Live Photos: Sun June Album Release at Spider House Ballroom
Last Thursday night at Spider House was one of those nights when you know you’re witnessing something special. The show had that combination of great bands on the bill (Julia Lucille and daphne…
Win Sun June’s New Album Years on Vinyl; Album Release Show Thursday at Spider House
It’s release week for Austin indie pop quintet Sun June! On Friday, the band births their debut album, Years, out on Austin label Keeled Scales. The record thrives on airy vocals and slow-burning…
Japanese Breakfast and Snail Mail’s Magnetic Mid-Week Show at Scoot Inn
In Austin, great shows come and go, and almost any night of the week presents an opportunity to see outstanding live music. But occasionally, a show generates enough magic that it feels special,…
Japanese Breakfast and Snail Mail Play Scoot Inn Tuesday, April 10
Atmospheric, indie-pop band Japanese Breakfast, the project of Michelle Zauner, stops in Austin tonight for a show at Scoot Inn — just one date on an extensive tour that will ultimately traverse the…
Five Tracks You Should Listen to Right Now
Life’s too short to check out every single new great song that pops up in your feed, so we’re doing part of the work for you. No navigating necessary. For your Friday listening…
BOOHER Celebrates Vinyl Release at Cheer Up Charlies Saturday
Mixing vulnerable lyricism with big rock musicianship and careful flourishes, BOOHER makes songs that are immediately likable and yield greater nuance with repeat listens. Behind the music is Michael Booher, who’s been making…
Photo Gallery: RG Lowe Celebrates Album with a Pool Party
It’s early summer in Austin. And if you’re RG Lowe, you’ve got a brilliant idea for a different approach to an album release party. Forget the hot, sweaty bars, and let’s hit the…
Aldous Harding Brings Powerful, Austere Pop to Mohawk Monday 6/19
Last month, rising artist Aldous Harding released her sophomore album, Party, which has already garnered high praise from a variety of outlets. Emphasizing an austere, hushed vocal style and restrained, minimal arrangements, Harding’s gothic pop…
Japanese Breakfast Shares Second Song from Upcoming Album
Japanese Breakfast is poised to completely reinvent the sound musician Michelle Zauner established on her debut album, Psychopomp. Instead of catchy, shimmering pop, “Boyish,” the second song shared from upcoming album Soft Sounds From Another…
RG Lowe Album Release and Pool Party at Austin Motel Tonight
I can’t imagine anything better you’re doing on the first Friday of a hot Texas June weekend than having a pool party with RG Lowe. The longtime member of Balmorhea celebrates his first solo…
Michael Nau Shares Gentle Pop Tune “I Root”
With a spacious production and a delicate melody, Michael Nau’s newest pop tune “I Root” is a gentle love song thriving on sincerity. At only two minutes long, the brief song drifts by soothingly, easily…
Jens Lekman Has the Cure for What Ails You at Mohawk Friday, February 24
Swedish crooner Jens Lekman just released his fourth studio album, Life Will See You Now, last week via indie stalwart Secretly Canadian. Lekman will make an appearance at Austin’s Mohawk tomorrow, Friday night, February…
Dirty Projectors Share Gorgeous New Track “Little Bubble”
It would be difficult to overstate my affinity for Dirty Projectors. They’re one of the best bands making music today. They have explored a staggering variety of approaches to creating songs and deployment…
Jens Lekman Reflects on Fragrances on New Single
Always balancing tones poignantly nostalgic and whimsically absurd, Sweden’s Jens Lekman has consistently generated playful pop that makes listeners laugh and cry simultaneously. He’s the kind of songwriter who can make a single…
Japanese Breakfast Returns to Austin with Porches at Barracuda, Sunday September 11
Perhaps you could tell from our recent coverage of Japanese Breakfast that we dig the band… a lot. Fronted by Michelle Zauner, the group is in that glorious phase of rising in notoriety — the…
Track Premiere: Genuine Leather’s 80s Pop-infused “Two of Us”
An undoubtedly underrated gem of a local band, Genuine Leather has an ability to constantly reinvent themselves. While they’ve shied away from confining themselves to one fixed aesthetic or sonic palette, the band…
