Jack Anderson

S.L. Houser: “Mirror”

For three quarters of a decade Sara Houser’s been at the front and center of Austin indie pop quartet Löwin and has laid down session vocals and piano for fellow KUTX favorites like Walker Lukens, Golden Dawn Arkestra, Otis Wilkins, Spoon, and A Giant Dog. But despite her prominent role in Löwin and impressive catalogue of contributions, nothing has fully sated the appetite for a songwriter of Houser’s caliber…until now.

Refreshed by a pandemic-long break and revisiting the same joyous spark that her craft invited during adolescence, Sara’s re-emerged under the moniker S.L. Houser. The new solo project finds Houser truly writing for herself for the first time in years, and considering her matured prowess at this point, we can’t help but feel excited for this new chapter. Said chapter kicks off today with S.L. Houser’s debut single, “Mirror”, reflecting lo-fi alt-rock tones of the ’80s and ’90s to champion the power of women in the musical realm.

dreamgoth: “cant wait to die”

Claiming Austin as their local haunt, guitarist-vocalist Marshal Spaulding has built up a repertoire of primarily electronic music under the handle dreamgoth. But as one might expect from the moniker, dreamgoth does indeed dabble with the dark arts of dreampop and shoegaze in their more recent arrangements, soon to be heard on their new EP damien grey.

Dropping July 1st, damien grey digresses a bit from dreamgoth’s typical formulas, venturing into the pop realm with some subtle new wave production elements, but where Depeche Mode “Just Can’t Get Enough”, dreamgoth doles out dreariness on “cant wait to die”!

Sam Pace and the Gilded Grit: “Hot Blood”

Specializing in what they call “soul surrealism”, Sam Pace and the Gilded Grit stir up flavors of blues, rock, funk, and of course, soul into their glowing blend, anchored by the eponymous frontman’s rugged baritone voice. Based right here in Austin, Sam Pace and the Gilded Grit got their start nearly a decade back with their 2012 LP The Feelin’, and following their evolution across 2014’s Rapture and 2018’s Judgment Eve, the matured group is ready to re-introduce themselves in full force with a new self-titled full-length.

Sam Pace and the Gilded Grit drops this Friday and the band celebrates this Saturday at Central Machine Works alongside Aaron Stephens and Nichole Wagner. And since that trademark Texas heat has finally shown up, there’s no better time to let “Hot Blood” keep you cool.

Indoor Creature: “Get Away” (KUTX Pop-Up)

For the past couple weeks you’ve heard plenty about our June 2021 Artist of the Month, Indoor Creature, a jazz-pop beast that’s evolved from a humble duo into a quaint quintet since their 2015 inception. And though Caleb Fleischer (keys/synth/sax/vocals) continues his tenure as Indoor Creature’s chief visionary, the effortless movement of interior specimen across the band’s third LP, Living In Darkness, has to be credited to the clockwork provided by all members.

After releasing Living In Darkness at the tail end of last month (and hosting My KUTX last week), Indoor Creature is set to celebrate their album release this Friday at The Ballroom. But if you’re still a little shaky on going out to live venues at this point in the pandemic timeline, you can still enjoy Indoor Creature in their natural habitat from the comfort of yours with a two-song session that includes both “Get Away” and “American Dream”!

fruit collective: “walk”

Though the restrictions of COVID-19 are cautiously lifting, certain social distancing implementations have proved fruitful for some. For example, before everyone got used to living behind their laptop and collaborating remotely, it wouldn’t have been all that easy to put together a trio whose members live in different metropolitan cities, but that’s exactly what happened with fruit collective.

The Chicago-Austin-Boston three-piece bears seeds of indie, pop, and R&B for their lo-fi harvest, transplanting the berries of the late Mac Miller and contemporary KUTX favorites like Clairo and Anderson .Paak into fruit collective’s fresh sound. We all know Friday is market day, so stock up on fruit collective for the weekend with the group’s gorgeous debut single, “walk”!

