New Music Reviews (3/8)

Each week, KEXP’s Music Director Don Yates (joined this week by DJ Gabriel Teodros) shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases. See what's coming up this week below, including reviews for new releases from Spirit Award, IAN SWEET, Dining Dead, and more.

Spirit Award – Lunatic House (Share It Music)
The third album from this Seattle-based project spearheaded by Daniel Lyon is a potent set of moody psych-rock with angular guitar lines, fuzzy bass, driving rhythms and dystopian lyrics depicting these troubled times. — DY

IAN SWEET – Show Me How You Disappear (Polyvinyl)
The third IAN SWEET album from LA-based artist Jilian Medford is a well-crafted set of moody dream-pop with an atmospheric sound combining shimmering synths, fuzzy guitars and soaring song hooks with lyrics revolving around mental health, trauma and self-forgiveness. — DY

Dining Dead – Medium Rare (self-released)
This Seattle band’s debut full-length is a promising set ranging from moody, folk-tinged rock reminiscent of Mazzy Star to crunchy, hook-filled indie-rock. — DY

Adult Mom – Driver (Epitaph)
The third Adult Mom album from Kingston, NY-based artist Stevie Knipe is a well-crafted set of emotive indie-pop with fuzzy guitars, bright keyboards and often-dark lyrics of heartache and busted relationships. — DY

Fruit Bats – The Pet Parade (Merge)
The latest Fruit Bats album from Eric D. Johnson & co. is a well-crafted set ranging from buoyant psych-pop to spare, acoustic-oriented folk-pop, with the song’s lyrics revolving around isolation and connection. — DY

The Lasso – 2121 (Mello Music Group)
Detroit-based producer and multi-instrumentalist The Lasso's latest project is a hip-hop, funk, soul, jazz, house and sci-fi influenced journey with stellar vocals from A. Billie Free & Rachelle Eve on several tracks, along with standout features from Los Angeles-based emcee Ill Camille, Brooklyn's own Nelson Bandela and many more. — GT

Jane Weaver – Flock (Fire)
This British artist’s latest album is a solid set of dreamy psych-pop inflected with glam-rock, funk and other styles, combining bright keyboards and fuzzy guitars with buoyant song hooks. — DY

Alex Bleeker – Heaven on the Faultline (self-released)
The Real Estate bassist’s latest album is a well-crafted set of folk-tinged psych-pop with jangly guitars, warm keyboards and breezy melodies juxtaposed with often-dark lyrics of impending doom. — DY

Jimbo Mathus & Andrew Bird – These 13 (Thirty Tigers)
These former members of Squirrel Nut Zippers have teamed up again for this well-crafted, acoustic-oriented set rooted in mountain folk, blues, country and gospel, combining a spare sound featuring just acoustic guitar and violin with lyrics depicting lives of struggle. — DY

Billy Nomates – Telephone Explosion EP (Invada)
This British artist follows up her 2020 debut album with this solid EP of dark indie-pop with moody synths, propulsive rhythms and lyrics revolving around communications breakdowns. — DY

(Various) – Black History Always / Music For the Movement, Vol. 2 EP (Hollywood Records)
The second volume of new music released in partnership with The Undefeated: ESPN's content initiative exploring the intersection between sports, race and culture. This 5 song EP features new songs from Brent Faiyaz and Infinity Song, Freddie Gibbs covering Gil Scott-Heron's "Winter In America", Tobe Nwigwe's cover of Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes' "Wake Up Everybody" and Tinashe covering Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman." Try "Eden" and "Winter In America." — GT

Devon Williams – Out of Time EP (Slumberland)
This LA artist’s latest release is a solid four-song EP of folk-tinged psych-pop featuring three re-workings of previously recorded songs along with one new one. — DY