{"id":896,"date":"2025-10-13T19:20:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T19:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/896\/"},"modified":"2025-10-13T19:20:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T19:20:26","slug":"passion-pit-the-point-julie-and-more-reviews-from-the-final-day-of-acl-the-austin-chronicle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/896\/","title":{"rendered":"Passion Pit, The Point, julie, and More Reviews From the Final Day of ACL \u2022 The Austin Chronicle"},"content":{"rendered":"

ACL Fest 2025 wrapped with sounds far and wide, old and new \u2013 from local trio the Point\u2019s genre-blending world music to Chihuahua band Midnight Generation\u2019s throwback disco to Passion Pit\u2019s 2010s-nostalgic synth-pop. Here\u2019s what we caught before the sun set at Zilker Park.<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Isabella Martinez<\/p>\n

The Point Takes ACL All Over the Map<\/p>\n

The Point<\/a> is a whole vibe unto themselves. Opening up the Beatbox stage on the final day of ACL Fest, the Austin trio served up their own fusion energy to counter the high afternoon sun by jamming through cuts of the recently released deluxe version of their 2024 debut LP Maldito Animal. It\u2019s an intoxicating blend of world music, seamlessly blending disparate elements from various continental influences into a whirlwind of Saharan surf, Sri Lankan blues, and psychedelic conjunto soul. The dexterity isn\u2019t surprising given the trio\u2019s credentials: Keyboardist Joe Roddy is son of Austin rockabilly icon Ted Roddy; guitarist Jack Montesinos was onstage trading guitar licks with James Burton before he was out of middle school; and drummer Nico Leophonte has worked with icons ranging from the Fabulous Thunderbirds to Bo Diddley. The Point journeys far beyond those blues-based roots, though. Across the nine-song set, the outfit swung through new tunes with the delirious dervish of \u201cItis\u201d and jazzy rip cord groove of \u201cOBIRWY,\u201d while \u201cLeaving\u201d dropped in a surprising mid-set soul vocal. Throughout, the trio unraveled the underlying threads of roots music from around the world to spool into an entirely new tapestry, but really the Point is just about bringing the listener along for the ride. \u2013 Doug Freeman<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Isabella Martinez<\/p>\n

julie Plays Old and Short<\/p>\n

From drummer Dillon Lee\u2019s asymmetrical, eye-obscuring haircut to guitarist Keyan Pourzand and bassist Alexandria Elizabeth\u2019s melancholy boy-girl harmonies, Los Angeles trio julie lean surprisingly emo when translating their quiet-loud \u201cn\u00fcgaze\u201d into a live setting. The artsy twentysomethings present a highly curated image: Brady posh in her choker and ribbon-adorned Fender, the band as a whole ominous with an onstage visual projecting some kind of discs slowly popping in and out of two old-school computers. Yet their melodies, while engulfed in distortion, remained on Sunday pleasantly hummable and a little dramatic, more Jawbreaker than Sonic Youth. Stationed in a line across the front of the stage \u2013 Lee, clearly working the hardest, sat parallel to his bandmates\u2019 mics, not behind them \u2013 the auto-cap avoiders favored early singles like \u201capril\u2019s bloom\u201d and \u201cflutter\u201d over 2024 debut my anti-aircraft friend \u2013 though LP opener \u201ccatalogue\u201d launched their set with gusto. \u201cIt smells like burning sunscreen up here,\u201d Pourzand said early on. The observation proved to be julie\u2019s only audience address \u2013 until Brady announced, just 30 minutes into their allotted hour, that they\u2019d be playing one final track. Fans waited for several minutes as feedback droned following the final pangs of \u201clochness,\u201d but their chants of \u201cone more song\u201d didn\u2019t inspire an encore. That\u2019s one way to leave them wanting more. \u2013 Carys Anderson<\/p>\n

\"\"Lucius Credit: David Brendan Hall<\/p>\n

Lucius\u2019 Twinning Vocals Lead a Sunday Service<\/p>\n

The tandem vocals of Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig enchant with such a power that the artists have become as well known for their myriad collaborations as they are for their own music. But as this year\u2019s self-titled fourth LP proved, Lucius remains their own mesmerizing force. The pair relies less on harmonies than their perfectly synced vocal twinning, intentionally emphasized in the mirroring of everything from the stage design to coordinated outfits down to their jewelry. Given that expected foundation, the most surprising moment of Lucius\u2019 mid-afternoon ACL set on the Beatbox stage was when they split their vocals on new tune \u201cStranger Danger,\u201d a brief but rewardingly jarring effect. Wolf and Laessig led the fivepiece behind their facing keyboards, opening the dual percussion blast of \u201cNothing Ordinary\u201d by adding their own additional tom strikes. The earworming \u201cGold Rush\u201d hit an early highlight from the new album, but \u201cDusty Trails,\u201d from 2016\u2019s Good Grief, met the biggest crowd response. The 11-song set pulled from across their career, including the new unreleased song \u201cLucy,\u201d and delivered an aptly spiritual feel for the Sunday service that finally burst with the closing hair-flinging freakout and cathartic cowbell breakdown of \u201cGenevieve.\u201d \u2013 Doug Freeman\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Gary Miller<\/p>\n

