Indie

The Sophs: “House”

L.A. six-piece the Sophs are true chameleons. Whether they’re throwing in some twang on a college party bop, going full pop-punk nostalgia, or, in the case, of “House,” painting a Shirley Jackson-like story of a man living in a hovel built from and on bones, surrounded by ethereal remnants of past occupants and adding more metaphorical ghosts through a series of amorous escapades. Despite being a comparatively more laid-back track than what the group has released thus far, their affinity for catchiness despite the approach remains.

The Sophs’ US and European tour hits SXSW hard in support of their debut album Gold Star. You can find their full schedule here.

Gold Star is out March 13th.

Jobi Riccio: “Buzzkill”

Jobi Riccio is a Nashville indie Americana artist, but with her new single “Buzzkill,” she leans into a more punk style, rock-forward sound. This shift mirrors her angsty, introspective lyrics, which capture what it’s like to navigate your twenties and the emotional phases that define those years.

As someone in my mid-twenties, I find this song articulates a widely shared but often unspoken feeling: that growing up isn’t linear or easy. It’s a time of trial and error, constant change, and searching for identity, often without seeing immediate progress.

Toward the end of the track, Riccio offers reassurance that we don’t have to be just one thing. We’re allowed to evolve, experiment, and exist in flux, as long as we stay true to ourselves.

Katherion: “Bad for Me”

Austin artist Katherion is proving she has what it takes to stand out with “Bad for Me,” a track from her debut album EROS. This softly haunting indie-pop song explores the tension of being in a relationship you know isn’t good for you. By focusing on feeling rather than specificity, the lyrics invite listeners to engage with the song through multiple lenses, reflecting both everyday human relationships and our connection to the divine. Katherion taps into a higher vibration when creating her music, encouraging it to be understood on both a micro and macro level. This idea is personified through her airy, textured ethereal sound while still grounded with its pop structure.

Katherion plays a show this Friday at the Cactus Cafe. The EROS listening party is February 7th @ BLK Vinyl.

Half Dream: “Fly” [Recorded Live at the Hole In the Wall]

For over a decade, the windows in the KUTX booth and the front of the Hole In the Wall have gazed at each other from across the street. Generations of musicians and music lovers have storied memories of the 51-year-old venue, whether you were there to see Townes Van Zandt’s regular performances or Lucinda Williams get her start, spotted icons like Courtney Love and Dave Grohl, or witnessed Yard Act’s first show in the U.S..

So it would make sense that two iconic Austin music institutions would finally converge. Over the last few months, we’ve invited our Concert Club members to be part of a new tradition, a series we’re calling The Hole Story. Think of it as MTV: Unplugged, but Austin. Short, stripped-down story-driven solo sets by some of our favorite Austin musicians performed on Hole In the Wall’s famous front stage.

And now, we’re sharing these sets with you, kicking it off with our May Artist of the Month Half Dream. A regular on the Hole In the Wall calendar, Half Dream’s Paige Renee Berry performed a plugged-in solo set, showcasing her lofty, haunting vocals and bare-it-all-while-sometimes-taking-no-prisoners songwriting prowess.

Judy Blank: “Cosmic Kids” (ft. SUSTO)

Growing up in the Netherlands, Judy Blank fostered an early love for classic American cinema. She’s married that love with her stamp of DIY-indie eclecticism, sometimes leaning more Americana (something she honed during her brief time as a Nashvillian) and sometimes dreamy indie-pop, but always poetic, seemingly effortless, and marked with that signature Dutch wit and brutal honesty. Now calling Austin home, Judy Blank is our November KUTX Artist of the Month, and she stopped by Studio 1A to perform songs from her new album Big Mood and was joined by fellow Austinite and SUSTO frontman Justin Osbourne on “Cosmic Kids.”

KUTX’s Artist of the Month program is powered by PNC Bank.

Lucius: “Mad Love” [Backstage at ACL Fest]

Lush melodies, decadent fashions, and a good hang to boot. L.A.’s Lucius is no stranger to the KUTX airwaves or Studio 1A, and we always get excited with antici….pation. And they delivered. Not only did they stop by to hypnotize us with a deeply lovely performance of “Mad Love,” a song from the group’s eponymously named album about the raw and tender moments the group’s members have encountered in the last couple of years: setting down roots, creating families, and finding home, but co-lead vocalists Jess Wolfe and Holly Laesing stuck around to answer our burning questions about all of those stellar costumes.

Lucius performs this Sunday at ACL Fest at 3:30 on the Beatbox stage.

