Just in Time for Spring, It’s Bandcamp Friday!

Winter is more or less behind us and the spring season is here. We're rushing through the year as we enter a brand new month and that means another round of Bandcamp Friday!

At the end of January, Bandcamp announced their 2023 plans for their series of fee-free first Fridays of the year! This initially short term way to help bands affected by the pandemic shutting down touring by waiving fees and letting more money flow to the artists. Safe to say it has certainly helped artists and Bandcamp has committed to the following Bandcamp Fridays:

  • April 7th
  • May 5th
  • August 4th
  • September 1st
  • October 6th
  • November 3rd
  • December 1st

In the past two years since Bandcamp's initiative, there have been some wild changes. While venues have been opened up and touring feels a little more feasible, the reality is that it's been just as difficult for artists to effectively tour after the pandemic. Even this monthly surge of music buying has made some a little weary of how much it’s all actually helping. And the biggest change of all: Bandcamp was purchased by Epic Games. While we hoped that new ownership wouldn't change much, the employees over at Bandcamp have decided to unionize in order to help keep Bandcamp as good as it is a reality. However it's clear that Bandcamp Fridays have really rallied music fans into supporting their favorite artists and has done some great things over the past two years.

While this initiative is fantastic, remember to support your favorite bands throughout the rest of the month as well. Bandcamp is a pretty great platform as an average of 83% of your money reaches the artist/label (after payment processor fees).

Bandcamp Friday will be happening today April 7 until midnight PDT. If you’re unsure what time it all ends in your timezone, check isitbandcampfriday.com for exactly how much time you have left to jump in on the sales effort.

As with every edition of this feature, we’ve added a few more local acts that we highly suggest you check out. If there are any local bands that you think should be added to the list, please leave a comment and spread the Bandcamp Friday love! And don’t forget to head over to your favorite artists’ Bandcamp pages and see what they’ll be doing for today’s push to support quality music! For those of you who have meticulously curated Spotify playlists (although with everything going on I’m sure many of you don’t now), we suggest using Merch Table to see what artists are on Bandcamp so you can support them directly.

Noname - Photo by Andrew Lagunas

We also recommend you check out some of the great compilations!

Now let’s get to the bands!

Brenda's Friend. Photo by Andrew Lagunas.
Circuit des Yeux. Photo by Julian Ramirez.
Divino Niño. Photo by Andrew Lagunas.
Fauvely. Photo by Julian Ramirez.
  • Fauvely makes some incredible dreamy tunes that will certainly hook you the second you give them a listen. Led by Sophie Brochu, the band just released Beautiful Places, so pick it up and enjoy this great band!
  • Fieldmates
  • Finom, formally known as OHMME, are such a fantastic band that are delivering some of the best experimental rock you’ll hear today! They’ve just released their second full length album Fantasize Your Ghost. It’s a fantastic followup to Parts, evolving their sound as they always do. Check out our thoughts on their single “The Limit” and our review of the album here! And of course Fantasize Your Ghost was featured on our list of albums we enjoyed in 2020
  • Fire-Toolz
  • Flamingo Rodeo
  • The Flat Five are a Chicago supergroup that we absolutely adore. Kelly Hogan, Nora O’Connor, Scott Ligon, Casey McDonough, and Alex Hall make up the band with decades worth of musical expertise! Their slightly twisted dulcet tones are a sure fire way to make these trying times feel a little better. Check out their debut album It’s a World of Love and Hope (with songs written by fellow Chicago mainstay Chris Ligon) and their recently released Another World!
  • Floatie released their stellar math rock debut Voyage Out last year! It was so damn good that we included it in our favorite albums of 2021, so don’t miss out!
  • Fran‘s guitar-driven songs with extraordinary vocals are perfect for these physical distancing times.
  • Freakons
Free Range. Photo by Julian Ramirez.
  • Free Range is set to release their debut album Growing Away later this month! Sofia Jensen voice and songwriting are incredible and you need to listen to them as soon as you possibly can!
  • Friko
  • Gal Gun – I first saw Gal Gun perform at a living room show four years ago and their latest album Critical Hit is fantastic!
  • Ganser – Need some downright incredible rock music to pulse through your veins? Look no further than Ganser’s exhilarating sound, especially right now since their newest album Just Look at That Sky is out now! Let yourself melt into Alicia Gaines’ range of confident vocals and snarls and the band’s raw post-punk surge. The first pressing of their album is sold out, but the second pressing (on an even cooler color vinyl) is available now! And they recently released a new set of songs Nothing You Do Matters!
  • Girl K – You can’t get much better than Katherine Patino’s excellent project! Check out our review of their set with Charly Bliss from TNK!
  • Glad Rags
  • Good Fuck is experimental madness from Tim Kinsella and Jenny Pulse. To put it simple, it’s fucking good.
  • The Glow Ups Chicago-based, punk rock trio features Mike Licari (Bass/Vocals), Kevin De Leon (Drums), and Brian Perfect (Guitar/Vocals). After a series of three separately released singles, the band officially released its debut album, Take Your Tapas Off, on April 27, 2020. Accompanied by the band’s “down to earth” nature, their songs take you on a voyage of pop-punk nostalgia. They hold the central theme of “not having to impress anybody” and you witness this in their lyrical storytelling—comprising real-life stories and experiences.
  • Glitter Moneyyy – Need some sexy, raunchy goodness in your music? Look no further than this amazing duo!
  • Chris Greene Quartet‘s last album PlaySPACE, which was recorded live at Evanston SPACE, is one of my favorites and a great introduction to this fantastic jazz band.
  • Jason Griff
  • Half Gringa has a new EP out right now! Ancestral Home is giving you some much needed new tunes from Isabel Olive!
  • Heavee
  • The Hecks – Great local band balancing angular post-punk and catchy synth rock, with an awesome live show to boot.
  • HLDAY MAGIK
  • Ivy Hollivana
  • Hollyy
  • Honey Cellar
Horsegirl. Photo by Kate Scott.
KAINA. Photo by Andrew Lagunas.
Miranda Winter. Photo by Julian Ramirez.
Nora O'Connor. Photo by Julian Ramirez.
Replicant. Photo by Julian Ramirez.
Macie Stewart. Photo By Julian Ramirez.
Tasha. Photo by Julian Ramirez.
V.V. Lightbody. Photo by Julian Ramirez.

Also let’s not forget these incredible local labels.

There are plenty of other great bands on Bandcamp, so take a look around and discover something new! If you have any recommendations, comment below and spread the love because everybody needs it right now.

#bandcamp friday
Julian Ramirez