Hikes

Hikes are an indie band from Austin that has adopted a softer touch on their math-rock, balancing it with an emotional streak that stylistically flirts with emo on the side.  They are not as hard on the mechanical, almost baroque nature of math-rock, as they add a layer of melodic sweetness on top of the quick changes and shifts. That said, the band clearly boasts serious technical prowess, particularly on the guitars where Nay Wilkins and Claire Puckett not only regularly blaze through their lines individually, but also interlace them nicely. The rhythm section can also get fairly bombastic and provide a sturdy foundation that allows the guitars to run wild. The vocals are on the whispery dream pop side, with strongly romantic undertones. When they came back from a long hiatus in 2026's Winnower, there were more overt folk tones in their music.