rock

What Elephant?: “Made Up Words”

Thanksgiving’s behind us and Christmas is on the way, so ’tis the season for white elephant gift exchanges, right? And depending on you or your family’s level of southern drawl, if someone’s ever suggested “white elephant?” as the next activity, they may have inadvertently uttered today’s feature. Because unless it’s a drift-caught quip to “don’t think about Elephants”, an oblivious retort to “let’s talk about the elephant in the room”, or just a moment when you’re simply looking the wrong direction at the wildlife refuge, it’s rare to hear “What Elephant?” uttered unprompted.

What Elephant? Well, the question is the answer. Punctuation mark perpetually in tow, What Elephant? is a two-member multi-instrumental mammoth based out of Pennsylvania. And although the duo only got started in 2024, it’s been a big year. Yeah, they’ve already wrapped their collective trunk around two full-lengths and an EP on top of a handful of A/B-side singles that’ve trickled in tandem since September.

Yes, it’s a lot to catch up with. But you could easily make a white elephant game out of those eight alternative-autumnal tunes; give each of ’em a spin, snag the ones you want for your personal playlist, and don’t fret about prying ears stealing your picks, because there’s plenty to go around. And just like that Thanksgiving spread, each song has a distinct flavor that’s great on its own, but adds up to one hell of a tasty plate when enjoyed back to back.

So dig in beginning with one of two latest offerings from What Elephant?, “Made Up Words”, which transcends the languages of alternative, folk, psych, and indie rock for a sound that’s somewhere in between Paul Simon, Road to Roen-era Supergrass, and Animal Collective.

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.

Days of Summer: “Need to Escape”

We’re just two weeks away from Thanksgiving and wouldn’t you know it, it’s finally starting to feel like Fall down here. You’d be hard pressed to find a Texan who doesn’t appreciate the drop in temps, but then again, the spirit of summertime is simply a year-round celebration for some folks. Folks like Austin’s Angela Greco.

When Greco’s not getting down and dirty as a professional gardener and garden designer, this certified green thumb’s got her hands full with the creative harvest that is Days of Summer, a folk-rock cornucopia whose sprouts first surfaced on streaming in May 2022. But the music’s not the garden variety of either folk or rock; though Greco does assume the traditional role of fronting guitarist-singer-songwriter, Days of Summer shines with the addition of flute, bass, and percussion in well-tended acoustic-electric crop patterns and cozy curations best categorized as “woodsy”.

Lately? Greco and co. have been in the weeds for Days of Summer’s sophomore album So Low, out next Valentine’s Day. And on the third of these new cultivations, “Need to Escape”, the Days of Summer crew are joined by Little Mazarn cellist Lindsey Verrill and Denton Audio Works guitarist Joey Cerda for a harmony-enhanced orchestral triumph. So even though the dog days far are behind us and the sun is setting earlier and earlier, you can get a dose of Days of Summer 8PM tomorrow night at Lockhart Arts & Craft alongside Tom’s Parents and Batty Jr.. Or if you just need a five-minute respite from the claustrophobia of cubicle life, sociopolitical distress, or just run-of-the-mill monotony, take a triple meter retreat of string noise, round-style vocals and elegant interval leaps with this slice of the extra soft ’70s that stands on the shoulders of Joni Mitchell and Sandy Denny.

Futon Blonde: “Drawing Again”

It’s Election Day. If you haven’t voted yet, please try and make some time in your schedule to go do so; it’s your civic duty…and it’s kinda cool. At least feeling like you have some semblance of efficacy, that your voice can make a difference. In other words, if you still haven’t cast your ballot, today is not the day to let prospects of being a couch potato tempt you.

What we will jump on is the new single from Austin quartet Futon Blonde. Unlike every other futon that loses its firmness over a few years, Futon Blonde is still in great shape after a full decade together and not folding anytime soon. As a matter of fact, off their March five-track Multiplier, last Friday Futon Blonde dug a fresh one out of the cushions to announce their next EP Monsoon.

