Each week, Music Director Don Yates (joined this week by DJ Gabriel Teodros) 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 Jungle, Ty Segall, Liars, and more.
Jungle – Loving in Stereo (AWAL)
This British duo’s third album is a summery blend of disco, R&B, funk and more, combining propulsive rhythms, keyboards, strings and occasional horns, woodwinds and other instrumentation with duel falsetto vocals, buoyant melodies and hope-filled lyrics of love and freedom. — DY
Ty Segall – Harmonizer (Drag City)
This LA-based artist’s latest album is a surprise release that finds him taking his visceral blend of psych-rock, glam, stoner-rock and post-punk in a more synth-heavy direction, combining heavy, processed guitars and gleaming synths with multi-tracked vocals and head-banging song hooks. — DY
Liars – The Apple Drop (Mute)
The tenth album from this project led by Australian artist Angus Andrew is an impressive set of haunting, psych-tinged post-punk with a dark sound featuring atmospheric guitars, eerie keyboards, cinematic strings, anxiety-inducing rhythms, gloomy vocals and ominous melodies. — DY
Mumu Fresh – Queen Of Culture (Vintage Babies II)
Baltimore-born and DC-raised MC and vocalist Maimouna Youssef a.k.a. Mumu Fresh delivers her third solo album, and second one completely produced by DJ Dummy of Vintage Babies. The sound ranges from soul ballads to hard-hitting hip-hop, with topics ranging from love to decolonization, reparations and more. D Smoke, Alex Isley, Amber Navran, Ra Brown, and Amir Sulaiman all make guest appearances. — GT
Wednesday – Twin Plagues (Orindal)
The third full-length from this Asheville, NC band led by Karly Hartzman is an excellent set of ‘90s-influenced indie-rock ranging from crunchy slacker-rock and fuzzy shoegazer psych-rock to airy, folk-tinged ballads, combining a dynamic, sometimes volatile sound with sharply crafted lyrics of small-town alienation. — DY
The Halluci Nation – One More Saturday Night (self-released)
Indigenous DJs and producers Bear Witness (Cayuga / Six Nations) and 2oolman (Mohawk / Six Nations) formerly known as A Tribe Called Red are reintroducing themselves as The Halluci Nation, a name taken from a phrase coined by John Trudell (who opens this album as well as A Tribe Called Red's last LP), to describe "the vast global community of people who remember at their core what it means to be human." One More Saturday Night builds on the Electric Pow Wow sound of previous ATCR releases, with new reggae and R&B experimentation on a few songs, and collaborations with Tanya Tagaq, Haviah Mighty, Keith Secola, Jennifer Kreisberg (of Ulali) and many more. — GT
Quicksand – Distant Populations (Epitaph)
This veteran New York band’s fourth album is a strong set of heavy post-hardcore with a muscular sound featuring rumbling, swirling guitars, pounding rhythms, head-banging song hooks and often-dark lyrics of anxiety and isolation. — DY
Cartel Madras – The Serpent and the Tiger (Sub Pop)
This Calgary, Alberta duo’s latest release is the third volume in their Project Goonda trilogy, following 2018’s Trapistan and 2019’s Age of the Goonda. With 10 songs and a total time of 26 minutes, it’s a potent if brief example of their energetic hip hop, combining a variety of trap and house beats with their rapid-fire flow and lyrics revolving around self-expression and autonomy. — DY
Laura Stevenson – Laura Stevenson (Don Giovanni)
This New York artist’s sixth album is a sharply crafted set of folk-tinged indie-pop. Produced by John Agnello (and also featuring Jeff Rosenstock on guest guitar), the album ranges from anthemic indie-rock to jangly folk-rock and spare acoustic ballads, with the songs revolving around trauma, grief and healing. — DY
Massage – Still Life (Mt. St. Mtn./Tear Jerk/Bobo Integral)
This LA-based band’s second album is a well-crafted set of bittersweet, hook-filled indie-pop reminiscent of ‘80s bands like the Field Mice, the La’s and the Go-Betweens, combining jangly guitars, atmospheric keyboards, wistful melodies and often-melancholy lyrics. — DY
(Various) – Country Funk Volume III (1975-1982) (Light in the Attic)
The third volume in Light in the Attic’s Country Funk compilation series is another impressive collection spotlighting various blends of country and funk. While the first two volumes featured music from the late 1960s to mid-70s, this one focuses on songs from 1975 to 1982, and that era’s disco and yacht-rock sounds are also present here. — DY
