David Reyna: A “classic” new addition to Indiepop 

Enrique Lara 

Rap/Hip-hop Music Journalist 

The rustic upstairs venue of this beer garden wrapped up the final performances before the upstairs venue closed off for 21+ ticket holders. Barely beating the crowd and making the cut, I found myself at the front of the stage while a teenager and his band prepared their setup. With his Hello Kitty guitar strap and a room illuminating with purple spotlights, the frontman took the stage. One deep breath in the microphone led to intriguing, layered vocals and synths to melting into a commanding guitar riff flowing through the speakers. This song, “cONDITIOns,” held so much power and soul that it was impossible to not itch for what came next. David Reyna had caught my attention. 

 The first time I witnessed David Reyna’s band was at a Houston festival over the summer of 2026. We ran into him and his drummer accidentally while trying to find the main stage. His attractive personality encouraging us to see his band alongside his similar age was enough for us to give them a shot. This festival, Garf X What’s It, was a combined event included 20 bands of different genres with completely different styles performing across two stages. I left with many new additions to my playlists, yet the pure stage presence of this one band kept me hungry for another show. 

The opening song instantly threw me back to my 2019 ​​phase​​​​phases​​ of bedroom pop and a blend between indiepop and R&B. I was getting mixes of Steve Lacy, Malcom Todd, Kevin Abstract and a clean fusion of sounds unique to this band. In a moment, the lead guitarist and singer, David Reyna, jumped off stage into the crowd clearing a space for him to feel the music and bring the audience along ​​on ​​this journey.

The biggest skill I could take away was the entire ​​group’s​​​​groups’​​ stage presence. David Reyna constantly had control of the stage with dancing and movements that were impossible ​​not to​​​​to not​​ join. It would be easy to mistake this venue for a large music festival audience, yet the small venue came out and did enough justice ​​to​​​​for​​ this band’s presence. 

Afterwards, I had the chance to run into David Reyna again with his guitarist this time. David, an 18-year-old who graduated early​,​ has spent years curating his voice in music. His bubbly personality and drive to keep playing and ​​creating​​​​create​​ could inspire the likes of any person possessing even just a lick of passion. His guitarist, Headtripped, also has his own music career very reminiscent of, and inspired by, Cuco. I highly recommend checking out his music. His most recent album from 2025, Las Noches, instantly brought me back to Cuco’s 2016 album, wannabewithu, and completed my night drive back home after the festival. “Noches,” the opening song, instantly became my favorite of the album. 

After being thirsty enough for a part two, I visited another festival hosting upcoming artists toward the end of the summer. ​​Alanis Ranch, a small ranch located near the Hobby Airport, hosted Max-Star Fest. ​​David Reyna and his band, alongside Headtripped’s solo career, were amongst t​he ​star artists of the night. It’s easy to say that their energy travels wherever they perform, and there is always a show to be had.​     ​ 

This past weekend, David Reyna’s band performed at the White Oak Music Hall, one of Houston’s largest music venues, alongside five other artists. This achievement is just the start of representing Tex-Mex artists from Houston. This week, David Reyna announced his debut album, Flavor, on Instagram. The support so far continues to show that he has cultivated a strong community of followers excited to be a part of this journey, and I’m alongside a crowd of supporters waiting to see what’s next.