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Finding a song you love is a powerful experience.
Best New Bands 2026
It can make you smile, cry, or sing along. It can keep you in the car for an extra 10 minutes. That song can feel like an expansion of your horizons, or like running into an old friend.
That discovery seems more rare these days, thanks to algorithms that feed you what you already like, or something uncannily similar. But we hope it happens for you in the following pages.
You’re going to meet Portland’s 10 Best New Bands, as decided by a poll of musicians, music industry professionals and close industry observers.
Genres vary, from free-floating cosmic jazz to hardcore punk to twangy Americana.
Their origin stories vary, too. Some were solo projects that grew. Some bands were formed on Craigslist; some have known each other since high school.
What they have in common is love.
Again and again, the members of these bands talked about how much they like each other—how they admire each other as musicians, but also enjoy each other’s company as human beings. They watch prestige television together after band practice. They hold each other up in the face of raging preshow jitters. Sometimes they burst into tears hearing each other’s songs for the first time.
Other artists on this list talked candidly about the rage and fear they feel in the face of ascendant fascism. But rather than shake their heads and refresh social media apps, they’re getting together, picking up instruments and microphones—and packing rooms full of people also seeking catharsis and community.
You’ll get to see five of these bands at our Best New Bands showcase at Mississippi Studios on May 1. We hope to see you there.—Christen McCurdy, interim Arts & Culture editor
