Cartoon Hearts are a San Jose band playing guitar-driven pop rock, founded in 2022 by Jay Chiorean (Rove; Careful, Brother). Their songs range from post-folk to pop-punk. Atwood Magazine premiered their anthem “legs” from the debut album Falling Out of Love Overnight. For fans of The 1975, The Killers and Hippo Campus.

Amity St. are a San Francisco math rock and Midwest-emo band who describe their sound as “emo music in weird time signatures.” The four-piece of Jennie Chae, Ryan Gauley, Martin Mullis and Sungmin Park pairs twinkly, tangled guitars with shifting rhythms on songs like “Galbi Boy” and “Slow for the Cone Zone.”

Trip Dive are a Bay Area band from the region’s DIY scene. They’ve played legendary all-ages spaces like Berkeley’s 924 Gilman and keep building a following through steady local shows. With raw energy and a love of the scene, they’re one to catch early at any Bay Area bill.

Zacc and the Scissorlips are a garage-punk band from El Sobrante, California, led by founder Zachary Szerlip and Joseph Sahouria. Rooted in the DIY punk scene, they jump between genres and often play with a rotating cast of friends and collaborators. Songs like “Polaroids” show their loose, unpredictable energy.