Heaven Can Wait: How The Format Went From 2000s Obscurity to 2020s Arena-Fillers
They never dented the Billboard charts or crossed into mainstream stardom, but those who encountered The Format during their initial 2000s run were deeply enamored. The creative partnership between singer Nate Ruess and instrumentalist Sam Means explored a maximalist take on indie-pop, fearlessly blending big, sing-along hooks and bright guitars with subtly devastating lyricism. The […]
Anna von Hausswolff @ Thekla
Anna von Hausswolff has always seemed like an artist best suited to the darker months. But arriving in Bristol in January—the city slick with rain, the sky stuck in a permanent grey—her music feels less like a booking and more like a public service. At Thekla, the improbably intimate, boat-shaped venue permanently docked in the […]
Everything Small Filmmakers Can Learn from ‘Marty Supreme’s’ Marketing Takeover
Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme has had one of the most unforgettable marketing campaigns of 2025. But why? With major wins under its belt—including Timothée Chalamet’s sweep for Best Actor at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards, and most recently, the Oscars—Marty Supreme has been crowned with critical acclaim. And yet, you can’t talk about […]
Album Review: Delaney Bailey, ‘Concave’
There’s something quietly disarming about Concave, the debut album from Chicago-based singer-songwriter Delaney Bailey. It doesn’t arrive making a big, declarative statement. Instead, it slips in gently, more like an invitation than announcement. The mood sets immediately through the cover art: Bailey in stark black and white, bat wings faintly etched behind her. Glamorous, sure, […]
Album Review: Fake Friends ‘Let’s Not Overthink This’
Fake Friends are an emerging post-wave group from Montréal, Canada, combining the melancholic sounds of post-punk with the obscure introspection of new wave. A gang of pals with an ironically-titled band name, Fake Friends, are all about creating a soundscape that’s bursting with energy and layered with clever, thought-provoking lyrics. With less than 2,000 followers […]
The Next Wave: 7 Alternative Bands to Watch in 2026
A new wave of alternative rock bands is quietly reshaping the scene. And chances are, you haven’t heard of them yet. Alternative rock is constantly evolving. For years, established acts like Hemlocke Springs, Fat White Family, and Black Country, New Road set the tone, dominating music rotations with era-defining projects. But over the past year, […]
2025 Performance Archive: The Year on Stage
As 2025 comes to a close, CONE reflects on a year of unforgettable performances and rising indie talent. The 2025 Performance Archive is a curated gallery capturing the energy, passion, and creativity that ignited stages worldwide, from intimate basements to sprawling festivals. Mei Semones, WITCH, Mac DeMarco, and more shape the year’s defining moments across […]
Rough Edges, Real Times: The Indie Albums That Captured 2025’s Wild Energy
It feels like we’ve been saying this since 2016, but 2025 really did feel like another dumpster fire of a year. Political tensions sharpened, online noise reached new extremes, and the sense of living in a permanent instability became harder to shake. Everywhere you looked, people grew more polarized, more burnt out and scrambling to […]
Album Review: LOUD WOMEN ‘10th Anniversary Compilation’
Loud Women marks its 10th anniversary with a compilation album that cuts straight to the heart of what the collective has always stood for. Released through the independent Punk Fox label, the album brings together women and non-binary DIY artists who’ve moved through the collective’s orbit over the past decade. But this isn’t a nostalgic […]
From Glastonbury to Berghain: EBM Rebels Scaler Are Taking Over
You can confront yourself at the edge of destruction. In the club, when the music is the only thing that feels real, disorientation can either make you lose yourself or reveal who you are. Scaler captures it perfectly: “You lose yourself initially. And then, if you push through that wall, you find yourself on the […]