5 Artists to Check Out Ahead of Oblivion Access Festival 2023
With Oblivion Access Festival just around the corner, Afterglow’s got you covered with five artists from the lineup to keep on your radar.
Written by C.S. Harper
Photos courtesy of Have a Nice Life, Cristina Bercovitz, and Craig Mulcahy
In a city known for some of the nation’s biggest festivals like SXSW and Austin City Limits, it can be refreshing to find lineups with more niche acts. This year’s Oblivion Access Festival does not disappoint, featuring some of the most exciting names in underground music performing in venues all across the Texas capital, from Mohawk to Central Presbyterian Church. With so many stellar acts to look forward to, Afterglow compiled a list of five to support ahead of Austin’s premier alternative festival.
clipping.
Photo courtesy of Suzy Poling
Surprisingly coming from the mind of Daveed Diggs — who is best known for his stint in the crowd-pleasing “Hamilton” — clipping. creates music that feels like the sonic equivalent of liminal space. With the frontman’s eerily deadpan flow and minimal-yet-gritty beats courtesy of producers William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes, the experimental horrorcore three-piece creates “scary stories disguised as rap songs.” On their latest album, 2020’s Visions of Bodies Being Burned, white noise, disparate synths, and booming drums accompany Diggs’ hair-raising storytelling. Standout “Say the Name” tells the harrowing tale of the Candyman, reimagined for the 21st century with its futuristic sonics. Complete with a pitched-down vocal repeating the mantra “Candlesticks in the dark / Visions of bodies being burned” over an EBM beat, the track is a slow burn bound to become etched into listeners’ brains. Given their chilling sound and Diggs’ hypnotizing flow, clipping. will undoubtedly deliver a memorable performance at Oblivion Access.
Catch clipping. performing at Mohawk on June 17 (11:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.).
have a nice life
Photo courtesy of Cat Jones
One of the better-known names on the lineup, Have a Nice Life is also one of the less cacophonous. But don’t let the Connecticut duo’s ethereal guitar strums and calming synths fool you — their music has a way of getting under listeners’ skins and evoking existential dread. Self-described “champions of the distressed and depressed,” Have a Nice Life is known for their gloomcore sound, which they introduced to avid fans through their cult classic debut, Deathconsciousness. Opening the record with eight-minute ambient odyssey “A Quick One Before the Eternal Worm Devours Connecticut,” Have a Nice Life brings listeners their melancholic sensibilities and cryptic ramblings with the song’s minor-key acoustic guitar arpeggios and vocalist Dan Barrett’s defeated mumblings. Another fan favorite, “Hunter,” feels Nine Inch Nails-esque with wailing guitar feedback and industrial percussion, which spiral into an unforgettable breakdown as the instrumental builds up into a wall of sound. With the band’s ability to shift from an uneasy quiet to earth-shattering noise, Have a Nice Life is an unmissable act on this year’s lineup.
Catch Have a Nice Life performing at Mohawk on June 16 (11:15 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.).
pallbearer
Photo courtesy of Diana Lee Zadlo
Arkansas quartet Pallbearer creates maximalist doom bound to make any metal fan (pig) squeal with delight. Their latest album, Forgotten Days, hits the listener with the 12-minute epic “Silver Wings,” which flip-flops between delicate guitar strums and ear-splitting, grimy noise as frontman Brett Campbell drones about the inevitability of change. But the band knows how to have fun, too — halfway through the song’s runtime, guitarist Devin Holt comes gun blazing with a minute-long solo that’s pure metal ecstasy. On the other hand, “The Quicksand of Existing,” which Campbell calls the “simplest song [Pallbearer has] ever done” features just about everything a doom metal fan would want: grungy breakdowns, pessimistic-yet-cryptic storytelling, and a killer guitar solo. Forgotten Days, along with the rest of Pallbearer’s discography, proves that doom metal doesn’t have to live up to the gloominess of its name. Bearing this in mind, Pallbearer is set to deliver one of the most noisy, euphoric, and simply fun sets of the festival.
Catch Pallbearer performing at Empire Control Room & Garage on June 18 (8:15 p.m. - 9:15 p.m.).
nuclear daisies
Image courtesy of Portrayal of Guilt
Though fans may be surprised to find Nuclear Daisies among a sea of experimental bands on Oblivion Access’ lineup at first, the three-piece can make just as much clamorous noise as the rest of the artists set to perform. As a dream pop band, Nuclear Daisies is what my bloody valentine would sound like if they were tinged by the chaos of the internet age. Juxtaposing the sparkling, glitchy synths of hyperpop with the layered guitar of ‘90s shoegaze, single “Heaven in Your Head” is as moshable as it is head-boppable. In contrast, “Bye Bye Butterfly” surprises by leaning more indie rock with peppy guitar strums and upbeat percussion. But Nuclear Daisies prove they can create an old school shoegaze bop with “Cinnamon Kiss,” complete with whispery vocals, barely-there drumming, and an entangled web of disparate synths and pedal-heavy guitars. With Nuclear Daisies’ undeniable versatility, the band will provide festival-goers with an exciting diversion from the lineup’s heavier acts.
Catch Nuclear Daisies performing at Empire Control Room & Garage on June 15 (8:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.).
thou
Photo courtesy of Farrah Skeiky
With just under 100,000 Spotify listeners but over 10 projects under their belt, Thou is a quiet powerhouse in sludge metal. From the lethargic acoustic guitar strums and hushed vocals of 2018’s Inconsolable opener “The Unspeakable Oath” to the instrumental grime and phlegmy screeches of 2020 single “Supernaut,” Thou knows how to balance the primal and ethereal to create otherworldly sonics. As an ever-evolving band, the Baton Rouge six-piece never ceases to surprise — the pandemic years saw the band release four projects, one of which was a high-profile collaboration with Emma Ruth Rundle. Titled May Our Chambers Be Full, the seven-track record perfectly marries the collaborators’ multidimensional sounds to create a goth-folk/sludge fusion masterpiece. In opener “Killing Floor,” Rundle’s soprano vocals soar over Thou frontman Bryan Funck’s guttural screeches backed by grungy guitars, whereas in closer “The Valley,” Funck takes a backseat in favor of dainty violins — before making a stunning appearance in the song’s thunderous final two minutes. As one of the biggest — and most talented — names in the Oblivion Access lineup this year, Thou is undoubtedly a band to keep at the top of your must-see list.
Catch Thou performing at Elysium on June 17 (12:45 a.m. - 1:45 a.m.).