Monahans didn’t always flash the pop chops they have now.  Instead, there was a time when the Austin based band labeled themselves Milton Mapes, leaning hard on the kind of musical aesthetic inspired by cowboy boots and Lone Star beer in the process. But in '07, Greg Vanderpool, Roberto Snchez, Britton Beisenherz, and Jim Fredley changed their songwriting process from the old singer-songwriter-with-a-band model to a more collaborative effort. Naturally, a new namesake, and album, Low Pining, soon followed. Now, two years removed from the change, the band is set to release Dim the Aurora (Misra); a collection of tunes that finds the band balancing "anthemic pop gems...with a number of instrumental tracks (including the twenty-plus-minute exploration Terrene) where human ambition and nature collide somewhere in a murky, mysterious spiritual realm." Look for the album when it's released next week. For now, try to keep up with the band's video for "It's Enough To Leave You...". Chicago, NYC, Seattle, San Francisco, and everywhere in between; Monahans leave no stone unturned in this hyper-paced, BAEBLE EXCLUSIVE! - david pitz