SEMIWESTERN - A NAME CHANGE AND A NEW SOUND

I'm music magazine, semiwestern, ty bohrnstedt, daniel gonzalez, i never mean what I say, the vliets, spirit goth records,

From national junior tennis rivals to co-creating bandmates, semiwestern is the brainchild of Ty Bohrnstedt and Daniel Gonzalez, two Texas residents with a distinct take on the alternative genre. After competing in cross-country tournaments, Ty and Daniel were reintroduced through a mutual friend in their twenties and bonded over their similar tastes in music, namely, their love for musicians on the frontier of the DIY Ethos. Under their former name, The Vliets (a nod to musician Don Van Vliet), they garnered a fanbase in Austin that has been described as cult-like. After changing their name to semiwestern, their cover of Charli XCX’s “Constant Repeat” was praised by the original song’s producer and they were named the “Best Emerging Rock Band” by The Deli Magazine. Despite their distance, with Ty in Dallas and Daniel in Houston, they exchanged recordings via email and refined their ideas over countless phone calls to create a new titular album under Spirit Goth Records which is set to release on September 13th with two singles, “I Never Mean What I Say” and “Pose,” already available for download.

semiwestern is reminiscent of music by early indie rock artists like Lou Reed and Elliot Smith with the sensibility of post-punk bands like Sonic Youth and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Each song is mood-centric.Lyrics take a back seat in the mix and experimental guitar effects and driving rhythms take the wheel, initiating a trance-like journey through passive emotional states. The universality of the lyrics sung through echo and distortion further the idea that semiwestern is focused on breaching the subconscious not through words but through sound. This makes the album the ideal backing-track for returning to classes or the office, relaxing with friends, or vibing out during an autumn road trip.

I thoroughly enjoyed this return to the shoegaze-style of music that dominated my youth and after deep-diving through the band’s full catalog, I’ve come to understand why they have a cult-like following in Austin. While this album is a clear shift from titles like “God’s Drug” and “Elephant,” which were released under their previous name, I’ve no doubt that semiwestern will fit perfectly into the Texas indie scene and will propel them into a wider audience.

I’m Music Magazine Writer Kayleigh Rongey