independent thoughts on indie rock, alternative, and indie pop music
CMA Fest 2026 returns to Nashville June 4–7 with daytime performances across downtown stages. Artists like The War and Treaty, Dasha, Willow Avalon, and Melissa Etheridge showcase the variety of sounds that let fans curate their own festival experience.
Ashe headlined the annual Girls Write Nashville benefit concert at 3rd & Lindsley, following a writers round featuring program participants and highlighting the nonprofit’s songwriting mentorship and creative community.
Dancefestopia has announced new additions to its 2026 lineup, including Alleycvt, INZO, Riotten b2b Bear Grillz, and more. The week-long Kansas camping festival continues to expand beyond its initial reveal featuring GRiZ, Excision, and Zeds Dead, with the latest names filling out both early-week programming and the main weekend starting Thursday with Crankdat.
Elizabeth & The Catapult return with the new single “50/50,” a reflective track that captures the contradictions and emotional weight of everyday life. The song previews the upcoming album Responsible Friend, arriving April 3 via Compass Records. Elizabeth & The Catapult will also bring their intimate live show to Nashville on April 17 at Analog.
Fantastic Cat return with the new single “Don’t Let Go,” a tongue-in-cheek indie rock track that pushes back against modern songwriting clichés. The song previews the band’s upcoming album Cat Out Of Hell, arriving April 10 via Missing Piece Records. Fantastic Cat will also bring their harmony-driven live show to Nashville on April 23 at Row One.
Cornelia Murr shares the new single “Come Undone,” a patient and atmospheric track featuring harpist Céline Dessberg. The song arrives ahead of her “Last Run To The Center” spring tour in support of her 2025 album Run To The Center. The tour includes a Nashville stop on March 19 at Third Man Records.
Copenhagen-based singer-songwriter Elliot returns with the new single “hot but depressive,” an introspective indie-pop track that explores the tension between connection and self-sabotage. Built around warm guitar textures and reflective lyricism, the song examines the instinct to distance yourself from love before it gets too close.
Nashville-based alt-pop artist Lauren Presley returns with her latest single, “Potential,” a guitar-driven track that examines the emotional tension between hope and reality in relationships.
Girls Write Nashville will return to 3rd & Lindsley on March 29 for its 5th Annual Benefit Concert, featuring Ashe and a writers round from graduating student artists in the organization’s songwriting mentorship programs.
Shaky Knees Music Festival returns to Atlanta’s Piedmont Park September 18–20, 2026, featuring The Strokes, Twenty One Pilots, Gorillaz, and one of the deeper rock and alternative undercards on the 2026 festival calendar.
