August Ponthier – I’m Crying, Are You?
August Ponthier releases “I’m Crying, Are You?” from their debut album, Everywhere Isn’t Texas out February 13.
“I’m Crying, Are You?” follows the previous singles of “Betty” and “Handsome.”
August Ponthier will release their debut album, Everywhere Isn’t Texas, on February 13th. Across 10 songs that combine pop, rock, folk and country, Ponthier presents a deeply personal coming of age narrative, exploring the trauma of childhood and the meaning of home, all while incorporating their signature whimsy and irreverence. Following the release of lead singles “Handsome,” “Betty,” and “Karaoke Queen,” they now unveil album standout “I’m Crying, Are You?.”
As Vogue has praised, Ponthier has a “flair for making their personal anecdotes feel like a shared experience.” This rings especially true throughout “I’m Crying, Are You?,” which details a breakup where one person walks away unscathed, while the other is devastated. As Ponthier explains, it’s “about the injustice of someone absolutely f**king you up and then happily moving on.” With its trauma-ridden lyrics, and energetic melody, “I’m Crying, Are You?” is for those who feel like they’ve dedicated their energy to not continuing the cycle despite the difficulty of it. Ponthier elaborates, “Sure, this could be an elevated song from a birds’-eye-view about how the good guy always wins, but isn’t it more fun to complain and dance?” The song displays a newfound dynamism in August’s voice, developed while touring with The Japanese House, Bleachers, Maren Morris and more.
Everywhere Isn’t Texas finds Ponthier detailing their complex relationship with the Lone Star State, writing about their coming-of-age experiences with a new degree of depth and vulnerability. Raised in Allen, just outside of Dallas, Ponthier says they “felt othered and uncomfortable” while growing up, “like there was something in me that people couldn’t understand or accept.” Only after moving to New York at 20 years old did Ponthier realize Texas was responsible for “a lot of the good things about who I am.” As Ponthier revisited difficult memories during the writing process, they realized their music was sending them a message they could not ignore. Mere days before the album was to be announced, they publicly came out as nonbinary and changed their name.
The album was largely produced by Matthew Neighbour (Lord Huron) and features co-writes by some of the biggest names in songwriting, including Dan Wilson,Amy Allen, Wrabel, and Ethan Gruska. The pairing of intimate songwriting with cosmic storytelling is one that makes intuitive sense to Ponthier. “Telling big stories, creating characters, and creating worlds is something that I love to do,” they share. “That’s how I got through a lot of the issues that I sing about around family and hometown and growing up: losing myself in horror, sci-fi, and fantasy.”
Ponthier’s greatest hope for Everywhere Isn’t Texas is that the world of the album can provide a similar escape for anyone who feels trapped, whether it’s in a toxic situation or in a state that doesn’t always love them back. “I think the world is so heavy a lot of the time that imagining somewhere completely different with completely different rules that looks totally opposite to where you are is a real relief,” they say. “I really want my music to do that.”
August Ponthier will be performing at Brandi Carlile’s Girl Just Wanna Weekend 7 in Mexico next weekend.
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