If the initial impression hadn’t already made it clear from the lead single “Texas,” Font—the Austin outfit to watch—has radically redefined their sound for their sophomore album American Bully XL. While the debut Strange Burden could be loosely placed in the dance-punk realm, I drew a comparison between “Texas” and the gauzy indie-pop of Hovvdy, another Texas act. The arrival of another single now pushes them further into uncharted musical territory.
“Punish Task” surfaces as a noisy, surreal electronic pop cut, an aesthetic I’d label as a blend of post-hyperpop and post-rage rap. Frontman Thom Waddill (Fontman?) describes it as being “about the relationship between dark and light, rage and euphoria. It’s about betrayal and grief and feeling condemned to forever pick at a bleeding scab. The angry dark underside of nostalgia’s fake coin.”
Listen below.
American Bully XL is set for release on 11/13 via Acrophase. Pre-orders are available here.