TEMPOREX: “New Lane”

Though he’s only in his early twenties, San Diego producer Joseph Flores is wise beyond his years. Under the moniker TEMPOREX, Flores has explored synth-y R&B soundscapes reminiscent of Prince and D’Angelo while approaching lyricism in a pop manner closer to what you’d expect from Paul McCartney. TEMPOREX first teased out a jazz-meets-electronic, Mac DeMarco-inspired sound on 2017’s Care but in the years that’ve since passed, Flores has worked up his A-game and hit a retro-future synth-soaked stride with his sophomore LP, Bowling.

Devoid of any gutter balls, Bowling aligns a whole alley’s worth of styles into a ten-pin package; it’ll make you dance, dig deep into emotions, and have you forgetting your troubles by the end of its final round. Bowling drops tomorrow but today you can check out your shoes early with the record’s latest single, the liquidly hip and stylishly self-aware “New Lane”!

Israel Nash: “Canyonheart” (Social Distancing Pop-Up)

A firm believer in the bucolic lifestyle, Missouri-born Israel Nash champions a contemporary brand of folk-Americana, dubbed “cosmic country”. With a voice that gives Neil Young a run for his money, plus mouth harp and six-string skills to boot, our September 2014 Artist of the Month has an innate ability to transport listeners straight out of city mindset and smack dab into an intergalactic pasture.

The Studio 1A veteran shares the wealth of his latest, Topaz, with a release show this Friday at Empire Control Room. So if your bond to nature could use some re-lashing, take a few minutes to breath in a passionate performance of “Canyonheart”, filmed last May on Nash’s own Dripping Springs property.

Sven Wunder: “Panorama”

Dating back to the heyday of film noir, jazz has always lent itself to an element of mystery. And for Swedish studio hermit Sven Wunder, jazz has allowed him to explore several eclectic satellite genres without relying on any concrete songwriting formulas, be it with the Anatolian rock and European jazz on 2019’s Eastern Flowers or the Pan-Asian elements heard on last year’s Wabi Sabi.

Regardless of where Wunder lands on the jazz spectrum, he’s set to continue the saga this Friday with Natura Morta, a cross-cultural full-length that examines humanity’s ties to nature and chips away at the walls dividing classical chamber orchestras and modern jazz bands at just under a dozen tracks. Natura Morta‘s sprawling sound isn’t the easiest to define on the whole, but there’s a timeless, nationless quality to the record’s latest single that recalls the oddities and fluidities of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, “Panorama”!

Loose Cattle: “Sidewalk Chicken”

Neither New York nor New Orleans are particularly renowned for their unbound livestock, but that could all change with Loose Cattle. With Michael Cerveris and Kimberley Kaye at the core, Loose Cattle first came out of the stable in 2011, and within that decade they’ve evolved from a duo to a quintet, from punk into alt-country, and just within the timeline of COVID, recorded their debut full-length.

Loose Cattle’s got the proverbial bull by the horns with the release of Heavy Lifting last Friday, rambunctious kickin’ out of the barn with its eleven rustic and sweltering originals including an urban twist on a fellow barnyard favorite with “Sidewalk Chicken”!

Hot Mustard: “Jerkwater Strut”

Although everyone’s spice tolerance is a little bit different, I think we can all agree that hot mustard hits a lot harder than the plain old yellow stuff. Enter South Carolina duo Hot Mustard – multimedia producer and guitarist Jack Powell and bassist Nick Carusos – whose tangy instrumentals pack golden age funk-soul flavors, hints of ’90s hip-hop, and a taste of true Brooklyn barbecue thanks to Big Brass Beats.

Right around the same time Oktoberfest influences our collective pretzel intake, Hot Mustard is set to serve up a delectable debut, Mother Sauce (out September 3rd), a ten-piece course that’s sure to sate any instrumental cravings. Today Hot Mustard pulls up to the Memorial Day BBQ fashionably late with Mother Sauce‘s first sample, that along with an animated music video that’d make Terry Gilliam giggle, will keep you cool and confident wherever you need to flaunt your “Jerkwater Strut”!

