I haven’t yet written about in this column.
Public Practice: “Foundation”
The appeal and promise of Brooklyn quartet Public Practice lies in their take on (and expansion of) the “new new wave” wave taking hold in the most sunglasses’d corners of NYC DIY. There were a few prominently new wave-inspired acts at last year’s fest, perhaps most notably Bodega. But I think I like Public Practice the most of these for the tangible looseness they maintained through the rigid corners of their grooves. Public Practice appear to have about five songs out at this point, and they’re all great.
Valley Maker: “A Couple Days”
Frenchkiss Records’ Valley Maker, which fits more next to Amen Dunes than most other things I’ve been listening to these days, features a vibe befitting the Bill Callahan namesake moniker. Each of their songs felt so much bigger than the spaces they performed in, not in the sense of outsized persona but rather in the depth of their vision. There’s one song I liked the best which I haven’t been able to track down yet — perhaps it’s a new one — but I also really enjoy “A Couple Days” and the rest of their sophomore record Rhododendron.
Rico Nasty: “Roof”
About half the rap sets I saw last week were great, but my favorite of all was a late afternoon set from Rico Nasty. I was initially put off by her use of a vocal track, but her connection with and command of the audience, visible enjoyment, and her long list of bangers made this at least the most enjoyable and satisfying rap set I saw all week (and there were some strong contenders!).
Squid: “The Dial”
Out of earshot from the frenzy, nestled away in a New Orleans counter serve place out east on 12th Street, I saw the Brighton/London five-piece Squid play to an increasingly enthusiastic small crowd. I went into this one completely blind on a friend’s recommendation and I was not disappointed in the slightest. Squid makes loud, brash but extremely fun party/psych rock, with a trumpeter and instrument swaps and a proclivity to jam out but never stop driving the bus. It felt like an thrilling, organic response to some of the early rougher DFA releases.
Morabeza Tobacco: “TTYL”
I showed up to see Morabeza Tobacco at Mohawk on Tuesday not realizing it was, according to the band, their first show ever. This seems unrealistic, but after looking further online it might be true: The closest thing I can find to any previous performance is this incredible recording of “TTYL” playing in a mall. The Swedish duo’s songs are recorded through heavy layer of decay and sonic dust, but live they just sound plain dreamy. Really great stuff! Morabeza Tobacco’s debut is out May 24 on Luminelle.
Haiku Hands: “Not About You”
Halfway through the week, I went to see the gorgeous, understated solo act Hand Habits at Hotel Vegas, Austin’s great dusty backyard venue. As it turns out, though, I misremembered the band name and had confused it for Haiku Hands, an Australian female electro dance-rap crew. Oops! Of course this segued into Haiku Hands being one of my favorite things I saw all week. While they never went as far as dipping into “Samir’s Theme,” this show had the most Bmore club energy of anything I’ve seen in the past half decade, almost like the hypest early M.I.A. recordings. It was an upending and tremendous joy.
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