Local Artists to Know: Midwest
Violet Clare, No Antics, Young Animals, and Fank! are some Midwest artists to know.
We at Off the Record are big fans of the low-stakes concert. There’s no need to break the bank to sit in the nosebleeds or feel pressure to know every lyric of the set. Instead, we’re proponents of paying $20 to discover a new artist to add to your rotation while supporting local acts and the independent venues that buoy communities. Plus, these nights usually don’t involve sitting in stadium traffic or needing a magnifying glass to view the stage.
But if you need some help finding the perfect band to scratch your intimate concert itch, we’ve got you covered. Continuing our Local Artists to Know series, Off the Record compiled a list of some of our favorite emerging acts that call the Midwest home.
Are you an indie band or artist interested in being featured by and/or collaborating with Off the Record? Submit your information here.
Chicago
Fank!
For riff-driven pop psychedelia steeped in classic rock influences, check out four-piece Fank! Though they debuted on streaming platforms just last year, they’ve made their Chicago rounds with headlining shows at venues like Beat Kitchen and Madame ZuZu’s this year with synths ablazing.
Starting Spots: “angstrafankin’,” “Proceed With Caution,” “Empty Spaces”
For Fans Of: Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, Tame Impala
Violet Clare
Violet Clare’s songs are gentle on the surface but pack the emotional punch that leaves no mercy. For fans of early Mitski, The Sundays, and Jeff Tweedy — artists that land in the middle of alternative and indie-folk — this is the artist for you.
Starting Spots: “Infant of a Soldier,” “Cowboys on the Television,” “Drug Dealer”
For Fans Of: Mitski, The Sundays, Jeff Tweedy
Watch Dogs with Hats perform “Almost Famous” on YouTube.
Dogs With Hats
Dogs With Hats burst through the indie floodgates in 2025, submerging Chicago in prescription optimism with their five-song EP Lampshades at the Party. In just this one EP, Dogs With Hats rallies the stylistic trappings of indie rock.
Starting Spots: “Almost Famous,” “Passing Trains,” “Rain Dance”
For Fans Of: Arcy Drive, Jordan Dean, Winyah, Dogpark
BoxNoise
BoxNoise, an alt-rock band of self-described “emo-kids-at-heart,” is a wind-up of instrumentalists destined to make it work, and songs like “Hate Me Happy” and “don’t want to play w/u anymore” prove exactly that. With parallels from heavy hitters like Deftones and Paramore, they’re a band you can’t miss.
Starting Spots: “Hate Me Happy,” “don’t want to play w/u anymore”
For Fans Of: Paramore, Deftones, Radiohead
Lithia
Sitting in the Venn diagram of dream pop, shoegaze, and psychedelic rock is Chicago’s Lithia. The March-released Pink House is a masterfully self-produced gem of a debut with an alluring backstory. Fronted by Sylvia Koch-Weser, the band only has around 300 monthly Spotify listeners, but you wouldn’t know it upon absorbing their sophisticated musings, on par with renowned indie staples.
Starting Spots: “The Mire,” “Devotion,” “Self Isolation”
For Fans Of: Radiohead, Angel Olsen, Cocteau Twins, Cassandra Jenkins
Doggone
Doggone’s music is clearly influenced by artists like Mk.gee and Dijon, yet it’s not a carbon copy; in fact, it blends the best of both in one cohesive sound. Doggone’s oftentimes unintelligible vocals combined with his industrial sounds morph into a body of work that is hypnotic and will keep you returning to try to discern meaning.
Starting Spots: “Imitation (how to become you),” “William,” “Sibeeria”
For Fans Of: Mk.gee, Derby, Dijon
St. Louis
Four Degrees Colder
Four Degrees Colder is modern pop rock at its finest. Their debut album, Nothing To Do, careened onto the scene just last month and is markedly energetic and anthemic.
Starting Spots: “Buoyancy,” “Crash Out”
For Fans Of: Twenty One Pilots, iDKHOW, PVRIS, Two Door Cinema Club
No Antics
Self-described as “modern femme grime,” No Antics brings a 2000s sensibility to their alt-rock tracks, fueled by catchy baselines and fervent vocals reminiscent of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O. Catch them around venues in St. Louis like The Golden Sound and Moshmellow this August and September.
