Song of the Day

When you’re an Austinite, words like Brownout and Superfónicos paint a very clear, distinct picture. Not only in sound, but in community and philosophy. A distillation of this comes from Superfónicos co-founder Jamie Ospina’s debut solo album The Vessel, a collection of songs of resilience, community, and storytelling blending sonic influences from Africa and Latin […] The post Jamie Ospina:...

On Tanika Charles’s new album Reasons To Stay, pain becomes soulful beauty and vulnerability takes center stage. More than five years after her album The Gumption, the Toronto soul singer returns with her most intimate album to date. On Reasons To Stay, she goes deep on her family history in terms of the stages of […] The post Tanika Charles: “Talk to Me Nice” appeared firs...

Old 97’s bassist Murry Hammond grew-up in Boyd, TX, a rural town outside of Ft. Worth whose population reached a staggering 1,400 residents in 2020. Growing up surrounded by wide open spaces is a metaphor for Hammond’s intrepid curiosity of the world, not only geographically, but for the people who populate it. These themes have […] The post Murry Hammond: “Take This Heart And Lock It...

For three decades, Eric Hilton and his groundbreaking electronic duo Thievery Corporation have been household names considered required listening for new electronic fans and general music enthusiasts alike. Their signature downtempo blend of dub, bossa nova, lounge, and club music finds its way in Hilton’s solo work as well. On his new compilation-like album Midnight […] The post Eric Hilton...

L.A. native Sydney Raneé is a tour de force. In the decade she’s been releasing music, her songs have been heard in several Lifetime movies and TV shows, including Tyler Perry’s Sistas, the Dynasty reboot, and MTV’s the Real World. She’s performed at the Daytime Emmys and has even garnered regular airplay in the UK. […] The post Sydney Raneé: “Main Girl” a...

Sometimes we need to revel in the melancholy to understand it and pick ourselves up, and sometimes we have to combat darkness with warm sunshine, finding growth and therapy in a catchy earworm. Such is the case for L.A. producer Jordan Topf AKA Windser, who mulls over and emotes on his mix of sadness and […] The post Windser- “These Days” appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios...

Austin’s Britny Lobas is a pop rock powerhouse. Originally a member of the pop rock group Corbella, Lobas broke out on her own. But her volume of output is the opposite of her volume of talent and vocal power, preserving her song coins like the Four of Pentacles and methodically doling out one banger after […] The post Britny Lobas: “You Can Have It” [PREMIERE] appeared first on...

Austin duo Felt Out (FKA “Emme” for you fellow 2010’s Austin music scenesters) mesmerize and catch audiences off-guard with their signature blend of kitchen-sink alt-pop — no sound or notion is off-the-table, one song can be metallic and the next quite earthy, with maybe a guitar as a shared element. But the infinitely-instrumentalist duo are […] The post Felt Out: &#...

Nashville’s Sophie Allison has been releasing music as Soccer Mommy for almost a decade. Historically her albums are story-based outputs and we, the listener, are invited to have a sit and listen. Her latest album Evergreen however is simply a collection of great songs with some really great little surprises. “Abigail” is about the purple-haired, […] The post Soccer Mommy:...

Songwriter and instrumentalist David Alvarez walks among the echelon of Austin musicians whose personal musical and production diversity has afforded them space in nearly every corner of the city’s music scene. Blackchyl, Sun June, and Dorio make up some of their repertoire, but now Alvarez has turned to focus on their own project, e. artifact. […] The post e. artifact: “Rightly...

Austin’s Cactus Lee could be described as merely a country artist, but to be truly accurate, it’s Texas country. Frontman Kevin Dehan, a lifelong fanatic and student of the Lone Star State’s tenured history of folk and country, has dedicated his music career to being a concrete contributor. In late March, Cactus Lee released their […] The post Cactus Lee: “Rabbit” appeared first...

Atlanta indie rocker Becca Harvey AKA Girlpuppy has been through it, y’all. After getting off the break-up rollercoaster following a four-year relationship, she lays out her journey is an almost epistolary way, intimately detailing her process in a way that feels like she’s soundtracked her diary. But there’s plenty of resilience in her album Sweetness […] The post Girlpuppy: “I Just D...

Despite only releasing music since 2019, Austin indie rock outfit Daily Worker seems to be taking a page from the Robert Pollard and King Gizzard book of prodigious releases. The group, helmed by Cotton Mather guitarist Harold Whit Williams, has released over a dozen album in just six years. Not surprising when you’re not only a musician, […] The post Daily Worker: “Delmar Overload&#82...

