ATH Top Songs – 2023

Well, we did it folks. We made it through another year. Your ATH crew was busy as ever, posting well over 1,000 songs this year(!!!), sharing album reviews, and covering local events throughout Austin. As we wrap our FIFTEENTH year doing our thing, it’s also of course that time to share our top tunes from the past 12 months. Now remember, we often post 4-6 songs every single day, so this was a tough list to preen and edit before settling on the top 150 from the year. In my totally accurate math, this is about 10% of everything we covered this year! After the jump you can find a full list of all the songs plus playlists for you to take along with you.

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Late Bloomer Share Self Control

We’re busy over here working on year end lists for albums and songs and other various randomness while still blasting new jams as they come in. My new jam of the day comes from Charlotte based band Late Bloomer who caught my ear last week with this new tune “Self Control.” It has this hints of emo to start things off, but then kicks into a full fledged alt-rock number with an ever so slight slide guitar to offer a Southern hint here and there. Lots of emotion, crescendos and energy. Carry on.

This track will be part of a new album coming in 2024. More details to come.

Topographies Share Night Sea

We’re nearing that end of year time in the ATH offices, but of course we still have time to sneak in some jams before the end of the year. Topographies out of San Francisco certainly want to be considered for year end list praise with a new single like this one, “Night Sea.” It’s a super dark wave, meets industrial sort of tune with very subtle hints of bright synths to give it some stellar pop vibes. Normally this might be an IT Department tune. Today it’s for us all.

Topographies will release a new album entitled Interior Spring on February 2nd via Dark Entries. Pre-orders are live now.

New Single From Elephant Gym

Man Top Shelf Records has really taken over this year and has put out some of my very favorite albums this year. I would dare say that they are my top label of the year. Continuing their reign of success this year, the label has a new album release from Taiwanese band Elephant Gym entitled World coming out on December 14th. Prior to that release, you must check out this new single “Happy Prince” which features guest vocals from Yile Lin. This thing is deceptive in all the right ways, as it lures you in with a mellow beginning, but then really sets off on an adventure of energy and prog rock vibes. Jam.

World is available for pre-order from Top Shelf Records now.

Premiere: Hot Garbage – Mystery

We’re about to head into a short holiday break, but before we do, here’s a jam by Toronto based Hot Garbage for you to check out during your down time. The new track, “Mystery”, feels like it might have fit in during spooky October season with a swirling, gothic organ and deep, heavy guitar riffs. This sound comes with the slightest hint of a surf rock inspiration to give the song a touch of lightness and playfulness here and there. It’s a jam for sure. Gobble gobble.

This track will appear on the upcoming Hot Garbage album entitled Precious Dreams due out January 19th via Mothland. Pre-orders are live now.

Rockin New Single From SYBS

New to me Cardiff based band SYBS just dropped this new single today called “Gwacter” that you should definitely check out below. It features a great, indie rock sound that doesn’t tend to mess about and gets straight to energy and power from the get go. Hopefully it will improve what may have been a downer of a day. Stay tuned for more from SYBS as a debut album is coming soon and will feature more of this badassery.

Lockhart Record Fair – 11/19

If ya’ll are looking for some Sunday fun day type activities with a small road trip involved as well, I suggest you head out to Lockhart on Sunday afternoon for the first ever Lockhart Record Fair. Things kick off at 11am in downtown at Lockhart Arts & Crafts with a ton of great vendors from all over the central Texas area selling all sorts of new and used records. This event is put on by our pals out at Plum Creek Records who are leading the Radio Lockhart effort which hopes to bring a non-profit radio station to their town. If you care to donate to their cause, a giving page is set up on Give Butter. Come out, say hey, and grow your collection!

Here are some social links to all our vendors – Alchemy Records, Antone’s, Big Henry’s, Christopher Lea, Jason Chronis, Ray Ray’s Record (ME!), Resurrected Records, Yard Sale Records, and of course, Plum Creek Records.

 

New Single From House of Harm

Boston based House of Harm create a unique, sort of gothic pop music touching on the darkness of bands like The Cure, but with hints of a twee pop brightness to make things brighter. All that to say, you should check out this new single “Two Kinds” if that sort of sound peaks your interest. I think you’ll find that it is a jam.

This track appears on the new House of Harm album due out December 1st, Pre-orders are live for that one now.

New Single And EP From Free Range

Chicago based musician Sofia Jensen, who records under the moniker Free Range, has very quickly become one of my favorite new songwriters and composers over the last year. The construction of each song seems so effortless with complicated structures, poetic lyrics, and tons of emotional crescendos throughout. If you haven’t checked out Practice from earlier this year, well I suggest you do that before going any further. Once you’re done there, come on back and check out this new single called “The Moon” from the recently recorded, and soon to be released Loft Sessions EP. The EP features this beauty along with 2 re-recorded tunes from Practice and three other brand new tracks, all recorded in Jeff Tweedy’s famous Chicago recording studio The Loft. You can pre-save the EP now ahead of the release date on November 17th.

Check Out Something Better From Brother Bird

Caroline Glaser is a Nashville based songwriter who has been making music under the moniker Brother Bird for several years now. She’s never made the pages of ATH until today and this new single “something better” is certainly more than worthy of praise and recognition by us. I love the way this tune almost tricks you into thinking it might just be another indie pop song, but evolves and opens up into a straight rocker with loads of energy and glee. I hope you do check it out below.

This single is part of a new album from Brother Bird entitled another year due out March 8th. Pre-orders are live now.

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