Song of the Day KUT & KUTX Studios

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.

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.

Depending on your office’s dress code, you might’ve gotten a sarcastic compliment on your khaki business bottoms. Or maybe someone once gave you genuine praise on a sanguine series of work messages. If not, we’ve got a good reason for the phrase “sweet slacks” to enter your mind and exit your mouth.







And that’s on behalf of Austin four-piece Sweet Slacks, who first got together in 2018. The quartet started off strong with a pair of EPs in 2019, plus a third one the following Fall. That said, Sweet Slacks’ studio output has been relatively quiet on this side of the pandemic, that is, up until recently. See, over the past couple years, Sweet Slacks has really been busting their hump with a series of new singles, all of which pinch the band’s collective inseam and press out the creases for some of their best sounding releases to date.







As we zip up to Sweet Slacks’ upcoming full-length, today we officially hit the three quarters mark of this debut LP’s dozen with “Scratch Off”. Where late June’s “Stitches (1&2)” explored the melodic momentum of pop-punk and mid-July’s “Shine” showed the group’s grasp on sparkly shoegaze, “Scratch Off” is a lucky draw for indie rock purists who prefer a middle ground between those two predecessors. After one hell of an anthemic intro riff that goes on to evenly split this four-and-a-half-minute moseyin’, “Scratch Off” breathes easy with distinct dynamic shifts, where the lowered volume of its verses provides some nice variety its more ecstatic, explosive hooks.

Poetry. Painting. Tailoring. And that’s all in one audacious Austinite’s regular wheelhouse, without even accounting for their live performance pursuits. Like…save some media forms for the rest of us, sheesh!







While there’s assuredly a ton of people out there who fit that bill, today we’re talking about Austin’s Isis Destiny, formerly Amira Isis Destiny. Since being introducted to guitar and lyrical expression in her mid-tweens, Destiny’s done a damn fine job of drawing others into her multi-disciplinary triumphs – be it dancing, DJing, or anything else to help put on an unforgettable show. On the original music side of things, Isis Destiny’s shown a deep understanding of everything from ’90s neo soul to golden age disco, and weaved those lessons into her own inspiring originals, as heard on last September’s Scorpio Rising EP. And apparently Isis’ inspiration is near endless, since just after returning from her first ever tour, she’s already hopping on something new: an alt-jazz-pop project that goes by The Lover Girls Collective.







Yet once again, that’s not all; Isis Destiny is also embarking on a once-a-month collaborative single release, starting with last weekend’s “R U Mine ?”. Before we hand that off though, we gotta give y’all the scoop on ID’s upcoming gigs: Monday, August 5th at Volstead Lounge as part of the Underground Voices all-girl open mic showcase, Saturday, August 10th at Cozy Canna’s 4th street grand opening, and Sunday, August 11th at Wanderlust Wine Co.’s Barton Springs location. Back to “R U Mine ?”…this shimmering specimen of electro-pop (created in tandem with fellow Central Texan Opera Mauv), flirty synths set the mood for highly refined verse vocals, four-to-the-floor drums, and restless bass. Altogether they swell up to and cool off from the UK garage-style vocal chops and snare shuffle of the tune’s minimalist titular hook in such a way that each chorus drop just seems to go harder and harder.







So go ahead and grab it below; it’s all yours.

If you’re into Japanese cuisine, you know the fresh fish is the best: the nigiri, the good stuff. And while we wouldn’t recommend going so far from fresh that you end up with surströmming, you don’t gotta be a skater to know that there’s a real appeal going for Stalefish.







Faithful to their name, Stalefish stakes the bays of ’90s/’00s rock that’s defined so much of skating culture. But the Austin six-piece does manage to keep those now-antiquated trucks nice and shiny for modern listeners by reeling in the best catches of modern pop techniques, not to mention cycling between three lead singers. But despite making their mark on the local scene with the release of their debut LP Stalefish Does America, the Texas sextet’s facing some trouble sticking the landing altogether – at least in person.







See, one third of the outfit’s splitting from Austin in the near future. But that didn’t stop Stalefish from seizing the moment and making the most out of their physical proximity while it lasts. To that effect, they’re releasing their sophomore album It’s All Down Here From Hill on August 9th. And following up late June’s lead “The Conversation’s Over”, last weekend Stalefish gave us “Becoming the Square”. It’s got that feel good turn-of-the-millennium love right from the get-go, but with the subtle addition of auxiliary percussion and keys plus a psych-out false ending before the real big finish, “Becoming the Square” reminds us why Stalefish stands out in the sea of otherwise blah alt rock.

It’s a twofer this Friday! We’ve got a brand new release alongside a weekend show recommendation. And both arrive on behalf of arya.







arya’s not just another dime a dozen bedroom pop Billie Eilish wannabe. No, this Belgrade-born bae is almost overqualified for saturated world of pop-hip-hop-R&B; after a decade in Serbia playing classical piano she received a formal jazz degree here in Austin. Still, even in this decidedly contemporary endeavor, arya retains her status as a one woman show – having scored her first ACL Fest appearance and official ACL Late Night Show last Fall.







And speaking of last Fall, following up last October’s “LOVE ME”, today arya shares the second installment from her upcoming EP Insides – a six-song visual album and narrative set for release later this year. In the immediate forecast, arya’s got a free performance midnight tomorrow night at Empire Control Room as part of Hot Summer Nights, where she’ll certainly perform her latest pop-R&B banger, “USE ME”. We wouldn’t be surprised if we heard a sped up/nightcore version of this new one pop up on TikTok, but for us personally, we love the tune’s relaxed tempo. Because it gives plenty of space to breathe between richly textured drums, fat-as-hell synth bass, and arya’s incredible vocals that could end up making Ariana Grande sound more like GoT series finale Arya Stark in comparison.