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CDSM: A MASTERCLASS IN GENRE BENDING
Review by Yemi Sawyerr for Tenebris - 14 March 2026 [SXSW 2026]
A scorching Austin afternoon is good for one thing, and that’s cramming yourself into a windowless venue to discover some of the greatest emerging artists of our time.
That’s exactly where I found myself on March 14th, deep in the humidity of Chess Club in Red River.
The band took to the stage for a typical SXSW swift changeover, setting up a drumkit in the back, guitar stage right, bass stage left and two synths facing each other centre stage.
CDSM hit the ground running, bursting to life with a cocktail of sounds: synths pulsing and catchy guitar riffs sitting perfectly on top.
Within this set, all of my genre desires were met; post-punk, acid, jazz, punk, rock and so much more. It’s very rare that you come across artists that blend musical extremes with such fluidity and motion. Something that stood out to me about this set, was the nimble movement between genres that weaved a journey into the performance and was a masterclass in genre bending.
Each member brought a unique energy and technical flair, with instruments being swapped around during the set and the introduction of what can only be described as ‘power sax’ for some iconic tunes. I was quite struck by the technical ability of each member, the showcase was strong on all fronts and it was not remiss the talent required to maintain this standard of play whilst giving such a full throttle performance.
After the set, I seized my chance to chat with the Atlanta based band out back of Chess Club in front of their trusty van. I asked about influences, and unsurprisingly they told me these are vast and span genres based on band members' varying preferences. As a result of this, their musical process is collaborative with humour being a key aspect of what moves their process forward.
When I asked about how they fit into the Atlanta post-punk scene, they quipped that their goal is to destroy it. With sincerity, they shared that the Atlanta music scene is not divided by genre, but in fact based in community with artists of different genres sharing a mutual appreciation.
It was a real pleasure chatting with CDSM, I very much appreciated their humour and lightheartedness, the closing anecdote being the group’s drummer introducing themself as Vinny to myself, and John to my camerawoman; giving the impression of a tongue in cheek homage to the sixth member of the group who wasn’t present.
Check out the full video interview here.
I parted with CDSM as they loaded onto the van, prepping for SXSW showcase number eight down the block at Swan Dive Patio.
UK friends, cross your fingers that CDSM make it to the UK in the near future to bless us here in the Atlantic Archipelago.
Tune in to the SXSW edition of Tenebris (March 27th) to listen to the full interview.
Follow CDSM @cdsm_worldwide to keep track of their next steps.
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