Each week, KEXP’s Music Director Don Yates (joined this week by DJ Abbie Gobeli) shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases. See what's coming up this week below, including reviews for new releases from Tame Impala, Bambara, Jungle Fire, and more.
Tame Impala – The Slow Rush (Modular)
The fourth Tame Impala album from Australian musician/producer Kevin Parker continues to take his psych-pop in a more electronic, dance-oriented direction, with a sleeker sound featuring a variety of colorful keyboards along with liquid guitars and propulsive beats accompanying his reverbed falsetto and lyrics revolving around the passage of time. — DY
Bambara – Stray (Wharf Cat)
This Brooklyn-via-Athens, GA trio’s fourth album is a potent set of goth-tinged post-punk with a dark, atmospheric sound featuring reverbed, at times surf-influenced guitars, ominous keyboards, gloomy vocals and surreal narrative lyrics of death and societal decay. — DY
Jungle Fire – Jungle Fire (Nacional)
This 10-piece LA band’s third album is a darker, more expansive take on their spirited blend of various Latin and African styles with funk, soul and psych-rock. The album draws upon a wider variety of styles, from Cuban pilon and Peruvian chicha to Afrobeat and much more, combining a variety of Latin percussion with fuzzy guitars, punchy horns and lively rhythms. — DY
Habibi – Anywhere But Here (muddguts)
This Brooklyn band’s second full-length is a more confident and somewhat darker take on their ‘60s-steeped blend of psych-rock, garage-pop, surf, girl-group pop and Middle Eastern influences. The band also broadened their sound with the addition of occasional 12-string guitar, ney flute, sitar and vibraphone, while the lyrics reflect the importance of friendship during troubled times. — DY
The Men – Mercy (Sacred Bones)
This Brooklyn band’s eighth album is a diverse set ranging from ripping garage-punk, epic chooglin’ psych-rock and ‘80s-steeped synth-rock to galloping desert-rock, country-tinged folk and a spare piano ballad. — DY
Mush – 3D Routine (Memphis Industries)
This Leeds, England band’s debut full-length is a strong set of angst-fueled post-punk with clanging angular guitars, driving rhythms, sneering/yelping vocals and lyrics of economic struggle, class warfare and existential dread. — DY
Eyelids – The Accidental Falls (Jealous Butcher)
The fourth album from this Portland band featuring members of Guided By Voices, The Decemberists, and The Jicks is a solid set of well-crafted psych-pop reminiscent at times of early R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub and Big Star. Produced by Peter Buck, the album combines jangly guitars and occasional strings and horns with glowing harmonies and lyrics courtesy of poet (and Tim Buckley collaborator) Larry Beckett. — DY
Personality Cult – New Arrows (Dirtnap)
The second album from this North Carolina band led by Ben Carr is a potent set of catchy garage-punk with buzzsaw guitars, caffeinated rhythms, urgent vocals and an abundance of sharp song hooks. — DY
Wilsen – Ruiner (Secret City)
This Brooklyn-based trio’s third album finds them injecting their folk-tinged dream-pop with bolder textures and more prominent rhythms. — DY
Post Animal – Forward Motion Godyssey (Polyvinyl)
This Chicago band’s second album is an expansive set of psych-tinged prog-pop with a densely produced, shape-shifting sound incorporating everything from bludgeoning stoner-rock to sleek synth-pop. — DY
Beach Bunny – Honeymoon (Mom+Pop)
The debut full-length from this Chicago band led by Lili Trifilio is a promising set of emotive power-pop with crunchy, occasional surf-influenced guitars, energetic rhythms, plaintive vocals and heartfelt lyrics of anxiety, love and heartache. — DY
Six Organs of Admittance – Companion Rises (Drag City)
The latest album from guitarist Ben Chasny’s Six Forms of Admittance project is an adventurous blend of psych-rock, folk and experimental sounds. — DY
DRAMA – Dance Without Me (Ghostly International)
This Chicago-based duo’s debut full-length is a fine set of moody, R&B-tinged electro-pop combining an often-spacious, atmospheric sound with understated vocals and lyrics of lost love and starting over. — DY
Tennis – Swimmer (Mutually Detrimental)
This Denver duo’s fifth album is a solid set of breezy, psych-tinged pop with bright keyboards, atmospheric guitars, yearning vocals and wistful melodies. — DY
Frazey Ford – U Kin B The Sun (Arts & Crafts)
The third solo album (and first in six years) from this Vancouver, BC-based former member of The Be Good Tanyas is a moody, well-crafted blend of folk-pop, soul, funk, psych-pop and more, combining a warm, lean sound with her fluttering vocals and lyrics ranging from lost love to gun violence. — DY
Tan Cologne – Cave Vaults on the Moon in New Mexico (Labrador)
This Taos, New Mexico duo’s debut album is a fine set of atmospheric dream-pop with a haunting desert-psych sound combining circling guitar lines, serene vocals and hypnotic melodies. — DY
Riki – Riki (Dais)
The debut album from this LA-based artist (aka Niff Nawor) is a promising set of goth-tinged electro-pop with dark, shimmering synths, propulsive beats and ethereal vocals. — DY
Cindy Lee – What's Tonight To Eternity (W. 25th)
The fifth Cindy Lee album from Toronto-based artist (and former Women frontman) Patrick Flegel is a diverse set of avant-pop ranging from gauzy, ethereal pop inflected with ‘60s girl-group pop to synth-driven space-pop and ambient noise squalls. — DY
Thyla – Everything At Once EP (self-released)
The Brighton rock outfit unleashes their full potential in this empowering sophomore EP complete with anthemic lyrics of struggle and self-determination captured by Millie Duthie's raw vocals combined with soaring guitars and grounding percussion. Play all. — AG
Store Front – Task EP (self-released)
This New York band’s debut EP is a promising 5-song set of jangly indie-pop. — DY
HMLTD – West of Eden (Lucky Number)
This London band’s debut full-length is a colorful blend of theatrical glam-rock, arena electro-pop, seething post-punk and more. — DY
Helicon – This Can Only Lead to Chaos (Fuzz Club)
This Scottish band’s second album is a solid set of heavy, shoegazer psych-rock with distortion-drenched guitars, wavy synths, occasional sitar, muscular rhythms, dystopian lyrics and hypnotic song hooks. — DY
Point Of Arches – Mythos EP (self-released)
This Seattle trio’s second EP is a solid set of moody, ‘80s-steeped electro-pop combining gray-washed guitars and synths with majestic crooning and melancholy melodies. — DY
Meltway – Everytime EP (self-released)
This Danish/Norwegian band’s debut EP is a fine set of shoegazerish dream-pop with fuzzy guitars, atmospheric synths, ethereal vocals and soaring song hooks. — DY
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 Shopping, Obongjayar, Gil Scott-Heron, and more.
Each week, KEXP’s Music Director Don Yates (joined this week by DJ Alex) shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases. See what's coming up this week below, including reviews for new releases from Destroyer, Poliça, Drive-By Truckers, and more.
Each week, KEXP’s Music Director Don Yates (joined this week by DJ Alex) shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases. See what's coming up this week below, including reviews for new releases from Wolf Parade, Torres, Okay Kaya, and more.
