Four new songs from Austin artists that we can’t get enough of.
By Taylor Wallace-Riegel
Never – “Hard To Go”
This “Austin underground punk supergroup” is literally music to my ears. Thelma and the Sleeze, Nevill, and (former KUTX Artist of the Month) Luna Luna are individually memorable. Putting them together in a post-punk package is a true gift. Orchestrated by Nevill guitarist Emily Ng,”Hard To Go” seems to take in a bit more of the mellow properties of Luna Luna with a dark groove overlaid with sultry vocals. But there’s an imp in the background playing with modulators and causing chaos.
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BLAKCHYL: “Ja Morant” (ACL Pop-Up)
BLAKCHYL has spent nearly a decade building and burning-up both the Austin hip-hop and R&B scenes, proving to be a supreme bar-laying poet. But hearing her magic in the studio is nothing like hearing her live. She oscillates between singing and rapping without skipping a beat, dropping a line, or even changing the dynamic. “Ja Morant” is a “you hate me cause you ain’t me” bop, using MVP point guard Ja Morant as a metaphor for keeping the pace and staying ahead. But is BLAKCHYL saying she’s Ja Morant? The mystery is part of the reason she’s keeping high and ahead.
Night Glitter: “Mankind”
The psych-noir group is back and in true form. “Mankind” is conceived as a single thought, looped and broadcasting from a roving satellite. The message is clear: every time we take our eyes off of humanity, things continue to fall apart. It’s a little ironic that a song about focus is wrapped in the signature Night Glitter kaleidoscope, where your ear can be hijacked in any direction. But hey, that transmission hits home every time.
Nemegata: “Fondo” (ACL Pop-Up)
What if you took traditional Latin/Andean music but made it prog rock?. You get Nemegata. They blur the atmosphere between a large concert and an intimate Afro-indigenous ceremony under the deep desert stars. Their new album, Voces, pays homage to their Colombian roots, imbuing their Latin-psych sound with traditional Andean inspiration. “Fondo” ties together threads from their ancestors, the prog rock they grew-up on, and the sounds of today.
