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Check out Distant Stars (Withstand), One Outta Ten's incredible new single.

This was one of my favorite concerts because I got to meet up with all of my internet best friends that I met through this band! We’ve been all been friends for 5+ years and got to attend the bands sold out show at their big hometown venue Madison Square Garden! It was my first time at that venue and it was such a surreal experience. (@karissdukes on instagram)

Piper Toohey, a self produced artist, released their newest EP on November 24th, 2025. Let's talk about it, because it's the perfect soundtrack to your slow and cozy afternoons in the peak of winter. The EP, everybody loved me and then i died, follows the themes of simple living and what that means to Toohey, that being self discovery, letting inner peace lead the way, or even something as easy as watching animals on a walk around a pond. The title song recounts the things

Cover art for Giant! If you’re a fan of Two Door Cinema Club, Del Water Gap, Hippo Campus, Wallows, or honestly any indie rock at all, this is your sign to jump on the Noah Sties wagon. Right now. Immediately. Noah Sties, an independent artist from Indiana, is making waves in the indie scene. His music blends pop, rock, and punk in a way that feels so refreshing, like someone finally remembered indie rock can be fun and emotionally vulnerable at the same time. His new EP,

Songs to Listen To: "Six Legs (tippy tappy toes)", "Speak of the Devil", "What's Going On?!", "One Man Circus" If your eyes aren't on Madilyn Mei right now, stop what you're doing and tune in! Madilyn Mei, also known as Elio, is one of the most refreshing up and coming artists right now. Their music is some of the most hauntingly raw and honest songs I've heard in a really long time and I'm really pushing for them to gain in popularity, a firm believer that everyone would b

Songs To Listen To: "Little Talks", "Crystals", "Television Love", "Fruit Bat" Setting the scene... it's 2013. The song, Little Talks , by Of Monsters and Men is EVERYWHERE. It's all over the mainstream and alternative radio stations, there are a billion covers of this song all over the internet. (My favorite was Julia Sheer and Jon D's version, I still listen to it all the time). Fast forward to 2025 and Of Monsters and Men is still making waves in the music scene with t

Songs to Listen To: "Cruel Power", "So Alright, Cool, Whatever", "Too Late", "Everything You Do" I'm already calling it -- The Happy Fits are going to blow up within the next year. Now is the best time to hop on the bandwagon and show all of your friends that you listen to the best music ahead of the trend (or that you read The Barricade Collective!) --- Unapologetically Fun! The lead singer of The Happy Fits, Calvin Langman, performs in one of the most unique manners I'

I saw that Jesse McCartney was coming to Austin on his Weightless Tour and knew I had to be there. It was going to be an incredible show. But, the show that I experienced absolutely blew me away and exceeded every expectation that I had. ACL Live at the Moody Theater was absolutely packed with new and returning fans alike, all screaming passionately for Jesse. I only knew him from his Disney Channel days, yet, I came out of that show with new friends and new songs for my play

Aly & AJ were one of the staple bands in your iPod Nano if you grew up on Disney Channel in the early 2000s. Often times now, you can find them on the y2k or nostalgia themed playlists on Spotify, but those songs are only the tip of the iceburg to their incredible discography. They brought the tour for their newest album, Silver Deliverer , to Austin and absolutely blew the crowd away with their angelic performances. --- Venue Unmatched The show took place at the historic P

What's Dopamine? If you were alive in 2015, there's no way you made it through the year without hearing a song from BØRNS' iconic album, Dopamine . This record was absolutely life changing for anyone who knew what Tumblr was, or spent any of their free time online. To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of this album, BØRNS takes fans on a journey through this album, intertwining stories from the era throughout the performance. This album was the soundtrack to my high school e

Cuco stopped in Austin on his Ridin' tour, playing to a full room of the most dedicated fans that I've ever seen. While playing his biggest hits, older vibes, and a surprise song section, Cuco and his fans formed an unbreakable bond that lasted well after the show ended. Early Mornings... to the Barricade! Camping has become much more of a common occurrence for shows, but generally you see it more with larger venues. While ACL Live is not a small room, by any means, the fa

