GW Childs IV
Photo: Courtesy GW Childs IV
It is time, once again, for another “Bandcamp Friday.”
This “Bandcamp Friday” marks the final installment of the popular initiative, for now. It’s unclear whether, given the turmoil of Bandcamp’s recent acquisition by Los Angeles-based music marketing company Songtradr, these events will continue into 2024.
If you’re unfamiliar with the initiative, it’s straightforward: To help musicians in the aftermath of the pandemic, Bandcamp selects a day where the company forgoes its revenue share.
This allows the platform to pass on to bands an average of 93 percent of money spent on music and merch. Per Bandcamp, the initiative has, thus far, generated more than $100 million from over a million fans. The next “Bandcamp Friday” is Dec. 1.
To help you prep, we’ve rounded up recent releases from five North Texas acts you might want to hear — and support. (You can also check out our prior “Bandcamp Friday” recommendations here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.)
G.W. Childs IV, Burning Futures
You might recall us gushing about Childs’ previous release, last year’s “country and synth-ern” opus Tarrant County. The self-described “Texan synthpop cowboy” is back with another mind-boggling potpourri of influences on the new EP Burning Futures. (Childs cites pop, dance, “a touch of Bee Gees-esque falsetto, and a hearty dose of vintage Americana.”) What’s here fairly defies description — but it’s almost impossible to ignore.
Wish Kit, Guitars Take Flight
Denton quartet Wish Kit — guitarist-vocalist Fisher Mays, bassist-vocalist Josh Wright, guitarist Riley Cottrell and drummer-percussionist Brock Tacker — make a deliriously engaging racket on this brisk follow-up to last year’s equally dazzling EP Hot Gold. Breezing past in roughly 10 minutes, these four tracks — lead-off tune “Apartment” fairly glows amid the ringing guitars and crashing drums — leave you aching for more.
Stem Afternoon, Seminary Gates
The Fort Worth-based instrumental quartet Stem Afternoon shifts gears with its latest album, Seminary Gates. FTdub, Clint Niosi, Cyrus Haskell and Mykl Garcia embrace what the foursome describes as “experimental space rock,” while applying flourishes of dub and trip-hop. The cumulative impact is pleasingly disorienting — a trippy excursion guided by a group of ace musicians and collaborators.
The Polyphonic Spree, Salvage Enterprise
Dallas-based choral rock collective the Polyphonic Spree is back with original material for the first time in more than a decade on its latest studio effort, Salvage Enterprise. The follow-up to 2013’s Yes It’s True is a gorgeous, cinematic meditation on the power of hope. Spree front man and primary songwriter Tim DeLaughter told KXT of the creative roadblocks he overcame to craft these enthralling songs.
Erick Jaimez, Crunk-ee’s
Dallas producer Erick Jaimez promises “crunk cumbia for 2023” on this 16-track collection — and more than delivers. Crunk-ee’s (the cover of which, yes, is paying … let’s call it homage … to the beloved Buc-ee’s mascot) is ferociously fun, rolling one cut into the next, scarcely leaving a moment to contemplate anything other than how satisfyingly hard every single beat hits here.
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on X (@prestonjones). Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
