Ice Blink is a local Oklahoma City band blending alternative rock and shoegaze, a subgenre of indie and alternative music known for heavy guitar tones. The band most recently performed at the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma, known as ACM@UCO, on Feb. 19.
“We incorporate a lot of shoegazing guitar textures,” bassist Emerson Hacker said. “It’s alternative rock at its core, but it spreads out from there.”
Ice Blink began as a four-person band, but only two original members remain — Opie Clonts and Ember Hawkins. “We’ve kind of reevaluated,” said Abby Weis, manager. “We’ve got five members now.” The lineup consists of Hawkins (vocalist), Clonts (guitar), Riley Luttrel (guitar), Zane Cowan (drums) and Hacker (bass). The group has been playing together since Jan. 4, 2026.
The group has played multiple shows, including two house parties, a Valentine’s show at the Resonant Head in OKC and a performance at the Second Friday Art Walk in Norman. Future performances are planned in Lawton, Noise Town in Tulsa and the Norman Music Festival on April 24.
For Cowan, inspiration comes from other drummers.
“I have a couple of drummers I’m really inspired by, like Travis Barker from Blink-182. I love Turnstile, so Daniel Fang. I love the way he plays and how simple he keeps it, but it’s still complex,” Cowan said.
Hacker said many of her influences come from “the sludge and noise rock world,” but that she tries to bring something more accessible to the band’s sound. “I really love Failure,” she said. “They have very accessible song structures and pretty melodies, but they can also be heavy.”
Luttrel draws from more grunge and alternative influences.
“I’ve got a lot of influences like Alice in Chains. With this project so far, there’s been a lot of heavy guitar tones. But when it comes to what I’m writing, it’s more bulky. Watch House is something I listen to a lot.”
For those who missed Ice Blink’s most recent performance, band manager Abby Weis shared what’s next:
“First single coming out April 3. EP coming out June 5. We’re really excited to be part of the scene. We love OKC so much, and we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
