Jack Anderson

Jade Bird: “Headstart” (Social Distancing Pop-Up)

For those of you who’ve tracked English songwriter Jade Bird, you’ll know that she’s only gotten better over time. And without taking too much credit, it seems like the singer-guitarist has leveled up once again since her move from London to Austin.

Bird’s in good company with the proverbial ‘bees’ this Spring, given her upcoming (sold out) performance 6:30pm this Saturday at The Long Center along with Nikki Lane and Sir Woman and having heard her two new singles released last year, we can tell that her sophomore LP’s gonna be nothing short of soaring. Jade Bird was kind enough to let Michael Minasi of KUTX’s Multimedia Team drop by to snag a socially-distanced two-song set, kickin’ off with the appropriately-titled “Headstart”!

Lady Heartwing: “Afterglow”

Transformations are rarely one-and-done; at least in the musical realm, artists who shift axes tend to molt over long periods of evolution. Just ask Austin’s Mariclaire Glaeser, who after pivoting from her eponymous MCG to Shy Beast, has taken yet another artistic turn, one that retains the synth pop sensibilities you’d expect from Glaeser, albeit with a persona turned up to eleven.

Glaeser recently premiered her conceptual, color-saturated, anime-influenced alter ego Lady Heartwing, giving Sasha Fierce and Ziggy Stardust a run for their money with Glaeser’s intergalactic sorcery. Lady Heartwing’s teamed up with Austin producer Taylor J. Webb to produce a slew of singles this year, (prefacing a full-length produced by Spoon’s Jim Eno for 2022) including a take on the autonomous night lights in our lives, “Afterglow”!

Niña Dioz: “El Huracán”

We’ve only got one week left of Women’s History Month but still so much ground to cover. And for today’s edition of New Music Friday we’re going south of the border for Latin hip-hop’s leading queer female figure, Mexico rapper Niña Dioz. Beginning with a song placement in Grand Theft Auto V five years back, Dioz has only managed to up the ferocity, collaborations, and club bangers into a stratosphere of sonic quality.

Today Niña Dioz released her latest LP, Amor, Locura y Otros Vicios, a dozen-track package (six old, six new) that has plenty of spice on the solo numbers and a little bit of extra panache on its collaborations, which make up half the record. Amor rumbles and simmers throughout and is guaranteed to make your weekend bounce more than normal with album standouts like “El Huracán”!

Destin Shimer: “Cult Vult”

As is the case with countless musicians over the past century, singer-guitarist Destin Shimer began learning music to play during church. After a bucolic upbringing on farm in Southern Minnesota, Shimer’s family relocated to Shreveport, Louisiana but as soon as Shimer graduated high school, they headed North in search of a progressive atmosphere and any open-mic available, eventually landing in Columbus, Ohio – where they forged their first recordings – before settling down here in Austin.

With the release of their eponymous EP mid-February Destin Shimer’s proven a force to be reckoned with, thanks to their vigorous vocals, intoxicating arrangements, and almost-cavalier song titles, perhaps most distinctly on Destin Shimer’s penultimate original, “cult vult”!

Tele Novella: “Never” [Social Distancing Pop-Up]

The lo-fi psych scene has only been on the up-and-up as time goes by, but when it comes to Austin, nobody does it better than Tele Novella. The retro-Western-pop leather of this duo (and our September 2016 Artist of the Month) has always been a treat, and just last month they shared their first release in six years – the ten-track LP Merlyn Belle.

There’s a trickling of tranquility throughout the record but as is the case with many studio albums, its intimacy pales in comparison to a close-knit live performance. Thankfully for all us Tele Novella mega-fans, Jason and Natalie allowed the KUTX Multimedia Team to stop by their house in Lockhart for a two-song set, including one of Merlyn Belle’s very best, “Never”!

Miss Miranda: “Daniel”

In a world of constant motion, it can be get tricky trying not to get caught up in the rhythm of things when you just want to breath in melody and chords. Thankfully we’ve got artists like Baltimore-born songwriter Miranda Haney who bare it all lyrically but keep their arrangements sparse enough to let listeners soak it all up. After settling here in Austin, Haney subtly shared a collection of quarantine demos, Under My Nose, last September and is now repackaging her blend of finger-picked guitar, storytelling, and folk-infused phrasing under the moniker Miss Miranda.

With its delicate vocal delivery and meditative strumming, Haney’s debut single under the new handle, “Daniel”, is as much a sincere show of force for Miss Miranda as it is a graceful first step.

Carley Bearden: “Just Friends”

Dating back to the genre’s salad days of the ’60s, R&B lyricism has covered basically every microcosm of a romantic relationship…but not so much for the platonic pairs. Enter DFW singer Carley Bearden, who, after taking the past half year off for personal growth, has returned with an absolute knockout of a single.

