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Trumpeter Swan: “American Dream”

Remember What Made Milwaukee Famous? Along with Spoon, The Octopus Project, and Explosions in the Sky, WMMF helped to hurl Austin’s explosive mid-2000s indie rock scene into the international zeitgeist. But with the exception of a brief 2019 reunion, What Made Milwaukee Famous has remained largely dormant since the release of You Can’t Fall Off the Floor in 2013. Fun fact: that was right around the same time that WMMF co-founder/multi-instrumentalist Drew Patrizi doubled down on another indie rock endeavor – Trumpeter Swan.

Although the then-fledgling project recorded their 2010 debut here in Austin, Trumpeter Swan only released Listen For The Clues after Patrizi’s northward migration up to New York. And after 2013’s The Magnitude of Now, Trumpeter Swan seemed to be flourishing in their nest near the Big Apple, accruing acclaim left and right for their still-limited studio output. Yet in the decade that’s followed The Magnitude of Now, Trumpeter Swan (like WMMF) has been noticeably mute.

Thankfully, Trumpeter Swan didn’t drift too far into the mythos of their eponymous waterfowl, because after repatriating back down to ATX mid-pandemic, Patrizi decided that Trumpeter Swan was still far, far away from their final performance. Last October Trumpeter Swan evened out their discography’s flock formation with their third and most sophisticated, layered, and nuanced full-length to date, Fast We Fall. And now, as we approach SXSW, Trumpeter Swan is once again on the wing with a handful of local live gigs. Trumpeter Swan plays 9PM this Saturday at Hole in the Wall opening for Fun Haunts and Gentlemen Rogues, Friday, March 17th at Vortex for a free SXSW Day Party and Thursday, March 30th opening for Futon Blonde at Chess Club. So even after all these years seems like Patrizi’s living his best life possible, the “American Dream” as it were…which is a pretty fitting title from a band named after America’s heaviest bird, not to mention an instant indie pop-rock earworm.

Dream 2 Dream: “I Have Hope”

There’s a huge leap in time between Jan Hammer’s mid-’80s Miami Vice heyday and Kavinsky’s 2011 Drive soundtrack kickoff, “Nightcall“. Now, you could easily classify both under the”synthwave” umbrella and leave it at that, but after ingesting now-beloved pieces of media like Far Cry: Blood Dragon and Kung Fury, we’ve come to label that retro-futuristic fetishism and nostalgia for pre-internet MIDI/VHS artistic limitations (e.g. modern acts like Kavinsky) as “vaporwave”. Luckily, as the birthplace of Don Johnson’s daughter Dakota, that Vice-descended vapor has kept Austin synth-enthusiasts dewy, which is pretty damn nice.

In particular, four-piece Dream 2 Dream surfs a vaporwave aesthetic across coasts of indie, psych, and alternative; down to how they stylize their name and craft their pseudo-neon artwork, D2D deliberately pushes elements of late Cold War pop culture into their decades-crossed bops and iconography. And like a custom-tuned Testarossa of well-balanced talent, Dream 2 Dream revs off later this month on a West Coast tour.

But before they do, today Dream 2 Dream drops off their first of several singles for 2023, “I Have Hope”. Although it stays under a certain BPM speed limit, “I Have Hope” cruises through the night with massive drums, cinematic chord changes, impassioned vocals, crunchy bass, arpeggiated melodies, and a ton of reverb and delay across the board. Altogether “I Have Hope” maintains the solitary getaway driver mood whether you’re on the way to case a bank or just joyriding with your favorite “partners in crime”.

Confession & Song: Ley Line – “The Call”

Ley Line – the multilingual folk band from Austin, Texas – creates a song based on a compelling and complex love story. In Part 1, you’ll hear the confession and the song. Tune in for Part 2 to hear an interview with Ley Line.

Got a story you want to confess and maybe have it turned into a song? Join the Song Confessional mailing list to stay up to date on all of our latest episode, news, and the whereabouts of our confessional booth: https://songconfessional.com/connect.

