Singer-songwriter Matthew Payne‘s poetic Americana is salt of the Earth, evocative of both his Dripping Springs upbringing and nearly two decades as an English and creative writing teacher here in Austin. And with a stage roster that includes Hole In the Wall, Saxon Pub, and the Cactus Cafe, he truly is Austin Americana timelessness personified.

On “Down In the Valley,” Payne seems like he’s sat down at a bar after hours on the road, regaling barflies with an overture of the epic of where he’s been. We get the highlights, but we also know one question will lead to a shower of tales, and his impassioned storytelling, punctuated with a driving, honky tonk rhythm, makes us want to ask the bartender for another boilermaker for ourselves and one for our new friend.

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While one taste may be in the name, the latest from Austin’s Sweet Limb is savory and brimming with umami. Historically, Sweet Limb founder Chris Robinson has performed with a band, but his new EP The Pastel Noise is all him, venturing into more experimental sounds and introspective lyrics, making the new direction more than a metaphorical artistic manifestation.

On “Who’s This,” Robinson takes a look in the mirror and proudly pontificates on his new, self-confident stride while reflecting on the journey that brought him there. Proving you don’t need density to be deep, these two-and-a-half minutes wrapped in a minimalist yet head-bopping groove are a sweet mantra you can use during your own regularly scheduled reflecting glass time.

The Pastel Noise EP is out today.

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Oakland underground music veteran Rob Good has been hard at work with his jangly, power pop trio The Goods, blending shimmery British Invasion-style energy with a bit of 90’s indie pop flair to create something simultaneously nostalgic and new.

The follow-up to their 2023 debut EP is the full album Don’t Spoil the Fun. The album kicks off with “April Fools,” a time warp of a song reminiscent of Big Star and the La’s kissed with just enough 21st-century “Je ne sais quoi” to make you double-check the release date. As the temperature in Austin still wants to pretend it’s between spring and summer, Don’t Spoil the Fun is perfectly timely and a great addition to your unexpected fall pool parties.

Don’t Spoil the Fun is out now on Dandy Boy Records.

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Last time we checked in with L.A.’s Tess Clare, we were talking about wanting more and the restlessness of sitting still for too long. Now, we’re reveling in anemoia, a feeling of nostalgia for a time or place we’ve never experienced ourselves. Like elder Gen Z-ers yearning for that night in 1991 when Nickelodeon premiered Rugrats, Ren & Stimpy, and Doug…or Millennials wishing we could have been there for the MTV heyday. Or Woodstock!

Tess Clare takes this notion to an earnest level, ruminating on a portrait acting like a portal. A woman in the forest “holding her ring to the flame.” And we’re lost in the portrait with her, ushered through the experience courtesy of Clare’s eerie, dark pop coiled around her poetic storytelling and a haunting tour de force of her vocal range. Ladies, we’re going into the forest, and what happens there will forever be known only to us.

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Nashville shimmer pop trio Moody Joody are ushering in a new era of music for themselves and heeding he neverending call of “WE WANT MORE ANTHEMS!!” Or…dancethems if you wanna be cute. Lead vocalists Kaitie Forbes and Kayla Hall along with producer Andrew Pacheco have been working with Grammy-winning Scott Harris (Shawn Mendes, Dua Lipa, Justin Beiber) on their upcoming album of dancethems, some of which were part of their thrilling, raucous set at ACL Fest just over a month ago.

Not only did they stop by our backstage tent to perform the new single, they’ve afforded us the opportunity for you to get a free download of the album version in all its full, studio glitz and glory. Helmed by a bass groove punctuated by Forbes and Hall’s seductive syncopated lyrics and dotted with other shimmery elements, it’s tailor-made to throw on the next time you’re with your girl gang, getting pumped for that big interview, or just getting silly at home.

“OOPS!” is out now. See their ACL Fest backstage performance at KUTX.org.

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Across three decades, Born Ruffians have been a pivotal part of the Toronto music scene. And in that time, music has changed, artists have come and gone, leaving their various marks, and while many artists look around and see themselves surrounded by new generations and fall back, the Canadian quartet has marched forward, always pushing for new sonic explorations rather than defaulting to the nostalgic safety net.

“Athena” is a rumination on the Goddess of War operating within the deep, dark recesses of social media and the internet at large while rocking a dance-yearning, poppy synth melody and a kinetic bass groove sitting just behind center stage. Their ninth album Beauty’s Pride is a testament to the group’s fortitude, maintaining their affinity for groovy indie rock earworms but effortlessly sounding fresh, bucking the criticism of “more of the same” and fostering new audiences almost twenty years later.

Beauty’s Pride is out now on Yep Roc Records.

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Up-and-coming Spanish alt pop artist Vizzconde made his debut earlier this year with the instrumental dance single “Portents.” He’s followed that up with “Camaleón,” an upbeat song that draws inspiration from medieval times and his Galician roots. The song begins with a gentle piano intro, but with electronic vocal stylings, a driving beat, and a choral background, the song quickly builds to a hair-raising drop.

Camaleón is out now. Check out the music video here.

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New Zealand-born, New York-based Dion Lunadon, former bassist of Brooklyn post-punk band A Place to Bury Strangers, has released his latest single “Gold Standard Love” via a limited edition 7″ flexi disc inside the fall issue of the illustrious CREEM magazine. 100 flexi’s inside 100 copies. Whoa. This crunchy, post-punk romp carries that signature NYC early 00’s rock revival sound, and part of that concoction is timelessness. A little Jonathan Fire*Eater, a little Pretty Hate Machine, and simultaneously fresh, the only downside is Lunadon not bringing this high-voltage sound to Austin on this current tour. But I’m putting that energy into the ether and in nabbing one of the lucky 100 copies.

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After a year or so of releasing individual dance-pop candies, Austin’s Jane Leo released their sophomore album Creature of Destruction in September. One of the tracks on the album is “Goldmine,” a slightly more subdued song from the art-pop duo, but still dripping with energy and that funky “Imma dance here in my own little circle, in my own little world” energy. Bouncy, sexy, and more vintage than much of what we’ve heard in the past, “Goldmine” is a cheeky reminder that even if you go to Jane Leo show to dance with one foot in the future, they’ve got plenty of tricks up their sleeve to subvert expectations without losing an ounce of their allure.

Jane Leo stopped by Studio 1A to perform songs from Creature of Destruction ahead of their show tonight at Empire Control Room with New Constellations.

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Perfect for the chilling temperatures is the latest from Austin world-folk duo Her Mana. Emilie Basez and Kate Robberson return with their latest single “Suena,” a slow, tender tune made for slow dances with long, locked gazes. Produced by Jim Eno and featuring the Ibiza String Ensemble to brighten the thoughtfully equipped negative space in the song and to elevate Basez and Robberson’s angelic voices, the new single is a delicate breadcrumb of new music leading to their show at the Paramount on Sunday, November 16th.

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