Premiere: Grapes & Friends Prepare for X-mas Bash with New Track
If you’re looking to get in the X-mas mood early in December, Grapes & Friends have got the show for you. On December 6th, this band, comprised of members of Genuine Leather, The…
Quarterbacks Share Sincere, Wobbly Punk Tune “Center”
Coming from a guy who’s deeply in love with Beat Happening, that I’m enamored with “Center,” the new track from NY band Quarterbacks should’t be a surprise. When I say NY, I don’t mean…
The Black Keys ACL Taping: Live Review
The Black Keys continue to progress and develop their sound, amassing a global following and critically acclaimed list of albums. They recently released Turn Blue, their fifth release on Nonesuch Records and their…
The New Movement Hosts Epic Night with Comedy Underground
The popularity of comedy seems to have risen in tandem with independent music. It’s odd to think about something so broad as music or comedy as “popular” or “unpopular,” but it does make…
Dear Someone: No ‘Poo For You
Walker Lukens is a musician living and working in Austin, Texas. His latest album is called Devoted. His advice column Dear Someone runs semimonthly on Pop Press International. You can send in your own inquiries by emailing…
Why Studium Is Important
Studium, a new record store and retail space for designer and handmade goods, is open now on Austin’s East 5th Street. The space is a collaboration between Byron & Blue boutique and Punctum Records…
Gold Beach Celebrates Single Release at Studium: Live Review
Gold Beach makes sense as a moniker. These songs shine with the glint of gold, but they’re also surprisingly soft and malleable, shifting from one moment to the next. Imagine an entire beach…
The Destination: Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014
“It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey” is a cliché you are likely familiar with, and is most applicable when used in regard to a time frame during which one underwent a variety of occurrences and…
The Allah-Las Transcend at The Parish
Los Angeles band the Allah-Las came to Austin Saturday night with a heavy dose of California surf-inspired garage rock tunes. Opening was fellow L.A. group Tashaki Miyaki whose mid to down-tempo glimmering pop…
Gold Beach Plays New Material at Studium Tonight
I started Pop Press International in early 2012. Years before that, in 2005, I started a blog called Urban Pollution, back when few blogs were online at all. One of the first albums…
Stories of Three Portraits at Fun Fun Fun Fest
After watching Dana Falconberry’s transcendent early afternoon set on the first day of Fun Fun Fun Fest, I found myself hanging around with her and her publicist, both of whom I consider friends,…
Fun Fun Fun Fest Day Three Recap with Angel Olsen, Yo La Tengo, and Flying Lotus
The third day of of Fun Fun Fun Fest dawned cool and bright and just about perfect. Saturday had closed out magnificently and the lineup for the final day would yield some of…
Iceage’s Elias Bender Rønnenfelt Delivers Us
The sun was out, there were few clouds if any, and spirits were high Saturday afternoon at Fun Fun Fun Fest. I had just finished a ride with Gary Numan at the Blue…
A Nite with Majical Cloudz at Cheer Up Charlie’s
I love Majical Cloudz for all the reasons I’ve outlined before. And the band is just getting better. Fresh off a string of tour dates with Lorde, the duo appeared more confident than ever…
Fun Fun Fun Fest Day Two Recap with Courtney Barnett, Gary Numan, and Modest Mouse
With the long lines sorted and better weather than anyone could’ve hoped for, the second day of Fun Fun Fun Fest unfolded beautifully with a lineup of artists that spanned garage rock, punk,…
Courtney Barnett Burns Brightly at the Belmont
Fun Fun Fun Fest is over and as we wind down our festival season, we couldn’t have wished for a better way to go out. Despite the well-covered/belabored issues with admission on Friday,…
Fun Fun Fun Fest Day One Recap with Yelle, Run the Jewels, and Dana Falconberry
We’ve been looking forward to this weekend for months. Fun Fun Fun Fest outdid themselves this year with a no-filler lineup that featured stellar artists across genres. There were some strange bumps and…
Six Bands You Can’t Miss at FFF + All Our Festival Previews Linked in This Post
We’re killing all the birds with one stone. Today, the fest is upon us. To celebrate and send you off with the knowledge you need, we’re bringing you a list of six bands you…
Album Review: Iceage – Plowing Into the Field of Love (Pop Press Pick)
Danish punk band Iceage’s new album Plowing Into the Field of Love moves the band into more structured sonic terrain and showcases increasingly complex arrangements while holding onto a sense of chaos and raw energy….
Hear New Beacon Track “L1” Now
With a new EP en route entitled L1 due out December 2nd on Ghostly International, Brooklyn ambient-elecronica band Beacon promises to delve further into the complex psychological realm first unveiled in their debut…
Album Review: Foxygen’s “…And Star Power”
As we approach this weekend and the wonderfulness that is Fun Fun Fun Fest, Pop Press International is greasing the gears and filling the tank, ready to tackle yet another successful festival at…
Stream LNS Crew’s New Track “Pot Luck” feat. Cory Kendrix, ST 2 Lettaz, Kydd Jones, Dee-1, and Pacboi Tank
LNS Crew are mainstays in Austin’s hip-hop scene. They’ve cut enough tracks that there’s bound to be something that works for everyone. But their new track “Pot Luck” might be my favorite thing…
Live Review: A. Sinclair Celebrates New Vinyl at Mohawk
A. Sinclair rocks. And by that I mean that Aaron Sinclair has always rocked. He rocked when his band was called Frank Smith, and he rocks now. It helps that Sinclair is backed…
Album Review: His Name Is Alive – Tecuciztecatl
If any album this year is vying to carry the torch of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” for best-played alongside a muted version of Wizard of Oz, it’s Tecuciztecatl, the fourteenth…
Signal to Noise: Immune Recordings
Signal to Noise is a new column penned by Neil Lord. It will run periodically on Pop Press International. This feature column will spotlight and discuss artists, labels, and trends within the noise…
Yuma Celebrates Day of the Dead at Mohawk
The Mohawk celebrated Day of the Dead this Sunday with four superb Austin bands: Brother Bear, The Please Please Me, Magia Negra, and Yuma. A real diverse curation of unique bands who all seem to…
Tennis & Pure Bathing Culture at Red 7: Live Review
I’ve always liked Tennis, but their show at Red 7 on Saturday night convinced me that they’re receiving significantly less credit than they deserve. Built around the creative forces of husband and wife…
FFF Fest Preview: Courtney Barnett Talks Ghost Gum & Fish Tacos
Some of the artists we’re most excited to see at this year’s Fun Fun Fun Fest are the up-and-coming acts that will take the stage in the early or mid-afternoon hours. You’d serve…
Nightblooms Celebrate Album Inside Inflatable Planetarium
Cosmic consciousness expanding, I am transcending physical existence. Last Thursday night at Museum of Human Achievement, Karla Manzur celebrated the release of Star-Taker, the first album from her project Nightblooms, which also includes help…
Eight Reasons You’re Lucky the Nites are Free: FFF Fest Preview
You owe Fun Fun Fun Fest a solid, because these dudes have totally hooked you up. In addition to their killer lineup, they’ve brought in a slew of artists to play shows only…
