There was a time in which I was totally oblivious to how popular a band was. Usually my naivety went along the lines of: “This band is awesome, everyone must love them!” Now I know that’s not quite the case and, whenever I can, I try and spread the word of awesome, small time or local bands I’ve fallen in love with.
At last year’s SXSW, favorite bands I’d never heard of included Best Coast and Hunx and His Punx, who have both since gotten quite a bit of buzz. This year, I stayed low key. I saw some relatively bigger indie names such as The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Dum Dum Girls, and Sondre Lerche, but I also saw some amazing lesser known bands and these are the ones I consider my favorite “breakout bands.”
BUST has profiled this awesome Austin, Tx band before so I knew they’d be good. Right away I loved how their songs give off both a 40s and 90s vibe, but feel somehow modern. I’d seen them live before, but after seeing their SXSW show, I ended up buying both albums and have been listening to nothing else since!
They’re probably tired of the comparisons, but these gals sing to the tune of Best Coast, Vivian Girls, and Dum Dum Girls. If you are as into this wave of fuzzy girl pop as I am, you’re bound to love Las Robertas. One up on the other girls? Being from Costa Rica, they sing in Spanish once in a while. Catch them in NYC this week!
I’ve been singing this band’s praises since I saw them in NYC a few months back. Singer, Natalia Rogovin, takes center stage and belts out songs that are a bit poppy, a bit dancey, and, in a way, somewhat ballad-y all at the same time.
The most well known of the bunch, this Vivian Girl gone solo is a bit sweeter and a tad less reverb-y than things she’s previously done. As a person with a pretty high tolerance for cute, I loved it instantly. Live, Katy has great stage presence and I have to admit, I’ve got a bit of a girl crush.