Andrew Vineski: “Today”

Austin pianist Andrew Vineski is the embodiment of modern vintage and self-confidence. Many artists these days will tell you their sound is inspired by a bunch of obscure musicians, or that they’re modernizing an existing sound. But I like a good subversion, and in the current state of new music, owning a love for the classics is a breath of fresh air.

Vineski revels in the sounds of the Beatles and Radiohead, the widely different piano stylings of Billy Joel and Keane, and, like the classically trained pianist he is, Rachmaninoff. On his new single “Today,” he brings in some strings to deepen the beautiful melancholy the song possesses, written about Vineski losing his father to cancer when he was 13. That said, this deeply moving tune has a soft-glowing candle in the corner: the sentiment that being gone from this plane doesn’t mean there won’t be a rendezvous on the next.

The Andrew Vineski Trio plays each weekend at Cheer’s Shot Bar all summer long.

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 sound, and the lyrics came long after the songs, which the duo let flow through them without any pesky overthinking. What they’ve created is something organic that oscillates around different sounds all tied together by the aforementioned conditions and nostalgic inspiration.

The album’s debut single “Alive” takes on a vintage country rock sound, not quite like the Byrds, and not quite like Whiskeytown, but something that takes you to both of those places simultaneously.

Welcome to the Civilized World is out September 5^thon Full Time Hobby and Dine Alone Records.

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, Kalifa marries his storytelling talents on Witness, a nine-song album with each track visually represented by a set of photographs. On “Jackie’s Rock,” Kalifa gingerly pays tribute to nine-year-old Jackie Cazares, one of the victims of the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde in May of 2022 whose family Kalifa has grown to know in particular. The song is a beautiful demonstration of combining delicate and powerful, and here’s where Kalifa pulls out some of the Mother Falcon magic, using strings to be sun-soaked and lovely without being outwardly cheerful or disingenuous.

Witness comes out this fall.

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 them one of Austin’s most prominent bands of the 2000’s.

Part of what prompted Ramesh’s move to Glasgow was the need to seek community compared to the loneliness of being a queer half-Indian boy in Texas. After Voxtrot broke-up win 2010, some of those same demons came full circle, creating an identity crisis surrounding his queerness, religion, and culture. His innerwork through that process is encased in his upcoming solo album Search for Freedom & God, a work dealing with everything from existentialism, spirituality, love and heartbreak, and the pursuit of purpose.

Ramesh stopped by Studio 1A recently to preview some songs from the upcoming album, fully acutalized with the help of award-winning Austin string quartet Invoke. You can see the full Studio 1A at KUTX.org.

DUCKWRTH: “Toxic Romantic”

L.A.’s DUCKWRTH has an adept knack for genre-bending around hip-hop, indie, and electronic music, massaging whatever effect he wants to achieve into his mold. His hip, danceable midtempo grooves have landed him the opening spot on two Billie Eilish tours, his music has been in shows like Insecure and Bel Air, and his song “Start A Riot” with Shaboozey was featured on the widely revered Spider Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack.

DUCKWRTH’s third studio album American F**k Boy is a thoughtfully plotted story that unfolds like a book. Broken down into literal chapters, the voices of notable actors like LaKeith Stanfield give interstitial narration throughout DUCKWRTH’s bear-all odyssey juggling multiple romantic interests, generational trauma, his own self-inflicted patterns leading to toxic relationships. Towards the end, DUCKWRTH describes his ego death necessary to grow, reflect, and move on with a promise to do better.

“Toxic Romantic” kicks off the album with a brilliant display of DUCKWRTH’s groovy midtempo, multi-hyphenate style, punctuating the chaos we’ve been dropped into with a garbled guitar riff and DUCKWRTH calling his pathetic self out with a distorted delivery of the cliché “It’s not you, it’s me. I promise.”

American F*cK Boy is out now on Them Hellas/The Blind Youth.

Soft Bones: “Let the Sun In”

Bassist and singer Anastasia Wright has long been a part of the Austin music tradition of being part of about a dozen bands you’ve seen and heard of. Hong Kong Wigs, Tyler Jordan and the Negative Space, Black Basements, and the B-52’s cover band Mock Lobster. Additionally, she’s been running her own vegan catering and personal chef business Temptress Meals for years.

Now, Wright’s turned her sights toward her latest solo project, Soft Bones. Pooling together wonderful artists like Big Bill drummer Jeff Olson and Wright’s own husband Joe Olmstead. While Anastasia is an extraordinary bassist, her vocals are siren-like and showstopping. Both instruments are put front and center on the new EP Return Your Experience.

