Category: News

Thor & Friends Share Anne Sexton’s Monocle

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For years, Thor Harris has held up the creative spirit in Austin, like Atlas with the globe on his back; he’s more revered than most, operating with a quiet humility and a willingness to spread positivity whilst pushing back against the inhumanity of the world. And as such, he’s amassed Thor & Friends, collecting like-minded musicians to complete his musical imaginings. Below, you get the newest installment, a recorded segment from the tune “Anne Sexton’s Glasses,” which will appear on his new record, Heathen Spirituals. This number centers around marimba play, but it’s clear the goal is crafting a sound that operates as a united front…and it’s clear that he’s got friends and musicians helping him see out his vision (including one of my old co-workers; I see you Melissa Nguyen Lype). If you’re into art, be sure to order Heathen Spirituals from Joyful Noise Recordings before its May 16th release.

The Black Watch Prepare For All the World LP

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I know the indie world (myself included) love fawning over the likes of Robert Pollard, but he might not be the most prolific songwriter on the scene; you should all check out John Andrew Fredrick and his long running project The Black Watch. It seems every year, the group offer up at least one record, and as is the case this year, we’re getting a double album called For All the World. On my first few run throughs of the lead single, I’m really impressed with how huge this band sounds right now; there’s this continuous drive that rushes the song, while John seems sated, sitting in the middle of the mix to deliver his vocals, awaiting the swell of strings all around. If you’re into a musician’s musician, this should be your jam! The new record is out this June via Atom Records.

Dazy Delivers Pay No Mind Single

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At the moment, I’m really loving what Dazy is delivering with the latest single; it’s like a weird mixture of J Spacemen penned songs with the heavy club vibes that have been circulating through indie rock the last few years. It creates this heavy circular wash that’s entirely pop oriented, though run through a psychedelic wash, which is no doubt owed to the production help he got this round from Ryan Hemsworth. Kind of love how all these acts are revisiting those old school sounds, envisioning a future for indie rock where we’re all just totally blissed out. The song brought to you by Lame-O Records.

Triathalon Share Drop Down Single

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If you’re looking at hits this year, you’ve got to consider Triathalon‘s “Rip” as an ultimate contender; they aim to mix it up, however, on their latest single from the forthcoming Funeral Music LP, with “Down” taking a little bit of a tempo nod from the track’s title. Similar to the lead single from the record, this one’s brimming with these noisy little elemental guitars, though I’ll admit that in this presentation, they slink further into the background. Moving in this manner allows the vocals to kind of hang in their dreamy state, letting the notes reverberate in a cleaner fashion. All the while, you’re enthralled, as the beats in the distance capture your ear, continuing to build on the stranglehold Triathalon have on my listening rotation. Funeral Music hits on May 16th via Lex Records.

Allo Darlin’ Are Back

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I definitely didn’t expect to be uttering the above words any time soon, or admittedly, maybe ever again. That said, I couldn’t wait to get up this morning and get your ears on this brand new Allo Darlin’ single. They’ve not had a proper full length in over a decade, so hearing them is a refreshing reminder of how great the act were, and now are all over again. You’ll hear an immediate lightness to the song, almost with a muted bit of jangle, all waiting to unfold with the melodic notes of Elizabeth’s voice; I didn’t realize how much I had missed it. I love the way the tune lightly hops and skips its way along down the line, with just a hint of a little playful boogie, delivering a delightful earworm. Hopefully there’s more on the way; this tune comes courtesy of Fika Recordings.

Lockstep Arrive With Drag Along

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Since that lil festival thing last month wrapped up, I’ve been really focused in on mostly guitar driven, loud (some call it shoegaze) sounds, with bands from the week providing inspiration. Wild as it is, Nashville based upstarts Lockstep are coming into town on Saturday at Chess Club, AND just so happened to drop this new single “Drag Along” yesterday. You will immediately be hit by the sheer noise created by the trio, but also stay around for the melodic tones and beauty behind the wall of sound. If you like this one, also check out the band’s last EP, Arrival, over on bandcamp.

As mentioned, Lockstep will be playing opener for our local pals Grivo over at Chess Club on Saturday night. Tickets are still available.

plu Drop Debut Single

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Anxiety Blanket Records has a knack for uncovering really rad acts, and it seems like plu might just have what it takes to capture our attention. For my ears, there’s a bit of Electrelane meets Dry Cleaning, albeit with a jazzier inflection. There’s a bit of an up and down, waiting patiently to let the noisier elements unfold. But! That’s what I love about this act, as they aren’t going to fulfill your musical expectations, holding tightly to their own style; it gives you a different vibe in the long-run, allowing you to settle into their sound as we await the next single on the horizon.

Pleased to Meet You: The Pennys

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Okay, so I’ve admittedly met the Pennys before, but just in different acts. The new project is made up of Mike Ramos (Tony Jay/Cindy) and Ray Seraphin aka RE Seraphin; we’ve been covering the two in various ways for years, and it seems impossible to me that the two are just now getting together. Mike’s soft-spoken performance seems the perfect counterbalance to Ray’s penchant for pop, and their first single feels timeless, like you’re all set to just get carried away. Whether it’s the gentle guitar lines or the way Mike and Ray wrap their voices around one another, there’s this undeniable collection that feels like they were meant to write songs together. The Pennys self-titled EP will be out this Spring via Mt. St. Mtn.

Sugar for the Pill Share Anelia

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Of late, there have been several bands that have been driven by the heady club vibes of the late 80s/early 90s; they’ve repurposed that sound into something grander…and in the case for Sugar for the Pill, dreamier. They’re taking those heavy club reverberation, akin to the stuff we heard on early Dummy LPs, then transforming it into something heavenly. The vocals embrace the more ethereal realm, sort of cascading off into the shimmering edges as backing vocals layer the effect. It encircles you, swoops in, then carries you away, and it does so over and over again, each time letting your brain drift into the far off. Deifnitely hope we get more from the Greek outfit soon.

Strange Pilgrim Release Embers

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Nearly a full three years ago, Strange Pilgrim dropped their debut self-titled LP, but, like all things, a little bit of time gives you perspective, so they went back and revisited some of these tunes, releasing them on a new EP titled Embers. I’ve really taken to the number below, which was the opening tune on their debut; they go full on into the foggy pop that reminded me of the Clientele. A carefully buzzing keyboard and some beach-like instrumentation only makes the song a bit deeper, leaving a lot of space for those vocals to really sink into your skin. And man, the line of “I should have said I loved/more than I did” just crushes me every time. Embers is available now via Royal Oakie.

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