Tigers Jaw is an American indie rock band formed in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 2005 by Ben Walsh and Adam McIlwee. Known for their catchy, emotional, and relatable music, the band has evolved significantly, with Walsh and Brianna Collins becoming the primary members after McIlwee's departure in 2013. They are recognized for their DIY ethos and contributions to the "emo revival" scene, releasing several influential albums and EPs throughout their career. The band is currently signed to Hopeless Records and will release their Will Yip produced 7th LP in March of 2026.

RIYL: Jimmy Eat World, Weezer, The Get Up Kids, Macseal, The Hotelier, Modern Baseball, Charmer, Oso Oso, Pet Symmetry

Joyer is a Brooklyn-and-Boston-based band formed in New Jersey in 2017 by brothers Nick and Shane Sullivan. Their music blends shoegaze and slow core with memorable melodies. With their albums Sun Into Flies and Perfect Gray, they have now evolved towards a more expansive sound in their upcoming release Night Songs, featuring blowtorched guitars and hooky vocal cadences.

Banquets is a punk rock band from Jersey City, New Jersey. It was formed by members of local bands including Static Radio NJ and Let Me Run. Known for a melodic, anthemic rock-influenced sound combining elements of indie-punk / emo/ and post-punk, similar to bands like The Menzingers, The Gaslight Anthem, Loved Ones, Saves The Day and The Get Up Kids. The band was active from the early 2010s until breaking up in 2016, however the band reformed in 2021 and will release a new LP in fall 2025.

Garage Sale is an Australian indie rock band based in Melbourne. The band blends elements of fuzzy indie rock, dream pop, slowcore, alt-rock and shoegaze.

Forged in Vancouver’s late-’90s post-hardcore crucible, By A Thread first left their mark with Last of the Daydreams, a Revelation Records cult classic that paired soaring melody with raw emotional weight. After lineup twists and quiet years, core songwriters Sean Lande and John Franco joined forces with drummer Gabe Mantle (Gob) to shape Mirrored Life, a brooding, reverb-drenched record that channels grief, growth, and hard-won perspective into their heaviest, most expansive music yet. Bassist Carl McBeath now anchors the low end, completing a lineup ready to carry these songs forward. It’s not a comeback so much as a reaffirmation, proof that By A Thread’s knack for cathartic, atmospheric anthems remains more vital and uncompromising as ever.

Glitterer is a post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C., fronted by singer and bassist Ned Russin, best known as a member of the band Title Fight. Initially a solo project where Russin wrote and performed all instruments, Glitterer has since evolved into a four-member band with drummer Robin Zeijlon, guitarist Colin Gorman, and keyboardist Nicole Dao. The band plays loud, melodic post-hardcore and is known for its quick-hitting songs with a combination of chugging bass, synths, and expressive vocals

Side Hug is a Chicago-based indie band blending heartfelt songwriting with shimmering guitars and artful textures. Emerging from the city’s DIY scene, the group—led by vocalist/guitarist Lyd Landor with Allan Cardenas (guitar/synth) and Jon Reyes (bass)—crafts emotionally charged songs that balance nostalgia and renewal. Their evolving sound moved from their early indie-folk leaning material to the more atmospheric, post-punk, and shoegaze-influenced sound of their 2025 debut full-length album, New Language due out October 2025. With roots in community and connection, Side Hug continue to prove that vulnerability and evolution can coexist in perfect harmony. Formed from late-night jam sessions, the band's music explores themes of change, uncertainty, and hope, often incorporating influences from local acts like Pool Holograph and global artists such as The Cure, Radiohead and Joy Division. RIYL: Beach Fossils, Tokyo Police Club, Alvvays, Joy Division, The Cure, Wild Nothing

Idlewild is a Scottish alternative rock band formed in Edinburgh in 1995. They are known for their evolution from early punk-influenced sound to more melodic and experimental art rock styles including influences from R.E.M, The Replacements, The Smiths, Fugazi and everything in between. The band's lineup has seen some changes, with Roddy Woomble (vocals), Rod Jones (guitar), Colin Newton (drums), and Bob Fairfoull (bass) being the core members. Idlewild's discography includes nine studio albums, showcasing their diverse sonic landscape and willingness to explore new sounds, with a 10th LP slated for fall of 2025.

Winter is the musical project of Samira Winter who plays a combination of alternative rock, shoegaze, dream pop and indie pop. The singer-songwriter and guitarist has been a mainstay in Los Angeles’ music scene for over a decade, carving out her own niche of gloriously detailed and eclectic dream pop under the name Winter. After growing up in Curitiba, Brazil and playing in her first bands in Boston, she relocated to Los Angeles in 2013 and fell in love with the city. She found a sense of belonging in its DIY rock community—the basement of her longtime Echo Park home was host to countless shows and even Winter’s first practices—and she grew attached to L.A.’s cosmic, inspiring aura. But at a certain point, Samira was craving a change of scenery to facilitate self-growth, a painful, but necessary realization that brought about a move to New York City. Leading up to her emotional coast-to-coast move, she spent roughly two years writing songs in a transitory state: often in between tours, in different cities, and in various sublets. The resulting 13 tracks became her new LP, Adult Romantix—her Winspear debut, the follow-up to 2022’s landmark What Kind of Blue Are You?, and a goodbye love letter to her time in L.A.

