ACL 2026 Blog Picks

By the grace of God, punk is alive and was last seen in Australia! I am so excited to mosh at Amyl and the Sniffers. I am so excited to enter their crass world of dirtbag glamor, get ugly, and get my lights punched out. When you have the audacity to excel in a rock subgenre as a woman, your comment sections become a town hall for the scum of all used record stores to air out their misogyny. What I love about Amy Taylor is that she proves through her art that she is untouchable. She’s unpolished and wicked, yet deliberate. She flies around the stage like there are firecrackers under her skin. I am always won over by art that is uncontained. Amyl and the Sniffers grab you by the collar and show you something that is fast, crass, and built off of grit and wanting.

Bringing a second outfit for Friday is essential survival gear for the sheer, unbridled band that is Amyl and the Sniffers. Fronted by the magnetic, fiercely principled Amy Taylor, the Australian outfit delivers a brand of punk that is as raw and unhinged. Their pit will be a dust-filled space with riffs and relentless rhythms that demand that I move my body and shimmy all around town. The atmosphere of this band's set is going to be more than exciting, courageous, has me shaking in my combat boots I will be wearing for their performance. –

Female-fronted Australian punk-rock band. If you like Wet Leg, Die Spitz, or Bikini Kill, then you probably know, if not love, Amyl and the Sniffers. Fronted by Amy Taylor, the pure energy and raw angst in their songs would be an absolute dream to see live. A personal favorite, “U Should Not Be Doing That” screams for female autonomy and understanding of self-worth. I just love women in punk, and Amy and the Sniffers absolutely rock. – Abigail Goldman

So I know that The Chainsmokers get so much hate, but I love them and have for a long time now. Funny enough, I am not much of an EDM/dance music fan, but something about The Chainsmokers just scratches that itch in my brain. I actually haven’t listened to any of their albums since the 2010s, so I can’t speak on the new stuff, but Sick Boy is my shit. Besides their hits (“Closer”, “Something Just Like This”, and “Don’t Let Me Down”), the remainder of their discography is just as upbeat and memorable. My personal favorites are “Call You Mine”, “Don’t Say”, and “Side Effects”. I stumbled across them randomly years ago, so their music is very nostalgic to me and reminds me of a simpler time in my life. Maybe I’m not the only one who feels this way.

They last dropped an album back in 2023 (Summertime Friends) but that is surely not the last thing we heard from them. Those hits from the 2010s were an unforgettable generational run that continues at this year’s ACL, giving us a performance that is the closest thing Gen Z will get to millennial optimism and prime Coachella vibes. 2026 is the new 2016 and we will feel the music deep in our bones and be taken back to a time only we knew.

Singer Labrinth was a hot topic in the mainstream media a few months ago as his absence in the recent Euphoria season three soundtrack was glaringly obvious after giving the show its iconic sonic ambience for the past two seasons. Labrinth’s signature floaty sound will however make an appearance at ACL, sure to deliver crowds a trippy and captivating experience perfect for the festival atmosphere. Labrinth began making music in the 2010s, soon working with big name artists and as a part of major projects such as the Lion King (2019) and the aforementioned HBO show, Euphoria. His sound is impossible to put into a single genre, however extremely recognizable by its dramatic, yet gentle vocals and song composition.

Over the past few months, after the release of “Music, Fashion, Film” Charli XCX has taken over stages all across the country to remind the crowd that nothing is going to last forever and that music, fashion and film will not save this generation. Moving on from her 365 party-girl persona, Charli XCX is here to headline ACL in a new personal adventure that feels transformative yet loyal to her artistic trajectory. As a long-time Charli XCX fan (yes I was six years old already banging my head to “I Love It”), I cannot wait to see what this new era is all about.

Missing Radio Free Alice due to them only playing weekend two is genuinely heartbreaking, especially when their music feels so bound to personal milestones like driving across the bridge over Lady Bird Lake with "Look What You've Done" echoing through my Volkswagen Beetle. Originating from Melbourne, they blend post-punk riffs with some of the most elaborate and descriptive songwriting I have ever heard, capturing the youth and emotions of my college experiences. I know that seeing this band might be someone in the audience's great musical awakening.

Known for her soft, melancholic ballads, Sienna Spiro takes British pop all the way to Austin City Limits with vocals that remind the listener of Adele and Amy Winehouse. With tracks from her latest album “Visitor”, Spiro will bring heartbreak and catharsis to the ACL stage with tracks like “Pure” and “Great Expectations.” I am so excited to see her, shed some tears and sing just to know I am alive

Soft rock group, made by music artist Jack Antonoff, the only original and permanent member, Bleachers brings an optimistic sound to often somber and deeply resonating lyrics. The complimentary relationship between the music itself and lyricism never fails to draw the listener in. Antonoff is also known to have been co-writer for hyper-popular singers such as Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, and Sabrina Carpenter. Bleacher’s performance at ACL is sure to stir up both happy and sad tears through their storytelling style of music.

