Dallas band Cure for Paranoia wins Tiny Desk contest

Cure for Paranoia in Deep Ellum, February 2026. Original RWDFW photo

After four submissions and several times making it as a finalist for NPR's Tiny Desk Contest, Cure for Paranoia has been announced as the winner for the 2026 contest.

Just a week ago, the band joined four other finalists across the country competing to make the cut: Noa Bar, Les Greene and The Swayzees, The King Will Come, and Lauren Friahuf.

The Dallas-based band, which consists of lead singer Cameron McCloud, Tomahawk Jonez, and Jay Analog, sent in their song "No Brainer" with a video filmed in front of the giant The Eye in Dallas. They've submitted to the contest every year since 2023, according to NPR.

"We've been doing this for 10 years together, this is our tenth year as Cure," McCloud said in a video. "This has for real changed me as a person, even from the first submission, from y'all seeing the potential to be."

Later this month, Cure For Paranoia will perform behind NPR's Tiny Desk in Washington, D.C., so watch for when that streams.

You can watch the full entry video here. Other contestant entry videos are here.