On “Just Friends” Bearden’s blunt but graceful vocals bounce effortlessly off an indie-pop-R&B infusion (produced by her loyal collaborator Wil Brookhart), and packaged at just under two and a half minutes, your affection for “Just Friends” may grow a bit past a level of acquaintance after repeat spins.

Major Major Major: “Snow Day”

Back in the first half of the 2010s, it was pretty much a given to see indie garage rockers Major Major Major billed on show posters around town…at least once a week. But as is the case with many maturing musicians, Austin’s favorite two-piece with a three-part name decided to put the duo on the back burner in pursuit of separate projects. That was all the way back in 2016.

Now, a hefty half decade later, these Studio 1A veterans have released two tracks recorded right around the same time the band went on hiatus. And though these songs are old-for-them/new-to-us, they both sound fresh enough to have been penned within the past few months. Especially with the icy, inclement weather of February, “Snow Day” sounds right at home in 2021, or, to quote lyricist Adrian Haynes, “this sh*t is good sh*t”!

Maple Glider: “Good Thing”

Throughout this whole pandemic thing, Australia’s been on their game pretty much the whole time…and not just in terms of quarantine conditions. No, we’ve heard some pretty incredible music come from Down Under in the past year, including the ascending songwriter Maple Glider.

Glider began establishing herself in Melbourne at the start of her twenties, eventually co-founding the duo Seavera before relocating to Brighton, U.K., where she cemented some of her most personal compositions under her own name. Now back in Melbourne, Maple Glider seems to be in full swing with her budding career, and having only released her sophomore single (and music video) in the past month, her music has proved be an especially “Good Thing” to keep on your music radar.

Kojaque: “No Hands”

When you think of Irish music your brain might not go straight to hip-hop. But in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day we’re taking a gander at a rapper straight out of Dublin. Going by the name Kojaque, this young up-and-comer’s been building up his reputation as a lyricist thanks to his effortless, in-the-pocket flow, colloquial rhyme style, and choice of cadence over jazz-inspired beats.

Keep an eye on the horizon for Kojaque’s debut album in the near future, teased most recently with his latest single (and music video) that reckons with the loss of Kojaque’s father and puts you into a melancholy state with its moody instrumental, on “No Hands”.

Sun June: “Everything I Had” (KUTX Social Distancing Pop-Up)

Our March 2021 Artist of the Month started dabbling in what they’ve dubbed “regret pop” right around this same time of year in 2018 with their debut single “Young”. Fast forward to 2021, where Sun June‘s decidedly become wiser and more mature in their songwriting over time, culminating most recently with the quintet’s sophomore album, Somewhere.

At just shy of a dozen originals, Somewhere makes for a solid contribution both to the Austin music experience on the whole and to the still-dawning discography for this five-piece. You definitely won’t regret letting Somewhere transport you from whatever monotonies Tuesday may hold, but in case you need an extra-sensory shove to get you there, sink into Sun June’s three-song social distancing set, which includes Somewhere standout “Everything I Had”!

Marinah: “Superheroína”

We’re officially halfway through Women’s History Month but still have plenty of folks to shine the spotlight on, so let’s continue the celebration with Spanish singer-songwriter Marinah. Marinah ‘La Canillas’ Abad’s become beloved in Barcelona and beyond based off her glory days with Latin Grammy-winners Ojos de Brujos, but since the band called it quits back in 2013, Marinah’s made a memorable name for herself with a promising solo output.

Having already shown a mastery over many contemporary and classic Latin styles with her first two full-lengths, Marinah released her third album, Heroínas, last Friday. And to call it a solo album is almost unfair, considering the number of noticeable collaborators involved. But Heroínas is nonetheless an impressive personal contribution to Women’s History Month from Marinah and her counterparts, who all share the real life superpower of survival in the modern era of oppression, as detailed in empowering tracks like “Superheroína”!

Betty Benedeadly: “Down the Gorge”

If you’ve listened to Austin trio Sheverb, then you’ve already heard some of the talent that co-founder Betty Benedeadly keeps in her saddlebags. Well today Benedeadly invites you to embark on an aural adventure with her solo debut, From the Mesa, three instrumentals tracked in Taos, New Mexico that boast the same braggadocio and psychedelic panache of an Ennio Morricone score.

From the Mesa‘s compact compositions provide both a well-packaged cinematic experience and an instant ticket to the meditative solitude one can only find in the desert, perhaps best imbued on the EP ender, “Down the Gorge”!

CAPYAC: “Best Friend”

Whether you’ve been a big fan of that Disclosure-esque blend of deep house instrumentation with sultry R&B grooves OR you were just a frequent participant in the Austin music scene several years back, you’ve already made acquaintances with CAPYAC.

