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David Shabani: “Holiday Blues”

It’s the final five features for Song of the Day‘s 2022 season. We’re taking a vacation for a couple weeks, but don’t fret; we’ll be back bright and early next year. Until then we’re hanging some of the very best musical mistletoe of the past months, starting off with Austin’s own David Shabani. Born in Paris and raised in Canada, Shabani’s blessed the Live Music Capital with gripping alternative hip-hop in the vein of Lupe Fiasco, Childish Gambino, Kaytranada, and Kid Cudi. Shabani’s outstanding verbal skills, butter-smooth singing, and brilliant taste in beats have earned him supporting spots for international icons like Ashanti and Trinidad James, local legends Black Joe Lewis and Blackillac, and consistent placement as an airwave heavyweight on our Hip-Hop/R&B specialty show The Breaks. After nearly thirty live appearances since January, Shabani, along with his backing group The Nu Leopards, have had a pretty good year for themselves. Considering Shabani’s motto (“I feel good right now”), being in the moment is a gift available to anyone, anywhere. So even if you’ve got a stocking full of “Holiday Blues”, the sleigh bells, slick instrumentation, and modern Dickensian storytelling of Shabani’s latest single ought to keep your heart warm for the winter.

waverly: “overcomplicated” (feat. mHart)

Trap-pop. It’s decidedly a young person’s game. I mean sure, you’ve got “older” folks like Drake and Doja Cat purveying it on the Billboard charts but really, the target demographic and the generation who’s going to take it to the next level are people in their teens and twenties. Which brings us to Wil Brookhart. Born in Cambodia and now based right here in Austin, Brookhart’s been no stranger to collaborations in recent years; a continuing contributor and Artist Instructor for Mother Falcon Music Lab, this multi-instrumentalist/producer has also helped shape the sound of Carley Bearden, fruit collective, and most recently Casie Luong. Throughout all those endeavors, Brookhar balanced guitar-driven indie with MIDI-textured R&B, but his jump from producer to solo songwriter is really what propelled Brookhart into the big top of pop trapeze within the past year. That shift coincided with the adoption of a new handle, waverly, and the release of four standalone singles since April. Electric guitar is still the central instrument, but beats, bass, synth pads, and now, Brookhart’s processed-yet-velvety vocals complement these otherwise-spacious arrangements. Today, on Brookhart’s 24th birthday, waverly stirs a little bit of Juice WRLD into a three-minute sonic smoothie. Unmarred by complex techniques or convoluted chord changes, the simplicity of “overcomplicated” (compared with its emotional weight) is what guarantees it to be an enduring, widely-accessible earworm.

Daily Worker: “Irish Goodbye”

Austin area indie-rock/guitar-pop connoisseurs ought to be well acquainted with the legendary experimental outfit Cotton Mather. The core members of Cotton Mather have kept each other company for a little over two decades, albeit non-consecutive ones. And yet you might still be unfamiliar with Cotton Mather co-founder Harold Whit Williams’ solo endeavor, Daily Worker.

To call this prize-winning author-poet-guitarist prolific is putting it mildly; in less than half a decade Daily Worker has put out more than a dozen full-lengths, including the Shelter In Tapes lo-fi four-track series. Each new addition is an absolute jackpot of jangle pop chock-full of moving ruminations, a trend set to continue with Autofiction.

Autofiction drops February 3rd, but Daily Worker’s already released the LP’s first two tracks as a 45, with a full band release show 6:30pm this Friday at Love Wheel Records. Visually, its A-Side (which doubles as Autofiction‘s album opener) brings a bit of ’60s psychedelia to the cemetery. And despite its title, “Irish Goodbye” gushes Eastern energy with sitar-inspired lead guitar riffs that’d have George Harrison sticking around for more.

Superfónicos: “Primera Luz”

You’ve heard a ton about our Holiday Sing-Along over the past couple weeks, and today we’ve got good news for both Grinches and Gingerbread Architects alike. To the former, you won’t be hearing those promos after this weekend. To the latter, we’ve got an early stocking stuffer for you.

That’s because shortly after the tree lighting, KUTX favorite Superfónicos‘ll be serenading us with their idiosyncratic blend of world music. This one-of-a-kind Latin-fusion octet is no stranger to Studio 1A, nor Austin Music Minute, nor Song of the Day. Which shows you how just how spectacular and accessible this first-rate eight-piece still is, even almost a decade down the line.

