Song of the Day

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March 9, 2023

Hot Mustard: “The End of Time”

By: Jack Anderson

We’ve been talking a lot about our upcoming SXSW Showcase next week at Scholz Garden, with a lineup that’s already got mouths watering. And on top of that, if you’re like me, perusing Scholz’ gasthaus-style menu is guaranteed to put mustard on the mind. But today we’re not talking about Dijon, Bavarian, or the plain yellow kind; instead we’re giving you a scoop of Hot Mustard straight outta Johns Island, South Carolina. Instrumentalist-producers Jack Powell and Nick Carusos have spent much of their 2020s scraping the must out of their jam sessions and bottling the best remain bits into a satisfying spread of retro funk-soul and golden-era hip-hop. Their crunchy, lyric-less high-contrast soundscapes and cinematic chord choices make for an especially transportive tang in Hot Mustard, who served their first full buffet in 2021 with Mother Sauce. But just like a variety flight of increasingly spicy flavors, Hot Mustard is only destined to get hotter, right? For their fittingly-titled follow-up Seconds, Hot Mustard have taken the Until the Quiet Comes-era Flying Lotus route. By opening up their minimalist arrangements to new instruments and more collaborators (such as Antibalas trumpeter Jordan McLean and TV on the Radio trombonist “Smoota” Smith), Hot Mustard has incorporated plenty of new, pungent spices into the mix. Sure, there are fewer explicit references to condiment preferences in the song titles, but the trade-off is much more emotional songwriting over more complex structures. “The End of Time” is a perfect example of that. Inspired by the passing of a beloved canine friend, the addition of singer Alanna Royale, albeit briefly, adds a ton of weight to an already gorgeous track. Bonus points for its music video, which continues Hot Mustard’s brilliantly absurd legacy of collage-based animated visuals. It’s sure to keep you sated ’til Seconds comes out on March 31st.

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January 28, 2025

Yahtzee Brown: “Take It Back”

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January 27, 2025

Skateland: “Postcards” (Recorded Live in Studio 1A)

As Love Austin Music Months enters the home stretch, let’s visit a recent Studio 1A from an old friend. Skateland played our Free Week Show in 2023, and the next month he was our Artist of the Month ahead of his debut EP New Wave Revivial. In the almost two years since, he’s played SXSW […]

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January 24, 2025

Kirk Smith: “Julian”

Kirk Smith has been kicking around Austin and our airwaves for some time, and last Friday he released “Julian.” “Julian” opens with a melancholy, bossa nova shuffle, setting the stage for a worried heart. But it’s not love, it’s sadness for someone you watched from afar decades ago. Lamenting the tale of a John Bender […]

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January 23, 2025

Futon Blonde: “3 Color Flag”

The imagery of rebirth and change in winter might be the only thing you remember from your Robert Frost lesson in English class, so let’s go back to school and compose a short essay on the significance of featuring this song during this season. Just kidding. Austin’s Futon Blonde have spent the last decade making […]

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January 22, 2025

Yes Sir, No Sir: “Spiritus Heist”

Get a preview of this Austin quartet’s sophomore album, out Friday.

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January 21, 2025

Cast of Thousands: “Serpo”

It’s cold, man! I hope you’re hunkered down with your comfort food of choice because this song is serving fireside umami. Austin quintet Cast of Thousands released their EP Useful People earlier this month, and weather like today, where you may be bending your ear a little closer to the radio, calls for a little […]

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January 20, 2025

Geto Gala: “Homerun Derby” (Live In Studio 1A)

We revisit our November 2024 Artist of the Month’s recent Studio 1A session after they received a $10,000 grant at Saturday’s Sonic Guild Ball.

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January 17, 2025

Next of Kin: “Mean Streak”

There’s a slight, but unlikely chance you haven’t been turned-on yet to the Austin country trio Next of Kin, but you’re certainly familiar with the work of its members: Lili Hickman, Madison Baker, and Caelin. As impressive as these three are in their own right, together they are transcendent. It’s not just the gut-stirring, deeply […]

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