Hinds
Madrid, Spain
The sound: Echo-laced surf rock with multi-part vocals from some laid-back Spaniards, sounding like a Phil Spector girl group for stoners.
Key moment: As attendees chowed on plates of free paella at the Sounds From Spain lunch on Wednesday, Hinds executed a series of tricky tempo changes without spilling a drop of the sangria they were sipping.
Listen to: “Bamboo”
Hundred Visions
Austin
The sound: The heavier parts of ‘90s grunge and indie mashed with ‘60s psychedelic styles to frenzied effect.
Key moment: As the bassist laid down a thunderous groove Saturday afternoon at Hotel Vegas, the frontman rested his head against an amp as if meditating on the concept of lifelong tinnitus.
Listen to: “You’re Gonna Cut Me Lose”
Lydia Ainsworth
Toronto
The sound: Dramatic ballads that connect electronica and orchestral music, a blend that’s like trip-hop but more emotionally wrecking than soothing.
Key moment: Clad in homesteader-ish gowns, Ainsworth’s cello player and violinist worked from sheet music as they summoned a massive, swelling sound inside Mohawk’s tiny inside space on Wednesday afternoon.
Listen to: “Malachite”
Natalie Prass
Nashville
The sound: A songwriter who cites Dionne Warwick as her biggest influence, Prass’s delicate but powerful voice and old-school country arrangements renders heartbreak in precise terms.
Key moment: "We’re going to sing this motherfucking Disney princess song right now,” Prass announced at Mohawk on Wednesday afternoon, before performing her self-consciously twee album-closer “It Is You” with a toy dinosaur in hand.
Listen to: “My Baby Don’t Understand Me”
Rae Sremmurd
Atlanta
The sound: An young rap duo firmly interested in the having of good times, with cutting-edge production and a few hits in their repertoire already.
Key moment: With the help of huge cardboard cutouts of the rappers’ faces and a surprise appearance by superproducer Mike Will Made It, Rae Sremmurd turned Pitchfork’s Wednesday-afternoon show at Mohawk into a raucous, jump-along party.
Listen to: “No Flex Zone”
Shamir
Las Vegas
The sound: Sassy and verbally dense hip-hop with a dose of camp and disco-bounce energy.
Key moment: At the end of a joyful set at Fader Fort on Thursday, Shamir descended into the audience to deliver hugs to all who wanted them.
Listen to: “On the Regular”
Suicideyear
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
The sound: The trap beat that’s taken over hip-hop and pop over the past few years finds new use in spooky, digital dirges.
Key moment: During Suicideyear’s set inside Mohawk for scene-leader Hudson Mohawke’s showcase Tuesday night, Waka Flocka Flame’s trap-rap hit “Hard In the Paint” became a raver’s anthem as the screen behind the rig flashed a crying-face emoticon.
Listen to: “Don’t Worry”
Tobias Jesso Jr.
Vancouver, Canada
The sound: A Paul Simon-esque singer-songwriter whose openhearted, epic-scope ballads seem destined for the new American songbook.
Key moment: Performing alone behind a piano at Central Presbyterian Church on Friday night, Jesso made fun of himself for repeatedly screwing up his song “True Love”—and then received a standing ovation when he finally pulled it off.
Listen to: “How Could You Babe?”