Between last night’s downpour and a day that might end up being the eye of a sociopolitical storm, we feel like the announcement for Monsoon couldn’t have come at a better time. Moment of kairos aside, Monsoon seems like a fitting title based on the heavier, darker (dare we say more exotic and Eastern-inspired) twisting rock sound that Futon Blonde explores on the record’s lead single “Drawing Again”. So if you feel imprisoned, like nothing you do makes a difference, or like you’ve just been dealt a shit hand recently, consider taking that frustration straight to the polls. And if you’ve already done so? Well…guess we’ll just have to ante up in anticipation of the Monsoon on the horizon.

_cheetahcheetah_: “shanti b”

It’s official. There’s another supergroup in town. And this kitten’s got claws!

We’re talking ameowt _cheetahcheetah_, a rising endeavor that features Live Music Capital veterans from A. Sinclair, BOOHER, Mean Jolene, and Other Vessels. _cheetahcheetah_ has spent this past summer gigging around town and showing off their brilliant spotted patterns of modern art rock, which sound sort of like a more hedonistic, less opiate-obsessed, Warhol-weary Velvet Underground. The quartet also recently confirmed that they’re not a beast just built for live gigs; _cheetahcheetah_ landed on their feet and roared onto digital streaming with the release of their debut studio single last Friday.

And we gotta say, that indoctrination into this big cat cult, “shanti b”, is about as “Bhagwan” as it gets. Brandishing the concise runtime, cheetah-speed time signature shifts, nuance of imperfectly human performance, and lackadaisical charm of Reed, Nico, and co., “shanti b” has our ears perked up, swishing our tail, and purring for more.

Beth Lee: “Another Day”

When you’re going through the motions, relying on routine thought loops, and not taking “carpe diem” to heart, life can feel like it’s the same sh*t, different day…over and over again. But bless yourself with the small gift of variety every once in awhile, and you’ll soon find that you’re thriving rather than just surviving.

And Beth Lee definitely knows a thing or two about changing things up; especially through her chapter as Beth Lee & the Breakups, the Houston-honed, Austin-based singer-songwriter has historically harbored a country-friendly sound. But more recent outings have found lee adopting a fresher genre backdrop, leaning further away from her twangy roots and Americana comfort zone and embracing more pop-adjacent formulas that pair the principles of ’70s/’80s/’90s sass with hints of modern indie rock. And with Cat Power/Jack White/Loretta Lynn engineer Stuart Sikes handling recording duties and Chuck Prophet percussionist Vicente Rodriguez returning to the producer role, Lee (alongside some of her Breakups bandmates) takes it even further in that new direction on her next full-length Hardly Matters, out tomorrow.

Despite the title, Hardly Matters is an optimistic if not surreal outlook on life in the Live Music Capital, something else Lee knows quite a bit about, even after a recent string of gigs across West Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and AmericanaFest up in Nashville. But that’s all been building up to the Hardly Matters album release show 6PM Sunday night at the Skylark Lounge. So if you’re eager to shake things up this weekend with some heartfelt hometown honesty, let one of Hardly Matters‘ more uptempo additions get you looking forward to “Another Day”.

West 22nd: “Road Trip” (KUTX Pop-Up at ACL Fest)

Another ACL is officially in the books, so we’re keeping those fest memories fresh by bringing y’all some more KUTX-clusive pop-up performances straight outta Zilker Park. And nothing says “Austin City Limits” quite like a band whose handle directly references their UT campus origins.

Yep, our October 2024 Artist of the Month (powered by PNC Bank) West 22nd was among those chosen to represent our city’s elite local acts across ACL’s weekend afternoons. The five-piece effused their carefree and upbeat indie rock flavors throughout the Tito’s Handmade Vodka stage during Sunday One and had no trouble getting hands waving across a multi-generational audience, which is a massive notch on the belt for any outfit still relatively in their infancy.

