If you live in Austin then you already know there’s too much damn music to keep track of. And sometimes you just want to sift through it in bite-sized chunks. We totally understand. Allow us to introduce you to The Latest Toughs, five tracks from five artists to get you up to date and make each of your workdays a little easier. This week, we’re welcoming new recruit Alex La Fuente to the fold by having him share some of his favorite recent tracks (with a final pick by Latest Toughs regular Nick Hanover).
The Hermits “Ruby Red Summer”
If you just so happened to be looking for a garage rock banger to dance to, then look no further. The Hermits came to deliver with their new single “Ruby Red Summer” and didn’t look back. “Ruby Red Summer” displays raw energy filled with fiery angst that’ll get you up and moving like it’s summertime. In no time you’ll be vibing and head banging with the fuzzy guitars and striking drums that keep this song shining bright. Unique and crunchy guitar tones throughout the track pleasantly surprise, teasing sounds similar to Bass Drum Of Death and Made Violent, leaving you sweaty and satisfied from a frantic and high energy experience that’s just getting you started for your night out. Look for their highly anticipated self titled album to keep the fire burning when it releases on February 28th.
Bones Garage “Topolopompo”
Sounding like the lovechild of Beach Fossils and Girl K, Bones Garage provides an upbeat vibe filled with ample warmth on “Topolopompo.” The dream pop banger is also imbued with gentle yet emotional vocals and sweet and savory guitar tones, making for an enjoyably easy going listen. And with the glaring influences of surf, pop, and rock , “Topolopompo” has the quality of a familiar yet different sound from the past. Some songs can seem to change your mood for the better in a quick few seconds, and this just so happens to be one of them.
Bones Garage’s Austin Town Hall Records LP Oi Ma Yeah will be out on February 15, 2019.
Mother Water House “Any Other God”
The Austin music scene is packed full of hidden gem indie artists, and in Mother Water House we may have just found our newest one. On “Any Other God,” Mother Water House express an overflow of weeping emotion, recalling the warm west coast indie pop sound of artists like The Grinns and Ahlah-Las. Bright and shimmery guitars along and wailing vocals lead the way in making this track a dancy and enjoyable journey. Their heavy and yet melodic choruses will leave you screaming “do you really want to live your life that way?”.
Kodachrome “Rain In Vain”
Mainstream electronic audiences may gravitate towards the happy and heartwarming, but Kodachrome have other intentions. Their newest single “Rain In Vain” produces darker and mysterious sounds from the deep depths of Austin. The electric psych pop project unveil haunting and pleasantly intense sounds throughout every minute of the track. Layers of synth and bass make for a full and rich sound that gets your ears perked up right from the first second. Kodachrome throw in powerful vocals that are lush and long lasting for a rather memorable listening experience as well. Not often do you hear a new psych sound that isn’t too beholden to what came before, but Kodachrome set themselves apart with “Rain and Vain”.
Kydd Jones “Ducked Off ft. Y2”
LNS Crew stalwart Kydd Jones is too dynamic to be pinned down to any one sound. So instead when it comes to defining Kydd, the feel is what matters most. “Ducked Off,” Kydd’s new collaboration with Y2, has that distinct hazy aura that permeates every Kydd production, a swirling cloud of emotive synths and calcified percussion punctuated by thunderclap bass. The feel is one of anxious anticipation, made all that much heavier by Kydd and Y2’s slurred, ominous deliveries; trap enough to fit with the now, eerie enough to still exist outside the normal boundaries of the mainstream. But it’s by no means a slog– instead it’s like a dream you can’t quite make sense of but which nonetheless leaves you feeling more at peace with yourself.
Y2 plays Empire Control Room this Saturday, December 22nd for Cory Kendrix’s Ignorance 2 album release