Hovvdy, runo plum [outside]

As time passes, Austin gets further and further in the rearview mirror for Charlie Martin, who now lives in St. Louis, and Will Taylor, settled in Nashville. Still, every local Hovvdy show feels like a homecoming. The ATX-launched duo’s 2024 self-titled double album charts their trajectory from DIY pillowcore act to Pitchfork-approved indie rock heavyweights – and proves Texas remains firmly planted in the singer-songwriters’ minds. “So take a trip to Texas/ Get together with my friends/ Been a while, been too goddamn long,” they intone on “Big Blue,” a melancholy ode to family, the Band, and “coming up on 31.” Hovvdy’s moved on, but their cozy melodies endure, locally and beyond. – Carys Anderson