We’re not entirely sure how the stars aligned so dang well for Superfónicos’ latest single, but given the title and their post-lighting performance tomorrow night, the cosmos are clearly on their side. Between tantalizing auxiliary percussion, a free-flowing psychedelic structure, and harmonies that herald radiance, Superfónicos’ almost-unbelievable eight-part cohesion is illuminated throughout “Primera Luz”, AKA “First Light”. Pop “Primera Luz” into your favorite playlist, and catch Superfónicos in person tomorrow night or for “Cumbia NYE” at Far Out Lounge along with Grupo Fantasma.

Nick Adamo: “Lie to Me”

Every December, everyone says that this year was the absolute worst. And while I won’t debate the objective demerits of 2022, it sure has felt like an especially long turn around the sun. It’s wild to think about, but at the end of this month, we’ll technically be twice as close to 2025 as we are to the end of the 2010s. So just as we sometimes pine for simpler memories of pre-9/11 America, there’s a certain pre-pandemic charm to the tail end of the last decade compared to these “Boring ’20s”.

For example, here in Austin, singer-guitarist Nick Adamo made a double debut in 2019 with a twin-pack of surf-rock singles. But just as we thought Austin surf legends 3 Balls of Fire were about to have stiff competition from this young buck, COVID brought the world to a halt, and Nick Adamo retreated away from those good vibrations. We haven’t really heard from Nick Adamo since…until now.

Earlier this morning Nick Adamo broke the silence with his first single in three years. “Lie to Me” teams Nick Adamo up with NPR Tiny Desk veteran/vocalist Aubrey Hays, Pelvis Wrestley pedal-steel-guitarist Zack Wiggs, and even a string quartet courtesy of the Austin Symphony composed by Charlie Magnone. The payoff? A sandy folk-orchestral arrangement anchored by Adamo’s dexterous finger-plucking and sanguine singing. Catch Nick Adamo’s solo acoustic set 3-5PM this Saturday at The Domain (benefitting the Musician Treatment Foundation) and a full band single release show on December 14th, 10PM at Saxon Pub.

Easy Compadre!: “Besos De Menta” (feat. Starflake)

Prog-pop. Admittedly not the most expected pairing compared to its ’70s counterpart prog-rock. But here’s where it gets interesting. Austin three-piece Easy Compadre! also incorporates a little bit of cumbia, synth-wave and other worldly styles into their sonics. Comprised of guitarist Hector Tednoir, keyboardist/bassist Oscar Botello and percussionist Chido Machine, Easy Compadre’s been doing their thing since 2019.

The three mend their unique talents into a refreshing blend of traditional and digital multimedia; interactive visuals and video mapping pair effortlessly with classic rock instrumentation and MIDI controllers. And after almost a dozen standalone singles, Easy Compadre! has pulled the curtain on their fourth track of the year and second official collaboration. Not too long ago Easy Compadre! invited The Bright Light Social Hour’s Jackie O’Brien (AKA “Starflake”) into the studio and recently emerged with some impeccable cross-cultural chemistry. “Besos De Menta” (and its SFX-laden music video) is a silly but sweet three-and-a-half minute riff on the anxieties of modern dating, whose eccentric energy and airtight arrangement will treat your ears like the taste of peppermint on your lips.

Friend in Law: “Hold Out”

Way before Elon Musk or Joe Rogan moved here, I remember seeing a ton of bumper stickers and T-shirts with slogans like these: “Don’t L.A. my A.T.X.”, “Don’t Dallas My Austin”, and yes, even “Don’t Put Your Big ‘D’ in My Little ‘A’”. Now, I can’t recall the last time I saw one of those in person, and as a native Austinite, I’m cool with that! Because y’all, we simply wouldn’t have the melting pot that is The Live Music Capital without new locals sharing their art.

And although the thought of another in-law just days after Thanksgiving might make your heart skip a beat, I can assure you that there’ll always be a seat at Austin’s table for Ben Murray and his solo affair Friend In Law. See, Murray’s move down here nearly eight years ago was a critical first step in rekindling his teenage love of penning and performing guitar-driven tunes. Once COVID hit, Murray doubled down on his once-juvenile dreams of becoming a self-produced musician, an auteur in the vein of Kevin Parker or Mac DeMarco.