We’re guessing the fellas of West 22nd are riding high off the experience even now, considering it’s a big benchmark of success ahead of a show in Nashville next month and an album on the way in 2025. So it was a treat to get West 22nd back in the KUTX pop-up tent for a trio interpretation of All The Way Home‘s EP ender “Road Trip”. Because based on the strength of this stripped-down, acoustic session alone, it’s safe to say West 22nd is on their way to well-earned exposure far outside our fair city limits.

flipturn: “Rodeo Clown” (KUTX Pop-Up at ACL Fest)

Between the big Texas sky, the sprawling space of Zilker Park, all the dust that gets kicked up across the festival grounds and cowboy hats abound, ACL Fest sure can feel a bit like a rodeo right here within the city limits.

And heading back to the fest, Weekend Two of ACL 2024 certainly won’t be flipturn‘s first rodeo, that’s for sure. Following the recent announcement of their sophomore full-length Burnout Days (set to release next January) The Florida five-piece is back at ACL’s American Express stage at 2:45PM this Sunday for an hour-long set. And on top of that, flipturn’s also going to be playing at Scoot Inn tomorrow evening alongside openers Hotel Fiction.

But if those two options to flip your sh*t over flipturn’s formidable live set aren’t appealing to you quite yet, we’ll point to the pop-up duo rendition of Burnout Days‘ lead single “Rodeo Clown” below. And while we’d never advocate illicit drug use to enhance music, this tune sure does remind us of our fun friend Molly and her ability to make any festival performance feel like you’re floating on cloud nine. Not to mention, with lyrics about wanting to escape from the reality of a reluctant performance, it’d be incredibly meta to watch “Rodeo Clown” played to a crowd of thousands.

The Midnight Stroll: “It Ain’t Worth a Dream”

When in Austin, you’re bound to run into some cross pollination among bands. For Austin-based duo, The Midnight Stroll, this is nothing short of the truth. Featuring the frontman of Ghostland Observatory, Aaron Behrens, and musical jack-of-all-trades, Jonas Wilson (Heartless Bastards, Urban Heat, Black Angels, and more), their latest and 3rd, upcoming single, “It Ain’t Worth a Dream”, explores the hardships of new beginnings through the eyes of an American immigrant wondering if the reality of it all is worth the cost of his dreams. What someone might not expect though is how the band expresses their sentiment through grungy shoegaze guitar hooks and Grouplove x AC/DC vocals.

After almost a decade since their second album Western Static, it’s clear to hear exactly where the duo is heading with their upcoming album, Humans Scheme and Headphones Dream, debuting next month. With a little touch of hair rock and dash of multi-track tape recorder effects, the duo’s sound sets them apart from local bands, including their other projects. But despite having to wait a bit longer for the full album, It Ain’t Worth A Dream makes its radio debut TODAY and will be available to listen to tomorrow.

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.

Mozworth: “Postcard”

Since the days of Thoreau, we’ve often romanticized the idea of a creativity-spurring wilderness retreat. That’s especially true of Justin Vernon’s illness-evoked cabin sanctuary that ended up being the backbone of Bon Iver’s 2007 debut. But the product in mind doesn’t always have to be so strictly transcendentalist (or even acoustic for that matter) for an “escape to nature” to yield quality results.

Cut to: Logan, Iowa, the stomping grounds of avid skater and ’90s rock connoisseur Michael “Boz” Bosworth. It sure seemed like Logan was the end all, be all location for Bosworth as he settled into a day job and family life…until he split from the routine and trekked out to an isolated cabin in McLouth, Kansas for some extended songwriting sessions. Just as Boz kindled the cabin’s sole source of heat – a wood stove – so did he stoke the flames of his first proper songs with primitive recordings.

A couple summers back, Boz moved down here to Austin and instantly fell in with the thriving music scene. After revisiting those early demos and recruiting a few like-minded musician friends to help flesh ’em out, Bosworth’s finally to share the cabin’s bounty under a new mononym: Mozworth. Mozworth is an amalgamation of Boz’s core interests: the independence so closely associated with skate culture and angsty energy shared by so many pre-millennium rockers…albeit textured by the mature lyrical reflections that could only come from civilization-removed meditations.

