Song of the Day

Song of the Day > All Episodes

August 23, 2023

Jane Leo: “Wow”

By: Jack Anderson

A lot of rising acts have made their way into the Austin pop culture lexicon since the pandemic started wrapping up. But one of the most memorable new names actually comes from two familiar favorites joining forces. We’re talking about our March 2023 Artist of the Month Jane Jane Leo, formed by Jane Ellen Bryant and Daniel Leopold using the Sofi Tukker approach to their band handle.

This power pair popped up in the summer of 2021 with their single “Tell Me (I’m on your Mind)”, making a compelling first impression with what’s still their most-spun track to date. After coming out of the gate big and bold, these art rock wonder twins compiled their introductory batch of originals into an eponymous debut full-length this past February. Since then we’ve basically been begging for more from this power duo, and boy did they deliver last week.

On Friday Jane Leo issued us to the kickass opening chapter for their next album with “Wow”. Packing wonky, high-octane energy into two-and-a-half minutes, “Wow” could easily become a companion piece to the chart-topping tunes of Post Malone and Tiesto bearing the same title and near-identical durations. Tomorrow Jane Leo jumps onto their inaugural national tour alongside Cannons, one that”ll swing by Austin on September 20th at Stubb’s and October 6th at ACL Fest. But today the big news is the amazing music video for “Wow” that flew in this morning.

In it Bryant and Leopold heed the call of a conspicuous red hotline, snap on the spandex, and transform into unconventional-yet-competent caped crusaders that give the Justice League a run for their initials. So behold JL’s superhuman abilities of pedestrian protection, fire extinguishing, and…vacuuming? It’s a vibrant divergence from their typical high contrast black-and-white “neon noir” visual brand that’s as playful as it is punchy. On top of that, every shot in this convivial sprint is so much of a treat that you can easily find a friend or five that’ll love it. Who knows? You might just end up recruiting your own set of aural Avengers that uses “Wow” as their anthem to assemble.


Episodes

February 3, 2025

Gus Baldwin & the Sketch: “(She’s Gone) Arigato”

After many years of winning the hearts and ears of Austin music lovers both as a solo artist and as a member of the psych outfit Acid Carousel, Gus Baldwin’s name has been in the mouths of bookers and promoters for years, and more recently, he formed Gus Baldwin & the Sketch. And while it […]

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January 31, 2025

Glassreel: “Myself Included” [PREMIERE]

Winnepeg’s Glassreel is a masterclass on the hard-to-nail trifecta of layers, technique, and breathing space. Nothing is simple, but everything is effortless. Following their 2022 debut Lustre, the group returns with “Myself Instead,” a song that shows the further fine-tuning, cohesion, and boldness the quartet has been building on. While the Belle & Sebastian and […]

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January 30, 2025

Lola Tried: “Degrader”

If Mama tried to steer you right, Lola Tried is here to steer you wrong. So very, very wrong. Known for masterfully blending the emo hooks of teenage Millennial yore with garage and power-pop sensibilities, the group has always been like the adult charcuterie board to pop-punk’s Lunchable. After nearly a decade under those influences, […]

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January 29, 2025

Valley Flower: “Run Buddy”

Rolling into Austin like a quiet, yet alluring fog from the Midwest and Appalachia is Valley Flower, a groovy bluegrass quintet that brilliantly weaves in those regional influences to offer something a little different to the stalwart, homegrown scene here in Austin. And 2024 was very fertile for Valley Flower. They opened for several national […]

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January 28, 2025

Yahtzee Brown: “Take It Back”

I know you’re already fantasizing about your first road trip of 2025, so here’s a new add for that tried and true playlist. Austin’s Yahtzee Brown takes a myriad of inspirations to create his own brand and generation of country-psych, or what I prefer to call Cosmic Country. And while the songs of Townes Van […]

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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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