August Ponthier’s new album, In every single place Is not Texas, explores their sophisticated relationship with their residence state — about leaving Texas and popping out as queer.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
When you have left the place the place you grew up, your relationship together with your hometown could be sophisticated, which is precisely what August Ponthier sings about.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “EVERYWHERE ISN’T TEXAS”)
AUGUST PONTHIER: (Singing) In every single place is not Texas. It is the one place , however that do not make it residence.
CHANG: Ponthier’s new album is known as “In every single place Is not Texas” – fairly huge clue about the place the singer-songwriter is from. And for this week’s New Music Friday phase, 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, nicely, thanks for being with us. So August Ponthier’s music is new to me. Simply inform us a little bit 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, they usually make this attractive, lush, indie, folks and country-inflected pop. And so they have this new album out at present, “In every single place 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 had been coming into their very own with their gender id. They modified the identify that they are going by publicly, they usually use they/them pronouns now. And that journey of self-discovery is actually 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 every single place Is not Texas” actually speaks to the sensation of loving your property but additionally having to depart it as a result of you possibly can’t be your self there. So it’s extremely bittersweet and really sophisticated.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “BETTY”)
PONTHIER: (Singing) I kinda felt weak about myself again then. It is robust in Texas once you’re hopeless, helpless, totally different. You say…
VOYNOVSKAYA: And so they’ve mentioned the album is equal elements 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 tune on this album that you simply felt particularly captured that?
VOYNOVSKAYA: There is a enjoyable, very catchy tune known 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 after they had been discovering their gender id, and it is about being perceived as a woman and being jealous of good-looking, charming guys which can be getting consideration from women.
(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 people that 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 undoubtedly light-hearted parts on this document, however a lot of it appears so ponderous too.
VOYNOVSKAYA: Completely. There is a tune that hit me very laborious known as “Indignant Man,” and it is about getting older and taking a look at your self within the mirror and seeing elements of kin in your self that may’ve traumatized you or that you simply had a adverse expertise with.
CHANG: Wow.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “ANGRY MAN”)
PONTHIER: (Singing) When you grew up with an indignant man in your own 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 every single place 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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