And the first polished piece from those cabin correspondences, “Postcard”, arrived in our collective mailbox today. Packaging everything we love about ’90s indie-alt-rock into a four-minute envelope, “Postcard” proudly puts Mozworth’s stamp on these nostalgic sounds, less of a “wish you were here” and more of a “can’t wait to show you more” ahead of his upcoming debut album.

BOO85: “Retrograde”

You’ve heard the excuse before. Ya know, somebody spaces on a date, forgets to turn in an assignment, or otherwise just kind of has a minor misstep. What do they say after shrugging? “Sorry, man. Mercury must’ve been in retrograde.”

Sure, scapegoating the cosmos for your own shortcomings isn’t the most mature thing…but neither is naming your band BOO85. After kicking things off last Spring with their streaming debut “Just Friends”, this Austin-based all-girl alt-pop-rock project’s still jigglin’, gigglin’, and making great tunes through 2024. And today BOO85 rounds out the summer by completing the pair that began with this February’s “Heart“.

Coincidentally falling on another astrological Friday after last week’s “Like a Sagittarian Archer”, “Retrograde” sets the horoscope for your weekend with a headliner performance 9PM this Sunday at Sahara Lounge after openers Alexi 8Bit and Jay Wanderer. And this latest original racks up another bouncy bop to BOO85’s already-busty brand with carefree sonics like viscous vocals, a breakbeat-adjacent drum pattern, top-gear guitar and bass work, infectious effects, and sanity-demanding lyrics.

Parker Woodland: “Ladder At Your Window”

You ever notice a name pop up more and more in a music scene, almost nearing non-stop status, and wonder to yourself, “sure just one person can’t squeeze in the time and energy for all this”…only to find out it’s not a sole person after all, nor even the namesake of one of its members? It’s more common a phenomenon then you might expect. And given the big year they’ve had so far, we suspect it’s happened thoroughly for new listeners of a certain Austin three-piece.

So let’s have a lil powwow with Parker Woodland. Named after the local intersection of Parker Lane and Woodland Avenue, this indie-pop-meets-punk-rock trio’s been on top of things since sharing their debut EP The World’s on Fire (And We Still Fall in Love) in early 2021. Already a certified perseverant standout of the Live Music Capital, this September’s set to start off an extra special era for Parker Woodland, as they power through a packed show schedule surrounding their debut full-length, There’s No Such Thing as Time.

Yeah, there’s no time like this week to seek out Parker Woodland in person; they’ll be palling around a VIP vinyl listening party tomorrow, enjoying an in-store performance and record signing at Waterloo Records on Friday at 5, and tearing into a two-part album release show at the Mohawk, 8PM that same sold out evening and again 2PM the next afternoon for a matinee multi-member birthday celebration. Oh, and did we mention the City of Austin’s proclaiming September 12th as Parker Woodland Day next weekend?

The hype isn’t just real. It’s fully warranted and well-earned. But if you haven’t heard why yet…well it’s time to climb up and face the music with the LP’s second lead single (and lyric music video) “Ladder At Your Window”. Major Go-Go’s energy on this one and major kudos to Parker Woodland for propelling themselves this far and presumably well past what’s set to the be the first of many more milestones.

BOOHER: “All Out Of Ideas”

You find an act in town. You fall in love with their music. You start making regular appearances at their shows. And then, sometimes seemingly out of the blue…they quit giggin’. Most of us have been there; it’s more or less a rite of passage for any dedicated scenester. But when that act does make that triumphant comeback? Boy, oh boy, how sweet it is.

So we have fantastic news for lovers of longtime Austin indie rock institution BOOHER: they’re back, babyyy! That’s right, after putting things on pause for both pandemic and personal purposes, the eponymous passion project of Michael Booher finally breaks a near-half-decade hiatus. And with some welcome new additions to boot; alongside guitarist Ben Lance, bassist Evan Crowley, drummer Keith Lough, and multi-instrumentalists Michael St. Clair and Brent Baldwin, this latest era of BOOHER invites A. Sinclair’s titular frontman Aaron Sinclair into the fold as a chief collaborator.

