Every year, NPR does a contest offering artists an opportunity to play a Tiny Desk Concert and every year, Austin is well-represented with entries. So we’ve decided to put together all of the submissions from our city so you can go support your favorites! Check them out below or go straight to the playlist we curated on YouTube:
Aubrey Hays Band
Who: Heartachey twang that recalls Kasey Chambers and Iris Dement in equal measure. Hear more on their Soundcloud.
Batty Jr.
Who: Arty folk pop for fans of Andrew Bird and Sufjan Stevens. Also features what might just be the tiniest desk in all of the Tiny Desk entries. Hear more on their Bandcamp.
Bottlecap Mountain
Who: Jangly, literary indie comfortably situated between Yo La Tengo and The Decemberists. Hear more on their Bandcamp.
Bourgeois Mystics
Who: Party pop ensemble with an eclectic array of influences and sounds. Hear more on their website.
Caravan
Who: Vaudevillian folk with quirky instrumentation and dynamic vocals.
Como Las Movies
Who: A fresh hybrid of New Wave and Cumbia music that’s equally danceable and romantic. Hear more on their Bandcamp.
The Dead Coats
Who: A deep fried Texas twist on Misfits style punk, with some truly epic vocals. Hear more on their Bandcamp.
Elevaded
Who: Anthemic synth rock act with soaring vocals. Hear more on their website.
Ex Romantika
Who: A sprawling Latin funk ensemble with an impressive horn section, riveting grooves and alluring vocals. Hear more on Bandcamp.
Goons
Who: Breezy and charming synthpop with strong songwriting and ample character. Our pick for best choreography, in both the dancing and digital effects categories. Hear more on their Spotify.
Groove Co
Who: Ben Harper-esque lite rock.
Jackie Venson
Who: Austin’s reigning queen of guitar heroics, whose sound has recently started to encompass St Vincent-like art pop. Hear more on her Bandcamp.
Jade and the Foxtones
Who: Eclectic, soulful coffee shop pop with an intriguing mix of horns and strings. Hear more on their Bandcamp.
Kady Rain
Who: Previously singled out by NPR for their song “R.A.D. Moves,” which was declared the “song of the summer,” Kady Rain is at the forefront of an Austin pop revolution. Hear more on her Bandcamp.
Lewd Dudes
Who: Anthemic indie pop with rabble rousing vocals and synth vs sax riff-offs. Hear more on their Bandcamp.
Loonar
Who: Catchy and seductive self-produced hip hop with some impressive on the fly beatmaking. Hear more on his Soundcloud.
Löwin
Who: Veteran indie pop act who mix gorgeous vocal and guitar melodies with commanding synths and rhythms. Hear more on their Bandcamp.
Mohawk Bends
Who: Crisp indie rock in the James vein, with some Libertines cheekiness. Bonus points for dragging that not-so-tiny-desk out into a field of wildflowers. Hear more on their Bandcamp.
Party Wolfe
Who: Epic synth rock pairing ELO grandeur with New Wave hooks and drive. Hear more on their website.
Patricia Vonne “Severina”
Who: Legendary Tejana songwriter and all around Renaissance woman who has collaborated with Texas music icons like Alejandro Escovedo, Joe “King” Carrasco and more. Hear more on her website.
Pearce the Band
Who: Soaring indie rock with Glen Hansard-esque vocals. Hear more on their Soundcloud.
Pocket Sounds
Who: Hazy space rock with eclectic instrumentation and daredevil loop wizardry. Also the only entry to include homework on their tiny desk. Hear more on their Soundcloud.
Rulitos
Who: Spacey electro-folk, with Nick Drake vocals cohabitating with lo-fi beat music and ambient textures. He even mowed his lawn specifically for this contest. That’s dedication.
Stretch Panic
Who: A cocktail of B-52’s beats, Cibo Matto sass and Pixies intensity. Winners of Best Set Design in this year’s Tiny Desk entries. Hear more on their Bandcamp.
Tan Mala
Who: Raucous ’90s indie rock a la Babes in Toyland. Hear more on their Bandcamp.
V3CO
Who: A new, James Blake-esque side project from BLXPLTN’s Jonathan Horstmann. Technically Horstmann missed the deadline by a few minutes, but the song was too good for us not to share it with you.
