5 Phoenix Bands You Need to Know This Summer
The Summertime approaches and the endless search for your new favorite band continues. We’re here to help your quest to soundtrack your life with five of the best and brightest Phoenix-based musicians that we think are well worth your time!
Diva Bleach is a Phoenix-based trio playing candy-coated, razor sharp pop punk with an edge, situated somewhere between Paramore and Mannequin Pussy. The band channels their teenage angst filtered through memories of early aughts pop rock, gleefully crediting the influence of Avril Lavigne and Miley Cyrus in the development of their sound alongside indie rock acts like Cherry Glazerr and Wolf Alice. They released their debut EP, “No Fun,” this spring, and are sure to be tearing up stages all over Phoenix (and beyond) this summer. Catch ‘em before they’re huge! divableach.bandcamp.com // @divableachband
Some up-and-coming musicians feel pressured to churn out content to stay relevant, compelled to produce music at an unhealthy clip, sacrificing quality for constant attention. This is clearly not a problem for SAIAH, a prolific genre-hopping artist crafting restless, constantly shifting sonic worlds. They’re released a boatload of singles, EPs, and collaborations over the last few years, incorporating their perspective as a Black nonbinary person into whatever genre they’re currently exploring. Bringing to mind other sonic explorers like Yves Tumor, Dean Blunt, and Frank Ocean, SAIAH can be found on some of the most high profile Spotify playlists, like Fresh Finds, Lowkey, and Punk Unleashed. @iloveyousai
Every so often, a synth pop band breaks through the noise and strikes a perfect balance between sonic experimentation and nostalgia, alchemizing well-worn components into something exciting. The moment the melancholic, reverb-drenched vocals of Phoenix’s Secret Attraction fade in on their debut album, “Replica,” released on cassette (!) earlier this year, it’s clear there’s something special here. The record follows a trio of well-liked EPs released in 2021, ratcheting up the spectral ambience to a new level and bringing a lot of deserved attention their way. secretattraction-stratford.bandcamp.com // @secretattractionmusic
With just one publicly available studio single, Glixen has grabbed our attention. The euphoric dream pop track “Sugarcube” brings to mind the golden age of shoegaze, paying tribute to the masters like My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins, with a modern melodic twist. The band recently played their first festival gig at the Fried French Fry and Music Festival in downtown Phoenix and have quickly become a local favorite on bills both high profile and low-key. Stay tuned for way more from these folks. glixen.bandcamp.com // @glixen
Cinematic post-rock band still motions capture the desert ambience of the American Southwest, playing dramatic, thrilling instrumental music that begs to soundtrack the movie in your head. Reminiscent of post-rock gods like Explosions in the Sky and This Will Destroy You, still motions’ sprawling, textured explorations rise to blissful climaxes like epics in miniature, exploring whole words across a six minute track. Their latest single, “Welcome Oblivion,” is the debut track from their new album, “syn∙the∙sis,” which drops June 24th on the boutique indie label Post. Recordings. stillmotions.bandcamp.com // @stillmotions