Album review: New EP “Tonight” from Austin singer Christine Renner
Austin-based, indie-pop artist Christine Renner teamed up with established music production legend Chris “Frenchie” Smith, delivering an EP, Tonight that transmits a modern-yet-familiar twist on Austin music. The record dropped Friday, November 22 after an EP release show at Mohawk on November 21.
Growing up in Austin, Renner was exposed to the live music scene at a very young age. Having started songwriting, playing guitar and piano from the age of 11, the young musician began formulating an 8-song EP when she was only 12. Her music is largely influenced by classic rock and modern indie-pop. That said, her new EP comes across as a fusion of the two genres, delivered as an ode to 90’s alternative radio. The nostalgia factor plays into this record despite the artist’s relative youth.
Renner’s six-song Tonight EP rings in just shy of 22 minutes and delivers tonal shifts throughout; enough to fit a full-length LP if she has wanted to include more material this go around.
The title track, “Tonight,” is an upbeat and dreamy, euphoria-laden tune with a faint twist of modern country. Numbers such as ‘Let It Rain,” which has a more tonal depth of sound, represent the atmosphere formulated through the rest of the piece as a whole. We covered the single’s release earlier in the year.
“Beautiful Daze” might be the standout track on the EP. It’s extremely catchy and structurally appealing. The song sounds like something one would be pleasantly surprised to hear on pop radio. In fact, several songs on the album share that quality.
“Decency” could have served on any number of 90’s teen soundtracks, while “When Will This All End” conveys a modern guilt and insecurity through melancholy acoustic rhythms, and it is delivered in ballad-like form. The latter is the most revealing number, conveying an authentically-raw and passionate side of the musician.
Altogether, this EP is an enjoyable collection of singles, each of which might cause one to turn up the volume knob a bit. It’s a catchy assemblage of tunes that offer insight through a quirky yet contagious cadence. If this serves as a preview of what’s to come in the future from the aspiring artist, we should all be excited with what Christine Renner has to offer and what this material promises in subsequent recordings.
Christine Renner performs live at The Mohawk, 9 p.m. on Thursday, December 19 in support of Royal Knaves. Tortuga Shades opens the show. Advance tickets are available from The Mohawk website.
Photo courtesy of Christine Renner