There’s a lot of air and space throughout the EP, but it’s not stripped down; it’s an essential and well-executed layer to the sound. Truly, it’s gothic beauty. On “Let the Sun In,” her bassline sets the dark tone before her vocals come in like a mysterious draft from an old, castle tower window. Soon, the windstorm picks up, and you’re enraptured in her vocal gusts. And yes, this would perfectly soundtrack your next tarot reading.

Along with the release of Return Your Experience is a bittersweet departure. Anastasia gifts Austin this EP as she moves on to new pastures and new projects. But, not without a proper sendoff in the form of a release show tonight at Radio East.

You can see Soft Bones’ EP release show and farewell to Austin tonight at Radio East with Alex Riegelman and Feeling Small.

Erin Ivey: “I’m in Awe”

A lot of intergenerational discourse about age and beauty got brought up because of The Substance this year. Ya know, out with the old and in with the new by rule of sex appeal. And the way some of these fresh-faced artists skyrocket to half a billion streams seemingly overnight based on Tik Tok clout…it’s hard to shake the preconception that even the music industry is a young gals’ game. But you don’t even need a sense of sight to recognize meaningful songwriting and a keen ear, both of which naturally develop over a lifetime of formative experiences.

You can see where this is going, but rest assured, we’re respectfully shying away from the words “old” and “older” as best we can. Because like haulin’ out a holiday basket of assorted, exceptionally-aged fine wine, this Thursday the 04 Center hosts Merry & Bright: Wavemakers Holiday Concert and Market supporting women over 40 in the music industry that boasts a lineup of Lurleen Ladd, Suzanna Choffel, Wendy Colonna, and today’s spotlight Erin Ivey for an evening of guaranteed great music.

Concerning Erin, it’s been well over a decade since dropping her robust solo debut The 11th Floor. But she’s kept that infectious indie folk infatuation well-fed with the recent release of “Christmas on the Southern Plains” to stuff your yuletide stocking, not to mention her sixth full-length Souvenir from mid-November still piping hot. Created in the aftermath of a cancer diagnosis and a Christmastime surgery, the record’s deceptively simple; the fairly straightforward arrangements almost make light of Ivey’s impressive vocal performances (post-op ability aside) and champion the album’s theme of perseverance in a tastefully subtle way.

In that vein, all ten tracks are “awesome” in the original sense of the word, so check out the LP in its entirety. Or just jump to the proof we point to now: the penultimate memento off Souvenir, “I’m in Awe” that not only sounds like Erin Ivey hasn’t missed a step post-health-complications but indeed that she’s stepped up her game on the whole.

Cloud Companion: “Who Took The Night Away”

Ever get stuck in between states of sleep? Ya know, that Inception-type trip where R.E.M. feels more like reality than when you actually rise? If so…far out, man. Us too. If not, we’ve got just the thing to try and replicate it: Cloud Companion.

Now, the term “collective” gets thrown around a little too often these days. But this Austin outfit embodies the spirit of an art collective in a true sense of the word; by curating multi-media magic complete with bubbles, puppets, and altars…not to mention the mascot-of-sorts, Bardo, a towering solar sorcerer that helps the band cast eerily-cheery spells onto their live audiences. That said, it’s not just a theatrical gimmick. Aside from practicing the ancient art of celestial ceremonies, this solo bedroom pop project turned stage-spanning act sonically fulfills that day dream sensation of finding your mind caught up in the clouds. And that’s earned Cloud Companion the opportunity to share stages with former KUTX Artists of the Month Big Bill, Grandmaster, and Pelvis Wrestley.

After the sun-kissed sounds of last September’s Ordinary Time (and this September’s ExtraOrdinary Time deluxe edition), Cloud Companion continues the sequence with their new EP Waking Up / Falling Asleep – out tomorrow and followed by a gig December 4th at Empire Control Room alongside Holy Wire. While shock rockers aim to churn out nightmare fuel, this Cloud Companion release more like a refinery of dream diesel. WU/FA aspires to explore a cascade of consciousness and a stirring of spirits. It adopts the Pink Floyd approach of bookended album closer/openers – perfect for repeat listens on either side of your sleep cycle. It embraces a twilight aesthetic for a lucid listening experience that soothing, stimulating, and anything but a bedtime bore. And whether intentional or not, this record definitely falls in line with the early evenings we’ve had as of late.