Zero Percent APR: “Free to be Evil”

After a week of inclement weather and thunderstorms keeping us cooped up here in Austin, we can all sort of feel like we’re trapped in a dreary, damp dungeon. But if anyone knows how to keep good company and keep spirits out of the moat, it’s “dungeon folk” duo Zero Percent APR.

Despite their salesman-like, buzzword-imbued, and near un-Googleable name, Zero Percent APR doesn’t need much to sell you on their analog sound, instead basking in the obscurity of lower fidelities. Off the heels of this April’s Halbum and driven less by narrative, more by atmosphere than their Mesopotamian predecessors, Zero Percent APR soon spins their own epic, Gilgamesh II. Get your hands on Gilgamesh II tomorrow, and accept Zero Percent APR’s early offer, “Free to be Evil”!

Giovanni Carnuccio III: “PCHDMT”

Aside from having one of the most exquisitely flamboyant names, Giovanni Carnuccio III packs a truly imaginary vision to the picnic. Based right here in Austin, the drummer-producer’s provided percussion for the likes of Turnpike Troubadours and John Fullbright, even racking up a “Best Americana Album” Grammy nomination for the latter.

But looking past his impressive session work, “Nooch” is also gearing up for the sequel to his 2020 debut solo EP, Spaghetti Western. Bursting through the saloon doors with a full six cylinders plus an extra round, A Matter Of Time challenges the norms set by Ennio Morricone with mouth-watering sonic clarity, modern flourishes that’ll make a gunslinger gawk, and bizarrely beautiful instrumentals like “PCHDMT”, whose psychedelic submersion and pop sensibilities are sure to make your cross-country road trip a bit more exciting!

Ladyfang: “Replay”

When it comes to the arena of glitter rock, it’s all about standing out. Enter keyboardist-vocalist Cara Juan and her compatriots in Ladyfang, whose controlled-but-chaotic pop rock helps the quartet outshine other glittery contenders in the Austin scene. That’s not to say Ladyfang just gnashes styles together; rather they floss in between coexistent genres with the eccentric energy and commanding confidence fit for a Lady.

So before you catch Ladyfang 10pm next Thursday at Far Out Lounge, sink your teeth into the group’s latest single, the driving-yet-ethereal “Replay” that’ll live up to its title in another way with guaranteed repeat listens.

Tee Double: “Go Off”

Having independently released nearly three dozen albums over more than three decades, earned the designation of his own official day (September 30th) in Austin, and remained a founding face of local non-profits Urban Artist Alliance and Music Moves Austin, Terrany Johnson AKA Tee Double is a powerhouse of entrepreneurship, talent, and drive. But in light of Tee Double‘s tremendous output over all the years, these past three have been conspicuously quiet for the rapper-producer, a health-related hiatus that finally came to a close when Johnson received a pancreas and kidney transplant last fall.

Now, back and hellbent on success more than ever before, Tee Double’s just released the thirty-fifth installment to his discography, the aptly-titled Local Transplant LP. Local Transplant boasts a calm, collected, and confident flow from Johnson over mesmerizing, self-produced sample-based beats that recall the crate-digging days of the ’90s, particularly on “Go Off”!

Shopgirl: “Killer”

For those that remember the majesty of Austin synth-pop trio Sphynx, you’ll recall that all three members possessed the talent and presence fit for a frontman, even when the energy was apportioned out song-by-song. Well, since Sphynx went the way of the…sphinx…a couple years back, the prospect of pursuing solo projects has become more and more tempting for each player. And just months after singer-guitarist Aaron Miller launched his solo venture Josie Lockhart, keyboardist-vocalist Cory Dennis has ushered his own pop star persona, Shopgirl, into the spotlight.

Where Sphynx sank into streams of ’80s-style retro-pop, Shopgirl splurges on all the accoutrements of modern pop, complete with futuristic vocal processing, emotionally exploratory lyrics, and some slick mastering from Tame Impala engineer Greg Calbi to top it all off. Look out for Shopgirl’s debut album Waves later this year, and treat yourself this New Music Friday to Shopgirl’s first-ever studio single, one that looks back on Sphynx, the glory days, and their quiet conclusion, “Killer”!