Cross Record Stops by Austin for a Hometown Show Amid International Tour
I’m not sure if I’m Cross Record’s biggest fan, but I’m trying hard to be. In more than a few posts, I’ve asserted that the band is one of Austin’s most vital acts,…
Mitski Shares “Happy” Ahead of New Album, Puberty 2
On “Happy,” a flat, pulsing beat gives way to eerie vocals before Mitski Miyawaki’s vocals begin to drift into a major key and sax joins the mix. Soon after, the arrangements bursts into upbeat drums…
Show Preview: Stacked Bill of Local Acts at Cheer Up Charlies Tonight (ATX)
Our privileged Austin experience means that a stacked bill of outstanding local acts constitutes almost every weekend at Cheer Up Charlies, or any number of our Red River district live music venues. Still,…
Radiation City Plays Sidewinder Tomorrow, Touring Behind Synesthetica
The Pacific Northwest continues to produce noteworthy and compelling music. Portland-based band Radiation City’s newest effort, Synesthetica, out now on Polyvinyl, offers another prime example in support of that assertion. The band’s last album, Animals in the…
Track Premiere & Interview: The Loch Ness Mouse – “Warm Circuitry”
The Loch Ness Mouse has been making delightful indie pop for over two decades. But it wouldn’t be surprising if you haven’t heard of them — the band hails from Oslo, Norway, and…
Dig Two New Tracks from Genuine Leather
If you, like me, expect a band called Genuine Leather to be a punk band or maybe a dark alt-rock band, you’d be wrong. Maybe country is your second guess — you know,…
Hear Jennifer O’Connor’s Buzzing Pop Track “It’s a Lie”
A decade ago, Jennifer O’Connor released a wonderful collection of indie pop songs called Over the Mountain, Across the Valley and Back to the Stars on Matador Records. The next year, I saw her…
Shearwater Launches World Tour at North Door Wednesday February 3rd
For more than a decade now, Shearwater has been a band dear to my heart. I moved to Austin near their origin and had the privilege of watching them evolve into one of the…
Lomelda Celebrates Forever Tonight at Cheer Up Charlies
Warm and intimate, Waco-based band Lomelda’s debut album Forever feels familiar on the first listen. Rest assured, the arrangements are fresh: dexterous, syncopated rhythms and multi-tracked vocals meander through mellow grooves and build to…
Premiere: Crocodile’s Subtly Surreal Video for “My Little Girl”
Wavering, surfy guitars ring out over frontman Gianni Sarmiento’s distorted vocals in this infectious little noise pop song from Crocodile. A broken lightbulb, a wooden robot, cacti, and of course a crocodile make…
Velo Releases Spring Installment of Their Four-part Album
We reported a few months ago about Austin band Velo’s debut EP. Now, the band has shared the second installment of what will be a four-part release constituting an album’s worth of material…
Show Preview: Tennis Comes to Red 7 on Saturday Nov. 1st Behind New Album
Little known fact: an interview with indie pop duo Tennis is one of the first posts we ever did here at Pop Press International. The 10th in fact. 10th out of what is,…
Mutual Benefit Plays Red 7 Tonight
Mutual Benefit, the multi-textured, dreamy pop project of Jordan Lee, will play Red 7 tonight. Mutual Benefit draws comparisons to artists like Sufjan Stevens by virtue of his sprawling, lush, crystalline song structures…
Ultimate Painting Shares New Track “Ten Street”
We’ve written before that UK duo Ultimate Painting are bringing all the glory of lo-fi 60s rock of the Velvet Underground to the current day with their own mellow indie pop tracks. After…
Swedish Duo JJ Creep Around the Desert in New Video “Dynasti”
The new video “Dynasti” from mysterious Swedish duo JJ pulsates with occult imagery and pagan ceremony. As girls spin around in glitter masks with cloaked minions, they set on fire enough upright pianos…
Alex Napping Celebrates Album Release at Cheer Up Charlies Friday, September 26th
With namesake Alex Cohen at the helm, indie-pop four-piece Alex Napping will celebrate the release of their debut LP tomorrow night, September 25th at Cheer Up Charlies. This is Not a Bedroom dropped earlier…
Barcelona with The Young Wild at Holy Mountain: Live Review