Fully settled into their relatively-new L.A. home base, Potion and P. Sugz have continued to push the envelope with their lyrical content and production choices, a saga that continues today with a tune that defies the typical pronouns you’d hear in genres dominated by heteronormativity. CAPYAC’s on track to drop another record in 2021, and previews it today with the album’s slinky and seductive sophomore single, whose visual counterpart comes out a week from today, “Best Friend”!

Geoff Bradford: “Texas Psychedelic”

When it comes to chasing your musical aspirations, you can never be too settled down to drop your dreams. That clearly rings true for New York-born singer-multi-instrumentalist Geoff Bradford, who, after sating his international wanderlust, starting a family in Pennsylvania, and having his kids grow up, moved down to Austin. Bradford began performing on bass for a couple local outfits but soon a long-burning desire to write his own songs overtook him, eventually leading to his five-song debut EP, Texas Psychedelic, released in mid-February.

Faithful to its name, Texas Psychedelic totes the pop idiosyncrasies of the Lone Star State while dipping listeners into acid-soaked aesthetics, perhaps best heard on the album’s yacht-rock-adjacent title track!

IKOQWE: “Bulubulu”

In the realms of both hip-hop and electronic, there’s always strength in numbers, even when that number is a mere two. Enter Angola new wave producer Batida and Angola rapper/activist Ikonoklasta, whose shared offbeat, on-tempo energy has made their duo IKOQWE a powerhouse.

Inspired equally by Angolan traditional music as by golden age hip-hop, IKOQWE dropped their debut LP, The Beginning, The Medium, The End and The Infinite, last Friday, combining retro drum programming with striking new sounds, all meshed together across a handful of languages and daring messages. This record is weird as heck but a lot of fun and frankly, just really good; hear for yourself on The Beginning‘s sophomore song, “Bulubulu”!

Purient: “Memories”

Happy International Women’s Day! To celebrate, we’ve got a voracious producer-vocalist to keep on your radar. Melbourne’s Kate Durman just premiered her musical persona Purient, doing so with high ambitions and a killer sense of balance. Purient’s found a middle ground between soft pop vocals and abrasive electronic soundscapes, and she’s set to share it on her upcoming debut EP, Memories.

Featuring three originals and a couple remixes from international artists, Memories is sure to stick in your head well after it drops on March 26th, and to get those mnemonic wheels turning, turn up the bass on the record’s title track (and music video)!

Graham Wilkinson: “Rainbow”

It’s been a whopping five years since Austin songwriter Graham Wilkinson‘s last album, #BecauseOfYou. But instead of letting talent slip away in that half decade out of the studio, Wilkinson’s expanded on his own abilities, taken the rough arrangements and polished them into nearly a dozen fully-fleshed out tracks.

The result is Cuts So Deep, released today and marking a major milestone for Wilkinson’s musicianship. Wilkinson commemorates Cuts So Deep at 8pm tonight via Facebook livestream and performs in-person for a socially-distanced album release show Saturday afternoon at Far Out Lounge. Needless to say the horizon’s looking pretty bright for Wilkinson right now, so let his radiance guide you into the weekend with one of Cuts So Deep‘s strongest singles (and one of several music videos), “Rainbow”!

Zach Person: “Can’t Stop Running”

Just one year after appearing on American Idol (and earning high praise from Keith Urban and Jennifer Lopez), Houston-born songwriter Zach Person made the move to Austin, but in those short four years he’s become a must-hear contributor to the Live Music Capital. Person’s chord skills, both on the six-string and with his voice box, are already bold beyond belief, but we have a feeling this is just the beginning for this budding artist, who’s effortlessly able to navigate between all the alcoves of rock, from indie to blues.

Person shared his self-titled EP last year and follows it up with his eponymous full-length in just under a month. Zach Person drops on April 2nd, coinciding with a socially-distanced release show at Empire Control Room so the momentum’s only going to mount until then. Fortunately for us, Person’s got plenty of goodies to tide us over in the meantime, most recently with the BlackDenim Sessions music video for Zach’s latest track, “Can’t Stop Running”!

Dorio: “Robot Friends”

For many musicians natural, acoustic, and/or analog is the sole way to go. But Austin songwriter-producer Chad Doriocourt couldn’t feel more at home in a room filled with electronic instruments, all with somewhat pre-programmed minds of their own.

Last year Doriocourt made his studio debut under the abbreviated mononym Dorio with Yesterday The Sky Was Blue, and today, almost exactly one year later, his sophomore installation under the abbreviated mononym is finally out! The four tracks on Dorio’s Robot Friends work together like cogs, giving the EP a nice sense of pacing, but there’s no denying that the standout single is the indie-psych-pop album opener and (near) title track, “Robot Friends”!