Song of the Day

Song of the Day > All Episodes

January 14, 2019

Sean Pawling: “Rio Grande”

By: Jack Anderson

California singer-songwriter Sean Pawling has been enamored with music since he was a boy. He built up his chops on trombone over his formative years and throughout college before taking his multi-instrumental talents to the studio with the 2011 EP Inner Child and 2014 LP Eye for an Eiger.

Now, heavily inspired by his home state’s diverse landscapes and its duplicitous light and dark elements, Pawling is set to release his sophomore full-length Sunsinking, out next Friday. These dozen new tunes feature Pawling’s lush lyrical imagery, heartwarming horn arrangements, and some stabby pop synthesizer to boot, so ford into one of Sunsinking’s lead singles, with “Rio Grande”!

Photo: Mikel Darling


Episodes

March 30, 2026

Valley Flower: “Mountain Don’t Care”

After spending 2025 rising from humble five-piece to a staple of the Central Texas bluegrass scene, Austin’s Valley Flower are back with the new single “Mountain Don’t Care,” a song true to their special blend of folk, bluegrass, and country. A bit more traditional than last year’s, “Run Buddy,” “Mountain Don’t Care,” a brooding track […]

Listen

March 27, 2026

Bananner Man: “Banana Lands”

Bannaner Man was born in the Cavendish Islands in the rarely explored Citric Sea. After splitting for Corpus Christi, he found himself in Austin, busking on 6th Street before playing bass for Austin notables Magna Carda and Los Coast. After becoming a Dad, Bananner Man took pity on put-upon parents forced to listen to emetic, […]

Listen

March 26, 2026

Lene: “I Wanna Be Your Lover”

Pianist and singer Lene moved to Austin back in 2023, already having seen musical success in Europe: having been a contestant on X Factor: Italia and performing at festivals in Italy and Portugal. She left Italy for love, but a move across the world leads to a shift in identity, and her lush song “I […]

Listen

March 24, 2026

Dorio: “Plastic Heart” [Live In Studio 1A]

There’s something about every song by Austin’s Dorio that’s just sweet, sticky, and timeless. It simultaneously takes me to a certain sunny side of the 90’s; my old, cozy, West Campus apartment; and some of the best new music I’ve been listening to all year. It’s also something none of us around here can stop listening […]

Listen

March 23, 2026

Maria Taylor: “Never Thought I’d Feel New”

The feeling of being perpetually confined by your own thoughts is ugly and burdensome. When we root for ourselves and finally find ourselves on the other side of the chrysalis, life is colorful once again, and the feeling of mentally reentering and contributing to the world in a meaningful way is unparalled. This sentiment echoes […]

Listen

March 19, 2026

Cure for Paranoia: [Live At Scholz Garten]

The story behind Dallas hip-hop trio Cure for Paranoia is a tender one. Born during a “doomsday roadtrip” following a mental health diagnosis by frontman Cameron McCloud that later found more fuel following the death of McCloud’s mother, grief has been turned into motivation, one McCloud used to rap every day and put it on […]

Listen

March 18, 2026

Adult Leisure: “Borderline” [Live At Scholz Garten]

The quick rise of UK alt-indie rockers Adult Leisure have garnered them attention in a myriad of magazines, support from BBC Radio 6, two songs featuring John Waugh of the 1975, and a tour across the UK and Europe, New York, and, finally, more than a half dozen shows at this year’s SXSW. That last […]

Listen

March 16, 2026

Quentin: [Live At Scholz Garten]

Another SXSW, another rousing success at Scholz Garten. And all this week, we’re sharing some of our favorite performances with free downloads just for you! Austin’s Quentin is as much of a visual artist as they are a performer. And we experienced that in a big way on Thursday. I was in the booth at […]

Listen