Qobuz Sessions at SXSW 2024

At 2024′s Austin-based SXSW festival, Qobuz hosted a day show at the KFMA Even Space on March 15 with four outstanding artists: Allegra Krieger, Cosmo Pyke, Sinkane and Maria Chiara Argirò. Three of these performances are now available exclusively on Qobuz in 24-bit Hi-Res.

Allegra Krieger’s songs mix brilliant lyrics and slightly off-kilter instrumentation. The Brooklyn folk songwriter can make magic of the mundane—and vice versa—in a way that never feels boring or loaded with forced meaning. It’s a bruised, attentive and often joyous look at everyday living. In this set, she mixes songs from her last two incredible folk-rock records, I Keep My Feet on the Fragile Plane (2023) and Art of the Unseen Infinity Machine (2024), the latter earning an Album of the Week award on Qobuz.

U.K. singer-songwriter Cosmo Pyke writes songs that wander through genres carefully. You’ll find several recognizable patterns in any release but each one dissolves into the others to create evocative atmospheres. The choices show off Pyke’s abilities—whether he’s rapping a verse or singing over building reggae and soul riffs—with simple, elegant flair. Cosmo wandered into the KMFA space with a gaggle of local followers, accrued throughout the festival. He opened with a crowd-pleasing Bob Dylan cover—one of two Dylan covers in the set—while sprinkling in hits from his various EPs.

Originally from Italy but now based in London, Maria Chiara Argirò's early work built ambient soundscapes with swirling electropop dalliances whereas her new material brings the pop to the foreground. In either case, Argirò's mastery is limitless—often her voice blends with the background noise to create a lasting, melancholic contentment. These are still pop songs, but ones with a personality beyond the production. Along with her excellent band, Maria performed three synth and pedal-laden tracks, all from her newest opus, Closer (2024), which was named an Album of the Week in April.