New Music Reviews (2/25)

Each week, KEXP’s Music Director Don Yates shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases. See what's coming up this week below, including reviews for new releases from Adia Victoria, Westkust, SPELLLING, and more.

Adia Victoria – Silences (Canvasback/Atlantic)
This Nashville-based artist’s second album is a dark, edgy blend of deconstructed blues, post-punk, noirish jazz and more. Co-produced by Aaron Dessner of The National, the album combines a variety of brooding soundscapes with her breathy vocals and often-politically charged lyrics revolving around oppression, identity, and autonomy. 

Westkust – Westkust (Run For Cover)
The second album from this Swedish band who shares a couple of members with Makthaverskan is another excellent set of shoegazerish indie-pop, combining fuzzy, sky-scraping guitars, energetic rhythms, ethereal melodic vocals, and sparkling song hooks. 

SPELLLING – Mazy Fly (Sacred Bones)
The second album from this Bay Area producer/vocalist (aka Chrystia Cabral) is an impressive set of experimental, R&B-tinged electro-pop with a dark, atmospheric sound combining ominous synths, stark beats and occasional guitar, sax, and violin with her haunting vocals and evocative, at times unsettling lyrics. 

Yola – Walk Through Fire (Easy Eye Sound/Nonesuch)
This British artist’s debut album is a warm, beautifully crafted blend of soul, country, folk and baroque psych-pop. Produced by Dan Auerbach, the album features a gorgeous ‘70s-steeped sound combining guitars, keyboards, strings, horns, pedal steel, glockenspiel and more with her rich, dynamic vocals. 

Desperate Journalist – In Search of the Miraculous (Fierce Panda)
The third album from this London band led by Jo Bevan is a potent set of soaring post-punk combining ringing guitars with lyrics of love lost and found. 

Telekinesis – Effluxion (Merge)
The fifth album from this project spearheaded by Seattle’s Michael Lerner moves away from the synth-heavy sound of his previous album (2015’s Ad Infinitum), instead returning to a more guitar-driven sound on this set of hook-filled power-pop ranging from warmly melodic Beatlesque pop to crunchy, anthemic pop-punk. 

Broken Social Scene – Let’s Try The After: Vol. 1 EP (Arts & Crafts)
This Toronto band’s latest release is a strong EP starting with a brief instrumental before heading into a driving, mostly instrumental jam with wordless vocals, a soaring, sun-kissed rock anthem, a dreamy orchestral ballad and some propulsive, psych-tinged post-punk. 

Apples With Moya – Get Behind The Horses (self-released)
The debut album from this Seattle band featuring members of Great Grandpa and Special Explosion is a solid set of ‘90s-steeped indie-rock ranging from twisting, hook-filled rock to folk-tinged ballads.

Martin Frawley – Undone at 31 (Merge)
The debut solo album from the former leader of Australian band Twerps is a fine set of sharply crafted indie-pop combining edgy arrangements and a variety of colorful instrumentation with soul-baring lyrics of lost love. 

FEELS – Post Earth (Wichita)
This LA band’s second album is a potent set of often-politically charged post-punk with angular guitars, driving rhythms, and glowing harmonies. 

Our Native Daughters – Songs of Our Native Daughters (Smithsonian/Folkways)
Our Native Daughters is a new banjo quartet comprised of Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell. Their debut album is a well-crafted blend of blues, folk, gospel, and various Caribbean styles, combining a warm, acoustic-oriented sound with often-politically charged lyrics. 

Julia Jacklin – Crushing (Polyvinyl)
This Australian artist’s second album is a fine set of well-crafted folk-pop combining an often-spare, guitar-driven sound with her intimate vocals and emotionally direct lyrics of lost love and rebirth. 

Du Blonde – Lung Bread For Daddy (Moshi Moshi)
British artist Beth Jeans Houghton’s second album under the name Du Blonde is a solid set ranging from driving post-punk to glam-tinged prog-pop.

Entracte Twist – Entracte Twist (RPUT)
This French band’s debut album is a potent set of propulsive garage-punk with fuzzy guitars, searing keyboards, driving, often-motorik rhythms, and catchy song hooks. 

Hot 8 Brass Band – Take Cover EP (Tru Thoughts)
This New Orleans brass band’s latest release is a lively 5-song covers EP that recasts songs from Joy Division, George Benson and a trio from Michael Jackson/The Jacksons into buoyant New Orleans jazz-funk.