Straight Out of SXSW

This “exceptionally energetic” Austin, Texas-based indie-rock five-piece identifies itself as “melodic, loud and fun,” says singer/songwriter/guitarist Taylor Muse. “We practice a lot, so we’re pretty tight.” Quiet Company was originally the name of Muse’s solo project in high school—he lifted the moniker from an insurance commercial—and this iteration of musicians came to the band via various Craigslist ads. Quiet Company’s 2013 release A Dead Man on My Back: Shine Honesty Revisited is a remake of their first record. While the songwriting and arrangements mostly stayed the same, “You can hear more maturity in the performances on the new one,” Muse says, adding that his creative process is probably stimulated by his “wife and child, comic books, Kurt Vonnegut and cartoons.” He’s unsure if growing up in East Texas, which he describes as “more Southern in culture” than Austin, influenced his songwriting, but Muse says that it did affect him personally. After winning Rock Band of the Year at this year’s SXSW festival—where they performed their first show in 2006—the group is preparing to put out their new full-length, Transgressor, produced by Matt Noveskey (Blue October) and mixed by Tim Palmer (U2, Pearl Jam, The Cure). “I’m looking forward to releasing our record and playing live with the new lineup,” says Muse. “I think we have reason to be optimistic about 2014.”