The BOOHER boys have been cookin’, and not just in the Texas heat, but with a handful of bold new tunes that feature both Michael and Aaron in the producer’s chair. They’ll be unfurling some of that fresh stuff 10:45PM this Saturday at Chess Club as part of a triple single release show , following Paul Stinson at 9PM, Intercom Heights at 9:45PM, and Dossey at 11:45PM. And the single in question, “All Out Of Ideas” (with its grungy gauge on dynamic range and a hypnotic lead guitar riff) proves that Michael B. et al. are clearly anything but. And between two more originals set to drop in October and December, respectively, plus an album aiming for streaming next Summer, it’s never been a better time to get behind BOOHER.

To any haters? We say “boo hoo”.

Music of 25: “ME”

Bon Iver. Tame Impala. Bright Eyes. Despite not taking the eponymous route, all three started off as a single singer-songwriter’s efforts and have since expanded far beyond their individual founders. Because even if you’re the chief writer, some of the best ideas simply come from a fresh set of ears, right? Which reminds us of another not-so-solo act smack dab in the the Lone Star State: Music of 25.

Music of 25 is a manifestation of handpicked talent on behalf of former San Antonian/current Austinite Travis Pope. It’s been a decade since Music of 25’s humble origins of ad-hoc ideas scrawled onto cocktail napkins and receipts. But by opening up the project to a revolving door of killer players from Central and West Texas plus Southern Louisiana five years down the line, Music of 25’s matured elegantly with the indie rock energy that can only come from heartfelt, in-person collaboration.

So while yes, clearly these things take time, sometimes the wait between initial inspiration and final tracking is too painful to sustain. This takes us to Music of 25’s three-song EP, Messy, out tomorrow. And though a turnaround from the fledgling sketches of Spring 2022 to the NOLA-based trio recording sessions last fall might not sound all that accelerated, we applaud the release’s title for embodying that bit of a rush to capture greatness. Yet we must confess that the quality of content on Messy is anything but.

We’ll pop in the music video for Messy‘s centerpiece “GS Feels” when it formally rolls out tomorrow, but for now, get Messy this Monday with the EP opener “ME”. The honey-sweet arrangement oozes through sophisticated section changes, incredible instrumental interplay, and a highly dynamic hook, not to mention an extended jam-out bridge that tastefully breaks up the tune’s first half from its last. What more can we say other than that “ME” might be just for you.

The Palms: “Pretenders”

Few instant pleasures compare with the in-person sight of a palm tree. And Arecaceae have become symbolic for everything from tropic and subtropic vacation spots to nature’s simple gifts and resilience against time and the elements. So we think the name’s a perfect fit for Los Angeles duo The Palms – down to their transportive sound, refreshing coastal flavors, and ability to stay relevant.

In other words, we’ve got no qualms with The Palms and we’d much rather bask in their shade than ever toss it their way. Yep, almost a full decade removed from their breakout hit “Push Off”, The Palms have maintained the mellow that made us fall for them in the first place. And they’ve continued to fan us with the same comfy caliber of retro-inspired rock throughout their post-COVID discography, most recently with the release of Wonderland in April.

This weekend The Palms breeze through Austin! Catch ’em at 3Ten this Friday alongside openers future.exboyfriend and make sure you’re an authentic enough attendee by familiarizing yourself with one of Wonderland‘s heavyweights, “Pretenders”. Because the blend of modern psych-pop influences crashing against chillwave-adjacent choices is truly the heart of Palms.

Lizzie Karr: “Honey”

Yesterday we praised Queen Serene for their ability to pivot away from pigeonholing their own sound. So in that same sentiment of dodging predictability, today we’re calling on another Austinite who’s kept us guessing: Lizzie Karr.

