Shows like this are increasingly few and far between.
Giddy, saccharine guitar sounds whirled – for free – beneath the Long Island Interstate, a virtually hidden patch of concrete that took two trains, a bus, and plugging seven-decimal coordinates into Google Maps to find. Cars droned overhead and graffitied skate ramps turned into makeshift seating. Nostalgia whirred so strongly it’s as if it were the pre-internet age: fanzines and cassette tapes abounded.
Whether it be in New York or Austin, the modern moment in DIY is power-pop, Touch Girl Apple Blossom will tell you, and the crowd, eyes wide and hair-twirling, can confirm.
In anticipation of their debut album, local pop quartet Touch Girl Apple Blossom traveled east to play the Bread and Roses Fest in New York on Sept. 26. The weekend pulled acts from DIY scenes all over, including New York-via-Chicago trio Horsegirl, Midwest janglers Good Flying Birds, and Austin-based Heartknit.
“I was a girl, now an animal/ Crying on the sidewalk for the neighbors to see,” singer-guitarist Olivia Garner belted, barely perceptible on “Sidewalk,” the first TGAB track released in 2023. Garner’s earnest lines coat sugary guitar riffs that could only glean from an aged, eased heartbreak: “It’s not like you/ To do this to me/ You didn’t come to my party,” she repeated, looking back at her bandmates – guitarist John Morales, bassist Dustin Pilkington, and drummer Daniel Powell – jumping around.
The fest was organized in part by Donna Allen, a member of Chronophage, whose once-Austin-based band also played.
“The fest was meant to question the idea of affinity. Like, ‘indie’ is sort of a useless label, so what is the use of grouping a bunch of bands that don’t necessarily sound the same or subscribe to the same pseudo-marginalized subculture? The answer, obviously, is political solidarity,” Allen said.
Garner already knew this New York scene well – it seemed as though nearly everyone who walked in knew her, perhaps in part because she attended the School of Visual Arts post-high school and played in New York power-pop group Hotline TNT before founding TGAB. But since relocating to Austin, where she also bartends at Tweedy’s, Garner has found home in a more intimate, collaborative music scene.
“Austin is in a renaissance,” she told the Chronicle, minutes before the set. “In New York, I simply didn’t know kids my age who were into my kind of music. But when I moved to Austin, everyone was 18, making tapes and zines and starting bands – it was super inspiring. There are so many opportunities there.
“We’ve played with our idols multiple times, and that type of thing can only happen for an up-and-coming band in Austin. In New York, the small indie-pop band isn’t going to be opening for their heroes.” (Touch Girl opened for twee-pop pioneers Heavenly last year after releasing their debut, untitled EP in 2023.)
EP is an introduction to both TGAB and their orbit of inspirations. On the four-song collection, released under Summer Shade Label, Blank Hellscape’s Max Deems brought an analog, pop-art vision of the band to life with lo-fi, scrappy guitars and simple lines that aren’t so twee that they can’t still punch through the distortion pedal.
Originally formed by Garner and Molares, Touch Girl derives partial inspiration from K-Recs and Sarah Records bands, experimenting with jangle-pop, catchy hooks, and unfeigned romance. Still, they remind us, it’s more hardened pop – where the rat pedal is turned up.
The upcoming TGAB album, recorded on reel-to-reel tape, showcases a more expansive sound. With drum samples, organ, cello, double bass, and acoustic guitar added to the arrangement, the harmonies stray slightly left, and unlike before, where Garner was the primary vocalist and songwriter, nearly every TGAB member sings and writes.
“The EP, for me at least, is about me trying to understand what twee is, and still not really doing it and doing what I do,” said Powell, who also plays in Austin post-punk band Guiding Light with Morales.
Pilkington contributes a few simple love songs, including one with a bit more ache called “Moon Was Gone.”
“I wrote that track about how dramatic it feels to go through a breakup,” Pilkington said. “Nothing goes right after a breakup. It’s sort of tongue-in-cheek – I can’t really explain it without playing it.”
The biggest hill ahead of TGAB is timing. Though they’ve already recorded the entire LP and could self-release, they’re still looking for someone to help put out a physical release.
“Recording the Touch Girl seven-inch was my first real experience recording music,” Garner added. “I had a lot of experiences that shaped how I feel about being a musician, and a lot of the songs are about realizing my dreams and what I want. It’s a coming-of-age album.”
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article misspelled John Morales’ name. The Chronicle regrets the error.