Hard to Google, nearly impossible to forget, Philadelphia psych-folk duo @ (pronounced “At”) crafts harmonies that are so intricately intertwined they seem almost telepathic while flutes and guitars weave through storied melodies. With a sound that recalls the Laurel Canyon folk scene of the 1970s, the freak-folk revival of the 1990s and 2000s, and perhaps even troubadours before a medieval court, @ remains uniquely their own but universally timeless. Their self-released debut, Mind Palace Music, became a word-of-mouth underground favorite that launched the band into the indie mainstream, leading to a label release in 2023. In 2024, they broke the mold with an EP that shuffles between hyperpop and folk harmonies, crafting radio-ready earworms alongside underground indie ballads.

An iconic figure in the late-1960s British folk scene, Bridget St. John recorded three of the genre’s most intelligent and emotionally resonant albums for John Peel’s Dandelion Records between 1969 and 1972. After relocating to New York City’s Greenwich Village and releasing a final major-label album in 1974, she stepped back from the mainstream music industry for nearly two decades. Since her gradual re-emergence at tribute concerts for Peel in the early 2000s, St. John’s cult stature has only grown, and the gentle, poetic quality of her most prolific period remains timeless.

Your favorite band’s favorite band. Minimalist funk-punk-dance legends ESG have charted their own course over the past 48 years and have finally arrived in Missouri. Formed by the Scroggins sisters in the Bronx in 1978, these kids went from a local talent show to recording one of the most sampled songs in hip-hop history (“UFO”) in no time at all. Still marching to the beat of their own drummer, the Scroggins’ CoMo debut promises to embody their ethos: be yourself, dance, and have fun.

John Cage for a new generation. The classically trained pianist and composer has charted her own course in contemporary music using treated pianos, zithers, synthesizers, and collaborators like Daniel Lopatin of Oneohtrix Point Never. Her latest album for Warp Records, 2025’s Don’t Trust Mirrors, has an electronic glow like no other release, feeling at home both on the dancefloor and in the conservatory.

Who can groove like King Socks & The Unrelenting Funk? Not many. Born from a diverse set of musical influences, King Socks’s latest album (2025’s Deathroot) brings a full smorgasbord of jazz, jam, and funk to the table, backing up track after track of transcendent and incendiary lead guitar licks. The result is music that’s ready-made to groove.

A longtime Columbia, Mo., resident and staple on the ever-changing local scene, Maxito Lindo embodies the ethos of “dance to the beat of your own drummer.” From freewheeling guitar picking inspired by his Mexican heritage (2014’s FINGERLESS) to transcendent psych-rock in the vein of Fairport Convention (2020’s Furthest Friends) to DJ sets harkening back to the heyday of UK jungle, it’s always a delight to see what musical waters this local artist traverses next.

Life’s a dance floor, and Peace Lily is the DJ. Carrying on the spirit of Psychic TV’s 1990s acid house, this duo (Lily Moore & Hank Marshall Gardner) is bringing the beat—and just a shake of tambourine—to Blue Note for a performance that’s part vinyl DJ set, part hyped-up performance, and all transcendent. Hailing from Illinois and North Carolina, Peace Lily’s True/False debut will set the stage for a rare performance from legendary band ESG.

Pop, disco, funk, or EDM—no label captures high energy and good vibrations of a Soumir performance. Named St. Louis Magazine’s best new music artist of 2025, this one-person dance band armed with a keytar and a drum machine is a promising star brightening the Missouri music scene one stage at a time.