Song of the Day

Song of the Day > All Episodes

May 1, 2024

Emily Shirley: “Morning Light”

By: Jack Anderson

It’s the classic end to an encounter. You meet someone new. Sparks seemingly fly. You have fun for a night. But when you wake up ready to tell your new boo you’d like to see ’em again…they’re long gone. Hell, and in the modern era, that might all happen on just on an app alone. That’s all to say that in the dating world, whether intentions are casual or not, the one who cares the least holds the most power.

A sad truth for sure, but not exactly news to seasoned songwriters like Emily Shirley. On top of membership in both The Belle Sounds and Sister Golden Hair, Shirley’s solo discography dates back to 2010. Her vocal delivery may seem nonchalant, but between expert breath control (seriously, listen to some of those long tones), pitch perfect pipes, and learned lyricism, there’s obviously a ton of passion imbued in this Austinite. And with passion comes pursuit, right?

Well, it turns out Emily Shirley’s no stranger to the ol’ post-connection cease-and-desist in interaction either. Because you don’t need to be a paranormal investigator to have questions arise over the ghosts in our lives, be it self-doubt or just wanting a sense of closure. And that’s all reflected in Shirley’s brand new bittersweet single “Morning Light”, an amorous phantom of multi-tracked vocal harmonies, spectral electric lead guitar, and an almost-incorporeal arrangement. So before you decide to block contact with your latest fling, really get a handle on how the other side feels with “Morning Light”. And for all those who’ve been on the receiving end, this tune’s a perfect approach to taking heartbreak like a champ.

And don’t forget, Emily Shirley graces the airwaves in a solo set with our buds over at KOOP 91.7FM 3PM this Saturday on The Singer & The Song.


Episodes

October 16, 2024

DAIISTAR: “Velvet Reality” (KUTX Pop-Up at ACL Fest)

It’s always super cool to see our KUTX Artists of the Month get some additional hometown love out at ACL Fest. Off the top of our head, this year we saw Kalu & The Electric Joint, promqueen, Chief Cleopatra, and West 22nd added to the lineup. On top of those, we were stoked to see […]

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October 15, 2024

Chance Peña: “Blackbird” (KUTX Pop-Up at ACL Fest)

For a lot of major artists, ACL Fest is just another tour stop. For up-and-comers, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. But for those who overlap the brackets, the experience falls somewhere in between: somewhat routine, somewhat sentimental. And we’re guessing Chance Peña lands in that final category. Depending on your age demographic, chances are […]

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October 14, 2024

West 22nd: “Road Trip” (KUTX Pop-Up at ACL Fest)

Another ACL is officially in the books, so we’re keeping those fest memories fresh by bringing y’all some more KUTX-clusive pop-up performances straight outta Zilker Park. And nothing says “Austin City Limits” quite like a band whose handle directly references their UT campus origins. Yep, our October 2024 Artist of the Month (powered by PNC […]

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October 11, 2024

flipturn: “Rodeo Clown” (KUTX Pop-Up at ACL Fest)

Between the big Texas sky, the sprawling space of Zilker Park, all the dust that gets kicked up across the festival grounds and cowboy hats abound, ACL Fest sure can feel a bit like a rodeo right here within the city limits. And heading back to the fest, Weekend Two of ACL 2024 certainly won’t […]

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October 10, 2024

The Beaches: “Blame Brett” (KUTX Pop-Up at ACL Fest)

The second Friday of October is upon us, and Austin City Limits Music Fest is about to be in full effect once again. And in the interim that is this Thursday, we got a twofer for ya: a reflection on last weekend and a hint on what to expect for this next one. So although […]

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October 8, 2024

Chaparelle: “Bleeding Hearts” (KUTX Pop-Up at ACL Fest)

Ask anyone about their favorite ACL Fest performance and there’s no telling what answers you’ll get. But we’re willing to wager that if you ask anyone below the age of thirty, “did you catch Chap-“, there’s a good chance your interviewee will enthusiastically finish your question with, “Chappell Roan?! She was awesome!” Yeah, there’s no […]

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October 8, 2024

Mon Rovîa: “crooked the road.” (KUTX Pop-Up at ACL Fest)

When it comes to exposure for international acts here in Austin, you typically think of SXSW. But time and time again, ACL Fest has shown great global flavors, even if the artists in question are quartered stateside. A perfect example? Mon Rovîa. Songwriter Andrew Lowe was lucky enough to escape his moniker’s namesake in the […]

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October 7, 2024

Allwax: “Waves”

Heads up. Because our amazing multi-media team has been collecting so many great pop-up performances at ACL Fest, we’re gonna be sharing some of those with you over the next couple weeks. But before we dive in, we’d be remiss if we didn’t shine the spotlight on a fresh local release, no ACL tie-in necessary. […]

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