Born out of true friendship and a mutual affection for positivity through healthy catharsis, Austin’s Hikes – anchored by the technical, emotive songwriting of Nay Wilkins – writes songs that chant the stories of living fully and honor the love found in tight communities.  After a tumultuous year, shedding a member and nearly ceasing to exist, the original quartet reunited to deliver fierce experimental indie rock, selling out shows and creating an experience to live for. Lilt, the group’s most recent album via Community Records, offers a wealth of laments and triumphs, recounting Wilkins nearly losing his dad, almost losing touch with nature, remembrances of a missing best friend, and on and on. The songs breathe and leap, tied together by the production of Takaaki Mino (of the band Toe) and the group’s self-proclaimed ‘felt-rock’ sound, which combines moments of beautiful dissonance, a DIY aesthetic, and ties to the Emo sounds of years past.

Ruler’s music—hook-heavy, assertive, inspiring—is made for motion. It’s a soundtrack for moving forward, for getting better, in terms of both healing and self-improvement. Built on main man Matt Batey’s lifelong fears, anxieties, addictions and failures, not to mention his preternatural gift for creating instantly classic indie rock, Ruler’s songs follow that old adage by Robert Frost: The best way out is through. And in this case the best way through is with the volume cranked all the way up. No platitudes or love songs here—only raw interior monologue and deep character analysis. For most us, this stuff is hard to confront and even harder to articulate. Batey’s lyrics are pointedly specific—so much so that they’re immediately relatable. And they’re set to soaring tunes that are beautifully, earnestly upbeat. Amid his brilliance and artistry, Batey exposes himself as one of us. That’s his purpose and his gift, spelled out in Ruler’s bold, beautiful songs: Life hurts, but it's great, and that’s it.

“What is best here is the cheery, lived-in feel of their music. It all stands up to repeated listens (15+, at least, in the course of writing this), and sits in line with the overflow of love regularly sent to the group.” - Impose Magazine “As the track crescendos one final time, each instrument remains controlled; this, as it seems, is one of the strongest tools in The Co Founder’s toolbox, in that they have an impeccable ability to remain together and tight, no matter how loud or soft they wish to be.” – Seattle Music Insider “Endearing borderline alt-country moments are overpowered by the grandiose sounds of reverb fueled power chords that fill the room. Over it all sit simplistic, poetic-esq lyrics that are just melodramatic enough to fit the mood.” - The Grey Estates “Over the past year, The Co Founder has gained the attention of music lovers along the West Coast, due to their unique brand of heartfelt, dynamic, pop music….. Phd, the band’s vinyl 7″ follow-up release, illustrates a marked step forward, both in terms of songwriting and production quality. Released via LifeVest Records, phd combines the anthemic arrangements of Manchester Orchestra, with lo-fi washed soundscapes reminiscent of The Radio Dept.” - New Noise Magazine