Midnight Generation Keeps Disco Alive<\/p>\n

Quieter Sunday afternoon, second weekend \u2013 save perhaps for a massive sprawl out front of starmaking B-stage Miller Light for Disco Lines \u2013 didn\u2019t weed out the Tito\u2019s tent either. Indeed, the festivalgoers spotted wearing \u201cDisco never dies\u201d T-shirts nailed Midnight Generation before the Chihuahuans made a sound. Dressed in matching gym sweats, three keyboardists doubling on bass and guitar plus a couple percussionists, flipped on the mirror ball and blurred the lines on 50 years of dance music. Relatively live, the Mexican fivepiece began high in boy band \u201cEnergy,\u201d party-starter from spring full-length Tender Love. Riding a cathode bassline as well as the guitarist\u2019s talk box, a clear rubber tube one makes Peter Frampton sounds through \u2013 only in the Live Music Capital could you witness a teen barely old enough to know what that is explain it to her friend \u2013 the opener galvanized the spillover tent gawkers. Choirboy harmonies doubled by backing tracks locked into equally thickened beats, pleasing the queer enthusiasts. Chic and Labelle joined in spirit and lockstep Seventies grooves. Midnight Gen Z couldn\u2019t quite sustain that momentum, the quintet far too static onstage, and the energy in the tent flatlined far too early, but they kept their crowd and four on the floor. \u2013 Raoul Hernandez<\/p>\n

\"\"Feid Credit: David Brendan Hall<\/p>\n

Feid Is Unreal\u00a0<\/p>\n

AI is coming for your job, your livelihood, your daughter. Now, ACL Fest \u2013 infiltrated! By all appearances Salom\u00f3n Villada Hoyos \u2013 Feid \u2013 represents Colombia atop Latin America\u2019s age-old romance with\u2026 romance. Medell\u00edn cohort of Bad Bunny, J Balvin, and more, the 33-year-old singer\/producer brought out the local Latinate at suppertime Sunday, skipping across the giant T-Mobile headliner stage under a monstrous green head glowering above him with a huge screen embedded in its dome. A DJ, an (unplugged?) guitarist, and a\u2026 \u201csinger\u201d (?) all backed the Autotuned man of the hour, who sang over himself singing the tracks \u2013 all mouthed by the brown ladies in the crowd. And yet, that turnout fit comfortably within the chair line, one of the smallest audiences at that sprawling stage over both weekends. \u201cAmor de mi Vida\u201d warmed in its Spanish ballad sway, but less and less applause rose as the set wore on. Reggaeton made for boats and bars, its big-stage blandness bore none of the excitement or throngs of past like-minded ACL showings at that same stage: Mon Laferte, Residente, Rosal\u00eda. Did the asteroid-sized noggin\u2019 simply generate out of a 3-D printer backstage? And Feid himself, archetypal or algorithm? Anything (sur)real here at all? Hard to say, but this Live Music Capitalist gets the distinct impression he\u2019s seen the giant green face of AI and he is us. \u2013 Raoul Hernandez<\/p>\n

\"\"Passion Pit Credit: David Brendan Hall<\/p>\n

Passion Pit\u2019s Heartfelt Comeback<\/p>\n

Michael Angelakos materialized on the Tito\u2019s stage four minutes early with no walkout music or big band theatrics. Instead, he leveled with us. \u201cThank you for allowing me to sing to my mom,\u201d who has Lewy body dementia, he explained, before crooning an uncharacteristically organic piano ballad. The unknown number contrasted with its incredibly famous follow-up, \u201cSleepyhead,\u201d though the electropop master reworked it until it was nearly unrecognizable, ditching its iconic Mary O\u2019Hara sample and squealing synths in favor of a minimalist dance mix. The sardines in the audience \u2013 Passion Pit deserved more than a tent \u2013 didn\u2019t seem to mind. Angelakos, drummer Chris Hartz, and multi-instrumentalists Aaron Harrison Folb, Giuliano Pizzulo, and Ray Suen left other Manners highlights \u201cThe Reeling\u201d and \u201cLittle Secrets\u201d intact, which flowed seamlessly into the more commercial \u201cTake a Walk\u201d and \u201cCarried Away,\u201d from radio-dominating 2012 LP Gossamer, and new unreleased tracks, including \u201cBrothers to the End,\u201d dedicated to the singer\u2019s sibling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The forthright artist began his set seated at his keyboard, famous falsetto slightly clipped; by the end of it he\u2019d jumped from his stool to his feet, voice booming, swinging his microphone in the air and raising his hands in triumph. \u201cFor many years I fucking hated\u201d playing Passion Pit songs, he admitted to his fans, who\u2019d been singing every word of those 2009 innovations. \u201cYou make me want to fucking tour all year long.\u201d \u2013 Carys Anderson\u00a0<\/p>\n

A note to readers:\u00a0Bold and uncensored,\u00a0The Austin Chronicle\u00a0has been Austin\u2019s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community\u2019s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands. <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Avatar\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCarys Anderson moved from Nowhere, DFW to Austin in 2017 to study journalism at the University of Texas. She began writing for The Austin Chronicle in 2021 and joined its full-time staff in 2023, where…\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMore by Carys Anderson\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Avatar\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA San Francisco native who arrived fresh out of graduate school to his mother\u2019s hometown of San Antonio in 1992, Raoul Hernandez began writing for the Chronicle that year, moved to Austin the following…\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMore by Raoul Hernandez\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ACL Fest 2025 wrapped with sounds far and wide, old and new \u2013 from local trio the Point\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":897,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[1550,274,132,134,133,1551,1552,1553,1554,1555,1556],"class_list":["post-896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-acl-fest-2025","tag-acl-festival","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news","tag-feature","tag-feid","tag-julie","tag-lucius","tag-midnight-generation","tag-the-point"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}