Monday night atop the Mountain, Seattle band Barcelona immersed the grooving audience in melodic songs of old and new. The trio released the final component to their three part EP series, The Melodrama, in March, revealing yet…
Spotlight: Voxtrot Member Ramesh’s Royal Ambitions with New LP The King
“Yeah, whatever happened to that band?” A common lament among music aficionados, especially those tuned into alternative label bands that might only make an album or two before succumbing to the enormous difficulty…
Show Preview: Barcelona with The Young Wild at Holy Mountain, September 15th
Tonight, following their release of The Melodrama, a three-part EP investigating the nature of love, Seattle trio Barcelona is swinging into Holy Mountain at 8 PM. The show promises to douse the audience with a…
Bishop Allen at Holy Mountain: Live Review
Bishop Allen hasn’t played Austin in years. His show last week at Holy Mountain was a must see for me, as I’ve been a fan from the earliest days. I was eager to…
Show Preview: Bishop Allen at Holy Mountain Saturday Night
I’ve been a fan ever since a friend put a Bishop Allen song from Charm School, their first album, on a mix CD for me. I listened to all of the songs from their EP…
NYC Band Little Cinema Shares “Diving Board” feat. Dana Falconberry
Although it may seem out of the blue for a little indie pop band based in Brooklyn to have so many Austin-centered components: the group’s first single was recorded here, at Deadly Sparrow Studios…
Show Preview: Alex Napping with iji at Cheer Up Charlies Tonight
The Stereogum premiere of Alex Napping‘s debut single “Weak Knees” made such a splash, we hardly need to tell you about it, but in case you somehow missed it, we’re sharing it with…
The Tontons Live at Sunset Tavern in Seattle: Review & Photos
I swear, seeing the Tontons live isn’t the only thing I do when I travel. But my trip happened to coincide with their tour in both Denver and Seattle, and who would pass…
Watch: Avi Buffalo – “So What”
After four years without an album, Avi Buffalo returns with At Best Cuckold, due out on September 9th via indie giant Sub Pop. The band debuted the video for album track “So What” yesterday….
Bishop Allen Shares Second Track from Upcoming Album
As previously reported, Justin Rice’s indie pop project Bishop Allen will return with a brand new album, Lights Out, due out August 19th on Dead Oceans. The group has already shared one single, and…
The Tontons at Larimer Lounge in Denver: Live Review
Pop Press International is on vacation. Well, while some of the newest team members are holding down the Austin scene, while I am in Denver and Seattle on a trip to gather information for my upcoming…
New Track: Letting Up Despite Great Faults – “Wrapped”
Austin synth pop band Letting Up Despite Great Faults has shared the initial single from their forthcoming album Neon, due out on August 12. The cover for Neon features an array of flowers in a…
The Henry Millers Share New Track “Beautiful Woman”
Of course the Henry Millers released a new track called “Beautiful Woman.” Like the author before them, the NYC-based indie-pop band is celebrating the female form through art, although their medium isn’t avant-garde prose. The group…
Portland’s Cars & Trains Release New EP
Portland band Cars & Trains just released a new EP, “The Moon and the Earth,” comprised of three somber pop tunes created with acoustic guitars, synths, and toy instruments. The group’s folk and…
SW/MM/NG Shares Shimmering Summer Anthem
With wet-as-a-pool-party guitars and upbeat rhythms, SW/MM/NG have created “Some Dreams Come True,” a perfect soundtrack for your summer swimming-hole adventures. Despite the easy-going vibes, the song’s content explores an opposing frame of…
Gramercy Arms Release Video for Indie Pop Track “Always In Love”
New York-based indie pop collective Gramercy Arms have released an upbeat black-and-white video for their song “Always In Love,” the single from their upcoming album Seasons of Love, set for a July 21st release…
Johan Hedberg Shares Swedish Pop Track “Kickar Grus”
Although Belle & Sebastian are decidedly the most known and celebrated indie pop or twee band to come out of Europe, those countries, particularly in Scandinavia, have a long history of these musical…