Rooted in Murray’s ongoing DAW immersion, Friend In Law’s sonics follow a family tree of ’60s/’70s classics with contemporary limbs like pop punk knotted along the way. As of now, Friend In Law’s studio output is still fledgling. But when you hear how calculated each tone, note, and inflection is, you sure as heck won’t want to rush Murray’s progressing greatness. These things take time! And as heard on Friend In Law’s latest single, time can define people and places. As such, “Hold Out” is a triumph of triplet rhythms, a sanguine psych-shoegaze soundscape, and above all, an arresting piece of nostalgia.

on being an angel: “brit boy”

It’s a gloomy start to 2022’s final thirty-nine steps. And in embracing the wintertime blues, it’s the perfect time to indulge in a hazy, understated, all-lowercase aesthetic. Which, here in Austin, brings us to on being an angel. For the past three years this quartet sewn seeds of pop melodies across faint fields of fuzz and gritty landscapes of ’90s-style grunge. With an outspoken preference for the tried-and-true analogue sound over its precocious DAW descendants, the latest milestone in on being an angel’s ongoing mid-fi mission is on being a tape vol. ii. Issued last Friday, on being a tape is a beautifully-flawed four-track whose heart’ll never need any digital clarity to move you. The EP wraps up with an inventive Lucinda Williams cover, but perhaps its biggest standout is the record’s penultimate track and final original. For a fully immersive analogue-and-fisheye experience, “brit boy” begs to be enjoyed alongside its black-and-white VHS-style music video. If that’s not enough, you might even be able to see on being an angel in-person, opening for The Lemonheads, Bass Drum of Death, and Juliana Hatfield on tour over the next month!

Big Bill: “Humanoids”

Longtime fans of Austin four-piece Big Bill no doubt still feel the effects of their unexpectedly refreshing hard left turn earlier this year. For those out of the loop, midway through 2022 Big Bill released Public Freakout Compilation, chronicling the group’s shift from their once-signature ’80s-esque angular post-punk into lackadaisical ’90s-style indie rock. But the band’s collective larger-than-life, uncouth, and off-kilter personality still shines through the arrangements, lyrics, and now…visuals.

Like a star-crossed bastard child of Charles Schultz and Charles Bukowski, today Big Bill released the music video for PFC‘s third act-opener, “Humanoids”. Animated and illustrated by Pelvis Wrestley visionary Benjamin Violet, you’d have to be a real blockhead to not love the bleakness of this heartfelt Peanuts homage. Bonus points for an end-of-year reminder of how damn good this record is front to back.

Trouble in the Streets: “Dreaming of Forever”

Phantogram. Big Freedia. George Clinton. For most folks, opening for any one of ’em would be the crowning achievement of their career. But to have shared the stage with all three, not to mention Bob Moses, Lettuce drummer/producer Adam Deitch, and other legends in under a decade? On Trouble in the Streets‘ list of milestones, those high-profile performances barely scrape the surface.

Since the mid-2010s, this Austin trio has produced societal dissonance that’s both accessible and danceable for the masses. By paving the spaces between hip-hop, R&B, pop, rock, psych, and beyond, the ferocious group’s self-described “electro tribe” sound helped them garner Austin Chronicle‘s “Best New Band” award in 2018 and third-place runner-up for “Best Electronic Act” the following year. Among acclaimed sets at SXSW, UtopiaFest, and Joshua Tree, a recent feature from frontwoman Nnedi Agbaroji with Jim Eno’s Project Traction, and one the most snicker-inducing band abbreviations imaginable, TitS is pretty much…well…

But right now the big news from these seasoned Studio 1A veterans is their upcoming LP, out next year. The record introduces Kenny Schwartz replacing co-founding percussionist Bobby Snakes, who still slithered onto the album’s lead single as a send-off. Entitled “Dreaming of Forever”, this four-minute safari of sounds (whose menagerie includes crunchy bass synth, vehement vocal harmonies, and a truly brilliant bridge section) is an enduring reminder of TitS’ idiosyncratic dynamics and an enticing glimpse of what’s to come.

