Song of the Day

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November 22, 2022

on being an angel: “brit boy”

By: Jack Anderson

It’s a gloomy start to 2022’s final thirty-nine steps. And in embracing the wintertime blues, it’s the perfect time to indulge in a hazy, understated, all-lowercase aesthetic. Which, here in Austin, brings us to on being an angel. For the past three years this quartet sewn seeds of pop melodies across faint fields of fuzz and gritty landscapes of ’90s-style grunge. With an outspoken preference for the tried-and-true analogue sound over its precocious DAW descendants, the latest milestone in on being an angel’s ongoing mid-fi mission is on being a tape vol. ii. Issued last Friday, on being a tape is a beautifully-flawed four-track whose heart’ll never need any digital clarity to move you. The EP wraps up with an inventive Lucinda Williams cover, but perhaps its biggest standout is the record’s penultimate track and final original. For a fully immersive analogue-and-fisheye experience, “brit boy” begs to be enjoyed alongside its black-and-white VHS-style music video. If that’s not enough, you might even be able to see on being an angel in-person, opening for The Lemonheads, Bass Drum of Death, and Juliana Hatfield on tour over the next month!

Episodes

May 6, 2025

Daily Worker: “Delmar Overload”

Despite only releasing music since 2019, Austin indie rock outfit Daily Worker seems to be taking a page from the Robert Pollard and King Gizzard book of prodigious releases. The group, helmed by Cotton Mather guitarist Harold Whit Williams, has released over a dozen album in just six years. Not surprising when you’re not only a musician, […]

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May 5, 2025

Pendulum Hearts: “Cocaine Cowboy”

Austin duo Pendulum Hearts take over stages with their blend of Western Swing and rockabilly, filled-out by a rotating cast of characters to round out the rhythm section and sprinkle in soloists. The beat of Pendulum Hearts comes from guitarist and vocalist Chase Risinger and fiddle player Tony Perez. They’re sweat-inducing, boot-scooting live shows are […]

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May 2, 2025

Penny & Sparrow: “Ketamine” (ft. Tobe Nwigwe)

UT Austin alums Andy Baxter and Andy Jahnke have been releasing music together as Penny & Sparrow for a decade. Revered for their poetic lyricism and ability to pull off acoustic gems and electronic meditations masterfully on the same album, Penny & Sparrow continue that tradition on their current album Lefty. An ambitious, twenty-song release […]

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May 1, 2025

Melanie MacLaren: “Get It Back”

Nashville indie folk artist Melanie MacLaren has garnered praise for her music all across americana outlets. In just three years, she’s released dozens of songs and several EP’s and live tracks. Her warm, effortless vocals tend to be just one of the many patterns running through her tapestry of many orchestrated layers. Not shying away, […]

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April 30, 2025

Soccer Mommy: “Abigail” [Live In Studio 1A]

Nashville’s Sophie Allison has been releasing music as Soccer Mommy for almost a decade. Historically her albums are story-based outputs and we, the listener, are invited to have a sit and listen. Her latest album Evergreen however is simply a collection of great songs with some really great little surprises. “Abigail” is about the purple-haired, […]

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April 29, 2025

M. Ross Perkins: “Spiritual Kick”

Dayton, Ohio’s M. Ross Perkins has an affinity for blending 60’s British Invasion music with the sounds of American pop standards with just enough of a contemporary veneer to let you know the sound is an homage to the time, not a hint to its release date. His third album What’s the Matter, M Ross? […]

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April 28, 2025

Kelly Finnigan: “Keep Me In Mind” (ft. Renaldo Domino)

Last year, Monophonics bandleader Kelly Finnigan released his second solo album A Lover Was Born, a stellar study in psychedelic soul extending cleanly from the classic Monophonics sound. A song that didn’t make it onto the album was “Keep Me In Mind,” a smooth soul bop featuring Chicago soul legend Renaldo Domino. While most of […]

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April 25, 2025

Queen Serene: “In A Rut (I’m Stuck)”

Austin psych-rock group Queen Serene was conceived during COVID when former Naked Tungs guitarist Sarah Ronen began writing her own music following the band’s dissolution, but soon realized she preferred creating in a group. Now the group is filled out with Charlie Cassells, Dave Pohly, and co-songwriter Galceran. Queen Serene’s sophomore album 2 feels out […]

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