New Music Reviews (3/30)

Each week, Music Director Don Yates (joined this week by DJs Gabriel Teodros and Alex Ruder) shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases for KEXP's rotation. These reviews help our DJs decide on what they want to play. See what we added this week below (and on our Charts page), including new releases from Lana Del Rey, Noga Erez, The Antlers and more.

Lana Del Rey – Chemtrails Over the Country Club (Interscope)
This LA-based artist’s sixth album is a masterfully crafted set of atmospheric, psych-tinged folk-pop combining an often-spare and intimate sound steeped in melancholy with evocative lyrics of fame, escape, love and loss. — DY

Noga Erez – KIDS (City Slang)
This Tel Aviv artist’s second album is a well-crafted set of dynamic electro-pop inflected with hip hop, post-punk and other styles, combining moody synths, bursts of guitars and brass and hip hop-influenced beats with her gravelly vocals and lyrics blending the personal and the political while reflecting on the influence of parents on future generations. — DY

The Antlers – Green to Gold (ANTI-)
The sixth album (and first in seven years) from this New York duo led by Peter Silberman is a beautifully crafted set of pastoral, psych-tinged chamber-pop with an often-spare and atmospheric sound featuring various combinations of guitars, keyboards, strings, horns, woodwinds, pedal steel, banjo, slide guitar and ambient sounds of nature accompanying Silberman’s hushed, delicate vocals, warmly glowing melodies and lyrics of acceptance and hope. — DY

Daniel Lanois – Heavy Sun (eOne)
The veteran producer’s latest album is a strong set of atmospheric gospel and soul revolving around the soulful organ and vocals of Shreveport, LA organist, vocalist and choir director Johnny Shepherd, accompanied here by guitars, warm electronic textures, occasional Latin-influenced rhythms and celestial gospel harmonies. — DY

Niña Dioz – Amor, Locura y Otros Vicios (Nacional)
This Mexican rapper’s latest release is a potent blend of hip hop with reggaeton and R&B, combining a variety of booming, trap-influenced beats with her tight flow and often-politically charged rhymes. — DY

Antonioni – Antonioni (Lauren)
This Seattle band’s debut full-length is a promising blend of ‘90s-steeped dream-pop and grunge-pop with fuzzy and jangly guitars, atmospheric keyboards, ethereal vocals, catchy song hooks and lyrics of self-empowerment. — DY

Real Estate – Half a Human EP (Domino)
This Brooklyn-based band’s latest release is a six-song EP comprised of songs left over from the recording sessions for their 2020 album The Main Thing. It’s a solid set of breezy indie-pop with jangly, intertwining guitars, gentle harmonies and dreamy melodies. — DY

I Self Devine – Rituals of Resilience (Improvised Weaponry)
The third solo album from Minneapolis, MN-based emcee, visual artist and community organizer I Self Devine. Rituals of Resilience was completely produced by Orko Eloheim and released as part of the opening of an audio-visual experience I Self Devine curated at Minneapolis Institute of Art, with the album in dialog with Black visual artists from the United States, Africa, and the greater African Diaspora. Guest vocalists include The Lioness, Tish Jones, SoloStar and Muja Messiah. I Self Devine also currently serves as the Director of Organizing and Community Building at Hope Community in Minneapolis. — GT

William Doyle – Great Spans of Muddy Time (Tough Love)
The latest album from this London artist (who previously recorded under the name East India Youth) is a diverse, adventurous set ranging from lush, soaring ballads and moody electro-pop to glitchy electronic experiments and shimmering ambient. — DY

Jane Inc. – Number One (Telephone Explosion)
The debut album from this Toronto multi-instrumentalist and regular U.S. Girls collaborator (aka Carlyn Bezic) is a well-crafted set of arty dance-pop with bright synths, silvery guitar riffs, propulsive beats and lyrics of identity and autonomy. — DY

Xiu Xiu – OH NO (Polyvinyl)
The 12th album from this LA-based project led by Jamie Stewart features duets with an impressive lineup of guest vocalists, including Sharon Van Etten, Owen Pallett, Chelsea Wolfe, Alice Bag, Haley Fohr, Liars’ Angus Andrew, Drab Majesty’s Deb Demure, Twin Shadow’s George Lewis Jr, Loma’s Jonathan Meiburg, Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier and Grouper’s Liz Harris. It’s a dark, often-unsettling set of experimental pop combining a variety of ominous beats, dark ambient textures and shards of noise with often-bleak lyrics of isolation, abandonment and environmental devastation. — DY

Deekapz – Jewel Gems (self-released)
Deekapz are a Brazilian production duo that have making regional waves working with some Brazil’s biggest stars (Criolo, Pabllo Vittar, Baco Exu do Blues) as well as Seattle's own Sango and the LA-based Soulection crew. Jewel Gems conveniently collects Deekapz's songs that have previously only been available on Soundcloud or Bandcamp and presents a proper official showcase for their slick worldly beats that fuse traditional Brazilian rhythms and Baile funk with contemporary hip-hop, trap, and R&B flavors. — AR

Citizen – Life In Your Glass World (Run For Cover)
This Toledo, OH trio’s fourth album is a potent set of expansive, hook-filled rock with buzzing guitars, bright synths, energetic, at times dance-friendly rhythms, singalong choruses and lyrics revolving around reclaiming control. — DY

Jaz Elise – The Golden Hour (In.Digg.Nation Collective)
Impressive debut EP from Kingston, Jamaica-raised vocalist Jaz Elise. This future-sounding reggae-infused soul/R&B project is the latest release from Protoje's In.Digg.Nation Collective, who have also recently released notable projects from Sevana and Lila Iké. — GT

Doohickey Cubicle – Don't Fix Anything ;) (self-released)
The debut album from this Vancouver, BC duo (Alli Deleo and Francis Hooper) is a sweet set of woozy psych-pop full of warm synths, dreamy vocals, and playful rhythms. Fellow Canadian Blue Hawaii bump up the tempo for their charming house-tinted remix of opening track "Sign Here." — AR

Hugo Massien – Metamorphosis (E-Beamz)
Following a long string of hotly-tipped EPs for XL Recordings, Keysound Recordings, Tectonic, Unknown To The Unknown 17 Steps, E-Beamz, and former Seattle-based label Car Crash Set (where he made his debut back in 2014), British producer Hugo Massien unveils his debut full-length album and it's a strong set of expansive underground electronic grooves that showcases his affinity for bass-heavy breaks, wonky acid, glistening house, deep nocturnal beats, and gritty propulsive rhythms. — AR

Vegyn – Like a Good Old Friend EP (PLZ Make It Ruins)
The latest release from this London producer (aka Joe Thornalley) is a solid six-song EP of atmospheric electronic grooves ranging from dark ambient hip hop and glitchy house to moody ambient. — DY