Song of the Day

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October 24, 2022

Pale Dian: “Misanthrope”

By: Jack Anderson

Back in my day if you wanted to be one of the first to lay eyes on a new music video, you basically had to stay locked onto TRL. And if you wanted your music video to get played, you probably had to have an industry contact in the early internet era. So no disrespect to Carson Daly, but our ability to showcase Austin visuals freely is all thanks to you.

And since our Fall Membership Drive steers near to Halloween, skies are grey and pallor is back in seasonal fashion. Which brings up to Pale Dian. Spearheaded by visceral vocalist-synthesist Ruth Ellen Smith, Pale Dian purveys a Post-Punk-meets-Shoegaze style that’s been deemed “Nightmare Pop”. Since their 2016 debut Narrow Birth, these bleak dissociations have trickled across time and genre, in way where a Roy Orbison collaboration with Cocteau Twins wouldn’t be unheard of.

Like a double-exposed dream dipped in desire and doused in delight, Pale Dian dropped their sophomore follow-up Feral Birth yesterday. The band celebrated with a record release last night at Hotel Vegas two weeks before their upcoming appearance at the Galveston Art Festival. But you won’t need to make a beach trip to enjoy Pale Dian’s off-kilter optics; today they’ve unleashed a one-of-a-kind counterpart to Feral Birth. Animated by longtime Richard Linklater collaborator Wiley Wiggins (Dazed and Confused, Waking Life, etc.) “Misanthrope” will momentarily transport you out of the beginning-of-week mindset so you can turn on, tune in, and drop out to watch reality melt.


Episodes

November 5, 2024

Futon Blonde: “Drawing Again”

It’s Election Day. If you haven’t voted yet, please try and make some time in your schedule to go do so; it’s your civic duty…and it’s kinda cool. At least feeling like you have some semblance of efficacy, that your voice can make a difference. In other words, if you still haven’t cast your ballot, […]

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November 4, 2024

Deer Fellow: “Shock Value”

Demanding attention. Acting erratically. Stirring the pot just to start some shit. We’ve seen plenty of all that int the lead up to this election, but truth be told, for some people, that’s just part of their hardwired human nature. At least that’s the inspiration for the latest single from Deer Fellow. This Austin duo’s […]

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November 1, 2024

Cilantro Boombox: “Best Shoes” (feat. Jake Lloyd)

It’s a new month. It’s new music Friday. And there’s a fresh collaboration out that’ll really spice up your playlists. One that marks the welcome return of Cilantro Boombox. See, the genre-bonding octet formally entered the Austin scene a dozen years back with their eponymous debut and followed it up a half decade later with […]

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October 31, 2024

Hans Gruber and the Die Hards: “Trepanation”

Happy Halloween! We’re hittin’ this hallow-day with…Hans Gruber and the Die Hards?! Wait a minute, haven’t we already decreed that the iconic Bruce Willis/Alan Rickman action comedy is a Christmas staple? Well…whatever. What we do know for sure is that this Austin five-piece has spent the past decade funneling their passions into all things punk, […]

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October 30, 2024

Social Dissonance: “Nightstalker”

For a ton of creatives, Halloween is little more than an autumnal gimmick, an excuse to break from the regular programming and indulge in the creepy, macabre, or unnerving. For others though, the elements of Spooky Season might as well be part of the daily routine three hundred and sixty five days straight. And you […]

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October 29, 2024

Ben Brown: “Until the Dead Rise”

Everyone’s favorite holiday is rapidly descending upon us, and we’re commemorating the occasion by counting down to All Hallow’s Eve with some of the spookiest stuff the city’s had to offer over the past month or so. And we’ll start with Ben Brown, a decade-and-a-half veteran of the local scene who’s historically shared the spotlight […]

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October 28, 2024

_cheetahcheetah_: “shanti b”

It’s official. There’s another supergroup in town. And this kitten’s got claws! We’re talking ameowt _cheetahcheetah_, a rising endeavor that features Live Music Capital veterans from A. Sinclair, BOOHER, Mean Jolene, and Other Vessels. _cheetahcheetah_ has spent this past summer gigging around town and showing off their brilliant spotted patterns of modern art rock, which […]

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October 24, 2024

Beth Lee: “Another Day”

When you’re going through the motions, relying on routine thought loops, and not taking “carpe diem” to heart, life can feel like it’s the same sh*t, different day…over and over again. But bless yourself with the small gift of variety every once in awhile, and you’ll soon find that you’re thriving rather than just surviving. […]

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