August Ponthier’s new album, In all places Is not Texas, explores their difficult relationship with their residence state — about leaving Texas and popping out as queer.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
If in case you have left the place the place you grew up, your relationship together with your hometown is likely to be difficult, which is strictly what August Ponthier sings about.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “EVERYWHERE ISN’T TEXAS”)
AUGUST PONTHIER: (Singing) In all places is not Texas. It is the one place you understand, however that do not make it residence.
CHANG: Ponthier’s new album known as “In all places Is not Texas” – fairly massive clue about the place the singer-songwriter is from. And for this week’s New Music Friday section, we’ll hear all about it from Nastia Voynovskaya of member station KQED in San Francisco. Hello, Nastia.
NASTIA VOYNOVSKAYA, BYLINE: Hello, Ailsa. Thanks a lot for having me.
CHANG: Oh, properly, thanks for being with us. So August Ponthier’s music is new to me. Simply inform us a bit of bit about them. What’s their music like? What’s their message normally about?
VOYNOVSKAYA: August Ponthier is initially from the Dallas space in Texas, and so they make this beautiful, lush, indie, people and country-inflected pop. And so they have this new album out at present, “In all places Is not Texas.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “EVERYWHERE ISN’T TEXAS”)
PONTHIER: (Singing) I used to be dressing up as another person so I can shed the pores and skin that weighed me down.
VOYNOVSKAYA: And so they wrote it simply as they have been coming into their very own with their gender id. They modified the identify that they are going by publicly, and so they use they/them pronouns now. And that journey of self-discovery is basically mirrored in August’s actually poignant, actually hard-hitting songwriting that I’ve so loved on this album.
CHANG: And that central theme that we talked about on the high, about residence and what a hometown means to us, what does August say about that on this album?
VOYNOVSKAYA: “In all places Is not Texas” actually speaks to the sensation of loving your own home but in addition having to go away it as a result of you may’t be your self there. So it is very bittersweet and really difficult.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “BETTY”)
PONTHIER: (Singing) I kinda felt weak about myself again then. It is powerful in Texas while you’re hopeless, helpless, completely different. You say…
VOYNOVSKAYA: And so they’ve stated the album is equal components love letter and critique, and the album’s lyrics are very autobiographical and private and particular. However I feel they’re additionally relatable to a wider viewers that is not essentially queer or from the South.
CHANG: Is there a music on this album that you just felt particularly captured that?
VOYNOVSKAYA: There is a enjoyable, very catchy music referred to as “Good-looking” on there.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “HANDSOME”)
PONTHIER: (Singing) Possibly I might be good-looking such as you.
VOYNOVSKAYA: August wrote it years in the past once they have been discovering their gender id, and it is about being perceived as a lady and being jealous of good-looking, charming guys which can be getting consideration from ladies.
(LAUGHTER)
CHANG: Wanting that for themselves.
VOYNOVSKAYA: Completely. And there is a line in there the place they are saying, I do not know if I need to be with you or be you.
CHANG: (Laughter).
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “HANDSOME”)
PONTHIER: (Singing) Good-looking, good-looking boy. The world loves you. Do not know if I wanna be with you or be you. Be you.
VOYNOVSKAYA: I feel that is very relatable to queer of us which may not concentrate on their gender id or sexuality however know that one thing’s up. And I feel that’ll be actually rewarding for younger queer listeners to listen to.
CHANG: Yeah. So there are positively light-hearted parts on this file, however a lot of it appears so ponderous too.
VOYNOVSKAYA: Completely. There is a music that hit me very arduous referred to as “Indignant Man,” and it is about getting older and your self within the mirror and seeing components of kin in your self which may’ve traumatized you or that you just had a adverse expertise with.
CHANG: Wow.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “ANGRY MAN”)
PONTHIER: (Singing) When you grew up with an indignant man in your home on a regular basis, there’s at all times going to be an indignant man in your thoughts.
VOYNOVSKAYA: It is darkish, however I feel for listeners which can be grappling with their household legacy or the place they arrive from, this album may be very cathartic, and I feel it is actually going to hit residence.
CHANG: Hit residence – thanks a lot, Nastia.
VOYNOVSKAYA: Thanks, Ailsa.
CHANG: That was Nastia Voynovskaya of member station KQED. And August Ponthier’s new album, “In all places Is not Texas,” is out at present. You possibly can hear extra nice new albums on at present’s episode of New Music Friday from NPR Music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “ANGRY MAN”)
PONTHIER: (Singing) Indignant man in your thoughts.
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