Song of the Day

Song of the Day > All Episodes

December 12, 2022

David Shabani: “Holiday Blues”

By: Jack Anderson

It’s the final five features for Song of the Day‘s 2022 season. We’re taking a vacation for a couple weeks, but don’t fret; we’ll be back bright and early next year. Until then we’re hanging some of the very best musical mistletoe of the past months, starting off with Austin’s own David Shabani. Born in Paris and raised in Canada, Shabani’s blessed the Live Music Capital with gripping alternative hip-hop in the vein of Lupe Fiasco, Childish Gambino, Kaytranada, and Kid Cudi. Shabani’s outstanding verbal skills, butter-smooth singing, and brilliant taste in beats have earned him supporting spots for international icons like Ashanti and Trinidad James, local legends Black Joe Lewis and Blackillac, and consistent placement as an airwave heavyweight on our Hip-Hop/R&B specialty show The Breaks. After nearly thirty live appearances since January, Shabani, along with his backing group The Nu Leopards, have had a pretty good year for themselves. Considering Shabani’s motto (“I feel good right now”), being in the moment is a gift available to anyone, anywhere. So even if you’ve got a stocking full of “Holiday Blues”, the sleigh bells, slick instrumentation, and modern Dickensian storytelling of Shabani’s latest single ought to keep your heart warm for the winter.

Episodes

November 20, 2025

Judy Blank: “Cosmic Kids” (ft. SUSTO)

Growing up in the Netherlands, Judy Blank fostered an early love for classic American cinema. She’s married that love with her stamp of DIY-indie eclecticism, sometimes leaning more Americana (something she honed during her brief time as a Nashvillian) and sometimes dreamy indie-pop, but always poetic, seemingly effortless, and marked with that signature Dutch wit and brutal […]

Listen

November 19, 2025

Matthew Payne: “Down In the Valley”

Singer-songwriter Matthew Payne‘s poetic Americana is salt of the Earth, evocative of both his Dripping Springs upbringing and nearly two decades as an English and creative writing teacher here in Austin. And with a stage roster that includes Hole In the Wall, Saxon Pub, and the Cactus Cafe, he truly is Austin Americana timelessness personified. […]

Listen

November 18, 2025

Sweet Limb: “Who’s This”

While one taste may be in the name, the latest from Austin’s Sweet Limb is savory and brimming with umami. Historically, Sweet Limb founder Chris Robinson has performed with a band, but his new EP The Pastel Noise is all him, venturing into more experimental sounds and introspective lyrics, making the new direction more than […]

Listen

November 17, 2025

The Goods: “April Fools”

Oakland underground music veteran Rob Good has been hard at work with his jangly, power pop trio The Goods, blending shimmery British Invasion-style energy with a bit of 90’s indie pop flair to create something simultaneously nostalgic and new. The follow-up to their 2023 debut EP is the full album Don’t Spoil the Fun. The […]

Listen

November 14, 2025

Tess Clare: “Anemoia”

Last time we checked in with L.A.’s Tess Clare, we were talking about wanting more and the restlessness of sitting still for too long. Now, we’re reveling in anemoia, a feeling of nostalgia for a time or place we’ve never experienced ourselves. Like elder Gen Z-ers yearning for that night in 1991 when Nickelodeon premiered […]

Listen

November 13, 2025

Moody Joody: “OOPS!”

Nashville shimmer pop trio Moody Joody are ushering in a new era of music for themselves and heeding he neverending call of “WE WANT MORE ANTHEMS!!” Or…dancethems if you wanna be cute. Lead vocalists Kaitie Forbes and Kayla Hall along with producer Andrew Pacheco have been working with Grammy-winning Scott Harris (Shawn Mendes, Dua Lipa, […]

Listen

November 12, 2025

Born Ruffians: “Athena”

Across three decades, Born Ruffians have been a pivotal part of the Toronto music scene. And in that time, music has changed, artists have come and gone, leaving their various marks, and while many artists look around and see themselves surrounded by new generations and fall back, the Canadian quartet has marched forward, always pushing […]

Listen

November 11, 2025

Vizzconde: “Camaleón”

Up-and-coming Spanish alt pop artist Vizzconde made his debut earlier this year with the instrumental dance single “Portents.” He’s followed that up with “Camaleón,” an upbeat song that draws inspiration from medieval times and his Galician roots. The song begins with a gentle piano intro, but with electronic vocal stylings, a driving beat, and a […]

Listen