Song of the Day

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July 30, 2021

The Belle Sounds: “All About Love”

By: Jack Anderson

Austin has its fair share of synth pop acts but arguably the belle of the ball in terms of output is…well…The Belle Sounds. The brainchild of songwriting spouses Noëlle Hampton (vocals) and André Moran (guitar) premiered in 2013 with their eponymous debut LP, and has since grown into a quintet with an impressive work ethic, especially given their 2020 one-single-per-month endeavor Stay Alive.

And though the pandemic situation is once again in flux, these Studio 1A veterans are nevertheless refreshed after some time off but are keeping well within in the retro realm of Stay Alive. Their new EP All About Love dissolves that time capsule into a modern recounting of those bold ’70s/’80s production formulas and you can skate right into it on release day, August 20th. That said, The Belle Sounds just issued the EP’s title track (with a music video on its way), recapturing the passion of golden-era synth-pop on “All About Love”!


Episodes

July 26, 2024

Lizzie Karr: “Honey”

Yesterday we praised Queen Serene for their ability to pivot away from pigeonholing their own sound. So in that same sentiment of dodging predictability, today we’re calling on another Austinite who’s kept us guessing: Lizzie Karr. With a range of inspirations that span from D’Angelo to Ani DiFranco, you can already tell from the get-go that […]

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July 25, 2024

Queen Serene: “Glowing”

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. But in an era where song options are limitless, song lengths are preferred shorter, and attention spans are especially acute, patience rarely proves a virtue for new listeners, which means strong first impressions are still worth fighting for. On that note, this time around we’ll […]

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July 24, 2024

Sweet Slacks: “Scratch Off”

Depending on your office’s dress code, you might’ve gotten a sarcastic compliment on your khaki business bottoms. Or maybe someone once gave you genuine praise on a sanguine series of work messages. If not, we’ve got a good reason for the phrase “sweet slacks” to enter your mind and exit your mouth. And that’s on […]

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July 23, 2024

Isis Destiny: “R U Mine ?” (feat. Opera Mauv)

Poetry. Painting. Tailoring. And that’s all in one audacious Austinite’s regular wheelhouse, without even accounting for their live performance pursuits. Like…save some media forms for the rest of us, sheesh! While there’s assuredly a ton of people out there who fit that bill, today we’re talking about Austin’s Isis Destiny, formerly Amira Isis Destiny. Since […]

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July 22, 2024

Stalefish: “Becoming the Square”

If you’re into Japanese cuisine, you know the fresh fish is the best: the nigiri, the good stuff. And while we wouldn’t recommend going so far from fresh that you end up with surströmming, you don’t gotta be a skater to know that there’s a real appeal going for Stalefish. Faithful to their name, Stalefish […]

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July 19, 2024

arya: “USE ME”

It’s a twofer this Friday! We’ve got a brand new release alongside a weekend show recommendation. And both arrive on behalf of arya. arya’s not just another dime a dozen bedroom pop Billie Eilish wannabe. No, this Belgrade-born bae is almost overqualified for saturated world of pop-hip-hop-R&B; after a decade in Serbia playing classical piano […]

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July 18, 2024

Jon Funnell: “BREAKAWAY”

Nobody truly makes it “overnight”, right? Sure, with semi-recent innovations like home studios and TikTok the exposure pipeline is more greased than ever. But even then it’s not like the most skilled songsmith just pens something new, gets it tracked, and has an instant hit the very next day. No, you need years of experience, […]

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July 17, 2024

Jesse Malin: “Prisoners of Paradise” (feat. Bleachers)

If you fancy yourself as a rock and roll historian, there’s a high likelihood that you already know the name Jesse Malin. One of the earliest purveyors of the New York hardcore sound, Malin began mounting his place as a pop culture icon in the ’80s with Heart Attack before becoming a glam punk powerhouse […]

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