Deer Fellow: “Unravel”

Indie music in Austin, Texas: there’s a lot of it. You’ve got indie rock, indie pop, a little bit of indie electronic, and my personal favorite, indie folk. And that’s strictly due to the incorporation of acoustic instruments, something Austin duo Deer Fellow excels at. Made up of violinist-pianist-vocalist Alyssa Kelly and guitarist-vocalist Matt Salois, Deer Fellow’s been grazing local grounds (and far beyond) since 2016. The pair’s always shared complementary threads of creativity, but nowadays, especially after all those years collaborating in close company, Salois’ and Kelly’s respective singular talents have become intertwined well past the point of separation. That Shining-level cross-strand connection came to a head with the release of their debut EP Words Unsaid last year and is sure to continue on their upcoming sophomore record Unraveling. Unraveling follows a successful summer tour for Deer Fellow, who are set to hot-hoof across central Texas over the next week. This four-stop stint includes appearances in Manchaca and San Antonio plus a Sofar Sounds curation in both Houston and Austin, which kicks off this Friday in the St. Elmo district. But will those shows be Deer Fellow’s only output this winter? Frayed knot. Today Deer Fellow premiered Unraveling’s lead single and title-adjacent track, “Unravel”. What begins as bare bones guitar-and-vocals seamlessly unweaves into serene strings, call-and-response countermelodies, subtle drums in just over three minutes. It’s poignantly incandescent, so fair warning: If you’re already in an emotionally fragile spot at the moment, “Unravel” might just tear you to shreds.

Half Dream: “Roses”

With the autumnal onset of dreary, drippy weather here in Central Texas, this past weekend was kind of a wash for live events; at KUTX, we ended up postponing our final Rock the Park performance of 2022 a full week. But if you’re not as easily deterred by the elements, you might’ve made your way out to ABGB this weekend for a free show featuring Mean Jolene and Austin quartet Half Dream.

Masterminded by chief vocalist Paige Renee Berry, Half Dream’s been hammering down a hazy brand of indie pop rock for about half a decade. True to their name, Half Dream’s lucid instrumentation sounds like an original score to a fevered hallucination, one you won’t want to wake up from right away. The reason Half Dream was hunkering down at ABGB? The group’s latest single, “Roses”.

“Roses” fell last Friday, and Half Dream opens up for Shooks’ residency at Hotel Vegas 10PM tomorrow night. Myself? I’ll probably show support from home with fuzzy slippers on and a hot chocolate steaming. So if you’re like me and want some synesthesia for your senses without ever leaving the cave, get a whiff of languid rhythms, jangly guitar, and of course, Half Dream’s signature harmonies, with “Roses”.

Glass Mansions: “Standing O”

Back at the turn of the millennium it was a pretty interesting phenomenon seeing the label “alt-rock” dominate genre preferences. Now, immersed in the status quo of DAWs and MIDI arrangements a full generation later, we’ve come full circle with “alt-pop”. So if you’re on the prowl for the top purveyors of alt-pop right here in Austin, have peek into Glass Mansions. Made up of vocalist/percussionist/sampler Jayna Doyle and synthesist/guitarist/bassist/keyboardist Blake Arambula, this two-piece definitely ticks a box for member efficiency. In the half decade since breaking ground on Glass Mansions, the pair’s atemporal open house of synth-driven, rock-grounded, dance-adjacent tastes has landed their tunes on MTV, Netflix, and Bravo. And in the live realm, Glass Mansions has glistened onstage alongside Phantogram, Robert Delong, and Young the Giant across Warped Tour, SXSW and beyond. Amongst all that applause and exposure, Glass Mansions has gleaned how to please listeners of all kinds. But as a female-led project, even Glass Mansions has unsurprisingly been smudged by institutionalized oppression. So today, a week out from their free Beach Fossils after show next Friday at The Mohawk, Glass Mansions has pulled the curtain back on their latest music video. Between its news footage, stacked-tv overstimulation, and undeniable crossover appeal, “Standing O” may make you wanna rip your monitor right out of its socket…at least wait ’til you give Glass Mansions a follow.

Arya: “i’d rather lose you”

No matter the kind of creative, a hard pivot takes a lot of guts. Be it George Carlin dropping “straight” in favor of “straight up” or Danielle Ponder leaving her legal firm to focus on her pipes, those risky shifts can end up being unique, life-changing gifts. Among the more recent entries into that roster? Serbian national Arya.

