Houndmouth

Houndmouth, formed in 2011 in New Albany, Indiana, consists of Matt Myers (guitar, vocals), Katie Toupin (keyboard, vocals), Zak Applby (bass, vocals),  Shane Cody (drums, vocals), and together the four comprise a group of friends that take a rambunctious joyride through traditional Americana and American folk/country rock music. The band is an amalgam of influences of the shared and varying styles that make up the musical ethos of the mid and southern United States. Houndmouth are driven by hootenanny-styled beats, hollering choir-like vocals, and old-fashioned honky-tonk rhythms that are all tied together through their innocent and youthful vigor.

They became a band in the summer of 2011, and after playing locally in Louisville and Indiana, performed at SXSW in March of 2012 in promotion of their homemade self-titled EP. It was there that Geoff Travis, the head of Rough Trade Records, offered a contract. In 2012, the band was named “Band of The Week” by The Guardian, and ever since then, the four have experienced a slow-and-steady rise to success and humble fame; since the release of their debut, From The Hills Below The City, the band has performed on Letterman, Conan, CBS This Morning, and has shared stages with Alabama Shakes, The Head And The Heart, Saint Motel and many others.

With each song, the Indiana band combine tumbledown crooned-out harmonies with slant back-to-basic guitar wails. Their sound is very reminiscent of heavy southern soul, R&B, rock and roll, and creates a contemporary feel that incorporates elements of various American roots. Their songs are instantly gleeful, and set tones with their giddy, empyreal atmosphere that is eerily similar to bands like Tallest Man On Earth, Hurray For The Riff Raff, early Fleet Foxes, and even further into music history, The Allman Brothers Band, and The Eagles. They have a mature palette that ranges from rock and roll to country ballads, and with the release of their second album, Little Neon Limelight, the group is solidified as a newly found classic in Americana rock music, complete with substantial heart, soul, and emotions. »

– Samantha Lopez