Casie Luong: “Last Call”

As a music educator, actress, and budding non-fiction writer, it can be tough to keep up creatively with Austin’s Casie Luong, especially since she somehow always finds time for more. In the midst of penning a family memoir and overseeing operations for Mother Falcon Music Lab, Luong’s managed to connect the dots between Kacey Musgrave’s exquisite melodies and Taylor Swift’s otherworldly pop soundscapes for her first project serving as both engineer and producer, the two-part EP Freed.

Freed Pt 2 comes out tomorrow and precedes the Hero EP, out later this summer, so liberate yourself along with Luong as she lashes raw emotion, unbridled nature, and pure nostalgia together to channel acts like St. Vincent and Sarah Jaffe on incandescent originals like “Last Call”!

Danilo: “All I Want”

Born in Brazil but transplanted into the Live Music Capital early on, singer Danilo Riggs was stunned and won over by Western music, eating up ’80s pop icons like Prince and Michael Jackson before graduating to Jeff Buckley. Going mononymously by Danilo, Riggs has fused the traditional Latin music of his youth with the modern electricity of genre giants like The Weeknd and Bruno Mars for an intoxicating intercontinental sound.

On July 16th Danilo drops his debut EP All I Want, five falsetto-spiced appetizers that give us a taste of Danilo’s dynamics, structured out shower thoughts, and detailed dreams. Danilo performs Saturday July 17th at Far Out Lounge along with our November 2017 Artist of the Month Kalu and the Electric Joint and August 2015 Artist of the Month David Ramirez, so you’re guaranteed some good company in mid-July. Til then you can tide yourself over with the ’60s-psych-tinged title track, “All I Want”!

Ben Brown: “When Fear Disappears”

Having built up his repertoire with pub rock group No Show Ponies as well as post-punk band The Savage Poor, Austin’s Ben Brown has been around the block once or twice. But as was the case with countless others who’ve thrived on the live music scene, Brown got hit hard by COVID and soon found himself cooped up with a head full of feelings.

Rather than be overwhelmed by emotion, Ben Brown un-bottled it all on his upcoming debut full-length Sayonara Sorrow, digging up and out of the depression of quarantine with an impressive artistic undertaking. Sayonara Sorrow covers a lot of ground lyrically and sonically, but may best be enjoyed by Americana enthusiasts in search of sincere introspection, heard abundantly across “When Fear Disappears”!

Balkan Taksim: “Cartes Postales”

Since their first-ever single in 2019, Balkan Taksim has given listeners unequivocal access to a fascinating intersection of ethnic music. Multi-instrumentalist Sașa-Liviu Stoianovici and producer Alin Zăbrăuțeanu dive into a variety of Southeastern European sounds, tethering ancient to contemporary for Balkan Taksim’s timeless blend.

This Friday Balkan Taksim releases their debut full-length Disko Telegraf, a baker’s dozen of exotic, emotional originals that put the duo on the map with weirdo psych sounds and chest-pounding grooves like “Cartes Postales”!

Sunny Jain: “Heroes”

After thirteen years on the road at the front of his global dance group Red Baraat, percussionist-songwriter Sunny Jain was especially affected by the constrictions of COVID. But, ever the optimist, Jain began sifting through his rolodex and soon formed a half-hundred intercontinental collective willing to help out in the writing and recording process of a new project.

Well, today, after countless hours of remote collaboration, Sunny Jain released the aptly titled Phoenix Rise LP, re-assembling the infectious energy of Red Baraat with the idiosyncrasies of his newfound team players, complete with music videos and even a 22-recipe vegan cookbook. Sunny Jain and company glisten throughout the album, effortlessly blending genres like jazz and hip-hop underneath striking vocal performances, as heard on one of Phoenix Rise‘s lead singles “Heroes”!