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Pendulum Hearts: “Waiting”

Back in summer 2021, Dripping Springs trio Midland centered their sophomore EP The Last Resort with a pretty straightforward declaration: “It Takes Two to Two Step“. Now that may sound pretty redundant in the world of group choreography, but it’s also true in terms of a performers’ ability to inspire spontaneous dance. Without the help of loop pedals, a stripped down drum kit, or other one-man-band mechanics, solo troubadours are rarely capable of keeping a crowd in motion all on their own. On the other hand, when the interplay of at least two musicians bounces off each other and onto the dance floor, that‘s how you get the energy going. And even after a half decade of gigging together, the core duo behind The Pendulum Hearts has kept the chemistry alive and pumped their passion into plenty of venues. Guitarist Chase Risinger and violinist Tony Perez flip the script on the leader-and-follower structure at the tip of a brim, a dynamic that’s allowed The Pendulum Hearts to pierce ears and move boots over Americana, Honky-Tonk, Western-Swing, and more. Today, on the heels of their latest single and on the verge of a show at Love Supreme Pizza tomorrow evening, The Pendulum Hearts have released the visual counterpart to their relaxed waltz, “Waiting”. It may be a bit slower than what you’d expect based on how we’ve been describing them, but after watching the music video on your own, we guarantee you’ll want to partner up, grab hip, and live out that intimate moment you’ve been “Waiting” for.

Madison Baker: “U-Shaped Dent”

As we’ve come to expect in the Live Music Capital of the World, this past weekend once again treated us to a bevy of release shows. But among the many, one you might’ve missed came on behalf of Madison Baker, who, alongside our September 2019 Artist of the Month Flora & Fawna, Glasshealer, and Clover the Girl, scorched the Swan Dive stage on Friday night.

The occasion? Madison Baker’s latest single “U-Shaped Dent”, breaking a nearly two-year period of no releases. In contrast to the Beyoncé-esque trap and R&B drum programming that helped define Baker’s 2021 EP Boundary, “U-Shaped Dent” is a real endeavor into alt-pop; it sounds like Imogen Heap and Robyn hive-minded their vocal techniques into a relaxed-tempo Flight Facilities track. And although the single’s promotional photos find Madison rummaging through a junkyard, rest assured “U-Shaped Dent” salvages the crisp, clean production and feathery falsetto we’ve been missing since Boundary.

Madison Baker’s next listed gigs include an appearance at Planet K next Friday, March 10th and BLK Vinyl on Wednesday, March 15th, which ought to help you put a dent into your annual live show quota.

The Selfless Lovers: “So Far Gone”

When the phrase “piano man” comes up, we think of one song and one song only. Which is kind of a bummer, because there are some truly incredible performers who fit the bill here in Austin that frankly put Billy Joel to shame. Among the mightiest on the ivories like Red Young, Dr. Joe, and D-Madness, there’s also the relatively young Nik Parr. The thing about Nik is that he’s not only mastered double duties on vocals and piano, he also manages to juggle some sax in there too, all without breaking a sweat. Along with his outfit The Selfless Lovers, Nik’s stayed up to par with Austin’s longstanding legacy as a hub for blues rock. But true to their title, The Selfless Lovers go above and beyond by touching on erogenous zones of classic soul, southern, and funk, positioning their style basically wherever listeners want it the most. And although it may not sound as sexy as all that, The Selfless Lovers latest LP Promised Land stems from Parr’s mid-twenties post-stroke revelations. A spiritual reflection on the American Dream, Promised Land is best enjoyed front to back across twelve tracks in its 48-minute entirety. Parr promises a payoff if you do so, but if the live scene is more your vibe (which is good, since The Selfless Lovers average at about one gig every 2-3 days), you’ll want to take part in a live concert filming tonight at The Continental Club. Henry Invisible warms the crowd at 9:30, Isaac Sloane wraps things up at midnight, and The Selfless Lovers take the stage at 10:30PM. Need a solid commuting track to help you get there? No problem. Like a cut song from the original Miami Vice TV soundtrack, “So Far Gone” soars with yacht-rock keyboard stabs, jazzy chord changes, some nice disco drum upbeats, and oh yeah, an appropriately-’80s-style sax solo square in the middle.

promqueen: “Xí Xọn”

Last summer we treated you to a crispy trap-R&B collabo between Casie Luong and waverly called “blessing”. Rest assured, the second-generation Vietnamese-American songwriter and the Cambodian-born producer are still palling around Austin making great music together. And on that note, today, in the spirit of spring and new beginnings, the two team up to introduce a real smokeshow of a project, promqueen.