Party Plants Release Video for “Great Interplanetary Romance”
Austin-based lo-fi quirk pop band Party Plants have released a DIY video for their song “Great Interplanetary Romance.” I’ve written before about how the band reminds me of one of my favorites, Beat…
Mutual Benefit Announces Cowboy’s Prayer EP Reissue, Extensive Tour
Mutual Benefit’s exquisite, multi-textured pop has impressed me as much or more than anyone in the past couple of years with 2013’s Love’s Crushing Diamond. Today the group announced that Other Music will re-release their 2011…
Watch Swedish Pop Band JJ’s Emotionally Arresting Video for “All White Everything”
Swedish pop outfit JJ will release their new LP, V, on August 19th via Secretly Canadian. Today, the label shared from that record, the debut video for “All White Everything.” Vocally driven and dynamic,…
New Track: The Rosebuds – “In My Teeth”
The Rosebuds have announced the followup to their last release of original material, the Christmas themed album Christmas Tree Island. Western Vinyl will release Sand + Silence on August 5th. The new track features mellow…
Hear New Music from Southern Boutique (Members of Tiger Waves)
I’ve been sitting on this news a while, as the band themselves weren’t totally sure what would happen to Tiger Waves. After all, the group managed to work their way into a great…
Bishop Allen Announces New Album, Shares “Start Again”
It has been too long since we heard from Bishop Allen. Or more accurately, we’ve been hearing from them, but perhaps you didn’t know it. The band has been interacting with various artistic…
Indie Pop Band Tangerine Releases “Nothing Better” Video
Following the release of new song “Nothing Better” and b-side “Northern Line” via Fin Records, indie pop band Tangerine has shared a video. Directed by Jade Justad, the video for “Nothing Better” features…
Hear a Track from Marcus Rubio’s New Album Out Now
Marcus Rubio is a guy who’s been around Texas over the years and is currently wrapping up a stint in L.A., soon heading back to Austin. Yesterday, Rubio released Land of Disenfranchisement, out digitally…
New Track: Balue – “Charming Flow”
Fleeting Youth Records is a young label from Austin, TX working with some exciting new garage and indie rock acts. On June 24th, the label will release Quiet Dreamer, a cassette by New Mexico…
Album Review: Popstrangers – Fortuna
New Zealand band Popstrangers’ new album, Fortuna, the band’s sophomore follow up to Antipodes is out now on Carpark Records. Because of or despite a certain degree of chaos that can be found…
Show Preview: Say Hi, Big Scary, & Borrisokane at Mohawk
If you’re a fan of shadow, buzzing indie pop, Saturday night at Mohawk has several treats in store for you. Somber indie pop project Say Hi, who are out on tour in advance…
Kairos Shares New Distorted Pop Track Aptly Titled “Dirt & Grit”
Although the first cut from Kairos’ eponymous debut EP represented somber, minimal, vocally oriented songwriting, the second single from that release showcases a grittier side of suddenly buzzed-about Seattle musician Lena Simon, who…
Album Review: Papercuts – Life Among the Savages
When a band takes a three year hiatus in between albums, it’s usually a fair assumption that they’ve been working not only on new music, but a reinvention or transformation from what they…
Tele Novella Shares “Coat-Tail Rider” Video
We wrote previously about this new track from Austin indie pop band Tele Novella, and now the group has released a Jack Fleischer directed video for the song. “Coat-Tail Rider” stars band members…
New Track: Grand Cousin – “Oxygen”
Grand Cousin creates flowing pop rooted in frontman Henry Hall’s smooth vocals, which are bolstered by wavering guitars and rolling percussion. The group shares some sensibilities with Grizzly bear or early Midlake (remember…
New Song from Little Majorette & Pontus Winnberg – “Wonder”
Since Lykke Li launched her label (say that ten times fast) INGRID, I’ve seen far less press about it than I expected. This week, the label released a new track, “Wonder,” from Swedish…
Vampire Weekend with Wild Cub at Stubb’s: Live Review
Perhaps more so than any band currently making music, Vampire Weekend has found universal acclaim, both winning the hearts of indie bloggers everywhere and beginning to reach newfound mainstream success by bagging a…
