Pataphysics

Pataphysics

Pataphysics are the home recording project of Mr. Pat Healy. Pat has been an incredible force in the Austin, TX New Wave/Zolo/Punk scene for over 20 years, now. Since the late-90s, Pat has made recordings under the name Pat A. Physics, he writes songs on the daily, filling up cassette tapes with the wealth of melodies and lyrical topics in his mind. Song topics range from love, to anger, to babies, to snacks, to everyday weirdness, to the sometimes sad and scary. His music covers the breadth of the human experience and mind, even those parts we'd sometimes rather forget. Pat manages to make us laugh at it all and come to love this grand life of ours just a little bit more in the process.

In the late-1990s (Summer 1999?), Pat formed his first band, the Oblong Boys. Their psychedelic New Wave freakout sets entailed wild geometric costumes, a violin, and lots of 50s theme song cover tunes. From what footage we have on YouTube, these shows were always a wild party. The Oblong Boys only ever recorded one album, Pizzazarama Universe, in 2002. During the recording of this album, Pat and his bandmate Chad formed the Zom Zoms, a powerhouse of Synth Punk active from 2002-2006. In this time, they released four albums. It would be insane to try and describe these albums here, so just listen to this track Hyper Lenny and the Zom Zoms will make sense. Or maybe they won't.

All while the Zom Zoms were rising in popularity, Pat's home recording project as Pat A. Physics was gaining steam in the Austin scene. So much so, that around the time of the Zom Zoms' breakup, Pat started playing solo shows. In about 2007, Pat formed the first iteration of his band Pataphysics out of the ashes of previous bands. That same year, they recorded their first live? album, Salado Tape. In 2015, they released their 'breakthrough' record, My Phone's About to Die, a behemoth album consisting of both 20 second songs and 5-minute suites, all about the absurdities of modern life. Over the years, Pataphysics have released five official studio albums, two EPs, and countless self-released tapes. They feature a rotating lineup, which has included the likes of SLUGBUG, Each of the Zom Zoms, and Matt LaComette. They also served as Gary Wilson's backing band on his 2015 tour. Now, Pataphysics have a more concrete lineup and show no signs of slowing. Their most recent release Pat Sounds combines decades-old demos with new pieces for perhaps the best representation of Pat's mind yet comitted to wax.

You can find most of their released music at the Pataphysics Bandcamp page.

Official Studio Releases:

  • Salado Tape (2007, Instincto Records) K7
  • Take A Look Out Your Window (2008, Business Deal Records) CD/LP
  • Pam EP (2009, no label) CD
  • Split EP with SLUGBUG (2011, Answering Machine Records) 7"
  • My Phone's About to Die (2015, Pecan Crazy Records) K7
  • Computer Chair EP (2019, First Humans Records) 7"
  • The Future of Synth Rock (2019, Plastic Waffle) CD/LP
  • Pat Sounds (2023, Business Deal Records) LP

Albums as Pat A. Physics:

  • The Lady with the Dog (2002, Instincto Records) K7
  • Instincto Party: Starring Pat A. Physics (2004, Instincto Records) CD

Self-Releases/Unofficial:

(this is by no means a comprehensive list, just what's in my collection and those of a few friends)

  • Team Birthday EP (2003) CD
  • Team Birthday's 2nd album (2005) CD
  • Cassette Series One (2007) K7
  • Pentagonal Tape (2013) K7
  • This is Paul Country (2015) K7
  • Go Away Birds (2016) K7
  • An Inside Job (2020) K7
  • Dojo Boy (2020) CD
  • Pam EP [uncut] (2021) K7
  • This Tape is Not a Golf Ball (2022) K7
  • Demoes and Jamz (2023) K7

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