With waverly still planted in the producer’s chair, promqueen showcases a previously unrecorded talent of Luong’s: bilingual rapping in Vietnamese and English. It marks a new chapter in the pair’s shared mission to amplify Southeast Asian voices here in the states, allowing promqueen to reign in a Vietnamenglish court of cultural pride. It also reckons with Luong and waverly’s collective challenge of not quite knowing where to land in the Venn diagram of Asian-American identity. As a result promqueen presents an interesting trichotomy; although one of promqueen’s core values is natural authenticity, she sits atop a throne of carefully-concocted predominantly-digital instrumentals and hyper exaggerated character-driven imagery. But like bright lipstick against a pale complexion, that high contrast only makes promqueen’s wig-adorned aura of pizzazz glisten stronger.

This fierce, sexy, and verbally-deft belle of the ball breaks out her debut EP szn one in June, kicking off with a “must-see” event before the five remaining tracks trickle out like fashionably-late and outrageous red Tết envelopes. Fastened by saturated boom bass and tasteful 808s, “Xí Xọn” is an extra sassy first impression of promqueen and a tempting promise of what’s to come. Bonus points for the music video that puts you up close and personal with promqueen’s flamboyant makeup, rapid costume changes, and some twerk-adjacent dance moves that are much easier to learn than whatever the latest Tik-Tok routine is.

Jefrey Siler: “Wounded in Similar Ways”

Part of what makes modern folk-rock acts like Mac DeMarco so memorable is their ability to walk a tightrope between self-deprecating humor, snarky remarks, and heartfelt wisdom. And it makes sense. When you crack a joke or make a bleak shock-value statement, it quickly establishes a surface-level rapport and opens a threshold towards deeper reflections and tougher truths. But channelling that cavalier attitude while carrying authentic emotional weight and managing to stay catchy in the context of a song?

Austin songwriter Jefrey Siler has been living “at the corner of sincere and sardonic” since debuting Yellow Means Infection! in 2010. Yet outside of two singles from 2020, Siler’s studio output has been close to silent in the past decade. Well, this Friday Siler jumps back into action with Jefinitely.

Produced by The Shins’ Yuuki Matthews and recorded in Brooklyn with members of Devendra Banhart and Sufjan Stevens, Jefinitely is a killer counterpart to Yellow Means Infection!, which also totaled in at ten tracks. Just like its predecessor, Jefinitely is jam-packed with confessional crooning, intriguing instrumentation, and yeah…some beautifully flawed storytelling. Perfect example: “Wounded in Similar Ways”, whose acoustic guitar arpeggios and galloping tom-tom cadence make you overlook that the title is “something a hippie might say”. And although Jefrey’s vocal register is about two octaves lower than Justin Vernon’s, the gorgeous choral harmonies remind us of the arrangements on Bon Iver’s 22, A Million, sending Siler into the upper echelon of inventive indie-folk-rock.

Domestic Tallboys: “Dead Bread”

In the world of “gotcha”-style band handles (whose spot on a marquee may entice unsuspecting listeners in under false pretenses)…nothing will ever come close to “Free Beer”. As a result, countless college bands and beyond have adopted the “Free Beer” moniker, nowadays either temporarily or often with some kind of modifier (“Free Beer & Pizza” comes to mind). But that gimmick gets old after the initial chuckle, and tricking potential first-time listeners isn’t exactly how you build a dedicated following. With all that in mind, there’s a certain genius to naming a band Domestic Tallboys; Here in the South, especially Texas, it’s pretty much guaranteed that any live venue serves non-imported aluminum pints. So by holding onto the name since 2017, Domestic Tallboys have not only ditched the nefarious bait-and-switch of “Free Beer”, they’ve curated a whole dive bar vibe that they call “sloppy nacho rock”. Well, now that now that the foam from their latest final masters have settled down, Domestic Tallboys are ready to crack open their debut full-length, MAXIMÓN. MAXIMÓN introduces saxophone into the mix for some extra cross-genre carbonation, bringing that beer-braised energy into the comfort of your earbuds. MAXIMÓN is out on Friday, and Domestic Tallboys hits the stage at Swan Dive for the LP release show at 10:30PM that same evening. So get out, cop a couple of your favorite cans at the bar, and soak up some solo-heavy stuff like what you hear in MAXIMÓN‘s final lead single, “Dead Bread”.

