the loft - Austin Town Hall

Pete Astor Shares Model Village

January 24, 2024 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Somehow I missed the news of Pete Astor readying another record for Tapete Records, so I’m aiming to fix my error by sharing the new single from the former Loft/Weather Prophets songwriter. It seems like this track hints at today’s theme of coverage, with a definite push towards songs that have a certain timelessness to it. Here, you get to listen to a bounding piano line that runs like and the river through the “model village” of Pete’s song, while his voice and strum accentuate the incredible pop sensibilities he’s been rocking with his solo work. It’s the sort of songwriting that supersedes genres and generations, the track you take home to share with your parents at the next family gathering, as you all revel in just how much you all love well-worn pop music. Astor will release Tall Stories and New Religions on March 15th via Tapete.

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Pete Astor Shares New Religion Video

November 23, 2022 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

About a month back, legendary Pete Astor (The Loft/The Weather Prophets) dropped a new record, Time on Earth, which received great praise from all over the indie sphere. Today, we’re here to share the video for “New Religion,” which is features footage of Astor, layered atop other video samples, with a mix of common objects. It brings to mind what Pete has said about the track, tossing out the line “we have all sorts of things to believe in…Johnny Thunders…Golden Dawn…I just sing about it;” it’s a sort of hodgepodge where we’re all actively seeking to find our footing in the world. Musically, you’ve got to stick around for the chorus, as it’s worth the price of entry alone. Astor’s heavy tones in the verse quickly spin into this more ethereal melody, churning out a hook that you’ll be humming throughout the day. Time on Earth is now available via Tapete Records.

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Pete Astor Announces New LP + Shares English Weather

June 29, 2022 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Whether you’re an OG the Loft or Weather Prophets fan, you should be grateful that classic pop songwriters like Pete Astor are still doing they’re thing; you might even want to check Spilt Milk or One for the Ghost, to check what Pete’s been up to most recently. Just a few days ago Pete announced his latest LP, Time on Earth, which will be out in October; he shared the below mini-opus with the announcement, so its gotta be on our site, right? There’s all sort of arrangements working through the song: light percussion, tinkering piano, horns, etc; it really builds the song into this magnificent performance, but its success is mostly in the mix, as Astor’s voice and strum maintain a great deal of the focus, as it should be. Tapete Records will release Time on Earth on October 7th.

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Premiere: Pete Astor Shares Title Track from One for the Ghost

February 7, 2018 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Having vaguely known about Pete Astor through The Loft, it wasn’t until the 2016 release of Spilt Milk that I fully delved into his music. From that point on I’ve grabbed all the old stuff, but I’m really excited for his new LP, One for the Ghost. Today we’re sharing the title track from said album, envisioning you all rushing to your computers to figure out who is the man behind these charming songs. Not sure where you fit Astor’s musical stylings of late…somewhere between the popularized jangle and the grit of casual guitar pop; it’s almost as if this is troubadour-esque…but with a little bit more poetic punch in the lyrical content. Press play, be charmed and grab the new LP from Tapete Records on February 16th.

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Enjoy a Newish Pete Astor Tune

December 13, 2017 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

I remember when Tapete Records announced the latest 7″ I was climbing all over the Internet trying to find a song to share. But, at that time, nothing was up, so I forgot about it, until “Water Tower” started popping up around these parts last week. Why does this matter? Well, for one, Pete Astor is one of the gifted members of the Loft and the Weather Prophets. Secondly, his album Spilt Milk (2016) was definitely one of my favorites, and I still listen to it on the reg. The reason this song matters is that it will appear on a new record from Pete titled One for the Ghost, which is slated for a release in February. Enjoy it!

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Fresh Music from Pete Astor

November 16, 2015 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Pete Astor is most well-known for his work in The Loft, though I’ll admit I came at him sideways via The Weather Prophets, then went back to find the Loft. That being said, he’s been crafting his own solo work since the early 90s (his last release was in 2011). This week Fortuna Pop announced added up another track from his new album, Split Milk, which is filled with spritely pop songs. It’s funny too, as I just saw another great UK act, The Charlatans, and while I’m not sure how well known either they or Pete are in the States, good songs always rise to the top. This sample is another sign that Mr. Astor still has it.

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