Author: nathan.lankford

New Stuff from 12XU: Water Damage + Love Child

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It’s Bandcamp Friday, so I’m trying to hook you onto some cool stuff as much as I can today, like two new LPs that just popped up via Austin’s 12XU Label. The first is the sonic masterminds, Water Damage, who’ve just announced In E. Their perhaps one of the best live acts to capture in the Austin scene, building layer after layer and intoxicating listeners with this driving thunder that gets into your bones. This is the perfect place to lose yourself and then find your feet, again and again; it’s out on April 12th.

The label also announced a Love Child compilation, culling hits from 1988-1993. Honestly, it’s a band I hadn’t heard of, but now I have to have it! It’s the perfect bit of ramshackle pop music; there are elements of punk madness, but it’s all circled around well-executed pop structures. I keep thinking of a more rocking version of the Vaselines for some reason. Never Meant to Be is out on March 8th.

Mikey Coltun (Mdou Moctar) Announces New Label

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I’ve always been a fan of the Tuareg sound, and for those in the States, there’s a handful of artists like Mdou Moctar who come to our minds. Just this week, Mdou member/collaborator Mikey Coltun announced Purplish Records, his very own label, with some obvious ties to the band’s work because the first release features both Mikey and Ahmoudou; it’s two very different takes on what looks to be a family of creativity. On Mikey’s side, you get his foray into understanding his own ancestry, and then flip it over to hear Ahmoudou play acoustic guitar with his brother Abdoulaye. For now, you can either grab a limited cassette, or just stream at Bandcamp and below!

Touch Girl Apple Blossom Share Sidewalk Video

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One of the under the radar gems that I didn’t discover until a bit late in the game was the debut EP from Touch Girl Apple Blossom, and they were right in my own backyard (metaphorically, not actually!). This Austin quartet sounds a bit like they’ve taken all the charm from acts such at Juliana Hatfield and Diet Cig, borrowed the hooks, then run away to pile a little bit of grit and atmosphere to the mixture. It’s sort of like an amalgam of pop and weirdo, which is everything I absolutely love. So, now that I’m all over the band, I wanted you to be too, which is why I bring you their fresh video for “Sidewalk,” with a reminder their EP is now available via 7″!

summer

Cool Sounds Return with Bugobeat

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Danis Lacey flipped the script on all of us with Like That, the 2022 LP that saw Cool Sounds moving away from a very run-of-the-mill Aussie sound into something with a bit more groove, a bit more funk. So, as we listen to the first single from the BUG0BEAT EP, it makes complete sense that Danis is pushing the oddities of funk just a little bit more; you can particularly hear the way the guitar lines and keys are shifted atop one another to kind of craft this dense dance groove. Personally, I love how there’s some middling guitar work that’s sort of the tether between the early days of the project and present funk. Chapter Music will be putting the BUG0BEAT EP out on March 1st.

Holy Wire Share I Still Feel Alone All the Time

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Local Austin act Holy Wire seems to be on this huge musical trajectory, and I can’t but help and marvel how quickly Alain and company seem to have risen. The project has a new LP hitting this Spring titled The Ending of an Age, and it’s synth pop craft feels like its reached the next level, at least in comparison to modern peers. You can hear the vocals taking on those deep dulcet tones, yet there’s some notes that Paradis hits where I’m just swept away. Musically, there’s this steadiness that certainly owes a debt to the groundwork from the 80s, but it’s execution and production are simply too stunning to think it fits anywhere other than the present! The Ending of an Age is out on April 5th.

Torrey Share Bounce Video

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Have you pre-ordered your Torrey LP from Slumberland Records left? I can’t imagine they have too many left, particularly if you listen to their latest single. Their latest video plays right into their style, offering up images of water and waves, washing over a beautiful red ball, much like their music has this heavy wash of distortion and noise that cleanses you, leaving behind this beautiful beating heart of pop adoration. You could easily see them slide right into lineups featuring Alvvays and the like, then blowing everyone right off stage. It’s the perfect balance, and in that, they become the perfect band to weather any storm in your life. Sink into their sounds and go grab their self-titled LP, out on March 8th. And if you love the songwriting…there’s an added bonus as member Ryann Gonsalves also has an LP on the way of solo crafts–more info HERE.

Hooper Crescent Share Wrong Direction

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Totally glad that the groovy side of punk rock is super into fashion; you’ve got acts like Snooper and Vessel taking the fun from the genre and refashioning it in their own brand…and now we can add Hooper Crescent to that mix. They’ve just tossed out a new single from their forthcoming Essential Tremors, spitting out these call-and-response vocal lines that certainly make me think of the B52s. But, while I thought I had the track pinned down, it wiggles beneath, with guitar riffs flopping and squirming all over your floor, with the band frantically trying to pick up the pieces. One half is all groove, sliding secretly into an edgy bit of funky punk. Their latest effort Essential Tremors will be out via Spoilsport Records on February 23rd!

Broken Gold Share Spiraling Single + Announce Wild Eyes

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One of the truest thing, for me, is that you can’t be a hard rock n’ roller forever; sure, you can hold onto your ethos, but at a certain point, you need a dose of melody or a nice hook…and I feel like Broken Gold get that, and get me. Their brand new single from the forthcoming Wild Eyes LP has these sharp stomping riffs running through; you get a bit of a Mats vibe in the verses. Then, you hit the chorus and the synths come in and the track blossoms right into that punk-ish croon from Ian MacDougall; you can hear the edge and the hard-lived life in the lyrics and voice, but something just reeks of maturity, in the beset way possible. A perfect balance of where rock and hooks meet at the park, so come swing with me. More news on Wild Eyes as we hear it from Chicken Ranch Records/Yeah Right.

Camera Obscura Return! New Album + New Single

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How on Earth have we reached 10 years without a Camera Obscura record? This was the news that I wasn’t expecting, though now that I’ve sat with “Big Love” for a minute, I’m definitely celebrating. There’s an immediacy in the tune’s hook, Tracyanne Campbell’s voice is so powerful and distinctive, that you can’t pull away, even as you notice the band have begun to shift the sound a bit. Press info reports that the group have peeled back a bit of the horns and strings, turning towards organs, keys and a bit of swing to boot. One of my favorite things about this tune is that you can hear the shift in a new direction, though the move doesn’t seem outlandish, as the central style of songwriting is totally lurking beneath that slide guitar. Really excited to hear what’s in store on Look to the East, Look to the West, out May 3rd via Merge Records.

Vessel Announce Wrapped in Cellophane

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As I was going through the old set of emails, I was struggling to find something that really stood out to me; I honestly thought about going to bed and getting up to see if anything fresh popped up. Then, I found this rad Vessel tune, as the band announce their debut LP, which should offer all you cool cats a little solace from the mundane punk of today. I like the slinky nature of things in the presentation, with the guitar wiggling like a slinky pulled taut then loosed…there’s even some squiggly accents from keys too. Vocals play off the beat, but they’re only hanging about for a bit, with the band intent upon fleshing out that groove; they add in horns and seemingly throw in some snappier beat work, all of it perfectly ready for you to slide about your house locked into the vibe. They’ll be releasing Wrapped in Cellophane on April 2nd via Double Phantom.

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