August Ponthier is stepping into a new era of life and of music. On Friday, the singer-songwriter announced their debut album Everywhere Isn’t Texas with Rolling Stone, describing it as “a coming-of-age album for late bloomers who grew up in a place that didn’t always love them back.”
The record follows their recent coming out as non-binary and years of unapologetically embracing their queer identity. The record is out Feb. 13.
“It’s a collection of songs that tackle topics like gender envy, reconnecting with childhood, escapism, generational trauma, and queer joy, all while processing a complicated relationship with your hometown,” Ponthier tells Rolling Stone. “When I would sit down to write songs, those are the experiences that I wanted to draw from. It’s simple. It’s a record that can be fun, silly, heartbreaking, disarming, and covers a wide range of topics and energies, but it’s a record that is about my life.”
While many of the songs explore the complicated relationship between their upbringing in Texas and their queerness, Ponthier explains that there’s still a lot of joy on the record. “When you’re writing about growing up somewhere as vast, complex, and contradictory as my home state, zeroing in on one mood or one conclusion can’t do it justice,” they say.
Last week, Ponthier announced in an interview with Them that they were changing their name to August. It felt fitting to release this first record under their new name.
“I am more proud of this record than anything I’ve ever made, so for it to be released under my preferred name is surreal. Looking back at the songs, it was such a gender-y album,” Ponthier says. “In some ways, I was putting the pieces of my identity together for myself without being fully aware of what I was doing.”
They add: “This album shows my entire journey of figuring out who I am, like a diary entry written inside a dream, and the grand finale was getting to sign my name at the end. My true name.”
The album cover shows Ponthier in a red cowboy outfit walking into a dive bar, accompanied by a green-skinned alien version of themselves. To launch the album, Ponthier released the single “Betty,” which was co-written with Audrey Hobert, on Friday.
Everywhere Isn’t Texas is a blend of pop, folk, and country sounds, featuring songs they wrote with Amy Allen, Dan Wilson, Ethan Gruska, Wrabel, and other writers. Matthew Neighbor produced most of the project. “I often didn’t feel like I had autonomy or confidence in communicating my vision. But in these years with Matt, I felt supported and confident in all aspects, including playing instruments across the record and experimenting openly with effects and pedals,” they say.
While most of the songs were written in the last two years, some tracks like “Handsome” and “World Famous” date back nearly four years. “The through line between all of them is that they don’t just feel like successful songs, but statements about who I am as a songwriter,” they say.
Everywhere Isn’t Texas Track List
1. “World Famous”
2. “Ribbons and Taxes”
3. “Handsome”
4. “I’m Crying, Are You?”
5. “Everywhere Isn’t Texas”
6. “Betty”
7. “Karaoke Queen”
8. “Angry Man”
9. “Bloodline”
10. “Everywhere Isn’t Texas (Reprise)”
