BIG NEXT: Tracey Nelson

Austin Noll grew up in Lawrence, Kansas, and now lives in New York. Under the name Tracey Nelson, he makes indie rock that balances somewhere between jangle guitars, country, and self-deprecation. His self-titled EP from 2025, produced by MJ Lenderman, was one of the quietest finds of the year: five songs that went back to the classic antipodal jangle of bands like The Clean and Dick Diver, with lyrics that were as clear as they were self-deprecating. This year follows the debut album Hercules on K Records/Perennial, again co-produced by Lenderman and Colin Miller, and with a cast that includes, among others, Wednesday's Karly Hartzman and guitarist Jack Kraus. The album gives more space, breathes more, and leans slightly further towards country, without losing the core of Noll's writing. That tightrope between melancholy and kindness, he walks it with remarkably little display. For fans of MJ Lenderman, Greg Freeman, mildred.