And for most people, they were. Which is why their song, “Abacus Kids“, taken from their first and only record The Glass Masses, was such a perfect allegory in the beginning hours of the festival. Though threaded with lyrics that probably won’t be coddled by any fellow aspiring wee post-rockers anytime soon – “how they all felt it, felt it inside/didn’t need any kind of sign” – the off-kilter harmonies and glistening keys the four-piece put behind the song gave it some take-no-prisoner character, which they then swelled with a marching drum-line into the angsty pay-off refrain, “It won’t be long to see ’em coming up, they’re coming up.”
When asked to offer a sentiment on how the song, which they wrote about Independence Day, may envelope Austin, guitarist Ben Weyerhaeuser had to say: “[Artists] come to SXSW with a chip on their shoulder, really wanting to prove [themselves] and move as best [they] can forward. It’s easier to feel the emotions of ‘Abacus Kids’ in this setting,” adding with a half-winked call-back – “Kids comin’ up.”
Give ’em hell, duders.