Strange Burden

Austin, Texas-based band Font operate on a combination of mystique and high-quality songwriting -- accessible primarily through well-honed local shows more than studio tracks or viral content. Debut album Strange Burden, released in 2024, gave fans something firmer to hold on to, sacrificing none of what made them such a buzzy band in the first place.

Font took root when Beaumont, Texas native Thomas Waddill (vocals/guitar) and Jack Owens (drums), who’d played in dance-oriented cover bands while they were roommates at Davidson College in North Carolina, moved to Austin and started ingratiating themselves into the thriving local scene. Anthony Laurence (guitar/synth) was the next member to join, but the group had only played a pair of shows when COVID-19 lockdowns began; Waddill took the time to shift his writing and performing style entirely, focusing less on lived, confessional lyrics and more on songs that could evolve and shift almost at will -- with his voice serving as less of an anchor to the melody and more as part of the overall sonic landscape.

The revitalized group began playing shows again in 2022 -- adding percussionist Logan Wagner and bassist Roman Parnell -- and developed a reputation for nervy, danceable art-rock sets that recalled Talking Heads' collaborations with Brian Eno. As audiences started to talk about what they were seeing and hearing, Font resisted the urge to act like a usual band would: little was known about their backstory, and only two singles -- 2022’s post-punk-flavored “Sentence I” and 2023’s electronic “It” -- would be released as they focused on live performances, appearing at the Austin City Limits Festival in 2023 as well as sharing bills with acts like Water from Your Eyes, CHAI, and bar italia. Font finally captured the essence of some of their road-tested songs on their debut release Strange Burden in 2024, which included “Sentence I,” “It,” and the catchy single “Hey Kekulé," which was lyrically inspired by a Cormac McCarthy short story. ~ Mike Duquette