soft pop

Abram Shook: “Delusion”

After studying jazz in his longtime home base of Santa Cruz, California, songwriter-visionary Abram Shook took to the road and spent time in Boston and Portland before heading here to Austin. Soon after, Shook earned the distinction as our April 2015 Artist of the Month, thanks to his colorful aesthetic, make-it-look-easy performance prowess, and tightrope balance between soft-spoken lyrics and hard-hitting arrangements.

This Friday the three-time Studio 1A veteran has something new for fans to sink their incisors into, Velvet Teeth, an impressive array of psychedelic jazz-pop compositions that’ll leave you (as the kids say…) shook. The LP’s preceding singles all share the same mellow energy and give you a pretty good idea of what to expect from Velvet Teeth, such as “Delusion”, whose chill groove and subtle sonics floss between seductive and intoxicating.

Benny Sings: “Run Right Back” (feat. Cautious Clay)

Having been born in Western Netherlands in the late ’70s, singer Tim van Berkestijn grew up with a thorough understanding of what a good time is. Fast forward to the turn of the millennium where Berkestijn began building up his reputation on bass with Dutch hip-hop outfit Abstract Dialect, before popping off his solo career as Benny Sings with 2003’s Champagne People. Since then, this ambitious multi-instrumentalist has been fizzing with nothing but fun, earning van Berkestijn collaborations with the likes of Mac DeMarco and Mayer Hawthorne and performances alongside The Free Nationals, Tuxedo, and more, not to overlook the consistent quality of his steadily expanding discography.

Today he invites you to join him on the maiden voyage of the appropriate-yet-succinctly-titled Benny Sings Music, packing some serious yacht rock vibes along with solid R&B and ’70s-style soft pop, making Music a shoe-in for your summer playlist with high profile features like “Run Right Back”, featuring KUTX favorite (and Studio 1A veteran) Cautious Clay.