King Stingray - “Milkumana”

SXSW 2023 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 6

Pairs Well With…The Gaslight Anthem, Cibo Matto, of Montreal

Many times my SXSW discovery journey boils down to finding artists that fuse genres in new ways while keeping strong songwriting at the forefront. King Stingray checks all of those boxes, a bilingual, surf/indie-rock band from Australia who sound empowered and creative on their self-titled debut released last year. Bright pop, jangly folk rock, classic indie rock - all these forms are merged into King Stingray’s music and their ability to twist and turn unexpectedly allows the record to grow naturally over its ten tracks. Jumping freely between Yolŋu Matha linguistics from indigenous northern Australian and English is bold enough alone, but add King Stingray’s wide musical sight and unique, unexpected melodies, and they find a place that is both thrilling and weird enough to warrant head turns. While this may sound like an experimental blend, at its core King Stingray is a killer rock and roll band, allowing their painting of the edges bend complex perspectives with cool ease. (Kevin McStravick)