Written and reviewed by Krysta Ayers
APRIL 29, 3Ten—It’s a Tuesday when Kevin Atwater plays to an admiring crowd in Austin’s 3Ten venue. Seriously, it’s an admiring crowd—fans have made him pink, bedazzled cowboy hats, or have brought things for him to sign. And, even though it’s a Tuesday, people have come to hear his songs. Unfortunately, the garage doors at the end of the venue are open to the streets of downtown Austin, and Kevin is soon in competition with the sounds of passersby, Bachelorette parties, and sirens.
Kevin Atwater’s music can be (simply) defined as sad-boy music. He is the younger, gayer, and male version of Lana Del Ray. His lyrics were not designed to be remixed for a club edit; they are serious and auto-biographical. And despite the serious subjects of his songs, he was committed to being humorous on stage. “Timon and Pumbaa, you can’t tell me they’re not gay dads,” he said between songs, standing sandwiched between his bass player and other guitarist. At another point, he shouts out the UT gays and asks the crowd if we’ve ever heard of Grindr.
His charisma is amplified by his talent and his good-natured ease on stage. When he launches into a new song, it’s only after he’s given us some background, or some inkling of his past. Before playing “Jailer” he says it’s a song about why he’ll never hook up in a car again and get caught by cops. Before “Call of Duty” he shares a personal story about gun violence, and the young crowd falls into a hush, presumably understanding the feeling all too well.
The singer/songwriter sings softly into the mic against the backdrop of melodic, lullaby strings. His voice executes the low registers and builds for the high notes—it’s emotive but soft, and the crowd leaned in to catch every word (and maybe because the siren’s outside were becoming more persistent).
“Achilles,” the titular song off their debut album, marks the end of the official set—a song that plays up the higher register in Atwater’s voice beautifully. We get his 2022 single, “Star Tripping,” for his encore. Sonically, it’s the most upbeat song of the set. In contrast with the lyrics, it works to make the crowd move and sway and nod their heads. And though it’s a love song with no happy ending, it has been established as a fan-favorite and the right song to leave the crowd with.
The New York-based band is touring their debut album, Achilles, and based on the crowd reactions, they will need to schedule another round soon. The tour will hit NYC on May 6 before its final show in Boston, Mas. on March 8. And if you’ve got airline miles you’re willing to spend, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go catch a Kevin Atwater show.