Song of the Day

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April 10, 2024

Faaris: “Taken Not Given”

By: Jack Anderson

As our ever-evolving hip-hop scene steadily expands, so does the representation of nations, cultures, and identities from its contributors. And for some truly refreshing cross-cultural flavors that have made their way into the ATX hip-hop melting pot, look no further than Faaris.

Brought up in a Pakistani household right here in Austin, Faaris brings a perspective not often recognized here in Central Texas. In the short time since he’s been making a name for himself (dating back to just 2021), Faaris has shown a skillful strive for variety, as heard on his 2023 LP Change of Scenery. But his standalone singles are what have propelled Faaris’ collective streaming numbers into the millions.

And this weekend we’re getting what’ll probably turn into another streaming heavyweight. Almost picking up where Britney Spears’ “Toxic” left off (sans mainstream appropriation), “Taken Not Given” puts a more authentic voice over those South Asian strings and Drum and Bass-style beat. Besides being an absolute banger, the lyrical braggadocio of “Taken Not Given” grounds itself in a clarion call for the historically conservative creatives of India and Pakistan to get with a more progressive program. And at just shy of two minutes, “Taken Not Given” begs for several repeat listens, no matter what tribe you call your own.


Episodes

January 15, 2025

Sweet Limb: “Good For You”

Hip-hop, like any genre, can serve many purposes: not only can it grip your soul with stories of regular people trying to make a living in their country that’s been institutionally designed to work against them, but it can also grip your soul in a soft way, with a mantra: a meditation on a promise. […]

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January 14, 2025

Orca Dork: “Sleepy Pilot”

Time to dust off the ol’ Audiosurf game from your college days and get ready for your newest beat-driven meditation. Brother’s Franklin and Graham Pittman are Orca Dork, an Austin-based experimental instrumental duo who have spent the last ten years working on their debut, hip-hop inspired album Experiments With Found Objects. And yes, it can […]

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January 13, 2025

DAYEATER: “Between the Otherside” [PREMIERE]

Who says psych-rock can’t come with badass near rock-opera harmonies? Austin’s DAYEATER certainly doesn’t. And throw in some power pop? Honey we are off to the stratosphere courtesy of an 80s He-Man cartoon-style music video. Jesse Lee fronts the trio, pulling off riffs that give two handed-players a run for their money. Lee’s power on […]

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January 10, 2025

Ley Line: “Agua Do Mar”

The ladies of Ley Line are back, baby, and they’re looking forward to bringing us a string of reunion shows this April. To get us excited, they’ve announced their Live at the Pershing EP (out later this month) and gifted us “Agua Do Mar,” their take on the Brazilian folk song “Memorias do Mar,” an […]

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January 9, 2025

Nilsa No One: “Lucid Dream”

Austin-bred songwriter and guitarist Nilsa grew-up in the throws of the local punk and metal scenes, but Nilsa, like the rest of us, contains multitudes, so she’s brought in rhythm section Jesse Maciack and JJ Pereira to become Nilsa No One, blending the rawness from her nurturing with her haunting vocals and emotive contemplations that […]

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January 8, 2025

Schmiddy: “Nebula” (ft. Andyah)

Austin beatmaker Blake Schmidt has released a string of instrumental mixtapes under the moniker Schmiddy for the last three years, all the while working towards something more comprehensive. Schmiddy’s background in composing for short films in college for grades to composing hip-hop tracks for fun has led him to last Friday: the release of Schmiddy’s debut album Lightning […]

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January 7, 2025

Okonski: “October” [PREMIERE]

Okonski is another beautiful project born from the Durand Jones & Indications house with pianist Steve Okonski at the helm with support from fellow Indications Aaron Frazer and Michael Montgomery on drums and bass. Together the trio takes all of the jazz elements of Durand Jones & the Indications and puts them front and center, […]

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December 20, 2024

Kid_Wy: “See About Me”

Well, well, well…we’ve arrived at the last Song of the Day before our brief winter break. But it’s not just the final feature of 2024; it’s also a poignant conclusion to my regular tenure. Yep, after seven long years and 1,725 of these, it’s time for me to step down from Song of the Day […]

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