With the release of her debut album “Trap Kitty,” Latina Rapper, Young Miko became well known for her catchy songs and reggaeton influences eventually becoming a Latino party playlist essential. Miko raps boldly about her love for parties, women, and money, creating a space for herself in a male dominated style of music. After collaborating with big name artists like Bad Bunny, Jowell & Randy, and even The Marias, she became an even bigger sensation, recently starring in a Gap ad which featured one of her viral songs, “Wassup.” Her concert presence always exudes a natural swagger in a way very few rap artists can, each performance infecting the crowd with a fun-loving energy. Her attendance at ACL will undoubtedly bring the crowds a good time.

Ever once in your life been curious on Spotify back in middle school and stumbled upon quite literally one of the most pivotal albums of your life? Bloom, released in 2016, has been a staple album throughout different stages of my life. It has followed me through devastating crushes, aimless car rides and the difficult moments of being apart from the people I love.. RÜFÜS DU SOL is returning once again to the ACL stage to bring back the nostalgia, yearning and that groovy feeling we desperately need.“Innerbloom” is the go-to song I listen to when I want to shut my mind off from everything. Their music has consoled me in times of need, and I am beyond excited to see them live for the first time ever. I might shed a tear or two … or maybe several.

You can call me a poser, but the overarching reason that I would want to see Dexter and the Moonrocks is because of their song “Freakin’ Out”. “Freakin’ Out” was one of my summer tracks. Over the summer, when I was back home in Fort Worth, I worked at Plato’s Closet, and every day I clocked in, I would hear the same playlist over and over again. One of the few good things that came from that was the discovery of this song. Whenever it came on, I would have to stop whatever mindless task I was engaging in and take a few minutes to appreciate the beauty of this song. If you haven't listened to it, please go check it out. As of right now, the band hasn’t released a full album yet, but as soon as they do, I will definitely have it on repeat.

Maybe this lineup is for the girls whose emotions swell in the night like the protagonist of Blood Orange’s “Bad Girls”, deciding their end goal in the taxi to wherever. I fell in love with Blood Orange on Coastal Grooves, addicted to his versatility and effortness sense of passion. Every new album opens me up in different ways. You can tell that Devonté Hynes is an interior kind of person in that he makes the personal feel universal. Essex Honey played over and over in my head the month it came out, and I know that hearing it live will feel like the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle has been slotted in.

I think I was first introduced to Blood Orange by an ex-boyfriend from high school. Maybe it’s just my nostalgia, but to me, Blood Orange feels like a warm summer evening, as dusk approaches and the day slips away. The wispy yet smooth vocals, the arpeggiated bass, and use of synths perfectly blend together. I would love to see Blood Orange on a hopefully not too hot Austin October night.

The transition of the morning heat to the afternoon, where Dev Hynes performance as Blood Orange, for me, will feel like stepping off the sun-baked lawn and directly into an immersive sanctuary. Blood Orange has an elevated atmosphere, weaving multi-layered backdrop vocals, shimmering synths, and aching beat drops into one might say hypnotic spell. To fully absorb the sounds of Blood Orange as one, feel like the gates of heaven are coming to earth for a bit, because it is pure and beautiful, even though I'm alive, hopefully surrounded by awesomeness. It's going to be gut-wrenching and soul change for me and maybe other people in the crowd.

The queen of the underground hyper pop scene—underscores—has the world at her fingertips. Since selling out the Galleria tour supporting her third studio album U (which she had to cancel a leg of, to open for Charli XCX on the Music, Fashion, Film Tour) she’s been on the fast track to mainstream fame. And the work holds up: underscores dropped a remix of Porter Robinson’s “Perfect Pinterest Garden” with Ninajirachi last week, along with “ADDICTED2U,” out today, a collaboration with BKTHERULA. While I’m sure her performance on Sunday will be more of underscores’ signature electronic-inflected pop perfection, I’m excited to see how she’ll let loose at her ACL Fest Night DJ set with Directress & 1x333.

A critique of this year’s lineup I keep hearing is that the lineup panders too heavily to the EDM and hyperpop crowd. I get it, I really do! I love and miss the big name rap and indie rock artists that usually make the festival exciting. However... this year was big for EDM and hyperpop! Underscores is a personal favorite of the rising stars because she makes me feel something. Myfavorite kind of dance music is any kind that I experience emotionally. Dancing is my catharsis! I want to feel second-hand longing, heartache, and exuberance when I’m sweating it out.