Sonny & The Sunsets – New Day With New Possibilities (Rocks In Your Head)
The eighth album from this San Francisco project led by Sonny Smith is a well-crafted set of country-tinged folk-rock combining acoustic guitars, pedal steel, occasional strings and loping rhythms with wistful melodies and often-dark lyrics of loneliness and isolation. — DY
(Various) – Habibi Funk 015 (Habibi Funk)
The latest volume in Habibi Funk’s compilation series of Middle Eastern music is a diverse set that leans heavy towards various funk and disco fusions, though there’s also some Libyan reggae, Lebanese political songs, Algerian soundtrack music and more. — DY
Glass Spells – Shattered (Negative Gain Productions)
This San Diego duo’s second album is a solid set of ‘80s-steeped synth-pop with moody synths, propulsive rhythms and haunting melodies. — DY
Lakou Mizik & Joseph Ray – Leave the Bones (Ajunadeep)
Haitian band Lakou Mizik collaborated with British electronic musician Joseph Ray for this well-crafted set blending traditional Haitian music with electronic beats and textures, along with samples from a variety of sources. — DY
Pachyman – The Return of Pachyman (ATO)
This LA-based Puerto Rican artist’s third album is a fine set of old-school dub reggae featuring a reverbed sound with reggae rhythms, skittering guitar lines, vintage organ and other keyboards along with occasional horns and other instrumentation. — DY
The Steoples – Wide Through the Eyes of No One (Stones Throw)
This LA-based duo’s second album is a solid set of atmospheric R&B blended with psych-pop, folk, electro-pop and occasional Latin influences, combining the duo’s plaintive vocals and silky harmonies with lyrics of lost love and resilience. — DY
Caveman – Smash (Fortune Tellers)
This Brooklyn band’s fourth album (and first in five years) is a fine set of atmospheric, hook-filled indie-pop with a richly textured sound combining moody keyboards, atmospheric guitars and pillowy song hooks with Michael Iwanusa’s silky vocals. — DY
binki – Motor Function EP (The Fader Label)
The debut EP from this Pennsylvania-bred, Brooklyn-based artist (aka Baraka Ongeri) is a strong four-song set offering a colorful, hook-filled, rhythm-driven blend of post-punk, disco, funk and hip hop. — DY
The Tubs – Names EP (Trouble In Mind)
The debut EP from this London-based band featuring a couple of former members of Joanna Gruesome is a potent four-song set of hook-filled post-punk with jangly guitars and driving rhythms. — DY
Damon & Naomi with Kurihara – A Sky Record (20/20/20)
The first album in six years from this Boston-based duo (and former Galaxie 500 members) finds them recording again with Japanese guitarist (and former Ghost member) Michio Kurihara for a beautifully crafted set of atmospheric, folk-tinged psych-rock combining Kurihara’s dreamy guitar lines with warm keyboards, glacial tempos and wistful melodies. — DY
El Michels Affair meets Liam Bailey – Ekundayo Inversions (Big Crown)
New York-based artist Leon Michels reworked songs from English singer Liam Bailey’s 2020 album Ekundayo, and the end result is a soulful blend of reggae, R&B, hip hop and other styles. Black Thought and Lee “Scratch” Perry contribute guest vocals. — DY
Alexalone – Alexaloneworld (Polyvinyl)
The debut album from this Austin project led by Alex Peterson is a visceral, dynamic blend of dream-pop, psych-rock and doom metal, with a tension-filled sound combining fuzzy/sludgy guitars and hypnotic song hooks. — DY
Tuxedo Gleam – Miscellanea EP (Detriti)
This Modesto, CA duo’s latest release is a solid five-song EP of hypnotic darkwave with ominous synths, propulsive rhythms, haunting vocals and eerie melodies. — DY
Each week, Music Director Don Yates shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases for KEXP's rotation. See what we added this week below (and on our Charts page), including new releases from Torres, Durand Jones & The Indications, Emma-Jean Thackray, and more.
Each week, Music Director Don Yates (joined this week by DJ Alex) shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases for KEXP's rotation. See what we added this week below (and on our Charts page), including new releases from Tyler, the Creator, Darkside, Altin Gün, and more.
Each week, Music Director Don Yates shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases for KEXP's rotation. See what we added this week below (and on our Charts page), including new releases from Yves Tumor, Vince Staples, Tkay Maidza, and more.
