If you’d predicted in 1982 that in 2026 there would still be a thriving Texas ecosystem connecting Houston post-punks Mydolls to younger locals making damaged, angular guitar music in East Austin bars, it would’ve portended encouragingly for civilization’s future. These headliners were one of Texas’ earliest punk bands, full stop. Their bio and socials still proudly (and truthfully) boast that they were the “road movie band in Paris, Texas.” Their sound was always stranger and more art-damaged, more floating guitars, tribal drums, and abstract poetry than downstroked power chords and leather jackets. Maybe this is why, nearly 50 years later, they still sound modern. – Tim Stegall
