Song of the Day

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January 12, 2023

Why Bonnie: “Apple Tree”

By: Jack Anderson

After enough time in a live music hub such as ours, one of the most satisfying things to see is when local acts join forces, hit the road together, and take the nation by storm. Want to bear witness yourself this weekend? You’re in luck! As part of our 10th Birthday Concert Series, this Sunday KUTX presents a dual tour kickoff featuring two of Austin’s finest indie-adjacent outfits. I’m talking about our March 2021 Artist of the Month Sun June alongside our September 2020 Artist of the Month (and today’s spotlight) Why Bonnie. Founded by Houstonian Blair Howerton a half decade back, Why Bonnie began evolving into the “shoegaze-icana” phenomenon we’ve grown to adore over the course of three EPs: 2018’s In Water and Nightgown followed by 2020’s Voice Box. Last August, Why Bonnie rounded out their lineup as a quintet and blew us away with their debut full-length 90 in November, a ten-track half-hour human piece of imperfect heaven. Why Bonnie and Sun June are set to be West buds as they co-headline a six-stop week-long West Coast tour, prefaced by an 18+ show along with Redbud 8PM this Sunday at Antone’s. The opportunity to catch two KUTX Artists of the Month for the price of one (post-Free Week) seems like a great value. But if you’re not ready to brave the downtown crowds, you can certainly still appreciate the autumnal trot of “Apple Tree”, the soothing seed of a 90 in November B-Side just unearthed on Tuesday.

Episodes

August 28, 2025

Adrian Quesada: “Bravo (ft. iLe)” [Live In Studio 1A]

At this point, Adrian Quesada is a man who needs no introduction. With a musical curiosity rivaling Beck, project to project, he conjures up albums thoughtfully marrying tradition or inspiration to Quesada. On both iterations of the Boleros Psicodélicos albums, Quesada explores the centuries-old, Cuban-rooted tradition of the Bolero, beautiful, dramatic love songs deep with […]

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August 26, 2025

Jane Leo: “Goldmine”

Song of the Day has returned from vacation, and I can’t think of a better way to come back than with my favorite dance-pop group this city has to offer. We’ve been following the rise of Jane Leo since its origins, and since the last time we checked in with the duo, they supported indie […]

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August 14, 2025

Team Trust: “Wuggis”

Team Trust call themselves art rock, which is somewhat fitting, but if we want to be specific, I’d call them quirk-punk. The Austin trio sounds a bit like Being Dead and your cool, Gen-X brother’s punk demos he recorded at home the summer before they wound-up on tour with Black Flag, opting for a rotisserie […]

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August 8, 2025

Russell Taine, Jr.: “Sidewinder”

Austin’s Russell Taine, Jr. blends indie rock with an Austin and Texas twist. It’s indie music powered by chords and melodies that you imagine being played at dusk in your cool friend’s backyard with a chain link fence and an oak tree in the background. It sounds like Hole In the Wall. Their latest single […]

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August 7, 2025

Tear Dungeon: “Kill For Health” [Live In Studio 1A]

Andrew Chasen. With the Disciples of Creation, he takes you to church. With A Giant Dog, he takes you church. Sweet Spirit makes you want to dance the night away, and Tear Dungeon drags you to the basement, ties you to the St. Andrew’s Cross, and says flogging and bastinado are for the faint of […]

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August 6, 2025

Jack Greenwood: “Four Walls”

Jack Greenwood’s new single is dance music for sad lads. On “Four Walls,” a song about feeling trapped, the Austin-by-way-of-Wisconsin singer and producer presents a fantastical escape, evoking the moodier side of the 80s synth. The opposing dichotomy works well here; what begins with sunny textures and a fun, melodic bass spirals into a manic […]

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August 4, 2025

Mae Powell: “Contact High”

Bay Area singer-songwriter Mae Powell‘s debut album on Karma Chief Records, Making Room for the Light, serves up a West-coast brand of vintage, pastel-colored, jazz-meets-indie-pop beauty akin to Atlanta’s Faye Webster. Her latest single “Contact High” has origins in conversations with Powell’s elderly neighbor about a song with the spirit of being high socially, but […]

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August 1, 2025

Celestine Gravely: “Kill the Heather”

Despite having a name that sounds like it belongs to a member of the Cramps, Austin’s Celestine Gravely‘s brand of rock is more attuned to the likes of Patti Smith and PJ Harvey, balancing the sounds of those eras and the power of their vocals with her own stamp of songwriting. You’ve got it all […]

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