Song of the Day

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April 24, 2024

Rett Smith: “Sunsets”

By: Jack Anderson

In terms of musical association, at least outside the world of film soundtracks, U.S. southwestern scenery often gets associated with country. But there’s a certain psychedelic quality to our regional deserts that we just love to see artists embrace.

Folks like Rett Smith, based here in Austin, but bred out of West Texas, so you know he appreciates all kinds of sandy, desolate miscellanea. Historically, Rett’s smithing has involved all things Americana blues. And while that’s certainly still his skillset, for his upcoming album A Weighted Remorse (out September 13th), Smith finds himself trudging through the dunes of shoegaze.

And the result is heavy as hell, almost bordering on sludge thanks to its subterranean six-string tone and massive drums. Alongside its music video, “Sunsets” feels less like hiking the Fort Davis trails and more like watching The Holy Mountain if it was shot on Super 8, ’70s abstract psychedelia and all. We’re getting major Black Angels vibes from this one, and we have a feeling that when Rett returns from his Western European tour, he’s gonna translate his travels into something else equally arid-inspired and aurally exciting.


Episodes

December 4, 2024

Souls Extolled: “Gold”

That early-’00s indie punk rock sound shaped by heavyweights like Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes is still pretty dang popular. Just listen to some of the most-streamed rock artists these days and you can clearly hear the reverence. That said, it’s not too often that those newer acts actually invite nuance into their originals; it’s […]

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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”

Thanksgiving’s behind us and Christmas is on the way, so ’tis the season for white elephant gift exchanges, right? And depending on you or your family’s level of southern drawl, if someone’s ever suggested “white elephant?” as the next activity, they may have inadvertently uttered today’s feature. Because unless it’s a drift-caught quip to “don’t […]

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November 27, 2024

The Delines: “Left Hook Like Frazier”

You know what they say: you can take the woman out of Texas but you can never take Texas out of the woman. It’s a bit of a moot point, considering the Lone Star State sure ain’t a shining beacon of women’s rights, and that sets natives up to become ex-pats. Still, it’s a sentiment […]

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November 26, 2024

Isak Thomas and The Stoop Boys: “Miss Strut”

It’s T-minus 48 hours until prep for the big feast and other Thanksgiving festivities. And even though some always end up just getting some takeout, the Turkey Day hunger is munching on most Americans’ minds right about now. But if you’ve got your meal all planned out and are still in need of some soul […]

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November 25, 2024

Muzeke: “New Man”

Like it or not, we are in the home stretch for 2024. So don’t be too surprised when you start hearing everyone talk about their lofty New Year’s resolutions in the coming weeks. But if you yourself need some extra solidarity to help turn a new leaf and hit the ground running in 2025, we’ve […]

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November 22, 2024

Swimming With Bears: “Patient Disguise”

If you stop to think about it, there are really only two typical climate observations from astute Austinites. 1: It’s too hot and the sun is literally cooking us alive. 2: It’s too cold and the sun needs to come back ASAP. Yeah, we’re a special kind of simple southerners in our own way. But […]

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