This is fine.
We continue are SXSW roll out with another interview, this time from Spanish artists Aries. This is our first artist to answer from overseas/outside of the States, highlighting the importance of SXSW and its international outreach. Get to know Aries below.
There are some labels who seem to release music on their own terms; you know, a release here and there. But, when something drops, you know it’s a must have, an absolute necessity…as is the case with Fruits & Flowers. They just shared news that they’re releasing the new EP from the Oilies, the songwriting outlet of Carly Putnam, who may or may not have played with the Mantles and Art Museums (among others). Our first listen surely charms; it’s two guitar lines dueling over synced drum beats while Putnam offers up her a soft vocal line. There are times when she’s almost whispering just beneath the mix, which just goes to show the care put into the song construction. Psychic Dog EP drops on April 5th.
I look out the window a lot as of late, hoping for some sort of daydream to take me away, albeit for just a bit of respite. Today, while I’m envisioning my mental journeying, I hear Dark Tea as the soundtrack to that adventure. I think there’s something sublimely intimate about Gary Canino’s delivery on this track, like a half-hearted whisper, as if he’s afraid to share his secrets with you; he seems vulnerable, which is perhaps how I like my songwriters best. Balladry in the bedroom fashion you say? Well, you’ve got my ear; let’s see what the self-titled album has in store when it drops via Fire Talk on March 22nd.
If I were to pick out an Austin artist that would break out into the world to win everyone’s hearts, the odds of that group being the Infinites are pretty high. What began as a looped guitar project between Dan Levine (Ghetto Ghouls) and Jared Zoltar (the Zoltars) has a evolved quickly into a well-oiled pop making machine. In their newest single, the guitar lines dance and flutter, jumping out sharply when emphasis is needed. Everyone else takes on a casual vibe, waiting for the the vocals to intoxicate; I love how Jared naturally has this hook in the way he’s delivering his lines, matched perfectly by those guitar parts. The band will be releasing their debut self-titled LP on First Human Records on April 26th.
As a web site, we cover stuff from all over the globe, but as ATH Records, we’ve mostly focused our attentions at home in Austin. Then I heard this new album from Bones Garage, and was floored, so I reached out to the band hoping they’d let me put out a tape for Oi Ma Yeah. They complied, so here I am sharing the newest single from the group; the expansive “Homo Sapiens Love.” While the first two singles were straight pop material, this track spans over 6 minutes, working back and forth between post-rock and thoughtful pop. Ambient moments and buzzsaw guitars ring out, though the band uses their patience to calmly tease out the track’s pop sensibility, which floats in with this light guitar bit. I could probably write about this track forever, and never cover all the finer details, so see below for yourself! The album drops March 29th, but if you’re looking for acts to catch at SXSW, pencil this bunch in your schedule.
I will admit to being way into Devendra Banhart; I loved his early work, and even more so, his later, more polished pieces. He’s always been well-regarded by his peers, or its seemed as such to me, so when he announced his new compilation, I perked right up. So, over the years he’s been collecting demos from the people he admires most, with heavy-hitters like Arthur Russell, Jana Hunter, Tim Presley and Vashti Bunyan. The Bunyan track is below, delicate in its presentation; you can also find the track on Lookafteing from 2005. The Fragments du Monde Flattant will be released on March 1st, limited to only 2000 copies worldwide, courtesy of Bongo Joe Records.
Long have I loved the Black Watch, and this year, they venture towards our neck of the woods to perform during SXSW, so I reached out to John to see if he could spare a minute to answer our questions…and, lukcily, he obliged. Below you’ll find his responses and a the latest single! Read more
Last year we discovered the UK outfit, Corasandel, and now that they’ve announced their latest EP, it’s time we sit back and take a listen. On this number, the band, admittedly, operate under two musical worlds. One is driven by simple drum beat, quietly pushing the song forward. The other half is where the band excels, leaving guitar chords to hang in the ether while vocals faintly drift in and out of the front of the mix; it doesn’t hurt that they layer it all with various sonic flourishes. Dreamy and loud, this is how you want it to be done; look for All the Hours are One on April 29th.
If you paid close attention to my year end list of indiepop last year, you saw the “Nervous Man” single from the Boys with Perpetual Nervousness included. Now, the band have announced their debut LP, and it looks to be filled with these twinkling jangles and warm melodies. Andrew Taylor takes over vocal duties for this song, while 12 string guitars charm your pants off; I love the little vocal twist at the end of the song just before the 3 minute mark. It makes sense that I adore this, as the band also features Gonzalo from El Palacio de Linares. Could he make two hit albums in one year? We’ll see when Dead Calm appears on March 8th via Pretty Olivia Records.
Every year, we gather with our frienemies over at Side One Track One, and throw down a huge show over at Hotel Vegas/Volstead. As is the case every year, we have 30 bands from all over Austin, and a few on the ATH Records roster. When we set up this years show, we wanted to make sure the bands all had new music on the way in 2019…and that seems to be the case. You can click on this glorious photo to see the show poster, or head over to the FB Event Page to see who all is going to show up. The show takes place Sunday, March 10th…and its absolutely free! Really stoked to see our friend Ram Vela return to the stage with his new band. Plus, ATH acts the Hermits, Being Dead and She Sir sharing their new tunes!
