activity - Austin Town Hall

Last Week’s Jams (7.31 – 8.4)

August 7, 2023 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

I really thought we knocked it out of the park last week, covering 25 different tunes. But, it looks like we decided to one-up ourselves and post 26 for this week’s Last Week’s Jams collection. We got some of our favorite labels and bands putting out fresh new stuff, like new Tony Jay on Slumberland and new Onyon on Trouble in Mind. Plus, our friends at Keeled Scales are putting out a new LP with one of my favorite Texas songwriters, Will Johnson. All that and we haven’t even talked about how great that new Smashing Times single is. As much as it can be a challenge to cover it all, feel like we did our damndest to bring you some of the more deserving hits you might not find where the cool kids hang out.

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Activity Share I Saw His Eyes Single

July 31, 2023 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Monday is generally thought of as the start of the work week, and I feel like Activity have created the perfect song that encapsulates that day and unfolds just as the week does. Carefully, the track opens, almost as if you’re rubbing the sleep from your eyes, little creaks of strings and ambiance hanging in the distance. Beneath, you can feel a rising tension, moving towards the next moment (or day), with the drums picking up pace and the guitars churning out a more dangerous mood. You get this back and forth, quiet and subdued, then bursting back into the swelling bit of noise. If you’re digging on it, the band drop Spirit in the Room this Friday via Western Vinyl.

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Activity Share Nude Prince

March 18, 2020 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

As we prepare for the release of Unmask Whoever, it’s time I start really paying attention to the craftsmanship of Activity. The first 30 seconds of their new single felt like a sort of post-rock industrial piece; there was this ominous noise echoing in the distance that build this uneasiness. That was calmed, mildly, by the band’s cool vocals, smoothing out the edges of the song just a smidge. That tension began to build, as did the anxiousness of the track, but the band excel by showing restraint, focusing on their pop sensibility while the world seems to crash around them in this song. Initially, I wanted this to unleash a wall of noise and crash into me, but I’m thinking now they made the right choice holding back. The new LP is out on March 27th via Western Vinyl.

<a href="http://activity.bandcamp.com/album/unmask-whoever-2">Unmask Whoever by Activity</a>

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Another Dance Hit from Holy Balm

July 14, 2016 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Holy Balm has made some waves over at the ATH offices with their brand of “wonky house” catching my ears. The name might be new to most in the States, but make no mistake about it, this is some of the best dance music coming across my desk. Most of the vocals are delivered in a questioning, haphazard way, setting a different tone than most electro-pop tunes, but rest assured, there’s a softer side that you’ll find. I love some of the synth stabs filling in the empty space around the track too, giving this new tune an old school feel spun around in a modern machine. Their album Activity is being released by Chapter Music on August 5th, destined to make waves.

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Watch the New Holy Balm Video

June 21, 2016 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

If you haven’t caught on to the new Holy Balm single, you’re excused, though it’s definitely the perfect summer hit. Still, the band just released a video for the track, so now you get another chance to fall in love with this tune, not to mention a look into the band’s artistic aesthetic. Their album, Activity, is destined to be a hit for the dance floors for the rest of the year; it’s being released on August 5th, 2016 via Chapter Music.

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Holy Balm Score House Hit

June 1, 2016 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Not sure this one has completely broken the shores of the US yet, but Sydney’s Holy Balm definitely have a dance floor house hit on their hands. I love how the vocals seem really disinterested in their own delivery; it’s an intoxicating approach that almost seems like some club singer from the 80s got thrown into the mix. Of course, that’s not the case, as you can tell that the construction of the track is far to clever, and careful; dig the sax sample grooving in around the 4 minute mark. Their newest album is titled Activity, and it’s being released in August via Chapter Music (continuously impressing us with their good tastes).

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