Paris Texas is an American alternative hip hop duo founded in Los Angeles, California in 2018 by rapper-producers Louie Pastel and Felix.[1][2] The duo's name is a reference to the 1984 road movie Paris, Texas.[3] Their music has been noted for resembling the work of OutKast, King Krule, and Cities Aviv, among others.[4]
Paris Texas | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Members |
|
History
edit2013–2018: Early years
editLouie Pastel and Felix met during freshman year in community college in 2013 after being introduced through a mutual friend and quickly bonded over their shared love for Florida rapper Robb Banks.[1][5] "I had a French class with this kid Jesus. Funniest dude I ever met in my life. They had been friends already through high school. I told Jesus I made beats. He was rapping and said he has a friend who raps too", Louie retells in an interview.[5] The two experienced great chemistry from the start, and within a few months, they had begun making music together.[6]
2018–2019: Formation and I'll Get My Revenge in Hell
editIn 2018, Louie and Felix officially formed Paris Texas.[3] They put out their debut EP titled I'll Get My Revenge in Hell in October of the same year. It featured six tracks including one interlude and a feature from BBY Kodie.[5]
2021–2022: Rebranding, Boy Anonymous, and Red Hand Akimbo
editIn February 2021, Paris Texas re-emerged on the scene after scraping most of their previous work off of the Internet—the exception being I'll get my revenge in hell, which has remained available on their SoundCloud profile.[5] With the help of their new manager Mike Ahern (who also manages American pop singer Clairo), they started to re-release older tracks and distribute them onto streaming services.[7] First out was the single "Heavy Metal" on February 17, which later was followed up by the songs "Situations" and "Force of Habit", which dropped in March and April respectively.[8] These three tracks were soon revealed to be part of their new album, Boy Anonymous, which arrived in May 2021 and was praised by critics for its "unmistakable intensity and energy of intention".[9] In September 2021, they surprised fans by releasing yet another single, "Girls like drugs".[10] Red Hand Akimbo arrived merely two weeks later, on October 6, without any notice beforehand.[11]
On July 8, 2022, the group released the standalone single "Cyanide" featuring Cryogeyser.[12]
2023: Mid Air
editOn March 30, 2023, Paris Texas released "Panic!!!" their first release of 2023.[13] On May 12, they followed up with "Bullet Man", alongside a corresponding music video.[14] On June 16, they released the single "Everybody’s Safe Until...". At the same time, they announced their debut studio album Mid Air, along with its release date of July 21.[15] On July 18, three days prior to the release of Mid Air, the final single, "DnD" featuring Kenny Mason, was released.[15]
On January 12, 2024, the group reunited with Kenny Mason on the Billy Lemos-produced "Big Bank", the first single off of the Pigeons and Planes compilation album See You Next Year 2. The track was recorded at Rick Rubin's Shangri-La Studio in Malibu.[16] On March 28, the duo appeared on "So Long", a single by Bien Et Toi from his EP A London Safari II, released on May 3.[17][18]
Chromakopia Tour
editOn October 22, 2024, the group was announced to be accompanying Tyler the Creator on the 2025 tour for his upcoming album Chromakopia along with Lil Yachty. They will act as opening support on all concerts, while Lil Yachty will act as direct support on most, but not all, concerts.[19]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Mid Air |
|
Mixtapes
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Boy Anonymous |
|
EPs
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| I'll Get My Revenge in Hell |
|
| Red Hand Akimbo |
|
Singles
edit| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Heavy Metal" | 2021 | Boy Anonymous |
| "Situations" | ||
| "Force of Habit" | ||
| "Girls Like Drugs" | Red Hand Akimbo | |
| "Cyanide" (featuring Cryogeyser) | 2022 | Non-album single |
| "Panic!!!" | 2023 | Mid Air |
| "Bullet Man" | ||
| "Everybody's Safe Until" | ||
| "DnD" (featuring Kenny Mason) | ||
| "Big Bank" (featuring Billy Lemos) | 2024 | Non-album single |
| "So Long" |
Guest appearances
edit| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Hooper" | 2022 | Kenny Beats, Nick Lee, Cory Henry | Louie |
| "Hot Hand" | Kenny Beats, Oliver Johnson, Cory Henry, Daryl Johns | ||
| "ETA2" | 2023 | Yeek | Non-album single |
| "Whipcream" | Ralphie Choo | Supernova |
References
edit- ^ a b Zanes, Anna (2021-05-19). "LA rap duo Paris Texas on success, pseudonyms, and the enduring appeal of Tumblr". Document Journal. Archived from the original on 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
- ^ Williams, Sophie (2023-07-20). "Paris Texas – 'Mid Air' review: thrilling debut from rap's most intriguing duo". NME. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
- ^ a b Gorton, Thomas (2021-06-15). "Paris Texas, the Slacker Rap Duo Behind One of 2021's Defining Albums". AnOther Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-06-19. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
- ^ Darville, Jordan (2021-04-14). "Paris Texas share new song/video "FORCE OF HABIT"". The FADER. Archived from the original on 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ a b c d Corrigan, Graham (2021-06-03). "Finding Paris Texas". Complex. Archived from the original on 2021-06-03. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ Pilley, Max (2021-05-06). "Paris Texas interview: "It's gonna get wild"". Loud And Quiet. Archived from the original on 2021-05-06. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
- ^ Swash, Olivia (2021-02-18). "LA duo Paris Texas introduce themselves with horrorshow debut "Heavy Metal"". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 2021-02-18. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ Farrell, Margaret (2021-04-14). "Bravado Becomes a Kind of Armor for Paris Texas on Latest Single "Force of Habit"". FLOOD Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-07-25. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ Russell, Scott (2021-05-14). "Paris Texas Pack Possibility into Their Debut Project BOY ANONYMOUS". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-05-15. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ Doria, Matt (2021-09-25). "Listen to Paris Texas' punchy new single 'Girls Like Drugs'". NME. Archived from the original on 2021-09-25. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ Leigh, Nathan (2021-10-22). "Paris Texas Level Up On The Genre-Defying "Red Hand Akimbo"". AFROPUNK. Archived from the original on 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ "Paris Texas' "cyanide" Is a Rap-Rock Banger: Stream". 2022-07-08. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
- ^ "Paris Texas return with "PANIC!!!"". The FADER. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
- ^ "Paris Texas' "Bullet Man" video is a bitterly funny, paranoid gunfight". The FADER. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
- ^ a b "Paris Texas announces new album MID AIR with "Everybody's Safe Until..."". The FADER. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
- ^ mahadevan, tara. "Kenny Mason and Paris Texas Link for "Big Bank," First Single and Video Off Latest Pigeons & Planes Compilation Album 'See You Next Year 2'". Complex. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
- ^ Staff, Notion (2024-04-05). "Firsts with Bien et Toi". Notion. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
- ^ So Long (feat. Paris Texas) by Bien et Toi on Apple Music, 2024-05-03, retrieved 2024-07-09
- ^ https://variety.com/2024/music/news/tyler-the-creator-chromakopia-tour-2025-1236187880/