Lastly, we gotta give credit to Cloud Companion for CC’ing us on the EP’s last lead single a day early. Because “Who Took The Night Away” chimes its charm even before the first downbeat and steals your senses in a four-minute, oddly-meditative mantra that evokes that ’80s/’90s transition era of moody and surreal R&B. In other words, “Who Took the Night Away” isn’t restricted to mere earworm status; it may just evolve into a nocturnal thief that echoes through your subconscious delights.

Collin Mullins: “Sunny Side”

Everyone’s capable of “seeing the light”, whether it’s through newfound sobriety, bringing up the “bright side” post-crucifixion, or just waking up a little earlier in your daily routine. But of course, the lead up to those optimistic rays can take some serious time.

Take for instance Collin Mullins and his inspiring personal journey. A staple of the Austin live scene for over a decade now, this multi-instrumentalist/singer-songwriter/producer’s 2010s bragging rights include touring with Black Joe Lewis, tracking with Danny Reisch, landing on streaming platforms as a solo act, and securing an official SXSW showcase with his own outfit. As sweet as all that sounds, the real springboard for his solo career came during COVID, when Collin began mullin’ around the idea of putting his live performance and recording routines on hold to get clean and replace those problematic habits with writing and producing.

Fast forward to this year, where Mullins’ recovery is still going strong and the the music is flowing faster than it ever has before. In fact, with his self-produced debut full-length Sun City on the horizon, Collin Mullins has been enjoying a waterfall-style release regimen with Sun City‘s lead singles, a whopping seven of SC‘s dozen. Altogether they’ve shone light on Collin’s sonic diversity, ranging from turn-of-the-millennium alternative and modern indie pop to jazz, funk, and dad rock.

And even though the record finally drops next Friday, Collins was kind enough to give us one more early glimpse at Sun City with “Sunny Side”. A radiant joy from its first downbeat pairing of guitar and vocals all the way through minimalist drum grooves, cheery chord progressions, and deeply expressive, climactic electric solo, it’s tough to stifle a smile and not feel inspired while spinning “Sunny Side”. Not to mention, with a style that almost marries Mac DeMarco’s downtempo lackadaisical charm with Dayglow’s upbeat and heavily-processed polish, “Sunny Side” and its equally impressive counterparts have us scrambling to the Sun City album release in just one week.

Waking April: “Rules”

North Carolina’s been in the news a lot lately, and our hearts go out to everyone in Asheville who are rebuilding after Hurricane Helene. Anecdotally, we also know some folks who sought sanctuary in nearby Raleigh, and we’ve learned that Raleigh’s also a refuge for one couple’s killer electronic collaboration.

We’re talking about Waking April, the classically-trained high school romance-turned-savant synth-pop pair. The duo’s been dropping tunes as Waking April for nearly a full decade now, but it wasn’t until the pandemic era that they really proved their firm footing in the Phantogram/CHVRCHES/Sylvan Esso corner of things, negating pretty much everything we’ve presumed around the “stereotypical” Raleigh sound. And that’s a legacy that’s only grown fuller with the release of Waking April’s debut full-length Fear of Failure that came out at the top of the month.

Mastered by Beyoncé/Olivia Rodrigo engineer Levi Seitz and flourishing with all kinds of exciting sounds (both live and synthesized), Fear of Failure spells nothing but mainstream success in our minds for the future of Waking April. The entire record’s an enthralling new chapter for the two-piece that covers plenty of moody, alternative dreamscapes, so if you want to dive headfirst into it, check out the workout-ready drum-and-synth-driven aggression on the second of FoF‘s eleven: “Rules”.

Tish: “Burning Up”

We’re barely a week into October, everyone’s spooky season decorations are going up, excuses to miss Thanksgiving are already stewing…and we’ve still got highs in the 90s here in Texas. Autumn is a bit ablaze. Just goes to show you that life’s a…Tish?

At least, Tish is a big part of life for one particular group of Austinites. What started out as a sweetheart deal between Ethan Ames and Erin Thelen a half decade back has since rounded out into a four-piece thanks to the addition of AJ Audain and Tyler Rusin. Needless to say Tish has influences galore across their personnel’s varied backgrounds, but we’ll go ahead and put them somewhere around the intersection of indie rock and soul pop.

And this year Tish is finally ready to dish out their efforts onto streaming with the release of their debut studio album early next month, corresponding with an LP release show on November 3rd at Hole in the Wall that’ll be joined by Cash Grab and Foxglove. If you’re trying to stay as far away from ACL this weekend but still want to get out, check out Tish for a single release show 6PM tomorrow night at Knomad alongside openers Tiny Specks at 4PM and Ivy Mine at 5PM. And if you’d prefer to stay a slave to the precious A/C without ever stepping foot outside, go ahead and set your senses aflame with the record’s lead offering “Burning Up”. Evoking the nostalgia of that ’90s tightrope of grunge, alternative, and pop (complete with guitar distortion and unconventional vocal harmonies), “Burning Up” torches with airtight instrumentation, clever section segues, and overall just a ton of heart that leaves us eager to hear more.

