Four new songs from Austin artists that we can’t get enough of.
Mobley: “stay volk”
As one of our 2018 Artists of the Month, Mobley has upped his own ante in the last few years, and the world is noticing. He recently took the stage at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Mobley just announced his upcoming album Cry Havoc, a story about the fictional character Jacob Creedmoor living in our very real world and “rising up to challenge society’s oppressors.” The lead single “stay volk” lays the groundwork for Jacob’s uphill battle (in case you forgot the state and events of our country). The weight of the song is balanced by its upbeat, earworm-y melody and, quite literally, light and graceful choreography performed by Mobley himself. I count instruments nearing double digits, including trash barrel drums, a tambourine, and a saloon-style piano, included with Mobley’s usual toybox of synths and effects. We had the pleasure of premiering “stay volk” and its music video, which you can check out here.
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Adrian Quesada: “Mentiras Con Carino”
Who better to introduce a wider audience to the traditional love songs of the bolero, and then take it up a notch by blending it with Latin American psychedelia than Adrian Quesada? The album Boleros Psicodélicos opens with a sultry ballad sung by Puerto Rico’s iLe. “Mentiras Con Carino” is an empowered break-up song about a woman leaving a lover who has only worked to wear her down and mold her into their ideal partner. iLe’s commanding lyrics lie on a foundation of a light psychedelic groove, but the true back-up on this track is the flute riff, at points sharing center stage with iLe, backing her, or perhaps representing the protests of the lover she’s leaving behind. Read more about the history and inspiration of Adrian Quesada’s Boleros Psicodelicos while watching their Studio 1A session here.
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p1nkstar: “Girls Like Us”
June was Pride Month, and we celebrated, in one way, by profiling some of Austin’s Queer music legends and rising stars. One artist was p1nkstar, a Latinx woman born in Tampico, Mexico, with a mission to use her growing and magnetic platform to create spaces for queer and trans artists while taking on the role of a “hyper queer pop superstar.” Back in 2021, p1nkstar took over the short-lived Hotel Free TV for the live concert film debut of “Girls Like Us,” a song she performed in Studio 1A. The song is a full-on pop star anthem made for trans girls everywhere, and easily belongs in a Dance Dance Revolution game. Like any true anthem, the lyrics are made for chanting and the music is there to raise your heart rate. Watch her Studio 1A, put it on the biggest screen in your house, and get your sweat on.
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Caramelo Haze: “Caramelo Haze”
The latest from Beto Martinez is Caramelo Haze, a project with Alex Chavez, Victor “El Guámbito” Cruz, and John Speice, that’s the poolside neo-sol you’ve been looking for. The album was largely improvised – a study on what happens when four individual powerhouses come together to meditate on how Afro-Colombian folklore, South Texas soul, and psychedelic Americana blend together. The titular single is a solid groove, a journey set adrift on your favorite aquatic float destination. The video is a simple palm tree overlayed with a filter I can only describe as Better Call Saul-esque. Throw on your sunnies, grab your speaker, and turn this on during your next pool hang.
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