Artists like Mal Blum

Defiance, Ohio was a folk punk band from Columbus, Ohio, named after the town of Defiance, Ohio, in far northwest Ohio, near Toledo. The band features a violin, cello, and double bass. They have released four full-length LPs, as well as a handful of split recordings. Their music has typically been released through smaller independent labels. They were known for their association with Plan-It-X Records, as well as anti-capitalist themes.

The Mountain Goats are an American indie folk band formed in Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Durham, North Carolina. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle, despite the plural moniker. Although he remains the core member of the band, he has worked with a variety of collaborators over time, including bassist and vocalist Peter Hughes, drummer Jon Wurster, multi-instrumentalist Matt Douglas, singer-songwriter Franklin Bruno, bassist and vocalist Rachel Ware, singer-songwriter/producer John Vanderslice, guitarist Kaki King, and multi-instrumentalist Annie Clark.

The Extra Lens, formerly known as The Extra Glenns, is a band made up of Franklin Bruno and John Darnielle. The band acts as a side project for both artists, and stayed underground throughout the 1990s, recording tracks for singles and some compilations. Both artists primarily concentrate on their own solo work, though as their popularity has grown, they have continued to work together.

Adult Mom is an indie rock band founded by musician Stevie Knipe. Initially a solo project, Adult Mom has now expanded into a full band including guitarist Allegra Eidinger, bassist Lily Mastrodimos, and drummer Olivia Battell. They have released four full-length albums and multiple EPs, most recently 2025's Natural Causes on Epitaph Records.

Aly Spaltro, better known by her stage name Lady Lamb is an American singer-songwriter. Spaltro first began writing music in 2007 while working at Bart & Greg's DVD Explosion, the local video rental store in her hometown of Brunswick, Maine. Spaltro worked the closing shift, and would experiment with and record music all night into the morning. The first Lady Lamb recordings were home recordings distributed in handmade packages to the local Bullmoose Record Store in Brunswick.

Hop Along is an American indie rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formerly known as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis.

Saintseneca is an American folk rock band from Columbus, Ohio, that was formed in 2007 by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Zac Little. The current band is made of Zac Little, Caeleigh Featherstone, Jessi Bream, and Andy Cook. They are known for their diverse range of instrumentation in both their recordings, as well as in their live performances. The band have released three EPs and five albums Last (2011), Dark Arc (2014), Such Things (2015), Pillar of Na (2018), and Highwalllow & Supermoon Songs (2025). The band utilizes a wide range of acoustic instrumentation with more contemporary elements such as synthesizers and electric guitars.