A Band Called Ma: “Walker”

Austin-based shoegaze duo ‘A Band Called Ma’ is back and better than ever with the premiere of their latest single ‘Walker’, coming out on streaming platforms on September 27th. The unique two-piece comprises Austin Barker and Domonic Sena, who have been making music together under the project ‘A Band Called Ma’ since the beginning of 2023.

They are known around the Austin-scene for bringing a unique perspective to their songs; drawing inspiration from physical surroundings. We see this firsthand in their 2023 single, “Mountaintop” which bridges the relationship between natural environments and self-identity. Nonetheless, they are known to connect the gap between actuality and nature, as their Spotify bio says, “The project is heavily inspired by the vast alien landscape of Big Bend.” With their metaphor-filled lyrics and unique music-making process, this new project is a force to be reckoned with.

Influenced by Alex G, Radiohead, and other Alternative-Rock icons, ‘Walker’ does a phenomenal job of honoring the important aspects of the genre while paving their own eccentric path. With divine harmonizing and a strong instrument presence, A Band Called Ma knows exactly what direction the new music is going in, and “Walker” is nothing short of inspiring.

Be sure to stream ‘Walker’ on 9/27 and don’t miss their single release show tonight (9/26) at Hotel Vegas! They will be on at 11, following Lookalike at 9:30, Hanover at 10:15, and Futon Blonde at 11:45.

Female Gallery: “Simon Says”

Scrolling through social media, watching ten-second clips of people’s little circus acts in the comfort of their own natural habitats…it can sometimes feel like a human zoo. So while we’ll never fully encourage those vapid grasps at short-term stardom, anything that detracts from the oversaturated landscape of bland masculinity in the entertainment sector’s worth the price of admission, right?

On that note, today we’re taking a gander at Female Gallery. The Austin-based four-piece sources their rock-meets-dance (dare we say indie-post-punk?) sound from the likes of Paramore and No Doubt all the way to Pink Floyd. But in terms of Female Gallery’s overall brand, the pairing of Queer identity with Latinx roots almost speaks louder than their literal influences.

And after starting off strong with two back-to-back introductory singles in Spring 2022, Female Gallery’s feel-good energy’s set to score the quartet a new force of fangirls with their upcoming debut EP Best Friends Together Forever, dropping just before Halloween ahead of a namesake tour next summer. As if to put a collective foot down proudly declaring their diversity against cis-heteronormativity, Female Gallery pulled the curtain on their latest, “Simon Says”, last Friday. An uptempo, reverb-washed original that effortlessly shifts gears throughout a sophisticated sequence, this four-and-a-half minute affair’s gonna make you forget all about following the leader and instead will get you fueled up to become BFTFs with Female Gallery six weeks from now.

Allisen & The Wy’s Guys: “Tell Me (Like A Man)”

If you’ve seen Big Wy’s Brass Band, then you’re already hip to the spark that is multi-instrumentalist Wyatt Corder. Furthermore, you’re probably familiar with the fact that Wy’s got high standards for the folks he plays with; if he hand picks you as a performer, it’s a real privilege…especially when it comes to pulling off Amy Winehouse covers.

This is where singer Allisen Hinojosa comes in. Corder and Hinojosa first met as DJ colleagues at KVRX, shared interests in the vintage blues-soul section, got together in 2021 to jam a few times, and soon found success with their Amy Winehouse tribute Back to Black. Back to Black’s still alive and well, but the pair have also begun channeling their chemistry into an original project, aptly titled Allisen & The Wy’s Guys.

The two best bets for which venues you’ll catch Allisen & The Wy’s Guys? C-Boy’s Heart & Soul (where they play 6:30-8:30PM every Thursday this month) and the Continental Club, where they’re staging a two-night takeover. Tonight it’s Back to Black at 11:30PM after openers The Point at 10PM and tomorrow it’s Indoor Creature opening up at 10PM followed by Allisen & The Wy’s Guys at 11:30PM for a single release show.

And the single in question is nothing short of awesome. Absolutely embodying the airtight modern flavors of Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse, “Tell Me (Like A Man)” is yet another benchmark of Austin’s overall progression from the “boring blues” of decades past to the slick, seductive soulscape it is today.