Best New Music in Dallas

Six Shooter is a recurring feature in which we highlight six new releases by North Texas-based musicians.

T.Y.E. — “Playground” & All About Money




T.Y.E. is not only one of Dallas’ premiere rappers, but he’s also one of its most prolific. Last year, the Oak Cliff rapper released two full-length projects and more than 15 music videos, and he's kicked off 2018 with the release of a mixtape, All About Money. It features the standout track “Frank Sinatra,” on which T.Y.E. delivers scathing lines about fake fans over a contemporary beat. Even better is “Playground,” a track that didn't make the mixtape but got a music video. The downtrodden, waltz-like beat lays a wonderful foundation for the artist to explore all the rambling thoughts that enter his psyche.

Lil Lotus — “Bodybag (Feat. Cold Hart)”


Emo rap tunes are becoming the new norm, and Dallas’ Lil Lotus is one of the genre's pioneers. “Bodybag” came out last summer and quickly racked up more than 260,000 streams on Soundcloud. His 10,000-plus Twitter followers have been clamoring for a music video, which Lotus finally delivered two weeks ago.

Acid Carousel — Street Cowboys EP


Denton’s whimsical, psychedelic outfit Acid Carousel released a new EP, and it has surprising depth. Street Cowboys includes “Summer Girls," released last summer, as well as the lighthearted and ethereal tracks “Fuckin’ Spaceships (the prequel)” and “Fuckin’ Spaceships (the sequel),” as well as dark tune “Captain Marigold.” Singer and guitarist Gus Baldwin told the Observer’s David Fletcher the latter song is an outlier; it was originally intended for another project, but it hints at where the band may be headed.

Payroll Giovanni & Cardo — Big Bossin Vol. 2


Few producers are having a better start to their year than Cardo. When Drake released his Scary Hours EP, we learned Cardo produced “God’s Plan,” which has broken single-day streaming records on both Apple Music and Spotify. Cardo also has a production credit on Migos' new album, Culture II, and is working on a project with rapper Payroll Giovanni.

Josh T. Pearson — “Straight To The Top!”


Josh T. Pearson’s “Straight To The Top!” lives up to its name. The Lift To Experience frontman leaps into the track and keeps up its frantic pace until the very end. The single comes from The Straight Hits, Pearson’s first new album in seven years, due April 13 via Mute Records.

Flexinfab — “Snap, Crackle, Pop”


Flexinfab’s “Snap, Crackle, Pop” is a fine song on its own. The Missy Elliott sample certainly does a lot of the heavy lifting, but Flexinfab's unique, unstructured delivery and absurd lines such as “Burberry turban and I’m swervin' in Suburbans” are entertaining. The real fun is in the visuals, though. Fab gathered all his friends for another fun, DanceDailey-produced video, and it elevates the song.

Extra Ammo:

Matthew McNeal — “Rumorosa”



Mind Spiders — Furies



Hey Cowboy! — The Soft Kind



The Outfit, TX — “2 Icy Freestyle”



Guitar Emoji — “Vintage Ferrari Coupe”



Luna Luna — “You And I”



Adrian Stresow — “Ooh”