Wild Cub Opens for Vampire Weekend Tonight & Tomorrow at Stubb’s
Upbeat indie pop outfit Wild Cub will open for Vampire Weekend for two nights at Stubb’s tonight and tomorrow. The group shares some sensibilities with the headliners but their music also possess an…
Slomo Drags Releases Self-titled EP
We really enjoyed seeing Slomo Drags last weekend at the most recent installment of 101X Homegrown Live. The band has followed up that great show with the release of a self-titled EP, streaming…
Daniel Francis Doyle’s “It’s Work” Video Stars Cast of Austin Musician
Daniel Francis Doyle is the kind of guy who sets out on tour via Greyhound Bus with just a guitar. His quirky songs are simultaneously charming, infectious, and challenging as his delightful melodies…
Ski Lodge Shares Beautiful New Song “Our Love Is Over Now”
Ski Lodge dropped their debut album full of indie pop tunes last year and have followed up with the release of a single, “Our Love Is Over Now.” Scant information is available on…
Show Preview: Young Girls, Reservations, Shivery Shakes at Lambert’s
So you came out of hibernation for Neutral Milk Hotel and realized how great live music is. You love that you live in the “Live Music Capital of the World,” but secretly harbor…
Stream Austin Band Party Plants’ Lo-fi Pop EP
From the second Party Plants’s new EP begins to play, I love it. It’s a dish comprised of all my favorite ingredients: a little bit of lo-fi pop, a little bit of grit,…
She Sir Shares Shimmering “Kissing Can Wait” Ahead of New LP
Austin band She Sir’s new song “Kissing Can Wait” is a reverbed wash of guitars with a glittering shimmer of twinkling notes laid on top. The band blends 90s shoegaze sensibilities with an…
Brazos at Holy Mountain: Live Review
Brazos frontman Martin Crane exudes a sort of frenetic calmness, a relaxed nervousness. As he quickly strums his acoustic guitar, his feet arch up onto their toes, tapping in swift alteration, but his…
Show Preview: Brazos at Holy Mountain on Wednesday, December 11th
We just included Brazos in our post of the most played tracks and albums of 2013. We’ve seen them play a number of times and even hosted them at our SXSW day party…
Show Peview: Nightlands at Mohawk Tonight, December 3rd
Nightlands is the recording project of Dave Hartley, who creates serene and understated, glowing pop tracks. Tonight, Nightlands will bring all of that carefully constructed pop beauty to Austin for a show at…
Seattle Band Cumulus Shares New Video for “Middle”
A once-wheelchair-bound woman defies expectations and goes on an afternoon adventure in the new video from Seattle indie pop band Cumulus. The video is directed by Randy Walker and shot with a highly…
Austra Shares Video for Single “Forgive Me”
As a follow up to Austra’s most recent effort Olympia, the group will release a single for “Forgive Me” that also features two new tracks, out digitally on November 26th. This week, the band…
Lake Shares New Video for “Perfect Fit”
Lake is one of indie pop’s best kept secrets. At times, a swelling buzz of attention will surround the band, but it always seems to inexplicably fade. The Olympia born group has changed…
Artist Spotlight: Daniel Francis Doyle
Sometimes Austin’s music scene feels like a double-edged sword. Any night of the week, you can find a quality live music experience, but in a market this saturated, difficulty arises in knowing how…
Show Preview: Kate Nash, La Sera, and Galpals at Mohawk Saturday November 16th
Saturday night will be popstastic. And perhaps even more importantly, completely fueled by amazingly talented female musicians. British indie-pop songstress Kate Nash will take over the outdoor stage at the Mohawk and will…
The Blow with Love Inks at Red 7: Live Review
For New Year’s Eve 2006, my first blog, Urban Pollution threw a party at the fairly newly opened Mohawk. The bill included A Hawk and a Hacksaw featuring Jeremy Barnes of Neutral Milk…
Help Support Marmalakes Record Full-length Album
Over the past several years, folk-leaning indie-pop trio Marmalakes has become one of the most lauded and beloved bands in Austin. They’ve accomplished that with a handful of solid EPs. Now, they’re asking…
