New Music Reviews (3/11)

Each week, Music Director Chris Sanley and Associate Music Director Alex Ruder share 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 Merryn Jeann, GHLOW, Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, and more. 

Merryn Jeann - Dog Beach (Rescue + Return)
The debut full length album from Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Meryyn Jeann is all consuming. Her unique brand of art-pop with elements of jazz and folk paired with her rich vocals and clever lyricism is positively spellbinding. Dog Beach is an impressive first outing from an artist with a singular point of view that leaves the listener begging for more.  — CS

GHLOW - Levitate (PNKSLM)
On their sophomore album, the Stockholm based duo deliver a compelling amalgamation of punk, electronic, industrial and post-punk for a gritty, experimental, cinematic soundscape. Their blistering guitars, dark synths, electronic drums and Blanche’s vocals are transfixing throughout these ten adventurous tracks. — CS

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band - BRSB (Big Crown)
The fourth studio album from this Hamburg, Germany-based band hones in on their winning formula of funky steel pan-led instrumental beats featuring a variety of cool covers of iconic hip-hop hits alongside a handful of sweet original tracks. Propelled by their distinctive, transportive, tropical touch, BRSB confidently showcases the band’s unique approach to the traditional steel pans of Trinidad and Tobago, invigorating its singular sound with lively horns, exploratory synths, and chunky rhythms.  — AR

Bolis Pupul - Letter to Yu (Deewee)
The debut solo album from visionary Bolis Pupul is a touching love letter to his late mother. Following his explosive 2022 collaboration with Charlotte Adigéry, Topical Dancer, the Belgian musician and producer effortlessly moves through dance, experimental, techno and pop soundscapes as he honors his mother and his Chinese heritage. — CS

Bombay Bicycle Club - Fantasies EP (Mmmm... Records/AWAL)
Following their electric 2023 album, the London four-piece returns with another bright, energetic collection of guitar driven indie pop with long-term collaborators Lucy Rose, Rae Morris and Liz Lawrence, along with a new feature from Matilda Mann. — CS

brother bird - Another Year (Easy Does It)
The sophomore album from Nashville-based singer-songwriter Caroline Glaser is a delightful slice of guitar driven bedroom pop and indie-rock with beautiful vocal tones, infectious melodies and playful, personal lyricism. The layered instrumentals, intriguing arrangements and lyrical depth provide a captivating, introspective listen.  — CS

​​foamboy - Eating Me Alive (self-released)
The second album from this Portland-based duo composed of producer Wil Bakula and vocalist Katy Ohsiek is another excellent set of colorful “post-disco pop” and vibrant synth-pop inflected with a jazzy R&B streak that pairs expansive and elastic productions with Katy’s lyrics that detail the “entire rise and fall of a very complicated and crushing relationship” and “reckoning with the aftermath of your public art, discovering your own queer identity, rejecting heteronormative narratives, surviving grad school, and giving up in a good way.”  — AR

Kim Gordon - The Collective (Matador)
The second solo album from the incomparable musician and visual artist is another groundbreaking exploration of industrial, dub, trap and punk with lyrical mantras. A nearly tactile experience, The Collective takes many unexpected, dark twists and turns as Gordon continues to expand upon and reinvent her avant-garde, singular sound.  — CS

Screaming Females - Clover EP (Don Giovanni)
Shortly after announcing their breakup after a stellar 18-year run, the New Jersey trio release their final EP. The five songs on Clover were recorded during the sessions for their 2023 album, Desire Pathway, and contain their signature punk rock sound with killer hooks and frontwoman Marissa Paternoster’s visceral vocals at the helm. What a welcome, bittersweet treat for fans as Screaming Females close their final chapter.  — CS

Tomato Flower - No (Ramp Local)
The Baltimore four-piece deliver expressive, artful psych-pop on their debut full length. With angular, intricate guitars, a driving rhythm section and emotive vocals, these twelve tracks leave a mark as they navigate the complexities of a break-up.  — CS

Torrey - Torrey (Slumberland)
Packed with fuzzy guitars, sweet melodies, steady rhythms, and enveloping textures, this Oakland-based band founded by siblings Ryann and Kelly Gonsalves taps into a classic 90s-steeped dreamy shoegaze palette on their second album that also marks their debut for Slumberland Records.  — AR

Discovery Zone - Quantum Web (RVNG Intl.)
The second album from this project of NYC-born, Berlin-based musician and multimedia artist JJ Weihl is another transportive set of glistening cinematic pop full of lush ambient tones and dreamy synth-pop moments that melds pillowy leftfield productions with her warm ethereal vocals. — AR

Keaper - Waking Dream (self-released)
The debut album from this Melbourne-based band fronted by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Ameya Ajay is an impressive set of dreamy shoegaze and 90s-influenced alternative rock.   — AR

Lamplight - Lamplight (Western Vinyl)
Recalling early the aughts era of Americana-tinged indie-folk, the debut album from Lamplight (aka Ian Hatcher-Williams) is an emotive collection of songs showcasing his skill as a storyteller. Led by simple guitar and ornate flourishes, Hatcher-Williams shares his personal journey of being raised in a cult, escaping the tech world in New York, to finding peace with his childhood friend (and now wife) back in Virginia.  — CS

Moor Mother - The Great Bailout (ANTI-)
The ninth studio album from Camae Ayewa - aka Moor Mother - is a powerful and theatrical expression of Afrofuturism. With haunting instrumentals and vocalizations and contributions from many collaborators including Lonnie Holley, Mary Lattimore, and Kyle Kidd, Moor Mother explores the UK’s history of slavery as she continues to shed light on stories of the disenfranchised. — CS

Oisin Leech - Cold Sea (Outside Music)
Long known as one-half of the folk duo The Lost Brothers, Irish singer/songwriter Oisin Leech delivers a beautiful set of atmospheric folk-pop on his debut solo album. Produced by Steve Gunn and recorded in an old sea-facing schoolhouse in County Donegal in northwestern Ireland, Cold Sea carries a warm, welcoming, intimate tone throughout its gentle melodic journey.  — AR

Sleater-Kinney - Frayed Rope Sessions (Loma Vista)
In celebration of International Women’s Day, Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein release a gorgeous EP featuring three alternate, stripped back and orchestral versions of songs from their latest album, Little Rope. All Bandcamp proceeds benefit Noise For Now, a non-profit working in the field of reproductive justice and abortion access.  — CS

The South Hill Experiment - South Hill & Friends (self-released)
Bursting onto the scene in 2023 with a pair of impressive albums, this project from LA-via-Baltimore brothers Baird and Gabe Acheson is quickly ascending as an exciting act that’s difficult to pigeonhole. This new EP is a collaboration-focused affair with appearances from revered Detroit drummer/producer Karriem Riggins, Los Angeles poet/rapper Maxo, LA-via-Florida musician Buck Raines, and Argentinian vocalist Sofía Campos for an eclectic set of expansive beat-centric psych-pop that kicks off with the rugged and rocking “BONITA,” wraps up with the gentle bossa nova flavors of “Go EZ,” and cruises through sweet hip-hop-influenced terrain in between.  — AR