New Music Reviews (8/21)

Each week, Music Director Don Yates (joined this week by incoming Music Director Chris Sanley) 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 Genesis Owusu, Mick Jenkins, Osees, and more. 

Genesis Owusu – Struggler (Ourness/AWAL)
This Ghanaian-born, Australia-based artist’s second album is an expansive blend of post-punk, R&B, funk, hip hop and other styles, featuring an often-densely produced sound with energetic, often-dance friendly rhythms, memorable song hooks and lyrics of anxiety, depression and trying to survive dystopian times. — DY

Mick Jenkins – The Patience (RBC / BMG)
The Chicago MC returns with his first album since 2021’s Elephant in the Room and first for RBC/BMG. His unparalleled lyricism is stronger than ever, incorporating live instrumentation for a sonically rich tapestry. With the artist deviating from his previously utilized concept-driven approach to instead write spontaneously with the beat, we hear him at his freest. — CS

Osees – Intercepted Message (In the Red)
The latest album from this veteran LA-via-San Francisco band led by John Dwyer is a strong set of synth-punk inflected with prog, New Wave, psych-rock, funk-rock and other styles, combining buzzing synths and energetic rhythms with catchy song hooks. — DY

Shamir – Homo Anxietatem (Kill Rock Stars)
This Philly-via-Las Vegas artist’s ninth album is a potent set of expansive indie-pop with jangly/fuzzy guitars, often-energetic rhythms, soaring melodies and lyrics of anxiety and resilience. — DY

Margaret Glaspy – Echo the Diamond (ATO)
This California-bred, Brooklyn-based artist’s third album is an impressive set of bristling indie-rock with an often-raw and dynamic sound featuring buzzing guitars, punchy rhythms and sharply crafted lyrics of love and loss. — DY

Versing – Tape II EP (self-released)
This Seattle band’s latest release is a potent five-song EP of shoegazer psych-rock and related styles, featuring a dynamic sound with fuzzy, effects-laden guitars and hypnotic song hooks. — DY

Rhiannon Giddens – You’re the One (Nonesuch)
This Nashville artist’s latest solo album is an expansive blend of folk, rock, soul, funk, blues, country, zydeco and more, combining a diverse, visceral sound with lyrics of love, desire, heartache and moving on. — DY

Fiddlehead – Death is Nothing to Us (Run For Cover)
This Boston band’s third album is a potent set of emotive post-hardcore with churning guitars, pummeling rhythms, intense vocals and often-dark lyrics of loss, grief and depression. — DY

Hemi Hemingway – Strangers Again (PNKSLM)
The debut full-length from this New Zealand artist of Māori heritage is a well-crafted set of moody, ‘60s-tinged pop combining atmospheric guitars and keyboards with dramatic crooning, soaring melodies and lyrics of love and loss. — DY

Nat Myers – Yellow Peril (Easy Eye Sound)
This Kentucky-bred, Korean-American artist’s debut album is a potent set of acoustic blues. Produced by Dan Auerbach, the album combines his deft guitar picking and intricate, lively rhythms with lyrics reflecting on growing up, heartache, prejudice and resilience. — DY

Diners – Domino (Bar None)
The latest Diners release from Phoenix-bred, LA-based artist Blue Broderick is a well-crafted set of hook-filled power-pop. Produced by Mo Troper, the album features jangly guitars, punchy rhythms, catchy song hooks and optimistic lyrics of moving forward and embracing life. — DY

Turnstile & BADBADNOTGOOD – New Heart Designs EP (Roadrunner)
Baltimore band Turnstile teamed up with Toronto band BADBADNOTGOOD for this EP featuring dramatically reimagined versions of three songs from Turnstile’s 2021 album Glow On that sound much closer to BADBADNOTGOOD’s jazzy electronic grooves than Turnstile’s incendiary post-hardcore. — DY

Jon Batiste – World Music Radio (Interscope)
This New Orleans-bred artist’s latest album is a pop-friendly blend of R&B, electro-pop, hip hop, jazz, reggaeton, Afrobeats, piano ballads and more, combining a diverse, colorful sound with an abundance of catchy song hooks and lyrics beaming positivity. Special guests include Lana Del Rey, Lil Wayne, JID and other notables. — DY

ford. – Guiding Hand (Foreign Family Collective)
The third studio album from ford. (aka Luc Bradford) was two years in the making, and finds the electronic artist exploring the transient nature of his life as he moves through phases. Elements of house, broken beats, live drums, textured strings and soft piano take the listener on a journey. — CS

Stephen Steinbrink – Disappearing Coin (Western Vinyl)
This Oakland artist’s latest album (and first in five years) is solid set of indie folk-pop combining acoustic guitars, keyboards, occasional vibraphone and other instrumentation with gentle rhythms and wistful melodies. — DY