While many things in the city of Austin have been placed on hold because of the ongoing pandemic, The Cuckoo's have released a bit of hope for us all, in the form of a new video for their song "I'll Be Ur Tramp". The Cuckoo's have been a staple among band names, in the Austin live music scene for a few years now. Front man Kenneth Frost, along with his motley crew of band mates, Dave North, Eric Ross, and Cole Koenning offer up a chemistry that is impossible to ignore within the electrifying almost synth pop originality of the music they have created and released, untamed and unapologetically, into the streets and ears of both local and national fans.

 "I'll Be Ur Tramp" is the band's first video release for their upcoming EP "Honeymoon Phases", with no set release date, as off yet. Both song and album come after the fantastic success of "I Hate Love", the bands first self titled album. Songs like "Lady Boy" and "Why Don't You Call Me Anymore" give a funky twist on familiar inspirations from bands like The Talking Heads and Pink Floyd, while paying tribute to artists such as David Bowie.

"A funky soulmate diddy about finding a partner in crime to walk through life with," Kenneth tells me, is the feel he was going for with writing " I'll Be Ur Tramp". The video is simple yet enticing, inviting you to stay and watch the eccentric frontman dance and sing alone next an old TV flickering clips from previous Cuckoo's music videos and live performances. Frost also conceived and directed the video himself, proving he's more than just a pretty voice wielding a keytar!

With the success of their last album, there has been pressure to produce equally ear catching tunes and barbed hooks with new music for the band. The Cuckoo's don't seem to be letting the pressure get to them, and keep on hammering out smooth and funky acid pop hits like "I'll Be Ur Tramp". If anything is apparent, it's that this band is here to stay, and they are going to keep putting out songs and videos that make you feel good and remind us all that "it's ok to be a little sexy and dirty sometimes."

-Michael Lee

Psych Rock group Faux Furrs recently released a new single called "Worlds Made of Words". This is the first new music from the group since 2018's "Canopy".

All proceeds from the sale of the single will be donated to the local charity Assata's Daughters.

Amo Amo have released their new EP Canta, a five-track collection of new psych pop, with all proceeds from Bandcamp sales going towards Black Lives Matter LA. The record includes the previously released title track and the diversity-celebrating song "Colors", along with "Missed Connection", a song about finding ways to bridge divisions between people in a world of increasing tensions. And because Amo Amo knows that lyrics alone don't make a difference, they've committed to donating all of the sales on Bandcamp for Canta to Black Lives Matter LA to help lift up black voices across the community and the globe. Take a listen to the title track "Canta" below, and consider purchasing the album to stand with Amo Amo and support Black Lives Matter LA. - Will Sisskind

Eyedress's upcoming LP Let's Skip To The Wedding has been a long time coming, but its release date of August 7th is right around the corner, so you won't have much longer to wait in order to hear the magnum opus. In the meantime, Eyedress has put out another single from the album called "Can I See You Tonight?", a track smacking of Ariel Pink and Wild Nothing vibes that expresses his love for his girlfriend. Her voice appears on the single, as both she and Eyedress recorded the track during one of her visits to LA before moving there. Let's Skip To The Wedding is Eyedress's first LP of original material since moving back to the U.S., and it's tailor-made for a summer that may have us all seeing less of the beach and more of the backyard. Take a listen to "Can I See You Tonight?" below. - Will Sisskind

The psych-surf sound of “Mind Reading,” the new single by Long Beach-based outfit THESE PEOPLE, evokes memories of strange summers of years past, wherein tall tales become so exaggerated that you can’t tell where the facts end and the fiction begins. Swelling heatstroke guitar lines in tandem with an echoed-out vocal performance add to the track’s distant and foggy nature, and its quick transitions between major and minor modes prevent the track from ever finding solid footing. These elements combined make for an engaging listening experience, one that evokes a bit of Surfer Blood, a bit of Grateful Dead circa Blues for Allah, and a whole lot of Timothy Leary. Dip out for a bit and stream it below.