OK. Let me back up... So about a year ago I heard a track called “I Love You So”. Instantly I knew this sound was coming from a band worth listening to.

The Walters were my first real look into the new and edgy music scene that is coming up from the Wicker Park Boys (unofficial group of talented humans who are all friends and who all make music) of the city of Chicago.

When I soon realized The Orwells (a band I’ve been into for years) were also from Chicago, I wondered if I had stumbled upon a treasure chest of talented humans. I even went as far to hypothesize that they are all connected in some erie way, beyond just hailing from the same city, and doing shows in and around the hippest areas of Chi-town (Wicker Park)... THUS, "The Wicker Park Boys" came to be.

After a little digging (Instagram-stalking) I realized there, in fact, is a whole group of people (musicians, artists, etc. that are all friends and all hang out together (my guess, because they post photos of each other all the time) and make music. Some of the bands include, The Symposium (80’s grunge-synth-rock), Post Animal (Mac Demarco meets The Doors), (possibly) Twin Peaks (hugely popular right now), and more.

They do shows together, hang out, maybe comb each others’ facial hair — it’s (probably) adorable. And most-importantly, they all make DOPE freaking music.

Here are a few the possible bands/artists who are part of this elusive Chicago society, that I demand to join anytime they're accepting applicants. I highly recommend giving all of the bands a listen.

The music and art scene in Chicago is rich, but for people not directly from there, WE DO NOT KNOW OF SUCH THINGS. Let us in on your joke, please? We want to join The Wicker Park Boys (again, I coined this name, but it totally works, right?).

What blows my mind is these talented humans are probably just a handful of people that are changing and defining the new music and art culture of this city -- the future is bright, my friends. Chicago is a lucky city.

More on Chicago’s music scene, and The Wicker Park Boys to come in the next few weeks, as our team is gonna’ go see for ourselves if these dudes are actually friends, and if they are actually good LIVE.

I made a playlist for you all to check out and obsess over in the mean time. I’m gonna’ move to Chicago, probs.

Author: Jessica Larson