The Tender Things: “Carousel”

As the sun beams us into springtime and the Lone Star State starts to heat up, it wouldn’t hurt to check in on our alt-country A/C. And who better to turn to than ACL Fest/Studio 1A veterans The Tender Things? Founded by Heartless Bastards ex-pat Jesse Ebaugh, The Tender Things keep their style of country on the quainter, more softly-spoken side. And by not leaning on the overblown live showmanship that often plagues large country acts, Ebaugh and The Tender Things have maintained some serious staying power both in-concert and on-wax.

This Friday, following up their 2017 eponymous debut and 2020’s How You Make a Fool, The Tender Things releases their third full-length That Texas Touch. In classic cowboy fashion, That Texas Touch finds The Tender Things working with Band of Heathens producer Gordy Quist to explore sounds farther outside the alt-country corral for a truly refreshing effect.

Now, we know that the The Tender Things are regulars on Austin Music Minute thanks to their insatiable hunger for live shows, and that stamina is showing off these next few weeks. Among The Tender Thing’s upcoming tour dates, the group celebrates That Texas Touch with an LP listening party 8PM on Thursday at Long Play East, a live set 5PM on Friday at Waterloo Records, and an official album release show 7PM this Saturday at Sam’s Town Point.

If those daily options across town have got your head spinnin’, you might as well embrace the whirlwind as we (and TTT) approach SXSW. So in that spirit, today The Tender Things have wheeled out the last lead single from That Texas Touch, that almost sounds like Lynyrd Skynyrd teamed up with Steely Dan, Steve Miller, and Wings for a southern-styled ’70s-esque soft-strutter. Entitled “Carousel”, this laid-back country-funk groove (and music video) absolutely knocks it out of the ballpark.

Trunk: “Chili’s 45th and Lamar”

Depending on the general reception of a sitting administration, President’s Day often presents the creative community with opportunities to shed some sociopolitical discourse. Today, that’s not quite the case. Instead we’re yielding the podium to a group whose last two albums were Trunk’s America and north american practice space. Yes, we’re talking about Trunk.

Look at their song titles or listen to their lyrics and you can tell right away that these five fellas are mainly just goofin’ around. But following Austin’s rich history of sarcastic hardcore punk acts like The Dicks, Big Boys and MDC, Trunk is actually really fun to listen to and honesty incredible live. Given, they only made their first public live performance last Fall at Infinite Hellscape Fest, but that set showed how much Trunk’s sound has matured since their 2017 debut GONE AREA. And although the lyrics and subject matter are about the same level of juvenility (unsurprising considering how old some of these songs are), we’re certainly not complaining about Trunk’s laissez-faire approach to songwriting, which channels the care-free eclecticism of Meat Puppets or The Minutemen.

On that note, today Trunk unfurled their latest studio offering, Buzzkill. Buzzkill is easily Trunk’s best record yet, both in terms of content and sonic fidelity. This cabinet of crazies is best enjoyed uninterrupted front-to-back, so we’ll get you started with Buzzkill‘s album opener that pays tribute to the Commander in Chief of chain restaurants, “Chili’s 45th and Lamar”.

Ma: “CALL”

It takes a certain hubris to claim that nature isn’t humankind’s greatest source of inspiration. And in Texas, although they’re all a bit more than a stone’s throw away from Austin, we’re honestly spoiled by our abundance of incredible parks. Between Palo Duro Canyon, the Fort Davis Mountains – and of course – Big Bend, the Lone Star State gives California a run for their money in terms of diverse scenery.

In particular, there’s an otherworldly quality to the almost-limitless terrain of Big Bend, which sparked something in Austin Barker and Dominic Sena. Under the handle Ma, this pair draws from Brian Eno, Radiohead, and Alex G, which has helped them translate Big Bend’s awe-inspiring imagery into ambient-and-grunge-adjacent indie. When Ma’s not cooped up in their home recording studio making magic, they’re playing around town alongside the likes of Redbud and Psychic Shark, and up until now Ma’s music has only been accessible in the live realm.

Today, that all changes; Ma just dropped their debut studio single “CALL”, the first of a few new tunes to be released in 2023. It sounds almost like Tears for Fears dehydrated themselves of their synth-pop sonics and swapped them out for a stripped-down grunge arrangement. The chord progression evokes wanderlust, the vocal harmonies inspire mesa-height hope, the drum patterns clatter like an abrupt rocky descent, and some of the guitar work sounds straight out of a revisionist Western soundtrack.

