New Music Reviews (3/24)

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 Greentea Peng, Japanese Breakfast, ASTROPICAL, and more. 

Greentea Peng - TELL DEM IT'S SUNNY (AWAL Recordings Ltd.)
The third studio album from London-based Greentea Peng is a vibrant fusion of R&B, neo-soul, and alt-pop, infused with dub, jazz, and hip-hop influences. TELL DEM IT’S SUNNY is deeply reflective, outlining a journey of self-rediscovery after becoming a mother, as she navigates the complexities of the modern world. With transfixing beats, her smooth, mesmerizing vocals and superb production, this collection is one for the books. –CS

Japanese Breakfast - For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) (Dead Oceans)
Following her joyous 2021 album Jubilee, Michelle Zauner returns to her bittersweet roots. On For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women), she crafts beautifully textured, ornate indie-pop with layered strings, keys, guitars, horns, pedal steel, and a little Jeff Bridges, for good measure. While not necessarily stripped back, Zauner is certainly utilizing more hushed tones, both in her arrangements and her vocals, allowing listeners to zero in on the complexities of these stunning, intricate compositions as she invites them to lean into the sadness while holding onto hope. –CS

ASTROPICAL - ASTROPICAL (Sony Music Latin)
EN: ASTROPICAL is the debut album of the eponymous group that had stirred up the most mystery within the Latin music industry in recent months. In fact, a tour had already been confirmed even before the album was released. We're talking about the supergroup that merges the psychedelic grooves of Rawayana with the electro-tropical pulse of Bomba Estéreo, featuring Li Saumet and Beto Montenegro on vocals, along with the members of the already established Venezuelan band. ASTROPICAL aims to pay tribute to the music of both projects’ home countries — Venezuela and Colombia — while conceptually building around the signs of the zodiac. Each song reflects an emotional state or narrative, blending genres such as cumbia, dub, reggae, and synth-pop. Tracks like “Me Pasa (Piscis)” and “Una Noche en Caracas (Tauro)” stand out, even if they don’t always dive deep lyrically. Still, it’s a production designed to captivate the unique audience both bands have cultivated over the past 25 years of Latin alternative music, with globally recognizable rhythmic twists. –AC

ES: ASTROPICAL; es el álbum debut del grupo homónimo que más misterio había generado en los pasillos de la industria musical latinoamericana. De hecho, ya había una gira confirmada antes siquiera de lanzar este disco. Hablamos del supergrupo que fusiona los grooves psicodélicos de Rawayana con el pulso electro-tropical de Bomba Estéreo, con Li Saumet y Beto Montenegro en las voces, además de los integrantes del ya consolidado grupo venezolano. ASTROPICAL busca ser un tributo a la música de los países de ambos proyectos, Venezuela y Colombia, al tiempo que se construye en torno a los signos del zodiaco. Cada canción refleja un estado emocional o una historia, entrelazando géneros como cumbia, dub, reggae y synth-pop. Canciones como “Me Pasa (Piscis)” y “Una Noche en Caracas (Tauro)” se destacan, aunque a nivel lírico no siempre haya una gran profundidad. Aun así, es una producción pensada para cautivar a la audiencia única que ambas bandas han generado en los últimos 25 años de la música alternativa latinoamericana, con giros rítmicos reconocibles a nivel global. –AC

Ebba Åsman - When You Know (Dorado Records)
On her third studio album, Swedish jazz visionary Ebba Åsman presents listeners with sounds they have never heard before, including her own voice. When You Know features a mesmerizing fusion of jazz, R&B, electronic, and ambient elements, complemented by her dreamy vocals, resulting in a hazy and seductive soundscape. –CS

Heno. & Mad Keys - Healing Out Loud (Mixto)
DMV-raised, first-generation Ethiopian-Eritrean rapper Heno. teams up with St. Louis-raised producer Mad Keys for a fresh set of soulful hip-hop with a loose, jazzy energy that’s sophisticated, charismatic, and frequently hypnotic. -AR

