A Post-Pitchfork World: Sound & Gravity Fest Review & Gallery

Written By Taylor Pate

September 10th to September 14th, 2025

Glyders

Mike Reed, co-founder of Pitchfork Fest and founder of Constellation Performing Arts, put on a five day-long festival (September 10th – September 14th) across seven venues in the Bricktown/Avondale neighborhood. The Sound & Gravity Festival showcased the unsung heroes of a diverse set of genres including jazz, experimental, contemporary classical, and indie. To describe it in only three words, Sound & Gravity was avant-garde, experimental, and innovative.

In our “post-Pitchfork world,” Sound & Gravity was a refreshing addition to the Chicago music scene, filling the indie-sized gap in my own heart. The festival truly is a special gem. Admittedly, quite a few names in the lineup were unfamiliar to me, but I was extremely grateful for that. The beauty of a festival like Sound & Gravity is the experience of discovering new music. For most people, there’s this expectation of knowing every single artist on the bill. But what fun is there in that? With AI algorithms taking over and controlling how we experience music, getting a chance to authentically experience new musicians is a treat. I was pleasantly surprised each day I went, which was everyday but Sunday.

Sound & Gravity was a beautifully curated festival which I, and all of Chicago, are eager to see future iterations of in the coming years.

photos by Taylor Pate.

usage permitted to Firebird Magazine & members for non-commercial Editorial & Social Media purposes.

Taylor Pate

Taylor (they/them) is a Southside Chicago native with a love for all music. And by all, they mean all—but they have the deepest love for electronica, goth rock, metal, and art pop. They're always the one to give the artist with under 1k Spotify listeners a try (they say this un-pretentiously) and enjoy attending gigs of bands in Chicago's underground scene. With a huge passion for art and photography, you can usually find them holed up in Logan Center working on an art project or at small concert venues snapping pictures. Check out their photography at @smellofwings on Instagram!

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