Song of the Day

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May 24, 2024

The Cuckoos: “Dirty Pictures”

By: Jack Anderson

If you mainly draw inspiration from older generations, after taking a lengthy break, you may find that the needle on your tastes has moved forward in time too. At least that’s what we’re seeing unfold with Austin project The Cuckoos.

Ostensibly the one-man band (who also operates as a four-piece) of flock leader/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter/producer Ken Frost, The Cuckoos have historically nestled around classic rock, psych, and funk. But after flying off in a near half-decade-long songwriting hiatus, The Cuckoos have recently come home to roost in the best way possible – with a touch of New Wave.

Ahead of their next record (produced by KUTX Favorite Chris “Frenchie” Smith), this morning The Cuckoos clocked in somewhere between Soft Cell and Depeche Mode with “Dirty Pictures”. “Dirty Pictures” goes face to face with the ’80s aesthetic with four-to-the-floor drums, raunchy guitar, salacious synth stabs, arousing lyrics with moody vocals, and a snapshot sound effect that’d make Duran Duran nod knowingly. A lot of producers might say “don’t go crazy” with a new sonic direction…but c’mon Ken…if you keep going cuckoo for the flashback stuff, you sure won’t rustle our feathers.


Episodes

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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August 27, 2024

Daniel Nunnelee: “Do You?”

We’ll level with y’all. Between Song of the Day and Austin Music Minute, we here at KUTX try our very best to get everybody caught up on new releases and local shows. But, the human beings in a bustling musical metropolis that we are, stuff does slip through the cracks. And especially for our out-of-state […]

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August 26, 2024

Anna May: “The Show”

As much as we admire an intricate arrangement and a progressive song structure, not every tune needs to tout itself as a pocket symphony. I mean, we’ve already got one “Bohemian Rhapsody”, right? So while house and hip-hop may spring to mind when thinking about repetition, there’s an intrinsic simplicity to other styles of songwriting […]

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August 23, 2024

Madison Baker: “WANNABE”

It’s New Music Friday. It’s time to pump some fresh life into your playlists so let’s get straight to it; there’s new stuff from an awesome Austinite and a Howdy Gals-presented release show this weekend to boot. Both of which you might’ve already caught wind of through yesterday’s Austin Music Minute. Yep, it’s Madison Baker, […]

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August 22, 2024

TIGERS EYE: “All We Ever Know”

Earlier this year we helped introduce the world to Austin’s TIGERS EYE and today we’re keeping the marble rolling with their latest. To recap, this Austin four-piece is the passion project of frontman Jeremy Baker, an ex-pat of California’s Cydeways and a recent transplant. TIGERS EYE only made their streaming debut this past March, but […]

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