Song of the Day

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February 5, 2025

Small Engine Fire: “Good Old Day”

By: Taylor Wallace

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 your ear for a fun loop by having traditional rock instrumentation and sound guided by an almost theremin-like synth melody. It’s like purple neon arrows guiding you around a Midwestern City.

Small Engine Fire follows their breadcrumb trail of singles with Better By Now, an EP that really showcases the band’s controlled pairing of thoughtfully paced introspective lyrics with an energy that keeps the train on track.

“Good Old Days” is from the debut Better By Now EP, out now. You can celebrate the EP release tomorrow night at the Hole in the Wall with Hex Girlfriend and TV’s Goodtimes.


Episodes

October 19, 2026

Late Wife: “Body”

Since we last touched base here with Austin’s Late Wife, the band have been riding that “cream rising to the top” high. They’ve opened for …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, performed at this year’s Tiny Desk Concert tour’s Austin stop, and they’ve been spinning around the KUTX airwaves, all leading-up […]

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October 13, 2026

Night Tapes: “Easy Time to Be Alive” [KUTX At ACL Fest 2026]

Flutes. Falsetto. Phantasmic. That’s London trio Night Tapes in a nutshell. What began as late night jam sessions between housemates has evolved into hundreds of millions of online streams, journalistic praise, and global festival slots, including the illustrious “get them in the door early” slot at this year’s ACL Fest. Night Tapes brought their ethereal […]

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October 12, 2026

Almost Heaven: “Oscillation” [KUTX Live At ACL Fest 2026]

Austin post-punk-injected electronic duo Almost Heaven exemplify “fresh nostalgia.” The duo made of Stefan Barraza & Jaelyn Valero have become increasingly ubiquitous since the release of their Raw Cranium EP back in January, leading to ample spins on the KUTX airwaves and an ACL Fest debut this past weekend, firing up and electrifying the Tito’s […]

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October 8, 2026

Jess Williamson: “Goodbye to All That” [KUTX Live at ACL Fest 2026]

We caught Jess Williamson backstage at Austin City Limits for a live performance away from the mudslides. This Texas-born, LA-based artist brought her warm voice and indie folk/alt-country sound to the tent with an acoustic rendition of “Goodbye to All That” from her upcoming record, “A Mile South of Heaven,” which releases tomorrow. If you […]

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October 7, 2026

Palace: “Kid” [KUTX At ACL Fest 2026]

Palace stopped by the KUTX tent at ACL and performed their song “Kid.” A dreamy, guitar-driven track that balances hazy textures with a strong melodic pull, “Kid” has a nostalgic quality without feeling stuck in the past, making it the perfect feel-good song.

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October 6, 2026

New Constellations: “Hot Blooded” [KUTX At ACL Fest 2026]

Ascending us from the muddy muck of the ACL Fest grounds to the astral plane is Portland dream pop duo New Constellations. Childhood friends Harlee Chase and Josh Smith popped by our backstage tent to grace us with an acoustic rendition of “Hotblooded”: a heavy-hearted meditation and reckoning from Chase written in 2021 following a […]

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October 5, 2026

Elijah Delgado: “You and I” [Pop-Up at ACL 2026]

Another ACL Fest means you’re getting LOTS of exclusive live performances captured backstage in our pop-up tent, and we’re kicking it off this year with one from right here in Austin! Elijah Delgado has been performing for years, culminating in the release of his debut EP in 2021, which catalyzed his steady rise in the […]

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October 1, 2026

Das Mörtal: “Drain Me”

While our heads over here are preoccupied with our own back yard, shout out to ACL, I want to take it to Montreal for some spooky, mood setting dark synth jams to start October right. Das Mörtal just released this track on September 30th, and it’s so head boppingly good. Best paired with Erie weather […]

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