Stream New Yeah Yeah Yeahs Track “Sacrilege”
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an art-punk, indie rock band fronted by Karen O…kidding! You know who Yeah Yeah Yeahs are, so I’ll shut up and get to the real reason you’re here–a…
Good Field Album Release Show w/ Dana Falconberry and Belaire
Good Field has been rapidly gaining notoriety in the Austin music scene for some months now. As both an album release party and a tour send off, Good Field asked good friends (and…
New Track: We Are Loud Whispers – “Western Town”
Okay, we admit it! We pretty much adore everything that comes out on Hardly Art. How do these guys keep finding these quirky hidden gems of pop bands? The label has announced the…
The Men Share New Track “I Saw Her Face”
We’ve reported previously that the new album from punk outfit The Men will drop via Sacred Bones records on March 5th. The band has moved increasingly toward more accessible power pop and punk…
Bill Baird Announces Album Release Show, Shares “Spring Break of the Soul”
Bill Baird is back with a new LP, Spring Break of the Soul, that will see release on March 5th through Pau Wau Records. From that record, we have been given the epic, sprawling…
Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Foxygen, Social Studies, and Tiger Waves Live at Mohawk
Wednesday night at the Mohawk was a testament to both the outstanding music that has already been released in 2013 as well as the super-lineups that Transmission Entertainment has proven themselves capable of…
Album Review: Lady Lamb the Beekeeper – Ripley Pine
Lady Lamb the Beekeeper is the moniker for songwriter Aly Spaltro, whose debut full-length Ripley Pine inspires me. Essentially, it’s the fulfillment of the American dream: if you work hard and believe in yourself anything…
Brazos Announces New Album, Shares Video
Brazos, the brain child of creative force Martin Crane, has announced the release of sophomore effort Saltwater on the Dead Oceans imprint, a sister label to Jagjaguwar and Secretly Canadian. “How the Ranks Was…
Album Review: Iceage – You’re Nothing
Danish punk prodigies Iceage have returned for a sophomore effort, You’re Nothing, on one of indie rock’s most stalwart labels, Matador. With both their debut and second albums, the band seems to find wide…
Video: Hikes – “Shepherd’s Clock” (Recommended)
This song is killer. I’ve been hearing hype about this band for a while, and everything in me is hoping they will be as phenomenal live as I want them to be. If…
Album Review: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Push the Sky Away
I must confess that while Nick Cave is someone whose music I’ve been familiar with over the years, I can’t speak with confidence about the quality or merits of any of his latter…
Shearwater Live at the Parish with Marmalakes and Brass Bed
I am so sorry that some of you missed Saturday night at the Parish, because the bill featured a solid trio of artists who are particularly enjoyable in a live setting. Shearwater was…
Album Review: Sonny and the Sunset – 100 Records Vol. 3
It’s somewhat difficult to review a record by 13 different bands, as is the case with Sonny Smith’s newest installment of the 100 Records project. To say something overarching about the project as…
Video: Bobby Jealousy – “The Agreement”
Sabrina Ellis is currently one of the most prolific musicians in Austin, with two albums out or coming out soon–one by Bobby Jelousy and the other by A Giant Dog. (You can bet…
Album Review: Jim James – Regions of Light and Sound of God
After a couple of prolific decades and involvement in collaborative projects like Monsters of Folk and the New Multitudes Woody Guthrie album last year, it seemed almost impossible that My Morning Jacket frontman…
Video: Wild Nothing – “Only Heather”
In Wild Nothing’s video for Nocture album cut “Only Heather,” directed by Ryan Reichenfeld, an impaled man walks dimly lit streets as passersby seem not to notice. The video was impressively shot in one take. Watch…
Show Preview: Shearwater, Marmalakes, & Brass Bed at the Parish
You’ll definitely find us at the Parish tomorrow night for three outstanding live acts. Pop Press International has been singing the praises of Shearwater since before it was born. Structured around the operatic…
New Track: Marnie Stern – “Nothing Is Easy”
Marnie Stern is a lady who has built a reputation for herself as an excellent guitarist who does some serious thrashing over the course of her three albums released on the luminary Kill…
New Track: Pure X – “Things In My Head”
What happened after Pure X released their widely acclaimed debut album Pleasure? Did the Austin electronic pop group go into hiding for fear of unhinged bloggers attacking them in a crazed state of fandom?…
Top 5 Official SXSW Shows Announced So Far
With a month until SXSW begins and tens of thousands of visitors make their pilgrimage to Austin for the city’s most vital week and a half, buzz is starting to heat up around announcements of…
New Track: The Blank Tapes – “Coast to Coast”
Pop Press International loves The Blank Tapes, the jangly psychedelic pop project consisting of frontman Matt Adams, who’s backed by Pearl Charles, DA Humphrey, and Will Halsey. We’ve been impressed by the band’s recent…
Lady Lamb the Beekeeper Streams New Album Ripley Pine
A few months ago, we brought you a track from Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, and we liked what we heard. Now, WNYC is giving us a chance to stream the band’s whole new…
The xx with Austra at ACL Live
The xx have defied all probability since 2009, because they’ve been a buzz band since 2009. Rather than burning out in a blaze of productivity or fading away with a hurried, lackluster sophomore…
Album Review: Lost Animal – Ex Tropical
Lost Animal is the work of Jarrod Qarrell, an audacious creator of genre blending music whose debut Ex Tropical might be described as synth-punk centered folk-rap. Most of the songs’ rhythmic lyrics are…
Blues Control Live at Holy Mountain in Austin
Drag City is a label that has become prominent for working with indie darlings like Bill Callahan (Smog) and Joanna Newsom. However, fans forget that the label has a far more experimental leaning….