You see, Arya spent about a decade and a half back in Belgrade behind a Baby Grand; ten-plus years of classical piano coupled with a Bachelor’s in Jazz. Yet despite becoming a certified ace on the ivories, the fulfillment of contemporary innovation wasn’t exactly there.

Now, as Austinites, we won’t claim that it was the Live Music Capital that turned Arya into the rising star she is today. However, it was Arya’s move to Texas that coincided with her 2019 debut EP it wasn’t love. That record introduced the world to a daring, new, and authentically-emotional pop-R&B voice, no doubt well-informed by her mastery of jazz and classical theory. On top of all that talent, she seems like an outstanding human being as well! Arya’s last single, “Bed”, came alongside her “Better Every Day” merch line, which donates proceeds directly to Austin’s beloved SIMS Foundation.

Arya’s been plugging away at her debut visual EP Insides, but with 2022 quickly coming to a close, she’d be remiss if she didn’t go out in full R&B-stunner style. At 7:30PM tonight at Pedernales Station, Arya unfurls the live rendition of her latest single “i’d rather lose you”, with tattoos by Slowpoke Marfa, free drinks, and more. Can’t make it? No problem. The heavenly piano chords, angelic vocals, and soaring synth bass of “i’d rather lose you” are enough to make you pray for more right away.

Dog Beach Rebels: “Company”

It’s post-election Wednesday, and after the extremely close results of our gubernatorial race, there are a lot of folks feeling their fur mussed up to say the least. But no matter who’s at the top of Texas politics, at least for right now, Austin is still the Live Music Capital first and foremost. So if you’re itchin’ for a reggae-alt-rock escape right here in the city limits…pile in, pooches; Dog Beach Rebels will be tossing us all a post-election bone this weekend!

With nearly five (human) years under their collar, Dog Beach Rebels’ breed of all-things reggae has only become more brindled. Whether it’s with ska, jam, rocksteady, psych, dub, or straight up roots, Dog Beach Rebels proudly struts it all like the multi-genre mutt they are. This Saturday they’ll be dropping their sophomore studio EP Just Enough, with a release show 9PM Friday night at Flamingo Cantina. So become DBR’s latest fan right now with the previously-unheard EP opener off Just Enough, whose steady skank and spacious arrangement will make you want to stay in close “Company”.

Souls Extolled: “Just Dreams”

On behalf of KUTX, here’s a confession of sorts: we could lean a little more on the heavier stuff. And I’m not saying that just because I’m rocking the long, windmill-ready thrash hair right now. There really are some sensational prog metal (or at least hard rock-adjacent) songwriters sprinkled across Austin. Exhibit A: Souls Extolled. This three-piece exercises a regiment of all kinds of stuff; indie, alternative, grunge, ska, and punk have all been on the platter since the group’s inception in 2019. Souls Extolled plans on springing right into 2023 with their next full-length MMXXII or “twenty twenty two” phonetically. The record is set to drop on New Year’s Day 2023 and as such, Souls Extolled is expected at venues across the country over the next few weeks, with a tour kickoff 8PM tonight at The Mohawk (ahead of The Dead Coats at 9 and The Holy Death Trio at 10). Can’t convince your ear drums to bear the Atlas task of a full in-person set? No problem. Just stretch out into the aether with MMXXII‘s incandescent and honestly almost-operatic eleventh offering, “Just Dreams”.

Solo Solo: “No Sleep”

Boy, there’ve been a lot of new Austin acts popping up in 2022. And while artist multiplicity has made gatekeeping and curation a bit more complicated than it was in the pre-DAW era, we still try our best to show off up-and-coming artists around town. Yet our airwaves simply cannot catch everything. That’s why Song of the Day is here to play a little heavy rotation safety, this time on behalf of Solo Solo. Solo Solo is fraternal collaboration front and center; their lifelong bond as brothers slipstreams seamlessly into this synth-injected indie rock project. Their studio singles are still limited as of yet, but considering the standalone caliber of “No Sleep” (not to mention a well-designed character-and-car-driven music video), AND the fact that their next single “Pure Graffiti (Instrumental Version)” is already available for pre-order…seems like Solo Solo’s set to take several more big steps in the near future.
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