About
Fort Worth natives The Unlikely Candidates built their sound by deliberately sidestepping the country music traditions you might expect from a Texas band, leaning instead into an alternative style shaped by acts like the Beatles and Blur, groups known for refusing to stay in one lane. Childhood friends Kyle Morris and Cole Male started the band in 2008, but it took until 2013 before they put out their first music, a debut single and EP both titled Follow My Feet. The band spent years grinding the road with the likes of Young the Giant and Fall Out Boy before landing their biggest moment: the single Novocaine, released in March 2019, which hit number one on the Alternative Songs chart and racked up over 66 million streams and video views. Their debut studio album Panther Island finally arrived in 2022 after an earlier version was scrapped entirely. The band describes their songwriting style as grandiose yet garage band like, which about sums up why they connect with people who want indie rock with a bit more ambition behind it. Most recently they dropped a new single called Fingers Crossed in March 2025, keeping the momentum going despite a lineup change after drummer Kevin Goddard stepped away at the end of 2024.