New Track: Helado Negro – “Junes”
We loved “Dance Ghost,” the first track released from Helado Negro’s forthcoming LP, Invisible Life, and we’re excited to report that a new song from the album has emerged. Roberto Lange’s vocals begin crisply…
The Villettes Live at Swan Dive
Go see the Villettes for two reasons: 1) the most beautiful harmonies you’ve ever heard live, and 2) a copious amounts of smile inducing, incredibly endearing giggling emanating from the stage. Having just…
Canada’s Stars Offer Free Download of New EP
Indie pop veterans Stars have announced a new EP that you can procure for free! Since the album is in part a thanks to fans, it has bee aptly dubbed the You Guys…
Video: SUUNS – “2020”
Having already released from their forthcoming album Images Du Futur the single “Edie’s Dream,” experimental pop outfit SUUNS follow up with a video for another album track, “2020.” The video is directed by…
Video: Dana Falconberry – “Possum Song”
It’s an understatement to say that Dana Falconberry is a Pop Press International favorite. We absolutely adore this phenomenal Austin, TX songstress. This week brings great news regarding Falconberry. First, Transistor Six has created a…
New Tracks: Dungeonesse – “Shucks” and “Drive You Crazy”
Boy, do I love Jenn Wasner! I’ve been hooked on her music since first seeing Wye Oak years ago at SXSW. She has a commanding presence onstage and her songs are powerful in…
Album Review: Dog Bite – Velvet Changes
A former member of Washed Out, Phil Jones has struck out on his own, forming the Atlanta-based band Dog Bite. Jones et al. have a lot going on throughout the 11 songs that…
Album Review: Companion – Companion
After years of a fruitful career releasing albums under her own name on the small but noteworthy Park the Van label, Pepi Ginsberg has formed a band with some friends. The project and…
Second Gritty Synth Track from Grave Babies’ Crusher
Grave Babies are set to release their second full-length album on Seattle’s Sub Pop subsidiary (say that 10 times fast) Hardly Art Records. The new jam, “No Fear,” leaves the guitars of the first single…
K Records’ Joey Casio Releases Single “Ignite”
Many of you dear readers know that Pop Press International possesses an eternal affinity for stalwart indie champions K Records. With this tightly knit community of artists that celebrates self-actualization and musical diversity…
Show Preview: Win Tickets to Unknown Mortal Orchestra & Foxygen w/ Social Studies at Mohawk
How does one even begin to describe how awesome Wednesday Feb 20th at the Mohawk will be? My two favorite albums of the year are by Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Foxygen, and I…
Outstanding New Pop from the Tontons: “Bones”
Houston’s Tontons have gained notoriety increasingly over the past two years, garnering various awards from the city’s “best of” poll and winning the approval and praise of notable rapper Bun B. This month,…
Frank Smith Releases Single Ahead of New Album
Austin’s Frank Smith has been one of the most significant local bands of the past few years. Comprised of excellent musicians, the band is one of Austin’s most convincing live acts and their…
Show Preview: Blues Control Scratches Your Experimental Itch Saturday at Holy Mountain
Blues Control can be beautiful and delicate or thunderously distorted as they deliver their experimental brand and instrumental post-rock. What further interests me is the band’s affiliation with the renowned Drag City, who continue…
MS MR Debuts Subtly Surreal New Video for “Fantasy”
MS MR is one of those interesting cases: a band that suddenly pops up out of nowhere (it seems) with impressive sounds and widespread recognition. Often, these bands are fueled by an enormous…
Good Field Releases Two Singles Ahead of Full-length
