Berklee grad Kelly Hafner first started singing with San Francisco outfit Fire, and it wasn’t long after that she relocated to the Live Music Capital, got a few gigs at the legendary Elephant Room, and cemented herself as one of Austin’s most robust voices. Taking cues from vocal legends old and new, be it Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill or Etta James, Hafner’s style is still a unique beast and exudes pure soul.

Today Hafner shares her debut studio album, If It’s Love, ten tracks of jazzy R&B created with the help of her live backing band. The release show for If It’s Love is 10:30pm tonight at Geraldine’s and in case you’re still not won over, enjoy a free download of the lush title track!

–Jack Anderson

Once referred to as “the Black Morrissey”, Montreal vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and producer Murray A. Lightburn has come a long way since co-founding the indie chamber rock outfit The Dears. And when this Canadian crooner’s not recording and touring with his wife, Lightburn can’t help but keep writing just for himself.

Decidedly different from his 2013 solo debut and concept album MASS:LIGHT, Lightburn’s upcoming sophomore effort, Hear Me Out, drapes Lightburn’s already silky style over ’50s and ’60s soul snippets. The collision of vintage R&B sounds and modern production on Hear Me Out will definitely leave you moanin’ for more and thankfully you can see Murray A. Lightburn during SXSW. Hear Me Out drops tomorrow, so listen up to this crawling gospel groove, “I Give Up”!

–Jack Anderson

Siblings. Best friends. Bandmates. Call ’em what you want, but at the end of the day Jocelyn & Chris Arndt make for a great pair. They may be young but between Chris’s guitar and Jocelyn’s vocals, this New York duo has an amazingly mature sound. And it’s no surprise, since these Harvard grads have been playing bars together beginning in the 7th grade.

The diversity and strength of Jocelyn & Chris Arndt’s songwriting is readily apparent on their upcoming third full-length, The Fun in the Fight. They’re already touring in support of The Fun in the Fight and although there aren’t any Austin appearances, you can still enjoy the full record everywhere this Friday.

For now check out the album closer, a signpost between bossa nova and soft rock that evokes the sounds of the ’70s while still serving up a timeless dose of musical meteorology, “The Weatherman”!

–Jack Anderson

Photo: Kiki Vassilakis

Once an exalted member of high rockabilly royalty, L.A. songwriter Kim Lenz has spent the past two decades digging for the roots of her most heralded genre. Her 1998 debut came in the form of Kim Lenz And The Jaguars, hurdling Lenz to the forefront of the rockabilly revival movement.

While the momentum’s high, Lenz has popped the clutch on her musical career once again with her upcoming fifth album, Slowly Speeding. On these ten new tracks Lenz combined ideal tones from her record collection and threw together the stylistic ingredients behind rock n roll for a growling re-definition of her sound. Slowly Speeding is out Friday and Lenz is set to embark on a month-long tour of Spain shortly afterwards. For a coniferous kickstart to Slowly Speeding, let this aural auteur grow on you with “Pine Me”!

–Jack Anderson

Dutch four-piece Mozes & The Firstborn has a kind of quirky energy that’d blow your garage door off. The band began nearly a decade ago, with their accurately titled 2011 EP I Got Skills showing off what makes Mozes & The Firstborn great. Since then the group has toured alongside The Growlers and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, finding comparable popularity in the United States, their native Netherlands and beyond.

Their recently released third full-length Dadcore is a blend of Mozes and the Firstborn’s favorite genres and styles, resulting in a muddied middle ground between pop and grunge. Mozes and the Firstborn continues their international tour this Saturday at Hotel Vegas and to tide you over, here’s “Blow Up”!

–Jack Anderson