Charley Horse: “Ball Cap”

The first time I heard the phrase “charley horse” was as a little brat needling and buzzing my way below the belt on that Hasbro “board game” Operation. Fast forward to college, when I experienced my first abrupt leg spasm…and yeah, they’re not fun. So whether the term conjures thoughts of cursory surgery techniques or just a pain in the leg, there’s an indie rock outfit here in Austin eager to reclaim the mane and breed a positive connotation for Charley Horse.

These five friends rode in with their first pair of demos right around this same time last year, and followed it up that May with their appropriately-titled debut studio EP Summer. And even though Summer only clops in at about thirteen minutes over four tunes, it showed off Charley Horse’s versatility by galloping and cantering across power pop, psych, and alt-rock. Well, next Friday Charley Horse is set to hitch listeners in once again with their sophomore offering, Foothills

Foothills keeps it short and sweet at three brief tracks, which is honestly plenty enough to pad out their live performances and studio output as Charley Horse matures from foal into yearling. So while die-hard MLB fans count the days until March 30th, NBA heads dribble around in anticipation of the 30th Anniversary All-Star game this Sunday, and sunbathers count the clouds until spring, today Charley Horse chimes in with a bit of profound fashion-and-posture advice. If you’re chasing serenity, do it with your chin up, your eyes on the horizon, and your “Ball Cap” tipped high.

Space Tan: “I Don’t Wanna Die”

Maybe it’s this never-ending relay race of global pandemics, the collective cabin fever many of us endured during the recent ice storm, or just a gentle mist of malaise. Whatever the affliction, if the Milky Way’s main attraction is shining when you’re feeling imprisoned indoors, it’s always worth taking a couple of minutes to soak up some rays if you can. So with brighter days and clearer skies approaching with spring, perhaps it’s best to follow cues from our climate and embrace a sense of clarity.

Well, in the Austin rock realm, few indie-pop acts have managed to keep things as “clear” as Space Tan. Spearheaded by chief songwriter Gianni Sarmiento, Space Tan maintains transparency across both sonics and lyrics, leaving their melodies and messages ripe for in-ear radiance and emotional reflection. And on Friday, following up 2020’s Don’t Worry About Me and 2021’s Inti Raymi, Space Tan champions the obliteration of internal barriers on Prison Planet.

Prison Planet doesn’t want you to rot in a cell of your own inhibitions or deflective tendencies. Instead it incarcerates you in an energetic five-inmate gen pop of unconventionally inspirational indie rock, guaranteed to leave you re-evaluating any reservations you have for the coming year. Space Tan celebrates Prison Planet on March 3rd at Swan Dive for a joint release show with Domestic Tallboys alongside AMA and our January 2023 Artist of the Month je’Texas. And today, like an adorably deadpan indirect response to Youth Brigade’s 1983 call, Space Tan’s handed us a Strokes-esque testament to the value of life, “I Don’t Wanna Die”.

Damascan Daydreams: “Crown of Gold”

Whatever your NFL affiliations may be, most music lovers would agree who took home the crown last night…Rihanna. But just a couple days before the big Half Time show, us central Texans were treated to our own set of spectacular visuals, courtesy of Damascan Daydreams.

Faithful to her handle, multi-instrumenatlist-songwriter-producer Eman Tiba was born in Syria’s southwestern capital before a creative childhood in central Ohio, a PhD-education at OSU, another batch of songwriting salad days in South Carolina, and eventually residency here in Austin. Like a twisted, feminine Little Nemo for our current generation, Damascan Daydreams transports us across a collective subconscious of exotic, electronic pop-inspired sounds.

Last Friday Damascan Daydreams followed up her noir-y repertoire of singles (“Haunted Home”, “French Film”, and “Lights, Color, Dark”) with her creepiest offering to date. Cloaked in seductive minor-second chord changes, “Crown of Gold” (and its incredible music video) feels almost like an alternate American Horror Story title sequence. But thanks to straight-ahead trap-style drum programming, sinister synth tones, and Tiba’s spectral soprano, “Crown of Gold” will weigh you down from how much head-bobbing it elicits.

Ley Line: “Sometimes”

Here at KUTX 98.9, we’ve never been too shy about our love of Ley Line. Since naming Ley Line as our October 2019 Artist of the Month, this language-crazed Austin-based quartet has become somewhat of a Song of the Day and Austin Music Minute darling. And that’s for a damn good reason.

