Tres Oui - Poised To Flourish (2018)

After the band Literature put out 2014's Chorus on Slumberland Records, lead singer/guitarist Nate Cardaci began to write songs that had similar energy, but required a fresh approach. To complete the songs, he teamed up with long time friend and original Literature member, Steven Garcia. After taking time to focus on their respective projects for a while, the two recruited Literature bassist Seth Whaland, and synth player / Waterloo Records employee Ian Jensen to complete the lineup for Trés Oui, and began playing shows around Austin in early 2016. The addition of drummer Doran Rawlinson on a 12-inch released on Square Of Opposition and Austin Town Hall Records garnered rave reviews and saw the band touring all of the USA, including stops at SXSW and Athens Popfest. On their debut record, Poised To Flourish, the band further defines their brand of stately pop music that wouldn't be out of place on Postcard or Factory Records that doesn't make them a backward-looking nostalgia act. Check out the envelopes of noise that peer out from the corners of ''Song 4 U,'' the King Tubby-dub underlining ''Alex To The Right,'' and the horns that accentuate the ennui of ''One Track'' to hear the band pushing the boundaries of dream pop. This is the rare debut record by a band fully in control of their faculties without losing any of the fire and passion of discovery of being in a new band.