In the spirit of The Austin, a hundred and all things tune at SXSW, pay attention to NPR Slingshot’s 2nd-ever Station Breaks, a monthly playlist spotlighting rising artists. These acts are growing the songs that NPR Music station personalities are excited to listen to.
This month, hear a healthful serenade from Holy Pinto, excessive-octane boogie rock from Quaker City Night Hawks, and the context behind Sierra Ferrell’s quirky and darkish love testimonial.
Stream the NPR Slingshot Spotify playlist, which lists all of the songs from this Station Break. Enjoy and find out these massive songs from now-not-so-big bands.
Ghost Light, “Best Kept Secret,” Hayes Carll, “None’Ya” WEB
Divorce gets a horrific rap just as it breeds self-doubt, resentment, guilt, and anger and tears households apart. Given time, it can also deliver new degrees of maturity, broader views on relationships, and a deepened humorousness – a boon for destiny cohabitation.
Hayes Carll and fiancée Allison Moorer are survivors of failed marriages. Armed with the understanding of what works and does not, the veteran romancers have created “None’Ya,” a song that embraces the push and pulls and gives and takes of lasting love. — Rosemary Welsch, WYEP
The meditative vibe of “Running” from This Is How You Smile initiatives a quality of presence and mindfulness that is vital right now. Helado Negro has defined the track brilliantly: “‘Running’ is a poem. In it, I’ve buried sentiments and private histories. Most of its miles just for me and some for you.” — Marion Hodges, KCRW
Holy Pinto’s Aymen Selah has observed himself far away from his domestic in Canterbury, England, and the center of America’s heartland. “Gold Leaf” grapples with this adjustment through a 1/2-hearted gesture of “petrol” station plants and one surprisingly catchy hook. — Justin Barney, Radio Milwaukee