Lonnie Holley - Tonky (Jagjaguwar)
On his seventh studio album, multidisciplinary artist and educator Lonnie Holley channels his avant-garde, experimental vision with a spellbinding fusion of jazz, folk, blues, and soul. Each song builds with varied layers and textures, as every word carries immense weight. A highly collaborative project produced by Jacknife Lee and featuring Mary Lattimore, Angel Bat Dawid, Joe Minter, Open Mike Eagle, Alabaster DePlume, Isaac Brock, billy woods, Jesca Hoop, and Saul Williams, Tonky is a powerful, expansive set of thought-provoking masterpieces. –CS

My Morning Jacket - is (ATO)
The Louisville-bred boys are back with their tenth studio album and first in over three years. is showcases My Morning Jacket’s signature roots and psych-tinged alt-rock with memorable guitar lines, catchy rhythms, and Jim James’ unmistakable vocals. Speaking about the new collection, James shares: “Hopefully those songs will be helpful to people and give them some kind of peace as they try to deal with the insanity of the world — because that’s what music does for me, and doing the same for others is always my greatest dream come true.” –CS

Ora the Molecule - Dance Therapy (Mute)
We can all use a little Dance Therapy right about now, and Ora the Molecule DELIVERS the goods. On her sophomore album, Nora Schjelderup serves up funky basslines, Italo-disco grooves, bright synths, and breathy vocals for an infectious, futuristic collection of electropop magic. –CS

Paris Texas - They Left Me With A Gun EP + They Left Me With A Sword EP (self-released)
Paris Texas did not come to play in 2025, kicking the year off strong with two stellar EPs and a tour with Tyler, the Creator. Across They Left Me With A Gun and They Left Me With A Sword the LA-based duo — composed of Louie Pastel and Felix — showcase their innovative hip-hop style, incorporating elements of punk, garage, electronic, and noise. With theatrical vocals, dynamic arrangements, and compelling hooks, these two anthologies highlight the untouchable craft of an unstoppable duo. –CS

44th Move - Anthem (Black Acre)
The debut full-length album from this London-based duo composed of acclaimed, versatile artists Alfa Mist and Richard Spaven is a solid of cerebral jazz with a consistent hip-hop streak that shines bright through its genre-blurring instrumental-heavy grooves, turntablist touches, and a standout appearance from Quelle Chris on early single “The Move.” -AR

Aaron Childs - The Hash Brown Demos (self-released)
The latest EP from this LA-based artist is another strong set of classic R&B/soul songs that brings to mind throwback contemporaries such as Leon Bridges, Durand Jones, and Jalen Ngonda, as well as R&B icons Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield. -AR

aLex vs aLex - nyc minute (omw)
aLex vs aLex is a new solo alias of Berlin/NYC-based Guatemalan artist Sofía Insua, frontwoman of Guatemalan indie band Easy Easy. Her debut EP is a super impressive showcase of bilingual alt-R&B that blends a progressive Latin-pop vision with a penchant for pillowy slow jams and club-ready electronic beats heavy on jungle breaks. EP highlight “nadie lo saBe” rides an impossibly smooth R&B/downtempo groove before switching up to d’n’b vibes in the last 30 seconds and it’s awesome. -AR

Annie & The Caldwells - Can’t Lose My (Soul) (Luaka Bop)
Annie & the Caldwells is a West Point, Mississippi family band of three generations, which was formed by their matriarch Annie Caldwell to keep her kids out of trouble. 40 years in the making, their debut album is a revelatory gospel record soaked in R&B, soul, funk, and disco. “Wrong” and “I Made It” offer a pair of knockout soul/disco/funk anthems, the latter brilliantly interpolating The Gap Band’s hit “You Dropped A Bomb On Me” for its infectious hook. -AR

Bathe - Inside Voice(s) (MNRK Records)
Brooklyn-based duo Bathe creates lush, murky R&B to get lost in. On their latest album, Inside Voice(s), Devin Hobdy and Corey Smith-West masterfully weave pristine guitar work, sultry vocals, and enchanting atmospherics into an undeniable collection of psychedelic soul.  –CS

