Song of the Day

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January 30, 2025

Lola Tried: “Degrader”

By: Taylor Wallace

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, Lola Tried comes back with “Degrader,” a raw departure from slick hooks and curled-lip lyrics. In fact, the curl has widened into something purely guttural, and the corner of Lauren Burton’s mouth is leaking venom-laced blood. And trust me, she’s not looking for a handkerchief.

This evolution of Lola Tried is as dark in tone as it is clear in direction. They’ve shimmied right over the awkward stage partly due to founding members Burton and Ray Garza bringing Gianni Sarimento and Austin Norman into the fold to fully actualize this new sound. The subject matter of “Degrader” is dark and regrettably relatable. It’s brave and powerful; two things that have always been part of the Lola Tried DNA.


“Degrader” is from Lola Tried’s upcoming EP, out later this year. You can celebrate the song’s release tonight at Chess Club with Stella and the Very Messed and Housewarming.


Episodes

June 6, 2025

West of Rome: “Movement In Your Picture”

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June 5, 2025

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For about a decade, Austin power pop group Magic Rockers of Texas have been certifiable Austin Music Darlings, going through long periods of performing across town, sometimes as often as three times a week. And that’s just meeting demand. On their new album Gorging On American Fair, Magic Rockers serve-up a more decadent version of […]

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June 4, 2025

Miss Guilty: “Not the One”

Wet Hot Austin Summer is here, baby! And while we’re out all over town putting on free shows like The Drop-In and Music Under the Star, we’re here to splash some new tunes onto your summer playlist. Members of Austin punk band Miss Guilty met in a rockabilly project over a decade ago and in […]

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June 2, 2025

Next of Kin: “Jekyll & Hyde” [Live in Studio 1A]

Our April 2025 Artist of the Month was Next of Kin, the country trio, made up of Lili Hickman, Madison Baker, and Caelin bring a breath of fresh country energy to the Austin music scene they’ve been part of individually for years. In that time, the three fell in love with each other’s music, and […]

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May 30, 2025

JR JR: “Back to the Land”

Like the sun finally coming out from the clouds after five days of relentless summer thunderstorms, comes the new album from Detroit indie pop duo JR JR. On Back to the Land, it’s all in the name. After spending time letting their bubbly, direct indie hooks take side stage for some more experimental endeavors, here, […]

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May 28, 2025

Steel Gemini: “Sound and the Fury”

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May 23, 2025

Jamie Ospina: “The Vessel”

When you’re an Austinite, words like Brownout and Superfónicos paint a very clear, distinct picture. Not only in sound, but in community and philosophy. A distillation of this comes from Superfónicos co-founder Jamie Ospina’s debut solo album The Vessel, a collection of songs of resilience, community, and storytelling blending sonic influences from Africa and Latin […]

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May 22, 2025

Tanika Charles: “Talk to Me Nice”

On Tanika Charles’s new album Reasons To Stay, pain becomes soulful beauty and vulnerability takes center stage. More than five years after her album The Gumption, the Toronto soul singer returns with her most intimate album to date. On Reasons To Stay, she goes deep on her family history in terms of the stages of […]

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