Houston Rockers ORION 224 Grow Up and Into Their Sound

Middle school rehearsals, pop-punk covers, and dreams of playing bigger stages aren’t an unusual origin story for a rock band. However, few spend the next decade turning those ambitions into a self-produced sound and a long-awaited Austin headlining show.

For ORION 224, that milestone arrives Saturday at the Far Out Lounge. The performance comes two days after the release of the Houston band’s new double single, “Just Friends” / “Bury Me (In Your Arms),” a pair of tracks the band says best capture how far their songwriting has come. Though the quartet has played Austin before, including a stop during Hot Summer Nights last summer, this visit carries a different weight.

“One of our biggest priorities as a band has been to grow our presence in Austin,” vocalist and rhythm guitarist Cristian Gonzalez says. “Two of our biggest goals are to be official South by Southwest artists, and hopefully … to play ACL.” 

Formed in 2016 by brothers Cristian and Gavin Gonzalez alongside bassist Victor Perez, the band got its start the way many young rock groups do: covering Blink-182 and Green Day songs before writing originals of their own. Guitarist Sean Sticker later rounded out the lineup, and what began as teenage pop-punk gradually expanded into a blend of indie-pop melodies and alternative rock textures. 2024 debut Tank My Hand yielded breakout single “Everything Will Be Okay,” now at 1.6 million streams on Spotify, and a sizable social media following. 

That evolution comes into focus on the heavier “Bury Me (In Your Arms)” and the bright, hook-driven “Just Friends.” Though sonically worlds apart, both songs draw inspiration from watching a close friend navigate a relationship, proving the same story can unfold in different ways. “We wanted to showcase two completely different sides of the band,” Gonzalez says of the tracks. 

The release also marks a behind-the-scenes milestone. After last year’s tour, the band invested their earnings into building a recording studio inside their rehearsal space. Instead of relying on outside producers, Perez – who studied audio engineering in college – took the reins, giving the group complete creative control.

“It opened the box completely with ideas and freedom to do whatever we want, so I’m really excited,” drummer Gavin Gonzalez says.  

That freedom has become increasingly valuable as adulthood has replaced the band’s early days of marathon rehearsals fueled by pizza. Full-time jobs, college classes, recording sessions, social media, and tour logistics now compete for the same hours that music once occupied. Finding time together isn’t as easy as it was during adolescence, but the commitment hasn’t changed.

As the band’s tour takes them from Texas to Los Angeles and New York, the Austin stop represents more than another date on the calendar. It’s a chance to introduce a city they’ve long admired to the next version of ORION 224.

“It’s not a hobby,” Sticker says. “If we could play music forever, that’s always the big dream.”

ORION 224 plays Saturday, July 11, at the Far Out Lounge. 

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