Austin duo Pendulum Hearts take over stages with their blend of Western Swing and rockabilly, filled-out by a rotating cast of characters to round out the rhythm section and sprinkle in soloists. The beat of Pendulum Hearts comes from guitarist and vocalist Chase Risinger and fiddle player Tony Perez. They’re sweat-inducing, boot-scooting live shows are […] The post Pendulum Hearts: “C...

UT Austin alums Andy Baxter and Andy Jahnke have been releasing music together as Penny & Sparrow for a decade. Revered for their poetic lyricism and ability to pull off acoustic gems and electronic meditations masterfully on the same album, Penny & Sparrow continue that tradition on their current album Lefty. An ambitious, twenty-song release […] The post Penny & Sparrow: &#8220...

Nashville indie folk artist Melanie MacLaren has garnered praise for her music all across americana outlets. In just three years, she’s released dozens of songs and several EP’s and live tracks. Her warm, effortless vocals tend to be just one of the many patterns running through her tapestry of many orchestrated layers. Not shying away, […] The post Melanie MacLaren: “Get It Back&#8221...

Dayton, Ohio’s M. Ross Perkins has an affinity for blending 60’s British Invasion music with the sounds of American pop standards with just enough of a contemporary veneer to let you know the sound is an homage to the time, not a hint to its release date. His third album What’s the Matter, M Ross? […] The post M. Ross Perkins: “Spiritual Kick” appeared first on KUT & KUTX Stu...

Last year, Monophonics bandleader Kelly Finnigan released his second solo album A Lover Was Born, a stellar study in psychedelic soul extending cleanly from the classic Monophonics sound. A song that didn’t make it onto the album was “Keep Me In Mind,” a smooth soul bop featuring Chicago soul legend Renaldo Domino. While most of […] The post Kelly Finnigan: “Keep Me In Mind” (ft....

Austin psych-rock group Queen Serene was conceived during COVID when former Naked Tungs guitarist Sarah Ronen began writing her own music following the band’s dissolution, but soon realized she preferred creating in a group. Now the group is filled out with Charlie Cassells, Dave Pohly, and co-songwriter Galceran. Queen Serene’s sophomore album 2 feels out […] The post Queen Sere...

Welch trio The Bug Club have been continuing the traditions of garage rock since 2016. Short, punchy songs with humorous lyrics and catchy hooks bulk out the group’s discography, and under the freewheeling rollicking is an understated seriousness to their musicianship. Aside from the wild wall of sound that makes the trio sound like a […] The post The Bug Club: “Better Than Good&...

Austin’s Larry Llodra has fronted a couple of Austin groups including noise rock band UVH. Llodra’s new project Roaring Sun is a hard turn from the hard, fuzzy songs of UVH, opting for a bristly, folk rock sound. The debut album Turn and Wave is melancholic and tender, raw and unflinching. The project was born […] The post Roaring Sun: “View So Blue” appeared first on...

After over fifteen years of making and releasing music, Austin’s David Ramirez considered hanging up his music career, but he rescinded that notion following the outcry from his fans and a prolonged tenure of soul searching. After all, when raw emotion and critical self-reflection are consistent tenants of your music, sometimes that process can feel […] The post David Ramirez: “I Got P...

Austin singer-songwriter Taylor Rae released her debut album Mad Twenties in 2021, a release that led to a 30-week stint on the Americana radio charts and opportunities to hit the road opening for bands like the Head and the Heart and Band of Heathens. After a stretch of playing an average of 200 gigs a […] The post Taylor Rae: “Cologne” appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -...

Earlier this year, Austin’s Kirk Smith released “Julian,” a song about a perpetual miscreant making every bad decision and burning every bridge he crosses. While that version sported a bossa nova shuffle perfect for a dark lounge, he’s now paired with local producer Lars Goransson to remix “Julian” for a new crowd. The remix takes […] The post Kirk Smith: “Julian” [New Moon Remix...

L.A.’s DUCKWRTH has an adept knack for genre-bending around hip-hop, indie, and electronic music, massaging whatever effect he wants to achieve into his mold. His hip, danceable midtempo grooves have landed him the opening spot on two Billie Eilish tours, his music has been in shows like Insecure and Bel Air, and his song “Start […] The post DUCKWRTH: “Toxic Romantic” appeared fi...