Song of the Day

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June 2, 2022

The Suffers: “Don’t Bother Me”

By: Jack Anderson

Without traumatizing yourself too much, try to tally up how many major moments of turmoil our society’s experienced over the past half decade. It’s a lot. And without trying to sound too hippie-dippie, we’re not going to heal with more hatred. Although she primarily applies it to the constant grind of songwriting, recording, and touring, Kam Franklin of The Suffers shares a similar philosophy, that “it starts and ends with love”.

Tomorrow this one-of-a-kind Houston soul octet drops their third studio full-length It Starts With Love. This record reinvents The Suffers’ sound by exploring the retro synths and drum programming of the 1980s, like a modern day take on the Miami Vice soundtrack. But thanks to mixing from Grammy winner Adrian Quesada and mastering from Chris Longwood (who’s worked with both Khruangbin and Parliament-Funkadelic), It Starts With Love rounds out nicely with the group’s existing catalogue. It Starts With Love comes out tomorrow, and The Suffers play this Saturday at The Mohawk with fellow Houstonian Fat Tony. Between Franklin’s fierce vocals, lyrics grounded in America’s afflictions, and Latin-inspired percussion and horns (all of which can be heard – and seen – in “Don’t Bother Me”), the unbeatable energy of It Starts With Love absolutely demands a comfy set of dancing shoes.


Episodes

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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June 24, 2025

Tamir Kalifa: “Jackie’s Rock”

Even if the name Tamir Kalifa is new to you, his projects certainly are not. A member of both the orchestral-indie collective Mother Falcon and its alter ego rowdy party band Sip Sip, Kalifa’s part of two of Austin’s biggest “moment bands” of the 2010’s. A photojournalist who splits his time between Austin and Berlin, […]

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June 23, 2025

Ramesh w/ Invoke: “Broadway” [RECORDED LIVE IN STUDIO 1A]

It’s the last week of Pride Month, and we’ve got one more great profile for you, and this one gets a little teaser. Ramesh Srivastava spent the 00’s enchanting audiences with the catchy indie-pop group Voxtrot, a group Ramesh started after high school and moving to Europe. He brought Voxtrot back home to Texas, making […]

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June 6, 2025

West of Rome: “Movement In Your Picture”

South Texas rockers West of Rome are here to dislodge the kernel from your craw and even offer you a spittoon so you can get that novel, satisfying “ting.” The band is made-up of childhood friends who, in the absolute tumult leading up to and including the pandemic, decided to finally come together creatively to […]

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