Asthmatic Kitty is releasing Castanets’ Texas Rose, The Thaw, And The Beasts on September 22. This is the Castanets' fourth album release on Asthmatic Kitty records, which also puts out music by such artists Chris Schlarb and Sufjan Stevens. Contributors to the album include Jason Crane of Rocket from the Crypt, David J of Bauhus, Pall Jenkins of Black Heart Procession, Andy Robillard of Gogogo Airheart, DM Stith, who is also on Asthmatic Kitty, Gabriel Sundy, Chris Cory, Henry Nagle and Suzanna Waiche. It is 38 minutes long, about the right length for a Castanets album. The songwriter behind Castanets, Ray Raposa, likes to present country music that is bleak without the artifice of being otherwise. “Raposa's dark earnestness speaks dust-covered volumes on searching for a place in the sun," writes Michael Williams of the Boston Globe. Castanets tour this summer.

Castanets summer tour dates:

06.30 New York, NY: Central Park Summerstage*
07.03 Chicago, IL: Schuba's%
07.04 Detroit, MI: Garden Bowl
07.05 Bloomington, IN: Russian Recording
07.06 Cleveland, OH: Skylab/The Shelf
07.07 Buffalo, NY: Soundlab
07.08 Boston, MA: Middle East
07.10 New York, NY: Cake Shop
07.11 New York, NY: Silent Barn
07.13 Baltimore, MD: Talking Head
07.14 Charlottesville, VA: Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar
07.15 Chapel Hill, NC: Nightlight
07.16 Charlotte, NC: Mileston
07.17 Knoxville, TN: Pilot Light
07.19 Nashville, TN: The Basement
07.20 Birmingham, AL: The Bottletree
07.23 Houston, TX: Rudyards
07.24 Austin, TX: The Mohawk
07. 25 Lubbock, TX: Bash Riprock
07.27 Phoenix, AZ: Modified Arts
07. 29 San Diego, CA: Casbah
07.30 Los Angeles, CA: Spaceland
07. 31 San Francisco, CA: Hemlock Tavern
08.01 Santa Cruz, CA: Crepe Place
08.0 3 Portland, OR: Worksound

* with Explosions in the Sky, Constantines

% with The Horse's Ha