The Best New Music In Dallas, February 2016: Sam Lao, Leon Bridges & More

Six Shooter is a recurring feature where we highlight six new releases by North Texas-based musicians, with some extra ammo to spare.

Normally the music scene slows down during the winter as bands take time to recharge after the typically hectic end-of-year parties. Not so in Dallas this year, though. After hitting the ground running in January, local artists dropped a ton of great music in February, including a long-awaited follow-up from one of the city's most popular rappers and a spot on a Macklemore track by Fort Worth's favorite soul-singing son. Here's the best of the best of new North Texas music last month:

Sam Lao - SPCTRM



Before Sam Lao released her debut album SPCTRM, she spoke to us about the trials and tribulations she faced to get the follow-up to 2013's West Pantego completed. Lao had to work through a severe bout of writer’s block, the loss of an album’s worth of tracks and the overwhelming anxiety of living up to high expectations. Lucky for us, it pushed her to create a piece of work that not only shows off the many sides of Lao, as she intended, but accentuates the growth and development she’s undergone as an artist.

Leon Bridges - Macklemore’s “Kevin”


Continuing on with his plan of world domination, Leon Bridges was everywhere in February. In terms of new music, the Fort Worth artist was featured on Macklemore’s latest single, titled “Kevin.” When you listen to the song, just try to focus on Bridges. His addition is totally worth the listen. Bridges also released the powerful video for “River” and performed at the White House. Video of Bridges strolling through the property playing the guitar is worth a watch, too. Lastly, Bridges’ rags-to-riches story was featured by Squarespace in a 60-second TV spot.

Mimisiku - The Thrill of Living


Emo-ish Denton outfit Mimisiku released their debut album The Thrill of Living last month. The 10-track project will have you yearning for the heydays of Cursive, Jimmy Eat World and Texas Is the Reason. The band shows off plenty of range, though, working in power pop riffs, strained vocals and driving kick drums. “The Hand Strikes and Gives a Flower” is a standout track that puts the band’s range on full display.

Ea$e ft. Rap God Pat Ron - “The Sequel”


Ea$e and Pat Ron are proving themselves to be a formidable duo. A couple months ago we featured their collaboration track “(95),” but this time they’re back with an even better product. Whereas on past efforts Pat Ron typically carried a lot of the weight, Ea$e is the standout here with a well-written verse and vocals treated with an enticing pitch effect. Put together with the song's drowsy beat, it’s an easy one to keep on repeat. It's also worth mentioning that Pat Ron released the video for his stellar "Backpack Boy 2" track. 

KissedKilled - “Come Home With Me”


KissedKilled once again graced us with his presence last month with a new, smooth-flowing piece of ear candy. “Come Home With Me” is a sweet track that not only shows off the singer’s remarkably melodic voice and humorous nature, but also Larce Blake’s production. Blake adds a refreshing arrangement of synths and keys with a touch of Latin influence that's sure to make this track a go-to once summer arrives.

-topic - My Favorite Sweaters!


-topic’s latest project started as an outlet to alleviate the serious nature of another project he’s working on, but it turned into an 18-track album that runs 43 minutes. As he told our Mac McCann about the project, “The idea is to find a way to make everybody bounce, and keep everybody in good spirits, while still dropping knowledge.” The project boasts loads of producers on the tracks, but most notable is “Strollin,'” which was produced by Flying Lotus.

Rio Pourcel - “Game Girl”


Francine Thirteen - Lady Mary, The Lord and Spark


Quaker City Nighthawks - Good Evening


Crit Morris - World Wide Flava


John Congleton and the Nighty Nite - Your Temporary Custodian


Tunk - "Scarface The Rapper"


Pearl Earl - "What Do You Know?"