After beginning a career performing with the bands Voxtrot and Brazos, Paul Price started the project Good Field and released a debut EP last year. Locally hailed as a triumph from one Austin’s…
Centro-matic Live at the Mohawk with Frank Smith, Onuinu, and Love Inks
Being one of only a handful of live dates after a period of inactivity, Centro-matic’s crowded show at the Mohawk on Friday night was geared to be a special performance. I hadn’t seen…
Toro y Moi, Wild Belle, & Dog Bite Deliver Great Sets Alike at Emo’s
No doubt attributable to their status as pioneers who have been in part responsible for launching the chillwave genre and forever ingraining the style into the paradigm of independent music, Toro y Moi…
Album Review: Unknown Mortal Orchestra – II
Unknown Mortal Orchestra has released one of the best albums of the year so far in II, released tomorrow on the stalwart Jagjaguwar label. As someone who enjoys listening to divergent and sometimes…
New Track: “In the City” – Caveman
On April 2nd, NYC’s Caveman will release their eponymous sophomore album on the prestigious Fat Possum label. Ahead of that release and their extensive North American tour, which includes dates at Austin’s SXSW,…
Cave Singers Debut New Track “Easy Way”
In advance of their upcoming Jagjaguwar release Naomi, out March 5th, the Cave Singers have debuted a new track over at Boing Boing, which you can stream below. The song features Pete Quirk’s…
Austin’s Feverbones Announces EP, Shares “Astoria”
Austin’s Feverbones—a new project consisting of members of Dana Falconberry’s band, The Eastern Sea, and The Great Nostalgic—has announced that they will soon release their debut EP. “Astoria,” a cut from that album…
Show Preview: Centro-Matic at Mohawk w/ Onuinu After Show
When I moved to Austin in 2001, Centro-matic was a buzz band. I can still vividly recall the man at the center of it all, the prolific and unpredictable Will Johnson, sitting solitary…
Album Review: The Ruby Suns – Christopher
The first time I heard the Ruby Suns, I was riding in a friend’s car. The first track sounded good, so I asked who it was. The song ended and the next track…
Autre Ne Veut Releases New Single and Video “Play by Play”
With a little under a month until the release of their album Anxiety, Autre Ne Veut has unveiled the second single from the record. “Play by Play” emerges as an ambitious electronic R&B…
Buke and Gase Release Album and New Video
Buke and Gase released their second full-length album yesterday on Brassland. To coincide with that release, the duo has released a video for album track “Hiccup.” An ever shifting and dizzying collage of…
Animal Collective Release Video for “Applesauce,” Announce Tour
As a follow up to their recent and more experimental album Centipede Hz, Animal Collective has released a video for their new single “Apple Sauce.” The video itself is build on the experimental…
Wolf People Announce Album Fain, Share Single, “All Returns”
Jagjaguwar Records has announced that it will release the second album from the UK’s Wolf People. Fain will be released on April 30th (29th in the UK) and will purportedly utilize “traditional English and…
The Men Share Live Video Performance of New Single “Electric”
We wrote previously about the new album and single from The Men. Now, a live video featuring the single “Electric” as well as carnage and mayhem at a show in London in June…
New Track: “She-Devil” – Barren Girls
Merge Records has announced that it will release the debut effort Hell Hymns from North Carolina’s gritty, garage punk outfit Barren Girls. The album’s lead single, “She-Devil,” features gravelly vocals provided by Carla Wolff…
Album Review: Local Natives – Hummingbird
On Hummingbird, Local Natives match their already developed abilities to construct propulsive, explosive indie-rock with a sense of restraint and the sublimely beautiful to produce one of the year’s finest albums so far….
