North Texas is nothing if not overflowing with talent turning out new recordings at a formidable clip (look no further than each week’s installment of my colleague Waffles’ “The Homegrown Music Show” for proof).
Given the recent abundance of new and noteworthy releases, we’ve rounded up a few below to bring to your attention. The definition of Texas music is ever elastic, and nothing better illustrates that point than these four distinct (and distinctly different) efforts.
Clint Niosi, Metamorphosis
Fort Worth singer-songwriter Clint Niosi has long fused the theatrical and the musical in his career — in quite literal fashion. His latest EP, Metamorphosis, derives from an experimental stage adaptation of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis mounted last fall at the Hip Pocket Theatre. Following that production, Niosi returned to the studio, and alongside musicians like Tamara Brown, Claire Hecko and Eddie Dunlap, refined and expanded these six songs, delivering what Niosi calls a “psychedelic baroque-noir.”
Carly Carroll, “The Movie”
Dallas-based chamber folk artist Carly Carroll achieves something truly cinematic with her latest single, The Movie.” Produced by Scarlett Deering, Carroll’s luminous vocals are borne along by a lovely piano figure, which is buttressed by multi-tracked harmonies and haunting strings. It’s an exquisite work, and one crying out for a full album of similarly mounted material — we can only hope Carroll is hard at work on just such a project.
Paul Schalda, “Let Me Be”
Dallas-based singer-songwriter and Staten Island native Paul Schalda is stepping out on his own with “Let Me Be,” his debut solo single and first release for DFW label Skylark Soul Co. Produced by Adrian Quesada at Fort Worth’s Niles City Sound, this soulful slow burn, which features guitar work from Quesada, is the first taste of Schalda’s forthcoming solo album, due out this fall.
Danny Conrad, Indulged
Glancing through the list of inspirations Denton musician Danny Conrad provides — Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Randy Newman, ‘70s-era Rolling Stones, The Strokes — and you might think you know what you’re about to hear. Press play on Indulged, Conrad’s debut LP with his band, The Danny Conrad Jamboree, and you’re greeted with something more rollicking and rustic — “Po’ Boy” exemplifies the freewheeling nature of Conrad’s endeavor.
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky (@prestonjones.bsky.social).Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
