Automatic have spent the last few years building one of the tightest, most confident live shows in the current wave of post-punk-adjacent rock, and their Saturday afternoon set on the Panhandle stage at Outside Lands was proof the trio's new record only sharpens that reputation further. Touring behind Is It Now?, Izzy Glaudini and Halle Saxon brought a set that balanced synth-driven cool with real physical urgency, and Golden Gate Park was fully locked in from the first note.

Fresh off the release of their newest record, Joy Next Door, one of our absolute favorite bands of all time The Maine is back and better than ever. With a tour planned and on the way (tickets here!), we got the unique opportunity for a lengthy Q&A with the band’s own Garrett Nickelsen. Make sure to check out the record and head to a date, but also to learn a little more about the album and the band’s storied history below.

After nearly two decades away from the album format that first defined them, The Format have reemerged not as a nostalgia act, but as a fully revitalized creative force. With the release of Boycott Heaven on January 23, 2026 via The Vanity Label, the duo of Nate Ruess and Sam Means have delivered a record that feels both rooted in their past and sharply attuned to the present. We can sincerely say it’s our album of the year and nothing else that gets shared this year will even come close.

Whitney have always had a gift for turning the everyday into something luminous, but Small Talk feels like the album where they’ve distilled everything they’ve been chasing since their debut into one cohesive statement. Set for release November 7th on AWAL, the Chicago band’s fourth record is not just their most affecting to date, it’s arguably their best, full stop. If their past albums flirted with brilliance, this one weds it, an effortless blend of their signature soft-focus soul, shimmering folk-rock warmth, and tenderly crafted pop that glows from the first note to the last.

Once again, Hinterland returned to the beautiful lush fields of St. Charles, Iowa, continuing its rise as one of the Midwest's most exciting music festivals. What originated as a more traditional folk and country festival has slowly evolved into something bigger. With KATSEYE, Lorde, Mumford & Sons, and Kali Uchis headlining this year's lineup, Hinterland welcomed artists from K-Pop, reggaeton, hyperpop, indie rock, and more for this year's lineup. The festival's evolution is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

Every August, Golden Gate Park pulls off a small miracle: it turns 220 acres of eucalyptus groves and polo fields into one of the best-run, best-vibed festivals in the country, and the 18th edition of Outside Lands may have been the best case yet for why this is our favorite weekend of the year. Three sold-out days, six stages, a genre range that stretched from hardcore mosh pits to hushed indie reunions, and Karl the Fog doing exactly what Karl the Fog does, rolling in low and cool and giving the whole thing that unmistakable San Francisco glow.

There's headlining a festival, and then there's what Charli XCX did to close out night one of Outside Lands, turning the Lands End stage into a sweat-soaked, strobe-lit rave that made Golden Gate Park feel like the inside of a warehouse party at 2 a.m., even with the sun barely down. From the moment her intro tape twisted "No One Lasts Forever" into the opening notes of "Rock Music," it was clear this wasn't going to be a polite festival headline slot. This was a takeover.

Twenty-five years into their career, The Strokes still know exactly how to close out a festival night, and their headline set on the Lands End stage at Outside Lands was a masterclass in balancing legacy and momentum. Touring behind Reality Awaits, the band folded new material into a set stacked with the songs that made them essential in the first place, and Golden Gate Park responded like it was 2001 and 2026 all at once.