Starting Spots: “Let Me Out,” “Double Down”
For Fans Of: Le Tigre, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Watch Fight Back Mountain’s “No Recourse” music video on YouTube.
Fight Back Mountain
Punk isn’t dead — Fight Back Mountain is living proof. This St. Louis quartet combines the addictive energy of punk rock with plenty of moody emo undertones, and their edgy tracks are sure to have you headbanging and having the best (and angstiest) of times.
Starting Spots: “All the Money in the World,” “Like Poets Do”
For Fans Of: Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins, Everclear, Drug Church, Jawbreaker
Young Animals
Before even listening to their music, Young Animals can hook any early 2000s emo devotee with their lengthy-titled “You Can’t Just Ask A Person How Many Cellphones They Have.” It doesn’t hurt that the St. Louis five-piece has the talent to back up the intrigue. Making “midwest twinkly emo math rock,” the band’s discography is brimming with flashy guitar licks coupled with gritty vocals and full-throttle bridges.
Starting Spots: “Dibs,” “Limoncito,” “You Can’t Just Ask A Person How Many Cellphones They Have”
For Fans Of: Pool Kids, Saturdays At Your Place, Sweet Pill, Delta Sleep
More
Ethereal — Grand Rapids, MI
Indie electronica duo Ethereal’s discography could soundtrack a coming-of-age film and dancefloor at the same time. Making music with the goal of letting listeners “unplug their brains and go outside,” Ethereal blends plaintive, floating vocals with eyebrow-raising beats in all the right places
Starting Spots: “Start,” “Nicknames,” “Bones”
For Fans Of: Sylvan Esso, Purity Ring, Oliver Tree, Dominic Fike
Northwest — Indianapolis, IN
If you’re in need of some nostalgic Midwest emo to buoy you through the start of fall in a few weeks, look no further than Northwest, a four-piece with roots in, of course, northwest Indiana. Their songs — full of gentle longing and aching and echoing guitar chords — are the ideal backdrop for nights spent clinging to the bittersweet glow of summer’s end.
Starting Spots: “dog days,” “Throwing Up On The Balcony,” “star”
For Fans Of: American Football, Alex G, This is Lorelei
Watch Big Fat Cow live on YouTube.
Big Fat Cow — Kansas City, MO
Post-country, cow punk, alternative Americana. Call it whatever you want, but Big Fat Cow’s knack for twangy head-bangers is undeniable. After turning a pure-folk duo into a blistering-live-show-ready quartet in 2022, the Kansas City band has cultivated a growing discography full of heart and mirth.
Starting Spots: “Arbor Day,” “Gremlin Goop”
For Fans Of: Pixies, Geese, Lily Seabird, Willa Mae, Finger Foods
The Heartthrobs — Toledo, OH
Emo, post-hardcore, and shoegaze fans will find a lot to enjoy in The Heartthrobs’ debut album released this March. The alternative three-piece from Ohio sharpens their teeth in this dark, bold, and cohesive record, and with this release, their rise through the ranks of grunge rock feels imminent.
Starting Spots: “Winters End,” “Desire,” “Big League Chew”
For Fans Of: Smashing Pumpkins, Mercury, Shiner
Scarlet Street — Cincinnati, OH
Let a wave of distortion wash over you with Scarlet Street’s fuzzed-out emo, peppered with enigmatic track titles like “THERE WAS A HOLE HERE // IT’S GONE NOW” and “CORPORATE MEMPHIS,” both off their 2025 LP. In their own words, the four-piece is “holding a mirror up to the fear, paranoia, and numbness of life in the feed — and daring you to stare back.” Accept Scarlet Street’s challenge and dare to stare right into the void.
Starting Spots: “PALO ALTO,” “BEARS & SHARKS: NATURE’S BEST FRIENDS”
For Fans Of: Title Fight, Basement
Jane Flautt, Reegan-Tate Johnson, Brooke Shapiro, Mitchell Stewart, and Harmony Robinson contributed to this article.