Song of the Day

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July 12, 2023

Sap: “Pickle Song”

By: Jack Anderson

There’s been a ton of new music trickling down the Live Music Capital’s trunk this summer, so fingers crossed that the laziness typically associated with these dog days doesn’t slow that flow down anytime soon. Because among that gradual deluge of easily-accessible inoffensive homegrown genres, there’s also some seriously thick high-octane shit oozing out of Austin as well. Say, for example, Sap a trio who extracts direct influence from the golden age of ’90s grunge for a viscous mix of pre-millennium alternative hard rock and modern sensibilities. These three crude dudes started sampling their sound with a string of studio singles back in February. Titles like “Kiss My Kitty Cat”, “Big Fat Macho Man”, and “Hairy Jerry” paired with tormented-yet-cartoonish pieces of artwork quickly clue you into the uncouth juvenility of Sap, but the Nirvana-esque sonics and concise, catchy structures assure you that these are in fact well-seasoned students of their favorite styles, with mad instrumental discipline and songwriting chops to boot. Well, tomorrow Sap’s standing solidifies with their debut studio album Lard Baby a real gooey bundle of revivalist grunge joy. The fellas celebrate with a release show next Friday at Hole in the Wall opening for Violent Vira and Max Diaz and today you can make like hungry grunge bugs on a sticky limb by lapping up the new Sap with Lard Baby‘s final lead single. Far from a sour slurp, “Pickle Song” goes down real easy thanks to a soft, xylophone-fueled buildup, but once the lid comes off out spills a sporadic, bloodthirsty sprint. Put simply? “Pickle Song” kicks ass.

Episodes

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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February 4, 2025

Her Mana: “Oh This Moment” (ft. Sarita and Gene Evaro Jr.)

We love a side project, don’t we? Especially when ace collaborations are involved. For a couple of years, Ley Line’s Emilie Basez and Kate Robberson have been creating music as a Her Mana, honing an even earthier and more ethereal sound with the same incredible complex guitar noodling, harmonies, and wide range of world instruments […]

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February 3, 2025

Gus Baldwin & the Sketch: “(She’s Gone) Arigato”

After many years of winning the hearts and ears of Austin music lovers both as a solo artist and as a member of the psych outfit Acid Carousel, Gus Baldwin’s name has been in the mouths of bookers and promoters for years, and more recently, he formed Gus Baldwin & the Sketch. And while it […]

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January 31, 2025

Glassreel: “Myself Included” [PREMIERE]

Winnepeg’s Glassreel is a masterclass on the hard-to-nail trifecta of layers, technique, and breathing space. Nothing is simple, but everything is effortless. Following their 2022 debut Lustre, the group returns with “Myself Instead,” a song that shows the further fine-tuning, cohesion, and boldness the quartet has been building on. While the Belle & Sebastian and […]

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January 30, 2025

Lola Tried: “Degrader”

If Mama tried to steer you right, Lola Tried is here to steer you wrong. So very, very wrong. Known for masterfully blending the emo hooks of teenage Millennial yore with garage and power-pop sensibilities, the group has always been like the adult charcuterie board to pop-punk’s Lunchable. After nearly a decade under those influences, […]

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January 29, 2025

Valley Flower: “Run Buddy”

Rolling into Austin like a quiet, yet alluring fog from the Midwest and Appalachia is Valley Flower, a groovy bluegrass quintet that brilliantly weaves in those regional influences to offer something a little different to the stalwart, homegrown scene here in Austin. And 2024 was very fertile for Valley Flower. They opened for several national […]

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