Hospitality Shares New Track “I Miss Your Bones”
When we posted two weeks ago that Hospitality had announced their second full-length, slated for a January 28th release on Merge Records, I thought it might be another couple of months before we…
Show Preview: Tristen at Mohawk Wednesday, Feb 6th
Is total honesty a winning quality? No one asked me to write this show preview–no publicist reached out, no promoter (no offense intended!). I hasn’t necessarily planned to write it. I knew that…
Fun Fun Fun Fest Spotlight: Cayucas
You need a reason to go to Fun Fun Fun Fest? You need more than the best weather imaginable? You need more than the beautiful scenery of Auditorium Shores? The lineup itself affords…
Cumulus at Holy Mountain with The Lonely Forest: Live Review
Throughout independent music history, people have marveled at the power a small town like Olympia, Washington, home to stalwart K Records, has wielded. The city of less than 50,000 people helped propel independent…
Show Preview: Cumulus Plays with Lonely Forest Tonight at Holy Mountain
I can’t put into words all of the personal reasons I have to be excited about this show. Cumulus is from Seattle and recorded their new album in The Unknown–the same venue that…
Show Preview: Tele Novella Follows New Video with Special Halloween Show at The Owl
If you, like us, were a fan of Agent Ribbons, then you’re undoubtedly already a fan of Natalie Ribbons’ new pop outfit Tele Novella that features members of Voxtrot, Jason Chronis and Matt…
Fun Fun Fun Fest Spotlight: Interview with The Tontons
We really adore The Tontons. The Houston quartet creates vocally centered indie pop that feels a bit like The Cardigans with more edge and a lot more soul. At the forefront of the…
Hopitality Share Album Trailer for Sophomore LP
We completely adored Hospitality’s perfectly crafted indie-pop on their eponymous debut, which is why we’re thrilled to get a preview of material that will be featured on their sophomore effort Trouble, out January 28th…
Lake Shares “Do You Recall?” Video, Plays The Owl October 30th
Lake’s video for “Do You Recall?” opens up with bright colors and slowly rotating camera shots. The video’s imagery feels like 70s documentary footage, and the music serves as an apt soundtrack. We…
Radiation City to Release New Album Live From the Banana Stand
Portland, Oregon based, genre-melding quintet Radiation City has announced that they will release a live album through the folks at Banana Stand. The record was recorded by Chris Anderson, Adam Harney, and Tim…
Cults Debut New Track “I Can Hardly Make You Mine
Cults is a band that gained popularity quickly with infectious, textured pop music. Despite the band having only one record, they’ve achieved a great deal of success and managed to find favor with…
Album Review: Sonny and the Sunsets – Antenna to the Afterworld
On the surface, Sonny and the Sunsets’ most recent album Antenna to the Afterworld is an immediately likable and enjoyable album. However, it also possesses deeper rewards within its earnest subject matter, conceptual…
Belle and Sebastian at ACL Live
Belle and Sebastian was one of the first indie bands I listened to. I bought If You’re Feeling Sinister at Waterloo Records around 2001 and fell in love fast. I purchased the remainder…
Watch: Brazos Shares New Video for “Long Shot”
“Long Shot” is an elegant and stripped down guitar and piano track from Brazos’ recent album Saltwater. The video, created by Brazos frontman Martin Crane, features black and white drawings that shift and merge in…
Taft Releases EP, On Tour Now
Taft Mashburn is the creative force behind the band simply christened Taft, which is currently on a short East Coast jaunt with Austin indie-pop heroes Marmalakes. The tour lineup includes Andrew Stevens on guitar,…
Good Field Live at Lambert’s
We’re huge fans of Good Field, and we don’t keep it a secret. It felt like it had been too long since we’d seen the band, so it was great to catch them…
Shivery Shakes Hold Kickstarter Ahead of Full-length
Austin indie-pop band Shivery Shakes is currently holding a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the recording and release of their first full-length album. The band, fronted by Will Glosup, is one of Austin’s…
