Song of the Day

Song of the Day > All Episodes

March 2, 2022

Bruce Hughes: “What’s Inside Your Head”

By: Jack Anderson

For the vast majority of players, you genuinely can’t know how talented they are until you see them perform live. However that’s not the case with Bruce Hughes, who’s been a musical man about town for four decades. Hughes co-founded several Austin groups (including The Resentments – who play 7:30pm each Sunday at Saxon Pub – The Scabs, Ugly Americans, and Poi Dog Pondering), earned the distinction of Austin Music Awards’ “Bass Player of the Year” in both 2008 and 2015, and became the Musical Director for the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013. He’s also no stranger to the road life, having toured alongside Bob Schneider, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Fastball, Sly Curtis, and Jason Mraz.

So with a rap sheet that impressive, you can imagine how good Hughes’ solo stuff is. It’s been four years since he dropped his fifth solo album Christmas Street, but shook off any assumptions of having gone stale with the genre-spanning full-length Late Night Polaroids. True to its name, Late Night Polaroids is packed with sentimentality and nostalgia, not to mention some straight up sexiness. Case in point, one of Late Night Polaroids‘ most seductive snapshots, “What’s Inside Your Head”!


Episodes

October 27, 2026

Devon Gilfillian: “Time” [Live In Studio 1A]

We’ve been hitting that new Devon Gillfilian album Time Will Tell pretty hard this year and for good reason: it’s catchy, soulful, and sometimes downright cinematic. When he came through Studio 1A earlier this month and his touring pianist Jay Blaylock was already poised at our Steinway, our Assistant Program Director Deidre Gott had a […]

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October 22, 2026

Sophie Seng: “Marionette”

Halloween is 9 days away (but who’s counting?) and today’s Song of the Day, “Marionette,” will certainly put you in the mood. Sophie Seng, Austin-based singer and saxophonist, tells the story of the struggle for freedom and its subsequent constraints through the perspective of a marionette puppet. The vivid imagery of a marionette finding its […]

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October 21, 2026

Materializer: “Unwind”

Nashville duo Materializer take listeners on a seven-minute-plus journey with “Unwind,” a heavy, psychedelic track that knows when to pull back and when to hit hard. Built around shifting guitars, hypnotic drones, and melodic vocals, the song moves between brooding tension and explosive riffs without losing its sense of atmosphere.

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October 20, 2026

Chief Cleopatra: “Waves”

Former KUTX Artist of the Month Chief Cleopatra is back with their first single in two years. Following in the footsteps of 2024’s pop-forward “Cold Dancer,” the group continues to toss aside their laurels, instead pushing deeper into more experimental territory in their most collaborative song to date. “Waves” is a pinnacle of art-pop, evoking […]

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October 19, 2026

Late Wife: “Body”

Since we last touched base here with Austin’s Late Wife, the band have been riding that “cream rising to the top” high. They’ve opened for …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, performed at this year’s Tiny Desk Concert tour’s Austin stop, and they’ve been spinning around the KUTX airwaves, all leading-up […]

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October 15, 2026

LeTrainiump: “It’s Already Over”

“It’s Already Over” was inspired by LeTrainiump’s struggle to find his footing in Austin. After feeling like an outsider, his daughter reminded him to let go of the little things and to move forward. That simple moment became the heart of the song: Life moves minute by minute, and sometimes you just have to stop […]

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October 14, 2026

Houndmouth: “Heavy Eyes” [KUTX Live At ACL 2026]

Today’s Song of the Day comes from Indiana’s Houndmouth. “Heavy Eyes” is a rootsy, blues-soaked rocker that reflects on the people you meet and the stories they leave behind, with its easygoing groove and gritty vocals.

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October 13, 2026

Night Tapes: “Easy Time to Be Alive” [KUTX At ACL Fest 2026]

Flutes. Falsetto. Phantasmic. That’s London trio Night Tapes in a nutshell. What began as late night jam sessions between housemates has evolved into hundreds of millions of online streams, journalistic praise, and global festival slots, including the illustrious “get them in the door early” slot at this year’s ACL Fest. Night Tapes brought their ethereal […]

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