Song of the Day

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May 15, 2023

Mass Minor: “Worthy”

By: Jack Anderson

Even though its initial ubiquity arrived in the late ’70s/early ’80s, synth-driven compositions, regardless of which decade they came from, continue to sound intrinsically futuristic. I mean down to the digital DNA underneath the instrument’s nuts and bolts, the synthesizer has always embodied a sci-fi aesthetic. Of course, nearly a half century down the line, even with astounding breakthroughs in MIDI technology, there’s a certain retro quality to pushing the synth front and center of arrangements, regardless of genre. As such, Austin’s synth scene is like a perpetual time machine, one that sends listeners back to the ’80s glory days of synth pop before hurdling them into the distant unknown. Within that crowd, we’re proud to have Mass Minor call our town home. Beginning with their 2020 debut LP Become Each Other, this trio’s top-graded a sense of timelessness through synth-pop, synth-wave, and electronic rock. They spent much of last year captivating crowds, including appearances at SXSW and supporting slots alongside our July 2022 Artist of the Month Urban Heat and Depeche Mode tribute project Strangelove. But in 2023, considering their rise amongst “uncertain times”, Mass Minor is set to beckon in the post-public health emergency era of COVID with a new piece of temporal exploration. For their upcoming sophomore full-length Mass Minor teamed up with Robert Plant/David Bowie producer Tim Palmer, with a release date set for later this year. Today Mass Minor emerges from their neon-bathed portal with the record’s lead single and their first studio since the turn of the decade. Kicking off with a Tron-ready arpeggiator, “Worthy” wheelies right past the competition with turbulent subdivisions, heroic vocals, and a whirlwind of a hook, which at just over three minutes, makes it an ideal choice for your next montage sequence, be it working out, working through personal stuff, or straight up saving the world. Is it f-ing not enough? Hell no. It’s beyond “Worthy”.

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December 10, 2024

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December 6, 2024

Barb: “beside you (so boring!)”

Everyone’s unfurling their year in review and from what we’ve seen so far, the past twelve months have been pretty productive across the Live Music Capital! Case in point: Austin’s Barbara Klavin, AKA Barb. We’ve brought up Barb a couple times already, so you might already know the lowdown. But since it’s been a bit […]

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December 5, 2024

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December 4, 2024

Souls Extolled: “Gold”

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December 2, 2024

The Grapes & Friends: “Christmas With My Baby”

Thanksgiving and Black Friday are behind us and Cyber Monday is here. And in terms of the latter two, most of the shopping does happen online these days. But if you did pop into a store or two since last Thursday, you’ll agree: if it wasn’t already by the moment Halloween ended, Christmas music is […]

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December 2, 2024

dan levine: “a-frame”

It’s #GivingTuesday and pretty much anyone who’s a non-profit is crawling out of the woodwork and trying to stir up some financial love. And of course as a community supported public radio, we could always use a bit of help. That said, the nice thing about tossing KUTX a couple bucks is that you’re also […]

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November 29, 2024

What Elephant?: “Made Up Words”

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