Song of the Day

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May 25, 2023

The Scary Jokes: “Demons of Accident”

By: Jack Anderson

Polymaths aren’t inherently better at their preferred forms of media…but honestly, when you start to think of modern multi-disciplinary creatives like Brandy, Donald Glover or Lucy Liu…it certainly seems like splitting interest into multiple fields can have a big payoff. So let’s talk about Pennsylvania’s Liz Lehman. On top of being an accomplished queer activist and visual artist, Lehman lathes those passions and more together with their truly intriguing synth pop project The Scary Jokes. Less of an abrupt punch line and more of an ongoing engagement that haunts far beyond the final chord, The Scary Jokes enjoyed an auspicious three-record streak between 2014’s Bad At Math and 2019’s Burn Pygmalion!!!. As with the rest of the world, things slowed down when COVID began dominating headlines in 2020, but aside from their 2021 remix of 2016’s April Fools, The Scary Jokes are about to return with their first post-lockdown offering. Championing vintage synth tones and an abundance of analog originality, Retinal Bloom is ten tracks of deep-eared dilations. Faithful to the full-length’s title, these tunes will expand your view of what synth pop really is, with sonic combos that sound like classic video game soundtracks were able to authentically encode Lehman’s supra-human voice, plus a bit of delightfully drab German New Wave. Retinal Bloom drops tomorrow and The Scary Jokes graciously let us open this Pandora’s Box of bizarrely-catchy confessions with its penultimate track “Demons of Accident”. Between its purposeful vibrato-pervading timbres and deliberate reverb-drenched vocals, “Demons of Accident” takes us to an underwater level from which we don’t want to surface.

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July 11, 2025

McKenna Michels: “Never Satified”

Austin’s McKenna Michels is just it. The singer-songwriter, who daylights as a childhood abuse and trauma advocate, has been featured on local television, has been asked to open for several global artists on their European tours, and she gets to hear her own music over the speakers when she’s shopping. And to peep her style, […]

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July 10, 2025

Mobley: “Yesterday’s Another Day” [Live In Studio 1A]

When it comes to Mobley’s career, what started as writing smart R&B pop bops has grown into full concept albums revolving around racism, technology, and our future, composing cautionary tales warning of a regressing society and the darkest parts of science fiction decaying into neither predictive science nor fiction. Mobley’s new album We Do Not Fear […]

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July 7, 2025

Maiya Blaney: “Recognize Me”

Brooklyn’s Maiya Blaney is all range, baby. And that’s one word to pretty much sum her up entirely. Her interests, talents, and general state of being are always kinetic and well-rounded. On her new album A Room With A Door That Closes, she showcases not only her love for so many genres and sounds, but […]

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July 4, 2025

Katherion: “Dance”

Happy Hot Dog and Fireworks Day! Whether you’re staying home and having fun or enjoying one of the city’s myriad of events, you might need something to wavy-baby dance to. Austin’s Katherion has been hitting stages between Austin and Houston for the last three years leading up to her debut album EROS, out later this […]

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July 3, 2025

Okkervil River & The Antlers: “Lost Coastlines” [Live In Studio 1A]

A collaboration between Okkervil River and the Antlers, two of the poetic indie bands of our time, both in sound and word, is one that seems so perfect you can almost see photos of Will Sheff, Peter Silberman, and Michael Lerner cutely cropped together like a fan zine-style shipping board. Last year this music nerd […]

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July 1, 2025

Keihl Phillips: “Iced Green Tea”

Being a sound designer doesn’t often mean you’re looking to use your own music, or even that you’re a musician at all. Sound designers are the folks who choose the right song to elevate scenes and make you feel a certain type of way in a TV show or the person who finds the right […]

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June 30, 2025

GHOSTWOMAN: “Alive”

Belgian/Canadian duo GHOSTWOMAN are all about finding freedom in a reckless space. On the upcoming album Welcome to the Civilized World, they take this notion head-on and put it center stage. The album was recorded on an old tape recorder using old instruments. The recording space was a home they didn’t bother to treat for […]

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June 25, 2025

Local Al: “Hold Me – Pidän (mä pidän)”

So, you’re a runner looking for a playlist. Maybe you do a quick Spotify or Tidal search, hit the one that matches your personal taste the most, or just hit play on the first one that pops up. Maybe you go an extra step to ask a friend or consult a subreddit. Maybe. Eventually, you […]

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