Album Review: Widowspeak – Almanac
Captured Tracks Records and the city of Brooklyn, NY that it calls home have become increasingly reliable in terms of churning out quality indie artists. This week, one of those artists, psych-folk group…
New Track: “Jolene” – White Blush
Los Angeles resident Carol Rhyu creates music under the moniker White Blush. Rhyu has just self-released her eponymous debut EP this month. The six song EP is balanced on Rhyu’s breathy vocals and…
Jim James Announces Tour Dates, Album Stream
We wrote previously about the two singles (“Know Til Now” and “A New Life“) previously released in advance of Jim James’ newest album Regions of Light and Sound of God out February 5th on…
UK’s Annie Dressner Announces New EP
In 2011, US ex-pat and former NYC resident Annie Dressner self-released her debut album Strangers Who Knew Each Other’s Names. Now, the UK songstress has announced that the follow-up EP will be called…
Ty Segall, Ex-Cult, and OBN III’s at Mohawk
Crowds were surfed, pits were moshed, beers were hurled at the stage, and faces were melted in a blistering fury of psychedelia. I guess one way to sum it up is the bruise…
New Video “Ecstasy” from Matador Records Signee Iceage
We wrote previously about “Ecstasy,” the single from Matador Records band Iceage’s forthcoming full-length You’re Nothing. Now, the caustic punk song has an equally caustic video to accompany it. Watch the video for…
Outstanding New Pop from Pageants – “Musings of the Tide”
I fell in love with this song at once. That guitar tone is just about perfect, crunchy enough to rock but avoid sludge as it’s played with upbeat stop-start strums. Rebecca Coleman, formerly…
New Track: “Fantasy” – MS MR
MS MR, who have generated a good deal of new content in the past year, have released another new song in advance of their full-length, Second Hand Rapture, due out via Columbia Records on…
Eerie New Song, “Why Toto?” from Pearl Necklace
It sounds as if Pearl Necklace has documenting a haunted Shaolin temple with an 80s era boombox on their new song “Why Toto?” The track bears a consistent hiss and subtle sounds unfold…
Epic New Track from Akron Family – “No Room”
Dead Oceans recording artists Akron Family have evolved and shifted drastically over the span of their career. On their new track “No Room,” released in advance of their full-length Sub Verses (April 30th),…
Ava Luna and Zorch at Museum of Human Achievement
Saturday night, after catching a great show by Linen Closet, I bolted across town, deep into Austin’s East side to catch NYC’s Ava Luna. The band’s newest effort Ice Level blends R&B and spastic…
GALPALS to Release “For Our Sake” 7″ on Howling Owl
One of our favorite Austin bands, GALPALS, has announced that they will release a 7” single on English label Howling Owl. The single, which drops February 18th, will feature their song “For Our…
Linen Closet Live at the Central Presbyterian Church
After a quiet, beautiful set by Some Say Leland, the multitude of members (including two drummers) of Linen Closet took the stage at the Central Presbyterian Church Saturday night. The project is the…
Album Review: Nightlands – Oak Island
Dave Hartley, the one-man force that is Nightlands, emerges from the electronic shadows with his second album, Oak Island, out this week on Secretly Canadian. After “inviting [us] for just a little while,…
Album Review: Foxygen – We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic
All the promise reflected in Foxygen’s overdue debut full-length Take the Kids Off Broadway has been fully realized on their sophomore effort, We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic, which…
Video: Dinosaur Jr. – “Pierce the Morning Rain” featuring Henry Rollins
Dinosaur Jr.’s newest album I Bet On Sky proved that the quintessential indie trio hasn’t lost anything in the way of distorted guitar lines or blistering solos. Their new video for album track “Pierce…
Cayucas Releases New Video, Announces Bigfoot
The wait is over! Cayucas has made official the news of their debut full-length, Bigfoot, which will see release through Secretly Canadian. The second track that has been made available from the debut album…
Video: Nite Jewel – “Memory, Man”
“One Second of Love,” the second effort by electronic pop chanteuse Ramona Gonzalez, aka Nite Jewel, dropped last March, but the songstress is still generating outstanding new content from its tracks. The video for…
Video: What Made Milwaukee Famous – “Gone and Done It Now”
In advance of their third album, You Can’t Fall Off the Floor, Austin’s What Made Milwaukee Famous have released a video for album track “Gone and Done It Now.” Employing a faux late…
Blues Control Releases New Video Ahead of Tour
On their track “Opium Den/Fade to Blue,” Blues Control have a unique take on psychedelic that diverges from most contemporary bands that use that descriptor. The song meanders through new age sounds as a…
Video: Acre Yawn – “Whisper Through the Walls” Live at the Parish
As we mentioned during our Free Week reflections, one of the best shows we caught was folk duo Acre Yawn at the Parish. Pop Press International tried its hand at making videos for…
Album Review: Yo La Tengo – Fade
It’s like Big Star never stopped making music. Sure, it is a far more current and contemporary imagining of the essential, under-appreciated rock heroes, but the spirit is there. After all, it was…
