devil in the woods - Austin Town Hall

Petite Amie Announce Self-Titled Debut LP

August 26, 2021 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Here’s a new band to put on your radar: Petite Amie. The Mexican band is brandishing this late night explorative pop, bordering somewhere between sublimely chill and French dreaminess…both are good. This song’s got this subtle little dance floor groove, that little shoulder shimmy as you spin about the dance floor, and that alone sets you in the mood to let your body smile as you listen through. Aline Terrein has these pseudo-disco vocal notes, like some late night DJ serenading you deep into the morning hours as you tap your toes and bob your head. The band will be releasing their self-titled debut via Devil in the Woods/Park the Van on October 1st.

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Los Blenders Announce Mazunte 2016

July 23, 2020 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

I’m really grateful for the resurrection of Devil in the Woods as a label; they’ve already introduced me to some great acts, and they’re back with another one that apparently should have been on my radar: Mexico City’s Los Blenders. The band maintain their influences fall between surf and punk, but you’d be remiss if you didn’t catch just a little bit of that indiepop jangle in the guitars; the notes are sharp as a knife, making your tap your toes as the melodic vocals circle about your head. In fact, this is definitely an indiepop number, and I’m not shying away from that statement! The band will release Mazunte 2016 on September 25th.

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Great Ballad from Aaron Beckum

January 15, 2020 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Perhaps the best part about doing what we do here at ATH is stumbling into something randomly and being just blown away. I reckon this wasn’t completely random, as Aaron Beckum‘s forthcoming EP is going to be on Devil in the Woods…though I had no idea who Aaron was when I pressed play. Songs from a Triangle Room was recorded with Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, but it sounds like it could have been performed by that one friend you’ve got who actually knows how to handle an acoustic guitar in all its glory. I love the way Beckum’s notes seem to be emphasized in between heavy strums; you can also hear some light piano touches that really shine brilliantly in the song’s far off distance.

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MUUK Share Seis Ausente

January 13, 2020 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

It’s seems strange to me that we cover so much music from Canada, yet our closest neighbor (here in Texas at least) gets minimal coverage. But, thanks to Devil in the Woods returning, I’ve been turned on to some great tunes, like this new single from Mexico City’s MUUK. It’s an instrumental number that works with sort of four distinct movements. At first, you get sort of a lost radio message, something that seems to hiss at you from the past. Then the song drops in, guitars sharpening themselves over ambient noises, building on the pulse of electronics. We venture into a soft respite with a meandering guitar chord sort of skittering about while the percussive element and soundbites intoxicate the listener. It all crashes down emphatically with the heavier hand coming in the song’s final quarter, releasing all the song’s earlier tension in one final closing moment.

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Devil in the Woods Back with New Releases

October 9, 2019 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

I think I first discovered Devil in the Woods sometime in the early 00s; the label had put out releases by personal favorites like Bright Eyes and Grandaddy (not to mention Death Cab, GBV, etc.). But, like all great things, changing musical climates and various other forces put the label up on the shelf for a bit. That was until founder Mike Cloward dropped into Mexico and felt reinvigorated by the goings-on in that scene. So, today the label is jumping back into the fray, with planned releases from Nik Freitas, Twin Tones and Espectroplastma…the latter two dropping in from la ciudad de Mexico. Below we’ve got a track from the 7″ with Espectroplasma, which recalls sort of an industrialized version of what you’d expect to find on Holodeck Records. Jumping in full force, the label also has plans for other titles on the horizon, so join me in welcoming the label back into the fold.

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