Automatic have spent the last few years building one of the tightest, most confident live shows in the current wave of post-punk-adjacent rock, and their Saturday afternoon set on the Panhandle stage at Outside Lands was proof the trio's new record only sharpens that reputation further. Touring behind Is It Now?, Izzy Glaudini and Halle Saxon brought a set that balanced synth-driven cool with real physical urgency, and Golden Gate Park was fully locked in from the first note.

Fresh off the release of their newest record, Joy Next Door, one of our absolute favorite bands of all time The Maine is back and better than ever. With a tour planned and on the way (tickets here!), we got the unique opportunity for a lengthy Q&A with the band’s own Garrett Nickelsen. Make sure to check out the record and head to a date, but also to learn a little more about the album and the band’s storied history below.

After nearly two decades away from the album format that first defined them, The Format have reemerged not as a nostalgia act, but as a fully revitalized creative force. With the release of Boycott Heaven on January 23, 2026 via The Vanity Label, the duo of Nate Ruess and Sam Means have delivered a record that feels both rooted in their past and sharply attuned to the present. We can sincerely say it’s our album of the year and nothing else that gets shared this year will even come close.

Whitney have always had a gift for turning the everyday into something luminous, but Small Talk feels like the album where they’ve distilled everything they’ve been chasing since their debut into one cohesive statement. Set for release November 7th on AWAL, the Chicago band’s fourth record is not just their most affecting to date, it’s arguably their best, full stop. If their past albums flirted with brilliance, this one weds it, an effortless blend of their signature soft-focus soul, shimmering folk-rock warmth, and tenderly crafted pop that glows from the first note to the last.

For a while on Saturday, Head Trip looked as though it might be remembered for the set that never happened. Lightning had interrupted FISHER and Chris Lake, Calvin Harris was still waiting to play, and the first night ended with an evacuation. By Sunday, Harris had been fitted into a bill that already included Skrillex and Swedish House Mafia. A weekend sold as a one-time event had acquired a genuinely unpredictable second act.

Skrillex’s Head Trip set took a while to become the show it could be. The sound issues were frustrating for some, the visual presentation was unusually sparse beside the weekend’s other major performances, and the opening stretch sometimes struggled to deliver the impact that his music demands. By the end, though, he had found the groove and he was the Skrillex we all know and love.

Calvin Harris arrived at Head Trip a day late and changed the whole feel of the night. Following Skrillex’s uneven, visually sparse performance, his set was a total 180: hit after hit, backed by the kind of spectacular visuals that made full use of the festival’s incredible production. The relief of finally getting the show mattered and the quality of what followed mattered more.

Swedish House Mafia had a difficult act to follow at Head Trip, and an unusually large sense of occasion to work with. Skrillex and Calvin Harris had already played the same stage that evening, the latter rescued from Saturday’s weather cancellation. By the time Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso reached the final slot, Sunday had become far more concentrated than anyone had planned.