New Track: “Dropla” – Youth Lagoon
Youth Lagoon, aka Trevor Powers, has announced a new full-length; Wondrous Bughouse is out on March 5 via Fat Possum. “Dropla” is the first single from that album. I think I’m going to have…
New Track: “Fields” – Tiger Waves
Tiger Waves make some of the most beautiful recordings in Austin. Their last single, “Weekends,” floored me, and their newest one “Fields” is no less convincing. Built on descending guitar melodies, the song…
New Track: “Lose the Baby” – Lost Animal
The second single from Lost Animal’s forthcoming album Ex Tropical presents a slightly less quirky and more beautiful version of the band’s steady synth-based pop. Jarrod Quarrell vocals take an even more prominent position in…
New Track: “Time in the World” – Colleen Green
Hardly Art Records can take pride in releasing a wide range of outstanding indie acts from the challenging, sax-fueled punk of K-Holes to the quirky pop of Deep Time to the pretty ballads…
Video: U.S. Girls – “Work From Home” NSFW
U.S. Girls have released a video for “Work From Home,” an album cut from GEM, released last year. The song and video explore the prostitution as lead singer Meghan Remy sings “When times get tight /…
Video: Suuns – “Edie’s Dream”
We wrote previously about this first single from Suuns forthcoming album Images Dur Futur, which will drop on Secretly Canadian on March 5th. The video, directed by the band and filmed in the…
Video: Ty Segall – “Thank God for Sinners”
To celebrate the advent of his Twins tour, psychedelic rocker Ty Segall has released a video for album track “Thank God for Sinners.” Although the video seems to be safe for work, it…
EP Review: Lazyeyes – Lazyeyes EP
The recording quality, mixing, and production of “Nostalgia” the opener on Brooklyn quartet Lazyeyes’ self-titled, debut EP immediately arrests the listener. It’s so captivating in fact, that it took me another listen to…
Show Preview: Ty Segall at the Mohawk Friday Jan 25th
Prolific psychedelic shredder Ty Segall has made Austin a frequent stop in recent months, visiting the city more than a couple of times in the past year. His shows always receive a warm…
Album Review: Holopaw – Academy Songs Vol 1
Distant, rapid-fire snares echo with warehouse reverb as distorted electric guitars ring out. This is hardly what I expected from Holopaw, but I’m drawn to it at once. I remember Holopaw as a…
New Track: “A New Life” – Jim James
Jim James has one of those distinctive voices that immediately defines a song. His opening “hey” is no exception on his new song “A New Life,” from his forthcoming LP Regions of Light…
Free Week Reflections Featuring Acre Yawn, Tiger Waves, The Couch, and Sour Notes
Other than the outstanding Marmalakes show at Mohawk on the first weekend of Free Week, I had a strangely quiet experience with this year’s event, despite the fact that the “week” has now…
New Track: “What Else Could They Do” – Popstrangers
After a propulsive, distortion driven introduction, “What Else Could They Do,” the second single from Carpark Records recording artists Popstrangers forthcoming album Antipodes segues into an off kilter melody backed by wavery guitars. The…
Carmen Villain Debuts Excellent Track “Lifeissin”
The new track released by former model Carmen Villain is the first I’ve heard from her, and I was simply floored. Her haunting voice resonates through you, and the melody of “Lifeissin” draws…
New Track: “200 Words” – Fol Chen
Asthmatic Kitty seems to do everything from the bluesy folk of Shannon Stephens to the off kilter dance of Helado Negro. The new track from Fol Chen aligns more closely with the latter;…
Video: Memory Tapes – “Sheila”
In case you haven’t heard, we were very into the new album from Memory Tapes, putting it in our top 20 for the year. Seems like there are some haters out there, but…
The Besnard Lakes Announce Album, Share Expansive New Track
Jagjaguwar recording artist The Besnard Lakes have announced a new album, Until In Excell, Impercebtible UFO out April 2nd. According to a highly enthusiastic press release from the band’s publicist, the record promises…
SXSW Announces Third Wave of Bands for 2013 Festival
South by Southwest has announced another wave of performing artsists for the 2013 festival, bringing the total number of bands announced to around 1,300. For previous installments of announcements, click here and here….
The Men Announce New Moon, Share New Track, “Electric”
After delivering their critically acclaimed album Open Your Heart on Sacred Bones last year, The Men will release yet another record for the label in 2013. New Moon will drop on March 5th….
New Track: “Ghosts and Creatures” – Telekinesis
Telekinesis is the project of Michael Benjamin Lerner, who is three records into his career now. Or will be once Dormarion is released on the Merge label on April 2nd. The Seattle resident travelled…
Video: Foxygen – “San Francisco”
I have been slowly falling in love with Foxygen for the last several months. “San Francisco” is the euphoric climax of our courtship and we are now sealed forever in holy matrimony. The…
Ava Luna Shares Video Ahead of National Tour
Ava Luna’s initially meandering, female-vocal-driven track “Ice Level” becomes a funky, soulful male-led track at the end, illustrating the dexterity and cooperative spirit that defines Ava Luna’s songwriting efforts. The video, directed by…
