Austin shoegaze artist Bee Blackwell is one to watch. Her latest New Familiar digs deeper into alt rock and emo with crunchier guitars, and her standout set at this year's New Colossus Festival turned heads. With a fall tour with Julia Wolf on the horizon, she's headed for bigger stages. Read our Q&A on her songwriting, gear, and more.

I See Orange is a UK-based alternative rock trio drawing from the raw energy of 90s grunge. Fresh off a standout run at New York's New Colossus Festival, the band brings loud guitars, dynamic contrasts, and a sound that's equal parts soft and explosive. From pre-show tequila shots to setlists built for maximum energy, I See Orange are a band that live and breathe the stage.

Pillowprince are an LA-based slowcore trio making music built around heaviness you can feel. Their debut EP pretty, baby! envelops you slowly just before it bites. We caught up with vocalist/guitarist Olivia Lee to talk gear obsessions, cinematic songwriting, and finding hope for the music industry.

Montreal-based SamWoy blends narrative-driven songwriting with groove-heavy indie rock, channeling post-punk energy and glam influences. In the interview, he reflects on the spontaneity of live performance, pre-show nerves, and a creative process where songs evolve both in the studio and on stage.

Aruba’s activemirror deliver a sharp, charismatic take on post-punk, blending the brooding intensity of Joy Division with the modern edge of Interpol. Following their self-released debut Though The Night Is Not Over, the band made a standout impression at The New Colossus Festival, even prompting a repeat watch.

In our conversation, the band reflects on music as a vital outlet for expression, a fluid and inspiration-driven songwriting process, and a live approach that prioritizes energy, experimentation, and reinvention over replication.

Public Circuit blends new wave and synth-punk into a sound that’s entirely their own. Led by Ethan Biamont, with Sean Holloway on drums and Nelson Fisher on synths, the trio’s debut album Lamb—released via LA/DC indie label à La Carte Records—includes themes of life, death, and what lies beyond. Known for transforming their tracks into high-energy, dance-punk rituals on stage, the band shares insight into their live sets, highlights from New Colossus Festival and more.

Italy’s Flame Parade made their U.S. debut at New Colossus Festival last month. Their diverse musical backgrounds, ranging from classical training to emo bands, fuels their sonic experimentation. We spoke with Flame Parade about music’s power to connect, their songwriting process, and the energy of live performance.

French neo-psych/shoegaze band You Said Strange has been making waves for over a decade, blending dreamy atmospheres with raw energy. Fresh off multiple sets at this year’s New Colossus Festival, we caught up with them to talk songwriting, influences, and standout performances.

Mahogany blends genres including classical, shoegaze & post-punk into their signature “hypercube” style. Their approach to live performance was on full display at The New Colossus Festival’s Shoegaze Party. Read our exchange where they talk songwriting, gear and Kraftwerk.

Savannah-based smalltalk describes their sound as “griddy gaze.” Their set during the annual The New Colossus Shoegaze Day Party, hosted at Arlene’s Grocery, was a captivating experience that left us wanting more. We spoke with the band about staying up late, British ‘80s rock, collaborations and more.

The NYC music festival The New Colossus took over eleven venues this year. Featuring 200 bands, the six day event had something for everyone. From indie pop to goth rock and art-punk, the event featured some of the best emerging talent from all over the world.

This year we had a chance to speak with a variety of performers and over the coming weeks, we will be sharing those conversations. To kick off our series, we spoke with New York’s Genre is death after their 30-minute set at The New Colossus Goth Post-Punk Party hosted by Bowery Electric.

New York’s indie music festival The New Colossus took over lower Manhattan earlier this month. Spread over eight venues across the city’s East Village and Lower East Side, the lineup featured more than 150 independent artists. That’s in addition to daytime panels from music distribution platform Ditto Music on publishing, touring, Spotify for Artists, Chartmetric, and more.

Its fifth edition had everything from psych rock to electronic punk. We connected with some of our favorite performers to talk songwriting, gear, and festival highlights.

In our new series “Checking In,” we explore the local scenes created and fostered by emerging artists. First up is the London label and collective Fat Llama. Known for its pop-up shops, podcast series, and events, the label is fronted by experimental Hip Hop artist JoeJas. Each year, Fat Llama throws a party that highlights up-and-coming indie artists, with ranging influences from punk to electronic to grime. This year’s event included Cheray, Paris Yves, Michael Ekow, retropxssy, and JoeJas. Read our interviews with the artists and check out photos from the event!