This is fine.
I’ve no doubt you’ve already heard me rave on and on about Fanclub, one of our favorite current Austin acts. Well, we realized that not everyone is as familiar with them as we are, so we tossed them our SXSW questionnaire, so you can all fall in love like we did. Plus, if you’re in town on March 10th, you can catch the band at Hotel Vegas for our ATH vs SOTO party!
This Friday night, there’s a powerhouse of a bill we’ll gladly throw our support behind; a bill that features Chill Russell, Slomo Drags, Fanclub and allEYES. We’ve enjoyed all these acts for some time, and look forward to hearing more from allEYES…an act that features members of the Sword, Octopus Project and Freshmillions. They’ve even been so gracious to share with us one of their newer tracks, which you’re likely to hear on this particular evening; I still stand by my comment that you’re not likely to hear anything like this bunch in the city limits. Show kicks off at 9 PM at Barracuda, but you can find more info on the FB EVENT.
We’ve been raving over Fanclub since there was a Fanclub. And now, we want you to turn your attention to the band’s new All the Same EP, which is streaming on the Interwebs today. It contains the huge hits “Leaves” and “Strangers,” as well as bringing in a few new songs we hadn’t heard…at least in the recorded fashion. For a pigeonhole, imagine if Pains of Being Pure at Heart peeled back the distortion, added a little more danceable stomp and then traded Kip for Leslie. Those new songs are definitely destined to be as popular as the preceding singles; I love the dreamy quality that “Swear” offers up. You can head HERE to grab the latest release from Fanclub.
In case you didn’t notice our earlier Best of Indiepop, we’re huge Fanclub fans over at ATH, which says a lot considering the band’s a pretty fresh face on the Austin scene. But, those who loved Letting Up Despite Great Faults complete understand where we’re coming from, don’t you? If you’re new to the band, just let the synth lines that open this track pulse through your speaker; they hit heavy, almost forcing a nice foot-stomping dance move. Of course, the perfect dose of pop sensibility is a blend of the light jangling guitars matched with singer Leslie’s softly curled vocal notes. I love how the beat hits hard at the end, fighting Leslie for your attention; it’s beautifully cacophonous. The band will be dropping their debut All the Same EP this coming January via Friendly Reminder, so if you’re ready to start a fanclub for Fanclub, you just let me know!
Everyone has their own definition of indiepop; but I tend to ascribe to the original craft where DIY aesthetics and a softer response to punk were all the rage. But, to each their own. So I went through last year to compile what I think is a pretty all encompassing Best of Indiepop 2018; there’s no order, just a collection of really great indiepop. Some of the below are songs, some are albums, some are just bands or labels that were important. Click on for my picks and a playful playlist. Read more
I was in Portland this week. It is pretty cool there. They apparently need more music to go along with the food, wine and beer scene.
Fanclub made a live studio type of performance video.
If you’re not into Fanclub yet, well, let me advise you. You’re going to want to be into Fanclub. The fairly new trio has just recently been popping up in the ATX scene with some lineage to our faves Letting Up Despite Great Faults. The band offers a similar note, though Leslie’s voice gives the band a slightly dreamier quality, driving home the infectiousness of their work. It’s pick up your feet and dance around the room indiepop, and there’s no ifs ands or buts, you SHOULD be listening to Fanclub. No word on official releases as of yet, but rest assured, we’re super excited to hear new tunes!
ATH was always down for a night out when Letting Up Despite Great Faults was on a bill. Bedroom pop shimmy vibes…
Out of that project, we now have Fanclub (or ffffanclub for your social media searching needs). This trio is comprised of Letting Up lead Mike Lee and drummer Daniel Schmidt with new-to-the-mix-on-vocals Leslie Crunkilton. Some of us at ATH always felt that Mike would find his way into a collab using a female-vocal up front. So, here we are with a shiny new track to give us something use to preview their upcoming appearance during Hot Summer Nights at Mohawk on the 28th.
