Austin Sound

In case you’re like us and checked out last week and happened to avoid the interwebs, you may have missed that White Denim offered up an entire album for free download last Thursday. That’s 12 new songs that the band have thrown out into the world just because they can. These were mostly recorded over the summer as the band fooled around in their trailer with some new directions, though span back into random tapes saved over the course of their career. While they’re certainly not altogether typical of the band’s usual sound, they’re also certainly not just cast-off demos or something. In fact, most bands would kill to be able to put out an album like this. Called Last Day of Summer, there are some pretty great new directions that the now quartet (having added Austin Jenkins into the mix) throw out here, especially the rootsy soul of “If You’re Changing” and the Latin jazzy instrumental “Incaviglia,” and wicked piano and bass romp of “Champ.” If we had to describe the overall character of the album we’d say it’s, well, summery. It’s a bit more mellow and strummy, but still with a few moments of familiar White Denim bursts. The band is currently working on their proper third full-length, and is getting ready to head out on tour next month - starting with a date at Antone’s on October 16 where we’ll hopefully get to see some of these songs incorporated into the set. But touring means that the band is also in need of money (gas won’t just siphon itself, people!), so they will also be selling hand-packaged (heh, “hand-package” - and yes, we’re twelve) copies of the cd at shows. So sure, you can download the album for free here, but you know you want that limited edition physical copy on your shelf, so plan on picking yours up and helping the band out at Antone’s on the 16th.

Apparently White Denim thinks that “I Start to Run” is such a damn good song, it needed two videos! Or maybe they felt their original one too “British”? Either way, as the trio (finally) embarks on their quest to win over their home country with the US release of Fits, they decided to make another video for “I Start to Run,” this time taking over the ACL studios to make some kind of late night infomercial for the paranoid. Instead of selling tin foil hats though, looks like they’d do better to be passing out some Ritalin. Or some complexion cream for poor bassist Steve Terebecki - looking a little wane there, dude! The new video was directed by locals Andy Cope and Eric Hueber and features some local scene kids jumping for their moment in the spotlight. We’re actually surprised they didn’t get a bigger turnout of dancers - we thought these guys were the shit about town! Guess nobody wants to be an extra these days. Hopefully the turnout for their current US tour is going a bit better, and we’re especially interested to hear how that show in Philly at some place called the Kung Fu Necktie went down. Are we really running that low on club names, guys?

There has always been something exciting and dangerous about the bull-in-the-glass-house style of spazz rock espoused by groups like Austin’s White Denim. While there is something to be said for order and structure, journeying to new rhythmic grounds is far more fun, especially in a live setting. The trick is to remember the way back home, and with the local trio’s new full-length and first album to receive a proper US release, Fits, it becomes patently obvious that the group didn’t bring a compass.

Now we suppose we can finally stop bemoaning the fact that White Denim gets better treatment in Europe than they do stateside. According to Gorilla vs. Bear, who is always on top of all thing White Denim, White Denim has signed a deal with Downtown Records, and though there doesn’t seem to be an official announcement anywhere or any details on how many albums they’ve signed up for, the label will be releasing the local trio’s sophomore album, Fits, in October. Downtown seems like a great fit for the band, the label boasting an impressively eclectic lineup of big names like Santigold, Justice, Mos Def, Art Brut, and Eagles of Death Metal. So kudos to the Denim boys - hopefully this will be the beginning of good things to come for them.

Why is it that White Denim can create such incredibly awesome music, and equally fantastic videos, and get the attention and support they deserve from the Brits, but no love stateside? This is a question we’ve been asking for a while, but at least the local trio has some good backing overseas. They will be releasing their sophomore effort, Fits on Full Time Hobby next week, and have just delivered this crazy Tom Haines directed video for lead single, “I Start to Run” (via Gorilla Vs. Bear). This is some freaky Mad Max stuff, as Steve Terebecki trades his killer bass for a shotgun to rescue his fellow bandmates. And there’s running. Lots of running. And some fairy/angel woman. And bad teeth. White Denim will be heading over to the UK shores next week in support of the album, and don’t currently have any local dates planned for when they return in July. Hopefully they’ll at least come back with some imports of the album, or you can order it yourself from Full Time Hobby. Video after the jump:

White Denim is straight up trippin’! We were thrilled and impressed when the trio took their explosive bluesy funk onslaught and layered in the intricate movements without losing the energy on last year’s Exposion album, and we’re equally excited that they continue to push themselves in new directions. The basic elements that have made them one of Austin’s most loved young bands are still there on “Mirrored and Reversed,” but the song is swallowed in reverb and psych-bends. The song is off of their upcoming UK release, Fits, which drops in June on Full Time Hobby and is supposedly getting a US release later in the year. What’s up with stateside getting the sloppy seconds? Somebody in the States needs to give these boys a deal. Check out the new song below!

For a band that has already conquered the Austin music scene like a frenzied Cortés-with-a-smile, it may seem superfluous to name an album “Exposion”. In no short supply of prior popularity, White Denim is guaranteed to capture at least an ear or two with its first full-length album. Indeed, it’s amazing this group got so far without having a full-length up to this point, but their success rests on one key fact: by melody if possible, by force if necessary, White Denim compels the listener to have fun.

In their latest release, currently available only in digital format, Denim has crafted 11 meandering, spastic glimpses into an alternate universe where, villain or hero, everyone taps a toe and snaps a finger in time.

Somehow White Denim wrecking through a junkyard just seems appropriate. Let’s call it White Trash Denim! With the recent digital release of their stateside debut LP Exposion, the unruly trio has put out this awesome video for “Shake Shake Shake.” Directed by Tom Haines, the video was shot in a junkyard in South London, proving that America has more in common with our once British overlords than we thought. Check it out, along with another treat, below.

As if Transmission Entertainment doesn’t already have enough on their plate, what with the little party in Waterloo Park known as Fun Fun Fun Fest coming up on November 8 and 9, as well as expanding their booking throughout downtown, they are now set to release White Denim’s debut LP on November 3. The setup, which the Chronicle reported earlier this year, will be Transmission’s first foray into the record biz, though at least back in February, they were insisting they were not trying to be a label. White Denim’s album will be called Exposion (awesome!) and you can download “Sitting,” which will be on the new album, below. Pretty amazing, though definitely not what we were expecting!

White Denim is preparing to launch into the European market with the their upcoming UK EP on label Full Time Hobby, which also just recently signed Austinite Micah P. Hinson. White Denim’s upcoming EP will be called called Workout Holiday and be released overseas on June 24. We gleaned from Gorilla vs. Bear that you can apparently pre-order an import for $27 from Amazon.