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We’ll level with y’all. Between Song of the Day and Austin Music Minute, we here at KUTX try our very best to get everybody caught up on new releases and local shows. But, the human beings in a bustling musical metropolis that we are, stuff does slip through the cracks. And especially for our out-of-state neighbors who don’t have regular shows here in town, a late shoutout’s better than nothing, right?
So it’s not like featuring Daniel Nunnelee dawned on us just now. Naw, for nearly a decade now, this Memphis-born Nashvillian’s carved a unique niche for himself in the highly competitive fields of folk and indie rock. When Nunnelee’s not out and about photosynthesizing new inspirations in nature, he’s reflecting, recording, and opening for the likes of Madi Diaz and Austin’s own Shakey Graves.
Nunnelee’s streaming numbers have always spoken for themselves, but between the viral explosion of early 2022’s “Pick and Choose” and the release of Daniel’s latest June, Baby a couple months back, it’s clear that Daniel’s ascended to a whole new level of accessible artistry. Now Nunnelee is currently committed to rounding out his national tour through the start of November, so here’s hoping that his recent 3Ten performance wasn’t the last time Daniel Nunnelee steps foot in our fair city limits (maybe a SXSW 2025 appearance? Fingers crossed.).
Again, though, we’re all about giving folks the flowers they’ve earned. And with that we gotta revisit June, Baby‘s second of ten tracks “Do You?”. It’s almost impossible not to crack a smile throughout the tune’s tree-climbing, forest-frolicking music video but the effect is just as impassioned on the audio alone, should you skip the visuals. And that’s on behalf of a beyond-bright arrangement and instrumental refrain, Daniel’s effervescent vocals that add textures like a beautiful hue of bark, and the perfectly flawed lyrical pairing of love-drunk wanderlust with reality-weary romance.
