• SXSW 2019 – A Recap

    Yet another SXSW is in the books and it’s time for the ATH crew to reminisce a little and offer some highlight from the week behind us. I think we’ve

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  • SXSW: 6 Bands To Watch

    Well SXSW music is officially here, and as I sit and ponder my existence while at work, I thought it would be fun to share some advice on bands to

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  • RayRay’s Top Songs – 2018

    When it comes to ATH and our areas of expertise, I like to think I’m the go to guy for song lists and bad ass playlists. If you’re doubting me,

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  • Best of Indiepop 2018

    Everyone has their own definition of indiepop; but I tend to ascribe to the original craft where DIY aesthetics and a softer response to punk were all the rage. But,

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  • ATH Top Albums – 2018

      This is our year end list for albums of the year. There’s four of us here, so it’s hard to come to a consensus, but we did our best.

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Local Love: New Punk From Bauwaves

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Bauwaves are a new band to our local scene, featuring ex-members of Wild America and The Fall. They’ve got their debut LP coming out this fall on Salinas Records, but for now we’ve got a little slice of their rambunctious punk energy in the form of “Just For Kicks.” The high energy of cymbal crashing percussion combined with the mega distorted guitar riffs and just slightly off-kilter vocals make for a riot of a track. Excited to see what comes next from this new project on the block–keep your eye out for Bauwaves around town.

Jangle Pop From Saeyers

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Saeyers is the indie pop project of Marshall Lewis– a native of Bloomington, Indiana. His music is bedroom pop, fleshed out a bit beyond the barebones that sometimes accompany that genre. “Someday” is the fourth track he’s released from his self-titled debut EP, and it’s a lush number, with Lewis’ impossibly soft vocals at the front and center, followed closely by the dueling electric and acoustic guitar parts. It’s a bright and sunny track, and there are many layers to explore, so take a listen and fall for Saeyers.

Say Hi To Parachuter

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As usual, we are always looking for some new upstart bands with promising material. Today I am pleased to share with you this fresh new Denton based artist Wesley Jesnen and his new project known as PARACHUTER. Before I say much more, go ahead and hit play on his new single called “Trouble Talking” below. It’s certainly a bedroom project of love as evidenced by the attention to detail and tightness of the recording. Having listened to this song a few times for this post, I’ve find myself going back and listening again and again while moving my body to the slick beat. Well done sir.

The Black Watch Share B-Side

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One thing you can be assured of in life is that we’re never too far away from a release from the Black Watch; they never seem to lose steam behind the songwriting of John Andrew Fredrick, and we’re all better for it. They’ve just announced a new 7″ with a fresh B-Side that I wanted to share with you, as its filled with these perfect little pop moments you won’t wanna miss out on. In the first minute, you get an introduction to the band, of sorts; John’s voice hangs heavy and deep, working behind a driving rhythm section that’s pushing the track forward…but a good ear will hear the tonal switch right at 1:08, giving rise to the band’s pop sensibility. Down the road, there’s this heavy jam of sorts, bringing in some psychedelia albeit briefly. Then at 2:06 the vocal delivery seems almost hurried, more urgent…right before dropping into that nice pop turn we alluded to earlier. Find me a better tune, I dare ya! You can order the 7″ now from Hypnotic Bridge!

Catchy Pop from The Zells

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It’s Friday, and on Friday’s you deserve a good solid guitar driven slacker anthem, something that casually catches your ear and takes you into a weekend of blissed out fun. In regards to this Zells tune, I love the seeming crunchiness of the guitar sound, though it gets spliced by a nice little guitar noodle starving for attention; it’s matched by the vocals, with a backing vocal also grabbing for that star, grabbing for your ear. It would seem that all this would work against success, but somehow, the band manage to make it sound like a joyous pop number that burrows deep into your soul. Their No More Heroes EP will be out on October 11th courtesy of Crafted Sounds.

Annabel Allum Shares Altar to Alter

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Annabel Allum has some great songs beneath her belt, but perhaps my favorite thing about her songwriting is her ability shape-shift between genres in her work. In her latest single, she opens up the song with this powerful sort of indie rock, but there’s just the hint at softness in a few of the guitar notes and the backing vocals. Still, there’s a firmness that explodes in the chorus, forceful as guitar noise swirls around her lyrics and drums come crashing down; it’s like the quietloudquiet phenomena, only the quiet has more of a vibrant swing to it. Her new EP, Gravel Not the Grave, will be out on September 13th via Killing Moon Records.

Laid Back Rock From Tracy Bryant

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Tracy Bryant is a singer/songwriter out of Los Angeles who has a new surf-rock inspired tune that hits a little bit more on the mellow side than your typical surf tune. “Bury Me” has the guitar riffs you’d expect from a jangly rock track, but they’re doled out in doses. The song starts with acoustic strumming, these gentle male/female Vaselines-esque dueling vocals, but kicks into gear with electric guitar during the chorus. I’m especially feeling this kind of garage-rock during these August dog days of summer. “Bury Me” feels right to put on while lounging in the shade perhaps with an icy beverage or two.

Hush will be out on 8/30 via First and Foremost Records—pre-order your copy here.

The Shivas Never Fail

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Man it’s always nice when a band you can rely on for quality, no frills rock music puts out new music right before the weekend. Today on of our old favorites The Shivas are dropping said rock tune with this new track “Gloria”. As we’ve come to expect from the band, the track features a great psych rock themed, droning rock number with great guitars and reverb. This band continues to be one of those that everyone should have heard about by now.

The Shivas will release new album Dark Thoughts on October 25th via Tender Loving Empire.

Surf Curse Shares Hour of the Wolf

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It’s really hard not to fall in love with Surf Curse; they haven’t really dropped a bad note since they’ve burst onto the larger scene this year (they haven’t really set a foot wrong, period). Their latest single, as the video would hint, has this natural brooding to it; it’s both ominous and dreamy, with notes occasionally cascading off through the tune that allow for the flare of artistry. What really gets me is the faint quiver in the vocals; it’s both fragile and intimate, giving us the briefest glimpse into the soul of the duo. Their debut album Heaven Surrounds You is out on September 13th via Danger Collective, and if there was a band I was wishing success upon, its this bunch.

Rose Dorn Share Collar

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I’ve been careful with Rose Dorn up until now, not quite sure if I would buy into the hype surrounding the super-young LA act; you can’t fall for everything from a town of smoke and mirrors. That said, some songs are just great songs, like their latest single “Collar.” This is sort of a downtrodden number, mood wise, but I was first struck by the layering of the vocals at the very beginning of the song; there’s something about it that’s both youthful and sort of ghostly, like it will haunt you forever. That is especially true when the chorus drops in and the band let the chords take a little more power on and build in the male backing vocals. Ultimately, they’re crafting these beautiful pop nuggets that seem so effortless, which is perhaps even more impressive considering singer Scarlet just graduated high school. They’ll drop their debut Days You Were Leaving via Bar None Records on August 23rd.

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