Brian Noyes - Seelie Court (Plume)
The second solo album from Seattle musician Brian Noyes – also a member of Tomten and touring keyboardist for San Francisco band Papercuts – is a nice set of dreamy psych-pop, winsome baroque-pop, and cheery indie pop full of optimistic melodies, warm instrumentation, and a nostalgic, cinematic streak reminiscent of Wes Anderson films/soundtracks. -AR

Dutch Interior - Moneyball (Fat Possum)
For their triumphant Fat Possum debut, LA six-piece Dutch Interior remain untethered by genre, ebbing and flowing through dusty-alt country, slowcore, indie-rock, folk, and so much more, all while maintaining a cohesive sound. With twangy guitars, dizzying strings, bewildering distortions and manipulations, and a jazz sensibility, Moneyball is a truly compelling collection. –CS

Eilis Frawley - Fall Forward (Sinnbus)
The debut album from Australian-born, Berlin-based artist Eilis Frawley explores a provocative, expressive, experimental art-pop landscape. Propelled by engrossing vocals dominated by her spoken word poetry and dynamic rhythmic compositions, Fall Forward is an “innovative, clever and always stylistically confident” indie record with a singular sound. -AR

Findia - Silverlined EP (Greco-Roman)
Following a pair of appearances on Joe Goddard’s 2024 album Harmonics, London-based artist Findia shares her debut solo EP and it’s an impressive set of crystalline, arty, glistening synth-pop that pairs her soaring vocals over buoyant beats. -AR

Horse Vision - Another Life (inadvertent.index)
The debut album from this Swedish duo composed of Johan Nilsson and Gabriel von Essen explores a hypnotic intersection of introspective electro-acoustic folk, sophisticated slowcore, lonesome indie rock, and dreamy leftfield synth-pop that’s full of beautiful guitars, intricate details, moody melancholy, evocative synths, and unexpected surprises. While there’s moments reminiscent of contemporaries such as Chanel Beads, Oklou, Hovvdy, and ML Buch, as well as folktronica pioneers like The Books and Tunng, Another Life taps into its own mysterious, reference-rich tapestry that delights more and more with each listen. -AR

Jaco Jaco - Gremlin (self-released)
Philadelphia-based Jaco Jaco, the songwriting project of Jacob Theriot, delivers warm, kaleidoscopic psych-pop on his new album, Gremlin. These complex arrangements feature funky basslines, dreamy vocals, murky guitars and synths, and syncopated percussion, resulting in an intoxicating and imaginative set of groovy, jazz-tinged indie-pop goodness. –CS

Meagre Martin - Up To Snuff (Mansions and Millions)
This Berlin-based trio composed of three American expats and fronted by African-American singer/songwriter Sarah Martin follow up their excellent late 2023 debut album Gut Punch with an equally potent set of evocative, dynamic, soaring indie rock that continues to find inspiration in shoegaze, '90s alt-rock touchstones, and a sweeping ‘faux country’ sentiment. While it’s all strong, the EP’s centerpiece “Frankie” is a peak moment. -AR

Ollella - Antifragile (self-released)
On her sophomore album, Seattle-based Ellie Barber — aka Ollella — weaves a rich tapestry of enchanting indie-folk. Showcasing her breathtaking vocals, vivid storytelling, and dynamic arrangements featuring cello, horns, keys, guitars, and violin, Antifragile delivers a delicate punch. –CS

The South Hill Experiment - EARTHBREAKS (self-released)
LA-via Baltimore brotherly duo Baird Acheson (aka Baird) and Gabe Acheson (aka Goldwash) share the third and final album in The South Hill Experiment’s opening trilogy that began with their pair of exciting 2023 albums, MOONSHOTS and SUNSTRIKES. EARTHBREAKS continues to explore their imaginative, adventurous, colorful psych-pop lane that’s often infused with a groovy, beat-centric pulse. -AR

Waves Crashing - Effection (Neon Sigh/Audiomanic)
The debut full-length from Olympia’s Waves Crashing is a solid set of dream-pop-inflected shoegaze. With muddied guitars, driving drums, and commanding vocals, Effection boasts walls of sound and infectious hooks that will keep listeners coming back for more. –CS