Guide to San Jose DIY artists and their music

Pacing

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Pacing is a self-described "anti-folk / indie pop" project that feels like a sincere reflection of the worries of being a woman in modern life (not that I can speak from experience). The lyrical styles are distinctly true-to-life, in one song Sunny <3, the lyrics speak about the narrator's need to "read feminist theory," and go to therapy, feeling stretched thin by various internal pressures to become the person they feel they should be. Other songs talk about parking tickets, doom-scrolling, and being tied down by Boyfriends. One album is even titled "Planet Fitness." To me, the lyrics both come across as very honest, and in their sincerity, remind me of how mundane and small our struggles can feel when put into words, but are in another sense, genuine, and worth commemorating in song. The instruments, as "anti" as they may try, are very folksy: the music centers around acoustic guitars and Katie's very enunciated somewhat theater-esque voice, with the most frequent accompaniment being bass and acoustic drums (though some songs deviate). In her band is another local artist, Christian Francisco, who plays guitar and other instruments in her songs. Pacing toured recently back in June 2026 across the west coast, and made some sick PBR inspired merch to come with it. Her merch consists of creative shirt designs, tote bags, and vinyls will definitely catch your eye at a show. I think, to fully appreciate Pacing, it helps to know Katie a bit too, who is ruthlessly involved in the underpinnings of San Jose music. She was one of the first members in Heavy Lemon, "interns" at District Recordings, and thus has produced and assisted with live sets for many other local artists. She is incredibly talented, hardworking, and does a ton for those around her. Kudos and best wishes to Pacing!

SUPERWORLD

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To call SUPERWORLD "Skrams" would not account for the breadth of their sound. Behind the strong screamo vocals are very thoughtfully done harmonious guitars, incredibly locked drums, and interesting bass lines that come together to make very polished emo music. I have seen them live twice. First at their release show (where I also saw Brahm). At that show, their normal vocalist was out, and one of their member's cat had died, so it was a rough day for them despite the incredible release. I also saw them more recently at Jade Cathay with their true lineup. Each time I was blown away by how locked in the band was with one another, particularly the two guitar players, who play mirrored parts perfectly in sync with one another in multiple songs. Incredibly tight musicians with dynamic music and nice people. They released their self titled album a few months ago now, and I've been coming back to it on and off since. It's really a great listen that puts into recording their unified, tight sound. I particularly like "The Dream," and "I Saw It Too." The album art is also delightful, I like that it feels very three dimensional, and donkeys are extremely underutilized in band iconography. Best wishes to SUPERWORLD who make great music. I am excited to keep listening to their new album, and can't wait to see what shows and music they make next. Sidenote: whenever I hear their name, I picture it being said the way the announcer says "SUPER, HOT" in the game SUPERHOT. Like, "SUPER, WORLD."

Later Alligator

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Later Alligator sits comfortably in the bay area indie emo demographic. Very much in the vein of Mom Jeans, they sport the same mix of twiddly guitars and whiney emo vocals that define the genre. They just released an album recently after a few years, and it continues on this path. Aesthetically, they lean into DIY, namely sporting a fun graphic of an alligator as their main icon, and using it for both their most recent and previous works. For the new album, they've gone with a diner-like theme which permeates the album art and titles of all the tracks: the cover is a classic picnic like table cover, with a cup of coffee on the side, and the songs have titles like "Burgers," "Fried," and "Check Please." The dynamics of the album are thought through as well, with some songs having a slower feel, and others being much larger. The aforementioned "Check Please" is a soft piano song leads into the final closer "Persimmon." I quite like the song "Party Platter" off of it. In 2022, they also released an EP "Gator Tunes," with a really fun clay-like alligator graphic for the cover. Their song "Second Sight," off of it is an emo bop. Their music really screams "road trip" to me, with a sense of 90s - 2000s nostalgia, ease of listening, and a medium tempo feel that really affords listening while in a car on a long suburban road in San Jose (or many places in California). I saw them back in March 2026 at Chromatic and really enjoyed their set. I've also gotten to know some of the members and can confirm they're chillers. If you like bands like The Flat Stanleys, and other mid-west emo bands, then check out their new album!

Elijah Stoll

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A very good word to describe Elijah is "prolific": he constantly creates, is very committed to the artistic process, and comes up with many new ideas. You may have already been exposed to his work on Instagram, where he has now made 100 songs, each of which is accompanied by a slightly esoteric, green-screenful video of him playing with his band. I talked to him briefly after a show at the Tamper Room, and he said his videos were about clearly establishing what the project is between him and his bandmates. The music itself has lyrics that are shockingly honest, raw, and genuine. I particularly liked his songs "Die in a Car Crash," and "Nicotine," He sings with a happy pessimism, backed by guitars that feel rooted in surf and math rock sensibilities, with drums that embrace an authentic minimalism: they sound like they were recorded with 1-2 mics with a very solid drummer tuned into the rest of the band. The chord progressions used are also quite satisfying. They shift between sections in a very pleasing way. The work is a bit of a contradiction: in some senses, the sincerity of his work feels abject within the social media landscape in which his music is embedded, and yet his unique visual aesthetics, coupled with the brevity of his music, make it digestible and well-suited to short-form content. In the end though, it feels cohesive, interesting, and easy to listen to/watch. I enjoyed the most recently released Volume 6, which is quite good, and I look forward to volume 7, and 8, and 9, and so on! For forever!

Star 99

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Star 99 feels like a distilled version of San Jose indie alternative. They have accurately self-described themselves as "hard twee." It would also be accurate to see them as a beautiful blend of many alternative genres (indie, emo, skramz, pop punk), particularly influenced by their local contemporaries. Their most recent release is "Gamen," (我慢, meaning "patience" in Japanese, though I get a laugh from the Chinese characters meaning, that being "I'm slow"). Most of the album has wide rock guitars with very present vocals, the type of music to nod your head to, or play at a nice picnic with blue skies, as the album feels very much like Spring. I also feel compelled to do a gentle two-step while listening. The main female vocalist's voice is very sinuous and soft, which sits nicely atop the rest of the band in songs where she is prominent. The male vocalist has a classic, yet gentle, emo accent that complements the instruments equally. The electric guitars usually sport a very solid distorted tone, and they have a ton of great solos. It reminds me of artists like Shinobu whom I've heard the members talk about a good bit. The bass parts are incredibly solid, and I like how the drums are produced as well. I am quite a fan of "Emails," and "Kill," which are very fun to listen to. The album artfully concludes with the namesake song "Gamen," which is a beautiful, bittersweet acoustic song that juxtaposes itself with the rest of the faster-paced tunes. And it would be impossible to leave out that this is currently the most active project of Mr. John Lemon himself, Christopher. And given the previous description, this makes sense, as the band is very unapologetic about its San Jose roots. They are touring soon as of writing, and I wish them the best and hope to hear more from them soon!

PS, if anyone has a ticket to their show with Jeff Rosenstock at Bottom of the Hill in June they'd be willing to part with, please hit me up. I'd happily pay a pretty penny, and/or an ugly one too!

Update: I ended up going! Got the second to last walk up ticket. One of the best shows of my life. Mashallah!