Walking into an Iniko show felt like walking into another dimension. I've never been to a show that felt like a spiritual awakening, but Iniko held true to the title of their tour, Awakening the Empire and delivered an incredible performance at their stop at Empire Garage in Austin, TX. Worlds Colliding Fan connection can be a difficult thing to dial in for live shows, especially in larger crowds, but Iniko stepped on stage and the entire room snapped their attention to th

We're back with this week's The Drop ™ showing you all of the best new music that released within the past 7 days! Flip The Record - Greyson Chance First on my radar is Greyson Chance. Greyson has been featured in my drop almost every week of September and for good reason! His newest single, Flip the Record , is one of my favorites that dropped this week. If you've followed Greyson for a while, you're aware of his struggle in the industry, being dropped by management several

Photo by: Alexis Whitfield (@alexiscaptures.jpg) If there's one thing that Jeremy Zucker fans can agree on, it's that he truly never fails to deliver an incredible live show. His show at the Historic Scoot Inn in Austin, TX was no exception. Even with the backing screen restrictions that the venue provided (there wasn't one), Jeremy overcame them and still created a magical night for fans. Photo by: Alexis Whitfield (@alexiscaptures.jpg) Sydney Ross Mitchell Sydney kicked o

MARIS taking a video while singing. Photo by Alexis Whitfield (@alexiscaptures.jpg) Queer Icon™ MARIS made history in Austin, TX this past week with her co-headlining show Give Me a Tour! . The show features interchanging sets between MARIS and Caroline Kingsbury, another well known name in the queer community. No Lack Of Glitter This show was one of the most personalized concerts I've ever been to. During VIP, MARIS takes the time with each of her fans to get to know them

We're back this week with a new version of the Drop, featuring the best new songs from this new music Friday! Waiting Outside the Lines '25 - Greyson Chance First up on the list, we have another single by Greyson Chance. I'm really loving this week over week drop he's been doing (and is suspected to continue throughout the month of September). This week we have another rerecord of a song from his debut album, this time, the title track. "There's a whole world around us, jus

Welcome back to The Barricade Collective for another week of The Drop! We're here to bring you a playlist of our favorite songs that dropped this week, as well as highlighting a few songs or artists that really stood out to us this week. - - - - - Summertrain '25 - Greyson Chance Greyson Chance holds a special place in my heart and I'm incredibly excited to share his music on the collective today. Chance brings us a blast into the past with a rerecord of his song, Summertrai

On September 6, 2025, Girl Cologne performed at CODA in Cleveland with Fruitfly and Rriot. Girl Cologne is a local Cleveland rock band with four members: Spencer Kmiecik (bass), Jenna Seeman (singer), Cade Cubbison (guitarist), and Parker DiSalvo (drummer). They have been touring around Ohio for a while. Recently, the group performed in Bowling Green. The next show Girl Cologne has lined up is in New London, Ohio on September 27, 2025. During their performances, you can h

It's no secret to AJR fans that the band speaks their mind unapologetically in their music (see: "If you're fucking racist, then don't come to my show" from Three O'Clock Things , OK Orchestra ). But with their new five-song EP, What No One’s Thinking , the brothers go even further, delivering less of a casual listen and more of a lyrical punch to the heart. -- The Plane That Never Lands The opening track for this EP offers a nostalgic melody to listeners alongside themes o

Coming to you live from the Drop with all of the best new songs this week! We've added them to a playlist for your listening pleasure. We have a few songs we want to highlight. These are some highly anticipated songs that we think stand out from the rest, as well as from some smaller artists that deserve lots of love! The Big Goodbye - AJR If you know me, you know that AJR is one of my all time top favorite bands. They find the most expressive and real ways to say the thin