Song of the Day

Song of the Day > All Episodes

March 25, 2025

Julian Neel: “Mermaid of the Rodeo”

By: Taylor Wallace

Austin’s Julian Neel grew-up in Lubbock surrounded at home by the music of artists like Joe Ely and the Flatlanders. Then he spent the last half of the 2010’s on the road with Molly Burch touring the US and Europe. All the while, he was fronting his own band, and he released his debut album Call the Mountain in 2020.

After years of getting his music thirst quenched, Neel filled his cup with the vines of entrepreneurship co-managing the popular Austin wine bar Lolo. But, two cups can be filled at the same time, and Neel has never stopped writing. What musician can?

Neel is back with the heavyweight-studded EP Gallery Show. Members of Chaparelle, Voxtrot and Tele Novella along with members of Weyes Blood, Devandra Banhart, and Tim Heidecker’s bands fill out the record. Neel at the lead takes us through a series of vignettes spanning a motely cast of characters and situations in a small, non-descript Texas town. Each story is given its due time as the EP maintains a leisurely pace, not dallying, but appreciating and exploring.

The characters exist somewhere between the Lynchian and Tarantino spheres, illustrating a place and time that seemingly only perfectly exists within itself, and we’re being treated to a peek inside.


Episodes

July 31, 2026

David Quinn: “Long Time Gone”

Nourishing, gritty, wood-smoked, and road-worn are all words that have been appropriately (and lovingly) used to describe the Americana songwriting of Illinois’s David Quinn. The upcoming album Down & Dirty was written purely for the joy of the game, and boy does it show. Quinn sticks to his compelling and illustrative storytelling with licks and […]

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July 31, 2026

Next of Kin: “Dimestore Jesus”

Austin alt-country sweetheart’s Next of Kin are back with their first new song (and dare I say, bona fide bop) since the release of last year’s Homemaker EP. “Dimestore Jesus” starts fully blossomed with their signature harmonies for a “beautifully honest track about carrying the burden of the savior complex: the tendency to pour everything […]

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July 29, 2026

Alex Hartley: “I Believe”

Austins Alex Hartley’s “I Believe“ was born from one of life’s hardest moments, written after a crisis during his and his wife’s IVF journey. The song reflects the strength it takes to stand beside someone you love through uncertainty, pairing heartfelt lyrics with warm Americana instrumentation that never overshadows the emotion. It’s an honest reminder […]

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July 28, 2026

Quentin: “Peanut Butter Cigarettes” [Live In Studio 1A]

A native Texan with a tri-coastal career spanning Austin, Los Angeles, and New York, Quentin has appeared at major festivals including Austin City Limits Music Festival and SXSW while earning a reputation for fearless live performances and genre-defying songwriting. Dubbed a “genre-hopping hustler” by the Austin Chronicle, they have evolved from their glam-rock roots with […]

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July 27, 2026

Warm Sound: “Better Days”

Austin electronic duo Warm Sound (who you’ve heard on KUTX) are back with “Better Days,” the title track to their upcoming third album out this fall. Lush and groovy, the new song is more ambient than their trip-hop roots, marking a new, more ethereal, meditative sound from the duo, “pairing intricate production with an equally […]

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July 24, 2026

Stalefish: “Superstar”

The new single from Austin’s Stalefish marries two of my favorite things: 90’s indie rock with a story about an underdog, which, admittedly, is really the thesis of 90’s indie rock. “Superstar” is our first taste of the group’s new polished sound (but like a Matador Records sort of polished), and the group says it […]

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July 23, 2026

Ivy Mine: “500 Days”

I hope you get tangled in the tendrils of this next group. Ivy Mine is a diy indie/alternative band based in Austin Texas. This Track off the upcoming album Keep the Chaos Close brings sparkling vocals and snarling guitars

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July 22, 2026

Tvlormvde: “Heat Wave”

Austin-based artist Tvlormvde blends house, pop, and R&B on “Heat Wave,” a standout from the new EP Sometimes on Wednesday. Built around classic house grooves, live instrumentation, and an infectious hook, the track sticks with you long after it’s over. With another Texas summer in full swing, “Heat Wave” is a fitting soundtrack for the […]

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