If you follow Ley Line on socials you already know what we mean; whether it’s writing, recording, touring, performing, or soaking up influences across the globe, these four folk femmes always seem to be doing something. And in 2023, as they celebrate one whole decade since first meeting at Telluride Bluegrass Festival, we’re somewhat expecting Ley Line to surprise us with something else between now and their set at Old Settler’s Music Fest in April.

But until then, we’ll have to tide ourselves over with Ley Line’s latest studio single, which was last March’s “High Tide” up until today. This morning Ley Line woke up singing, had a cup, and poured up a Folger’s-fresh reflection on life’s sweeter moments. “Sometimes” tops that optimism off with soft vocals that effortlessly alternate between unison and harmony, breezy strings that’ll set your mind at ease, and a naturalistic, percussion-less arrangement that reminds us – you don’t need to march to the beat of anyone’s drum but the sun’s.

Nagavalli: “Guru”

When we think about the impact that Indian music has had here in Texas, most folks would knee-jerk react by pointing to Norah Jones, the Grapevine-raised, UNT-educated daughter of sitar legend Ravi Shankar. but obviously, despite Jones’ enormous talent, she’s not really who we look to when we want to hear authentic Eastern influences. For that, we gotta give it up for Mumbai-raised, Austin-based singer-songwriter Nagavalli.

Nagavalli Medicharla made her mononymous debut in 2012 with Eastern Soul, a term she also applies to her boundless Eastern-meets-Western/traditional-meets-modern style. In the decade since Eastern Soul, Nagavalli’s interpolated Twelfth Night in a Bollywood style, earned an Austin Music Award nomination, and taken on roles as both Board Chair of EQ Austin and Vice Chair of the Austin Music Foundation. And on Friday, following up her ambitious 2019 endeavor Immersion, this invaluable international asset to our creative community re-embraces the spirit of cross-cultural unification with her next full-length, Numinosum.

Numinosum combines the best-sounding bits of Eastern spirituality with pop, rock, jazz, and more, thanks to a dream team backing band and intriguing arrangements that showcase their fair share of world/ethnic instrumentation. Numinosum packages passionate English-language originals next to an Eliza Gilkyson cover, a Durga invocation, and even a couple Indo-Pak classics. Nagavalli celebrates the release of Numinosum 5PM today for a free in-store performance at Waterloo Records and again 8PM this Saturday at The Paramount along with KUTX favorites BettySoo, Carrie Rodriguez, and Oliver Rajamani as well as familiar faces Patrice Pike and Indrajit Bannerjee. Unless you’ve mastered astral projection, beating traffic to attend both shows might be a bit of a stretch. But you can slay the demon that is Hump Day with “Guru”, a pocket-raga that transcends language through ethereal orchestration and entrancing dynamics.

Slaid Cleaves: “Second Hand” [PREMIERE]

While we here at KUTX celebrate our 10th birthday, it’s worth revisiting the folks who were KUT 90.5 heavyweights well before 98.9 FM’s call letters were even born. Among that roster of Central Texas mainstays is a real character of the airwaves, singer-guitarist Slaid Cleaves. It’s crazy to think that his breakout fifth LP No Angel Knows came out all the way back in 1997, especially considering that Slaid’s continued to cut through the competition like a certain kitchen utensil. Which, to maintain a presence in the Live Music Capital for more than a quarter century, is easier said than done…even with a pretty consistent three-to-four-year release rate such as Slaid’s.

On that note, diehard Slaid-heads (including horror legend Stephen King) might’ve become bereaved by Cleaves’ lack of post-pandemic output. Good news! On March 3rd Slaid slides back in with Together Through the Dark, his first studio offering since 2017’s Ghost on the Car Radio, and celebrates with an album release show later that month at The 04 Center. As you can imagine from the title, Together Through the Dark champions empathy in uncertain times, mainly anchored by Cleaves’ idiosyncratic storytelling but also applicable to the sans-power solidarity we’ve had the past couple weeks in Central Texas.

However it hits you, TTtD contains some of Slaid’s most mature folk-Americana compositions to date and a beautifully flawed sense of human confidence we could all appreciate right about now. So if you want to be the first of your friends to get your mitts on the new Slaid, set the needle down on the record’s third single “Second Hand”. Like a vintage Plymouth carrying you across your routine stops, “Second Hand” steers straight with easily-navigable chord changes, gentle harmonies, and as with all things Cleaves, a relatable narrative. After all, who thinks being a thrifty family man is unfashionable?

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