we found your new favorite album: III by austin potter, (feat.) the diving horse's own matt thompson — preorder today!

a couple years ago, andy and i drove across donegal, caught a ferry, and ended up in newcastle to watch our friend austin potter play his first show outside of the united states. it was at The Globe. it was wonderful. we drove through the lake district afterward, found old things, laughed a lot, ate at wetherspoons more than once, and i filed it away as one of those trips that just works out.

austin has been making music for a long time, most recently under the name tapes & tubes, but his new record comes out april 24th under his own name. it's called III. it is seven songs and about fourteen minutes and i am not being dramatic when i say it will rearrange something in you. preorder it at austinpotter.bandcamp.com.

we talked to him recently about the record, about philadelphia, about england, and about keeping your chin up in 2026. here's what he had to say.

the diving horse: you've been away from philadelphia for a number of years now. do you miss it? do you think we romanticize the places we've lived and left?

austin: i do miss parts of it. philadelphia has a certain vibe, there was always something happening. but my kids were little when i lived there, and that's what i think about most. it reminds me how precious life is and how quickly it all moves.

you've never been to atlantic city but you're planning to visit soon. what are you expecting?

i haven't, so i don't have any expectations. i'm open to whatever comes my way. i'd love to see the beach and the boardwalk.

(editor's note: we will take care of this.)

the last time we really spent proper time together was after that first show abroad, driving around the lake district. what was it like playing in england for the first time?

mystical, magical, and mysterious. i've really enjoyed my time in england. the lake district is wonderful. the audiences have been attentive and very welcoming to me and my music.

you went back for another round of shows after that. how did the second trip compare?

it was great to see friends again. i played in bristol at The Cube. it was probably the best show i've ever played.

this new album is out under your own name rather than tapes & tubes. is that chapter closed?

yes, tapes & tubes ended. i wanted to use my name and focus more on songwriting rather than production.

the record mixes new songs with some revisited older ones. how did you decide what to go back to?

i revisited a few older songs because they deserved another look. they're some of my favorites. i reworked the arrangements and, in some cases, the lyrics. they've never sounded better.

how was making this record different from what you've done before? and what do you want someone who has never heard your music to know going in?

i brought in some amazing musicians and worked with producer ben price. i found it was best to focus on the songwriting and gathering the right sounds, then let him shape the record. trust the process. i want people to know that this is the greatest record ever made! ;)

last question. how do you keep your chin up in 2026?

it's hard. life is hard. it's best to step outside yourself and serve others in any way you can.

III drops april 24th. preorder it at austinpotter.bandcamp.com.

and if you want something new and cool to listen to while you're at it, check out our newcastle friends TQ Zine, who put on that first show at The Globe. they'll turn you onto some great tunes.