August Ponthier’s new album, All over the place Is not Texas, explores their difficult relationship with their residence state — about leaving Texas and popping out as queer.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
In case you have left the place the place you grew up, your relationship together with your hometown is perhaps difficult, which is precisely what August Ponthier sings about.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “EVERYWHERE ISN’T TEXAS”)
AUGUST PONTHIER: (Singing) All over the place is not Texas. It is the one place , however that do not make it residence.
CHANG: Ponthier’s new album known as “All over the place 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, nicely, 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 often about?
VOYNOVSKAYA: August Ponthier is initially from the Dallas space in Texas, they usually make this attractive, lush, indie, people and country-inflected pop. And so they have this new album out right this moment, “All over the 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 identification. They modified the identify that they are going by publicly, they usually use they/them pronouns now. And that journey of self-discovery is admittedly 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 prime, about residence and what a hometown means to us, what does August say about that on this album?
VOYNOVSKAYA: “All over the place Is not Texas” actually speaks to the sensation of loving your own home but additionally having to depart 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 robust in Texas whenever you’re hopeless, helpless, totally different. You say…
VOYNOVSKAYA: And so they’ve stated 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 track on this album that you simply felt particularly captured that?
VOYNOVSKAYA: There is a enjoyable, very catchy track known as “Good-looking” on there.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “HANDSOME”)
PONTHIER: (Singing) Possibly I’d be good-looking such as you.
VOYNOVSKAYA: August wrote it years in the past once they had been discovering their gender identification, and it is about being perceived as a lady and being jealous of good-looking, charming guys which are 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 people which may not pay attention to their gender identification 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 components on this report, however a lot of it appears so ponderous too.
VOYNOVSKAYA: Completely. There is a track that hit me very exhausting known as “Indignant Man,” and it is about getting older and your self within the mirror and seeing elements of kinfolk in your self which may’ve traumatized you or that you simply had a adverse expertise with.
CHANG: Wow.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “ANGRY MAN”)
PONTHIER: (Singing) In case you grew up with an offended man in your own home on a regular basis, there’s at all times going to be an offended man in your thoughts.
VOYNOVSKAYA: It is darkish, however I feel for listeners which are grappling with their household legacy or the place they arrive from, this album could 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, “All over the place Is not Texas,” is out right this moment. You may hear extra nice new albums on right this moment’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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