With a range of inspirations that span from D’Angelo to Ani DiFranco, you can already tell from the get-go that Lizzie’s got a lot to offer in terms of widening sonic horizons. And now, a half decade out from Karr’s summer 2019 start and a mere year since last July’s In Real Life EP, this singer-songwriter’s finally earned some well deserved success that’s reflected in recent streaming numbers, especially last October’s “Bitter Lemon” and early March’s “Light On”.

But we prefaced all this by preparing you for a hard left turn, so here it is. Where late June’s “One Woman Army” corralled itself around Texas country soul, Lizzie Karr’s third single of the year “Honey” drips with turn-of-the-millennium nectar and buzzes around the same beehive of blues rock that gave The White Stripes so much grit. As a disdainful tale of a loud-mouthed attention-seeker, “Honey” sure does have some extra Machiavellian oomph against our current political backdrop. But it stays timeless, because just as folks like Honey will continue to spout the same lies over and over, there’ll always be people like the song’s namesake trying to stick out in society where you’d rather they just stick it somewhere out of sight.

Queen Serene: “Glowing”

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. But in an era where song options are limitless, song lengths are preferred shorter, and attention spans are especially acute, patience rarely proves a virtue for new listeners, which means strong first impressions are still worth fighting for.

On that note, this time around we’ll spare the detailed specifics of how Naked Tungs frontwoman Sarah Ronan ascended to sovereign status of yet another four-piece and instead cut straight to it; Queen Serene will make you question every expectation you have about Austin rock. Because as shown on the band’s eponymous debut eight-track from last Fall, Queen Serene serenades through all kinds of courts – from post-punk, grunge, and shoegaze to progressive time signature switch ups, noise, and even ambient piano-synth instrumental. Which, honestly if you were to make assumptions based on the group’s handle alone, really only that last isolated style might match your initial inclinations.

Queen Serene’s current quest? Perfecting the quartet’s second full-length, set to drop this October. Fortunately this weekend us peasants can score a quick listen to some of Queen Serene’s latest through their single release show 10:45PM on Sunday at Hotel Vegas alongside openers Variety at 10PM and closers Water Damage at 11:30 And particularly in a period where women in leadership roles and limited information rollout have both become hot topics in the headlines, we gotta appreciate this sophomore LP’s sole lead single, “Glowing”, for what it is and in all its majesty.

Eager screeches sporadically burst throughout this near-five-minute headbanger, whose distorted full-band riff is heavier than the Iron Throne ever could be. But in line with their penchant for subverting expectations, Queen Serene regally reshapes the mood of “Glowing” with a poppier verse chock full of pleasant vocal harmonies and strangled lead guitar. The lyric-less bridge-to-outro section is arguably the heftiest part of this heavyweight and sets things up nicely for an immediate re-listen.

But again, based on Queen Serene’s ability to keep us guessing, who knows where this post-hardcore spark will eventually lead us? One thing we’re sure of though; Queen Serene’s about to go medieval on our collective ass.

Molecular Steve: “Wolfman”

Depending on who you ask – a coworker, a friend, or a family member – they’ll all have slightly different takes on your “character” based on previous interactions and observations. But what about those parts of our identities that never reach the surface? Those personality traits that stay buried deep within us?

Well, we won’t pretend to be experts on your psyche. But we will point to some folks who are fascinated with those covert personas. And that’s Molecular Steve. Don’t be fooled by the name; it’s not a solo act. Instead, what started off as a father-son endeavor has expanded into the Austin nine-piece it is today, full of close knit bonds compounded by a shared creative drive. And while this atomic family affair’s still in a fledgling phase, you wouldn’t be able to tell just from the caliber of their existing material.

Following up last month’s introduction “Heavens to Betsy”, today Molecular Steve takes another small step towards their eponymous fourteen-track full-length, set for release July 19th. All about unearthing those beasts within, Molecular Steve‘s second lead single (and music video) “Wolfman” is a sonic silver bullet that pierces through bluesy layers of cosmic Americana and indie psychedelia.

Howl yeah, Steve. Put us down for a spot in the microscopic pack.