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July 12, 2024

Sir Woman: “Never Gonna Give Me Up”

By: Jack Anderson

Self love. Loss. Disco balls. You’ll feel the freeing energy of all three across two neat little packages later this year.

We’re talkin’ about Austin’s secret soul weapon, Sir Woman. This week Sir Woman broke the news about an upcoming twin release – two full-lengths set to drop this fall – If It All Works Out and If It Doesn’t. The gemini finds Sir Woman in top shape, and marks the first time Kelsey Wilson‘s facilitated some full-band co-writes, ultimately the closest experience to emulating their live shows we’ve received to date. Speaking of live shows, Sir Woman performs this yin-yang across two nights at The Parish on Saturday, July 20th and Sunday, July 21st. And if you really want to do your homework ahead of those shows, check out an extensive interview with Sir Woman’s Kelsey Wilson from yours truly.

But let’s get to this new stuff. While the Burt Bacharach-style, ’60s-swing arrangement of “Who You Gonna Love” perfectly captures the carefree essence of If It All Works Out, its counterpart “Never Gonna Give Me Up” tackles the realist-optimist attitude of If It Doesn’t. A luscious groove from its first snare fill all the way through its tambourine-conga outro, the track’s titular vocal refrain is so damn easy on the ears. And with in-the-pocket vocal harmonies, progressive-soul intersections of piano and organ, plus some tasty breakdowns, Sir Woman’s sense of soul reaches the summit of jazzy classiness, and selective rejection’s never sounded so sexy.


Episodes

September 6, 2024

BOO85: “Retrograde”

You’ve heard the excuse before. Ya know, somebody spaces on a date, forgets to turn in an assignment, or otherwise just kind of has a minor misstep. What do they say after shrugging? “Sorry, man. Mercury must’ve been in retrograde.” Sure, scapegoating the cosmos for your own shortcomings isn’t the most mature thing…but neither is […]

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September 5, 2024

Motenko: “Free Yourself”

Here at Song of the Day, we’ve observed a resurgence of classic-style soul in recent years, and reported plenty on it too. As a matter of fact, when Sir Woman’s Kelsey Wilson came by KUTX a couple months back, we had to ask the genre authority whether or not she’s picked up on a retro-soul […]

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September 4, 2024

The Belle Sounds: “Oh Humanity”

For a lot of people, when you think of synth pop, you think “inorganic”. You think “artifice”. Which, to be fair, “synthesizer”, “synthetic”…we get it. But despite the constructed character of those modern mood makers, there’s plenty of potential for passion and authenticity in the synth pop sector. So let’s get into the The Belle […]

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September 3, 2024

Sonny Gullage: “Go Be Free”

Blues is an almost stereotypical staple of the “old Austin” Sixth Street sound. But if you wanna break out of the city limits, let loose, feel unleashed and all that good stuff? Of all the notable places to split from the whole program and make the best of the blues, New Orleans always stands tall […]

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September 2, 2024

Parker Woodland: “Ladder At Your Window”

You ever notice a name pop up more and more in a music scene, almost nearing non-stop status, and wonder to yourself, “sure just one person can’t squeeze in the time and energy for all this”…only to find out it’s not a sole person after all, nor even the namesake of one of its members? […]

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August 30, 2024

David Rosenblad: “Like a Sagittarian Archer”

We don’t want to alarm anybody…but today is the last day to submit considerations for the 2025 Grammy Awards. Congrats to everyone who made the deadline, good luck to those still watching the clock and waiting on the latest batch of masters, and condolences to anyone who plain spaced on the date. Those in that […]

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August 29, 2024

Locuust x YoursTruuly: “Acupuncture”

Feeling comfortable just in your own skin is a luxury we often take for granted. Sure, adjusting to a problematic puberty is a fairly common experience, as are life-altering eating habits even later on. But where a good chunk of population at least reaps the benefits of a cis-heteronormative construct, the trans community faces struggles […]

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August 28, 2024

Ne’er-do-well: “I Want It All”

As the birthplace of industry heavyweights like Spoon, indie rock is perhaps the most outspoken apex of the Austin soundscape. But depending on who you ask, indie is undoubtedly one of the safest, most inoffensive sonics rock has to offer, at least in the grand scheme of that genre’s mega-spectrum. But if you want something […]

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