Song of the Day

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April 25, 2024

Nick Taylor: “Dead Land Future”

By: Jack Anderson

For native residents of cultural music hubs, the locale’s unique opportunities tend to be taken for granted. But for folks from comparatively podunk parts of the country, the prospect of a potentially transformative emigration is too good to pass up. Yeah, you can draw parallels to those poor Okies’ desperate westward flight from The Grapes of Wrath, but fortunately the chance of success for musicians is a lot higher than that of Depression-era protagonists.

So let’s talk Nick Taylor, whose sylvan Southeast Texas upbringing indoctrinated with country icons like Patsy Cline, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson. His tastes expanded to include classic rock and jazz, and the latter inspired a love of singing in high school. But the jazz bug bit it and quit it in some sense, since Taylor quickly ditched a formal degree in favor of the autodidact approach on guitar. And after acclimating to Austin, Nick Taylor put together a band, starting getting paid gigs, and apparently caught the right pairs of ears. We say that because Nashville producers ended up inviting Nick to “Music City, U.S.A.” to give his debut album that added Americana authenticity.

With that regional authority backing him, Nick Taylor only started sharing his stuff on streaming this year. Those singles have been coming out at roughly a monthly pace, incrementally revealing a fuller picture (seriously, check out the individual single artwork) of his introductory LP Not Alone in the process. Ahead of the record’s release on June 21st, plus a show 7-9PM tomorrow night at Austin Eastciders and again 6-8PM next Saturday at Frontyard Brewing out in Spicewood, Nick Taylor’s just gifted us the full-length’s fiddle-fueled fourth lead offering.Dead Land Future was inspired by college days spent navigating a tightrope of Texas farmland master’s studies and hands-on agrarian labor, matching Nick’s rich baritone as he beckons us to find new ways to survive. Societally, it sure can feel like the buzzards are circling, but for Nick Taylor’s promising career, this is clearly only the beginning, no matter where he finds himself next.


Episodes

February 14, 2025

Kowloon: “Heart Begins With You”

L.A.’s Kowloon is truly a one-man operation. Songwriting? Him. Instrumentation? Him. Recording, production? Yep, all Kowloon. Backed by a full library of effects and music gadgets from various eras, Kowloon released a string of singles last year, demonstrating his affinity for the darkwave sounds of the 80s a la the Cure and Bronski Beat. Ahead […]

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February 13, 2025

Tommy Francisco: “Tommy’s Groove”

Even a piping hot bowl of tokontsu ramen can’t fully shake-off today’s bone chill, but maybe the headspace of partying on a yacht in Mallorca can. Austin native Tommy Francisco hit the scene in 2020 with “Fever,” giving him an international audience and proving his ability to blend his Latin and Indigenous backgrounds into a […]

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February 12, 2025

Serebii: “Verrans Corner”

Auckland, New Zealand’s Callum Mower, known as Serebii, has always focused on pushing forward. Forward musically, forward personally, and now, forward into naked vulnerability.   Serebii’s upcoming album Dime finds Mower at his most vulnerable. Historically, Mower has relied on his mastery of instruments and production with others, namely fellow New Zealander Arjuna Oakes, but […]

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February 11, 2025

Slept All Day: “Asteria”

Austin duo Slept All Day may be new on the scene, but don’t sleep on them. Together, the two create moving soundscapes a la Bonobo and Washed Out. And they use their vocals as an element of the scape instead of its driving force. And despite the electronic instrumentation and vocal effects, the music is […]

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February 10, 2025

Middle Satre: “Corrupted (Uncorrupted)”

Welcome! Today’s theme is vision and reimagining. After spending a childhood in Salt Lake City, Hunter Preuger moved to Austin to sow oats with his project Middle Sattre. The project quickly expanded into a six-piece…and then an eight-piece, and a year after the release of their debut album Tendencies, the experimental folk outfit returned to […]

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February 7, 2025

Death Palmz: “IL2H2LU”

I’ve heard your week’s woes, I know it’s been one, so Aunt Tay is here to deliver a little Friday elixir to shift you into weekend mode as you get ready to burn rubber in the parking garage. Austin’s Death Palmz is another project from Exotic Frutica, and if you’re familiar with the punk band, […]

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February 6, 2025

Scott Collins: “Aphophenia”

Austin singer-songwriter Scott Collins has been ever-evolving in both songwriting and sound and now he’s started leaning in more to letting himself define his sound, branching out and seeing what feels right. His 9th EP And All This Happened serves on the title’s promise: it’s all happening. But the early 00’s indie sound is still […]

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February 5, 2025

Small Engine Fire: “Good Old Day”

Who said that energy and introspection can’t co-exist? It wasn’t me. And it certainly wasn’t Small Engine Fire. The new Austin band is made up of members of Lola Tried and Quiet Company, and together they create something a little nostalgic, like taking a ride out to Wilco with your Grandaddy. Small Engine Fire throws […]

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