Eastern Bleeds is an indie rock band that channels the sound of bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, Twilight Singers and Hot Snakes. The band was formed by drummer Bob Penn after his previous bands The Jealous Sound and Racquet Club went on hiatus. Penn enlisted the help of a few friends -- guitarist Joe Rivera (Coco B’s, Black Swan Runners), singer Bill Kielty (O Zorn!, Who Rides the Tiger) and bassist Trent Steinbrugge (The Kite Eating Tree) -- to bring the project to life.

Anamanaguchi is an American chiptune-based pop and rock band from New York City. The band has four members: lead songwriter and guitarist Peter Berkman, bassist James DeVito, guitarist Ary Warnaar and drummer Luke Silas. They combine digital electronic sounds such as those seen in chiptune and bitpop with traditional band instrumentation. As with other chiptune artists and 8-bit music, they have created music using video game hardware and vintage computers from the mid to late 1980s: namely a NES and a Game Boy. The band is currently signed to Polyvinle Records and will release their first lyrically driven rock album "Anyway" in August 2025.

Worlds Worst are a Salt Lake City alternative/indie/slacker rock band who play guitar heavy 90s inspired fuzzed out noise pop. The band is gearing up to release their sophomore LP, American Muscle, which showcases the band continuing to perfect their unique approach to the indie, noisy, slacker rock sound with loud punchy guitars and big hooks.

Long Square is a new Detroit, Michigan indie/emo /alt-rock band that looks back on the second wave of midwest-emo in which they were raised. Containing big and soaring melodies, technical twinkling guitar riffs over heavy distortion, and emotionally charged vocals, Long Square are gearing up to release their debut LP on Forge Again Records called "Even A Single Lumen". RIYL Braid, Minus the Bear, The Promise Ring, Cap'n Jazz, This Town Needs Guns, Kind of Like Spitting, Cursive

Rocket is an indie rock band formed in Los Angeles in 2021, known for their 90s-inspired sound with influences from shoegaze and alt-rock. The band consists of Alithea Tuttle (bass, vocals), Baron Rinzler (guitar), Cooper Ladomade (drums), and Desi Scaglione (guitar). They draw inspiration from bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, The Pixies, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr., The Flaming Lips, Yo La Tengo, and Radiohead.

Glimmer, a grungegaze band, consists of Jeff Moore (vocals, guitar), Jaye Moore (drums), Johnny Nicholls (guitar), and Kevin Dobbins (bass). The band, formed in February 2023 by cousins Jeff and Jaye Moore, in Brooklyn / Hudson Valley, NY. Their sound is described as a blend of grungy indie rock and shoegaze, that pairs layers of heavy guitars with dreamy, swirling reverb, and big melodic hooks. Heavily inspired by the sounds of 90s guitar fueled alternative rock, shoegaze and grunge in bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Ride and Swervedriver.

RIYL: Narrow Head, Superheaven, The Smashing Pumpkins, Swervedriver, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart

Forming in New Brunswick, New Jersey in the Fall of 2016, Flycatcher began crafting dynamic songs centered around crushing swells of jagged guitar-hooks, propulsive drumming, and deftly emotive lyrics. Following a period of extensive gigging and writing through 2018, the band teamed up with Kyle Pulley of Thin Lips to produce the high-energy, kaleidoscopic textures of their debut album, Other Things. Shortly after the release, the band joined Joe Webster at PonderRosa Studios to begin work on their follow-up record. Released in Summer 2019, the driving, angular melancholy of Songs for Strangers saw Flycatcher develop their song-craft through cohesive arrangements and vulnerable, immersive lyrics. The band is now gearing up to release a new full length LP titled "Wrench" produced by Will Yip in October 2025.

TAPE TRASH is a Norwegian duo comprised of Anders Magnor Killerud and Kristofer Mathias Staxrud. Drawing inspiration from the music that first sparked their passion for playing instruments during their teenage years, they craft a sound that blends elements of shoegaze, alternative rock, emo, and punk. Their music has been described as "in your face shoegaze/emopunk/indierock", known for its raw, anthemic quality and a "more-is-more mentality" existing in the space between ecstasy and panic. Killerud handles lead vocals, guitar, and keys, while Staxrud plays guitar, bass, and drums. They previously worked together in the band Ludvig Moon.

RIYL: Mew, Bloc Party, Jimmy Eat World, Broken Social Scene, Japandroids

Spoils System is a New York-based band formed in 2021 by Dan Coutant (vocals, guitar, keys), Sean Hansen (guitar, background vocals), David Fateman (bass), and Mark Frankel (drums). They are known for their melodic and often discordant indie rock, drawing on influences from their past work in the emo band Joshua (Doghouse Records). The band is gearing up to release their sophomore LP on Sweet Cheatah Records in summer 2025.