# 2018 Band to Watch – Austin Indie Rockers Arrows to Fire

- Link: https://indierockcafe.com/2018/04/band-to-watch-austin-arrows-to-fire/
- Published: 2018-04-03T13:12:34-04:00
- Author: Max Hammer

Sailing on the exhilarating wave and fan love of being a 2018 SXSW Official Selection,**
Austin** DIY band **Arrows to Fire** are rising in the alt./indie rock scene.

In fact, last summer their cover of Golden Earring’s “Radar Love,” was selected 
for rotation on Amazon’s Open Road playlist, which of course opened the band up 
to a huge new audience.

It’s not a usual thing for a band to saddle up that quickly into the indie DIY spotlight.
Thousands of bands – many that are good, some that are great (and yet undiscovered–
we feature them all the time) – have been vying for years to get even just a little
slice of that light. Life is fucking unfair.

But here’s a band that deserves it. Their latest album, _Here We Go_, is an alt.
rock lover’s collection of solid, heartfelt, blazing tracks. In addition to the 
title track, there are songs on this album that are made for alternative rock radio
and college radio.

One of the standout tracks that we feel in particular is already queued up for a
hit song, the emotional, slow-burning 90s meets 2010s and gotta-play-that-again 
rocker, “Long Way Down.”

Besides have a killer new album, these guys are doing something even bigger in that
they have made a splash in less than two years, and in the insanely competitive 
town of Austin.

 1. [Long Way Down](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/02-Long-Way-Down.mp3)

And yet when you listen to songs like “Long Way Down,” among others, it’s evident
that Arrows To Fire have thrown down their own sound which is driven by the sheer
power and magnificence of their melodies and the energy and brilliance of the performances
from the guitarist Chris Lavigne, Steve Bernal, drummer Brian Mendes and the impressive
vocal abilities of John Joyo.

Related Post:  5 Indie Bands to Watch, Vol. III - Ballerina Black, Cursed Arrows,
Skylight Avenue, Virginia Leaves, One High Five

No wonder these guys are on the rise. Solid fucking band. Dope album. See them live
if you get the chance.

The band formed in 2016 when Austinite singer-songwriter John Joyo and French-American
composer Chris Lavigne, who share a passion for bands like Foo Fighters, The Black
Keys, Pearl Jam, started writing songs together. Before long, they had a band and
a couple handfuls of good songs.

The album was recorded at the legendary Arlyn Studios (The Strokes, Coldplay, Lucinda
Williams) in Austin and co-produced by Jacob Sciba (Gary Clark, Willie Nelson) and
mastered by Howie Weinberg (The Ramones, Sonic Youth, Metallica, Beastie Boys), 
and it shows.

The band has been performing and selling out shows at legendary venues and festivals
such as Antone’s and Austin City Limits. The band has also had over half of a million
views on YouTube.