If SXSW is a sonic rainbow, we’ve pulled together a playlist to match

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SXSW 2025: Our Genre-Hopping Playlist From This Year’s Festival

If SXSW is a sonic rainbow, we’ve pulled together a playlist to match

Javier Juu

22 April 2025

South by Southwest 2025 took over Austin from 10-15 March, bringing together artists from the local music scene and beyond. Here’s our playlist of performances we caught during the festival’s marathon of sound.

This year’s music programming could’ve used a little more TLC—but even so, SXSW still delivers serendipitous moments: a new sound you didn’t know you needed, a surprising set in a packed backyard, or a favorite artist tearing it up at a dive like it’s their final show.

We waded through the usual chaos, bouncing between the Coconut Club complex, Swan Dive, Kingdom, and Elysium, catching an eclectic mix along the way—from Truck Violence’s distorted, no-rules punk to the experimental dance/electronica of Tamanaramen. CHUWI brought the Latin heat, while Rosei City bathed us in dreamy, hypnotic soundscapes at the ever iconic BÁRBARA party.

If SXSW is a sonic rainbow, we’ve pulled together a playlist to match—an attempt to capture the spectrum of what we heard, felt, and danced to. Let the tracks do the talking.

Playlist includes sounds by: Tiger Bae, LP Giobbi, Paula Prieto, DJ Holographic, Daniela Pes, Slash Need, Brittney Spencer, Truck Violence, GALE, CHUWI, Tamanaramen, SEWA, Lucía Beyond, and Rosei City.