For TOMKAT, a band based out of Denton, Texas whose work spends much of its time buried in the grey areas between pop, jazz, rock and dance music, the idea of coordinating complex sounds and musical meters is at the heart of their cross-genre investigations. Led by the haunting croon and ache of Katrina Cain’s voice, as well as the dynamic rhythmic interplay that exists within the band, TOMKAT are looking to express their native pop and electronic instincts without sacrificing their evolved temperament to the confines of a modern musical marketplace.

TOMKAT's full length album, 'Icarus', was recorded in July of 2016 though the music had been written and sat waiting for over a year. The songs on the album ebb and flow, with "Drowning" beating a dance pop spasm into your feet and others, like "Phoenix" soaring through your tired mind. No song should be taken more lightly than the other, however, as Cain's surprisingly dark lyrics attempt to convey the emotional and psychological issues surrounding the female experience through the ages. The group returns to a singular theme that blooms from the darkness with every track: "Once and for all I'll rise; Once and for all I'll fly."

[Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]