Over the past five years, Broncho has ridden its love of ’70s Punk and ’80s Indie Rock to a press kit full of praise and the kind of fairly high-profile song placements that couldn’t help but broaden its loyal fan base.
The Norman, Okla., outfit began in 2010 as a quartet when guitarist/vocalist Ryan Lindsey distributed some of his raw demos among friends to solicit suggestions, resulting in the involvement of guitarist Ben King, bassist Johnathon Ford and drummer Nathan Price. Ford was so enamored of the foursome’s potential that he booked a show without the knowledge of his erstwhile bandmates.
The following year, Broncho unleashed its debut album, Can’t Get Past the Lips, a lo-fi, high-octane air raid drill that approximated the visceral piss shiver of The Stooges, as well as the laconic verve of the Velvet Underground and Jonathan Richman’s Modern Lovers. NPR was moved to cite the album as one of the year’s best, and Broncho spread its grassroots gospel through a relentless tour schedule. Can’t Get Past the Lips got a second life through producer Kevin Augunas, who reissued it on his Fairfax Recordings label in 2013, but he and Broncho parted ways before the completion of a sophomore album.
After a pair of singles, including “It’s On,” which wound up gracing the credits of the third-season premiere episode of HBO’s Girls, Broncho signed with Dine Alone Records and released Just Enough Hip to Be Woman last fall. By that time, Ford had opted out of the band, leaving them to soldier on as a trio.
Broncho’s fortunes have continued to rise, with the first album’s “Try Me Out Sometime” being used in a commercial for HBO’s Now streaming service and “Class Historian” from the new album finding its way into an ad for Kate Hudson’s Fabletic lifestyle brand. The largely enthusiastic reviews for Just Enough Hip to Be Woman have paid dividends in the form of high-visibility bookings, including slots at Austin, Texas’ Fun Fun Fun Fest and the ever-popular Bonnaroo Festival, which the band plays the day before its stop at Fountain Square for the free MidPoint Indie Summer series. So the Broncho members may not be completely well-rested when they blow into town, but they’ll be well-primed.
