Variety samples from a platter of alternative rock jangle, art-punk complexity, and Nineties lo-fi fervor, dipping into garage-rock melodies for a noisily catchy finish. True to their name, 2024’s quick upper cut of a debut album, Subtropical, packs songs that range in instrumentation, lyrical influence, and production tone into a cohesive unit adhered by Rhys Woodruff’s (Borzoi) slacker drawl. This Austin subgenre supergroup brings Woodruff and fellow Borzoian Zach Wood to the stage alongside New Shoulders’ Nick Stout in post-punk-meets-power-pop perfection. New York-based, Nineties-inspired Shitlove are an obvious pairing, as are local shoegazers Amelia’s Best Friend. – Caroline Drew