New Music Reviews (11/9)

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 Party Dozen, Chastity Belt, The Black Tones, and more. 

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Party Dozen - 21 Bum Salute (City Slang)  
The fifth studio album from Australian duo Party Dozen is a blistering set of psych-infused noise rock. Centered around sinister saxophone, explosive percussion, entrancing loops, and fierce vocals, 21 Bum Salute is a high-octane sonic assault. They share: “We're having more fun than we've ever had before. This album is kind of putting a middle finger up and waving at someone with a smile at the same time. We're egging you on to have a good time.” That raucous jubilance is deeply felt throughout all ten ferocious tracks, as Party Dozen keep listeners firmly in their grasp. –CS

Chastity Belt - All My Friends (Suicide Squeeze)  
The sixth album from beloved Seattle indie rock outfit Chastity Belt is a breath of fresh air; there’s something so comforting and familiar about their melancholic guitar tones and nonchalant yet expressive vocals. Across eleven bittersweet tracks, the quartet moves through stories of the unbreakable familial bonds of friendship, walking each other through the epic highs and despairing lows of life and love, grief and growth. Arriving fifteen years into their career, All My Friends has an effortless air that can only come from deep artistic connection and immense trust, with sublime musicianship underscoring the beautiful sentiment that “friends and community are everything.” –CS

The Black Tones - Diamond Ruby Night (Reptar) 
Seattle outfit The Black Tones, featuring our very own Eva Walker, return with their sensational sophomore album. A true labor of love, Walker plays almost every instrument heard on the album, save for a few contributions from producer Don Farwell. What emerges is a delectable fusion of punk, garage rock, and blues, featuring reverb-soaked guitars, Walker’s commanding vocal swagger, and driving drums. Diamond Ruby Night artfully balances raw grit with catchy melodies, making for a truly memorable, impactful listen. –CS

A Joyful Noise - Live From Public Records (Razor-N-Tape)
Brooklyn-based label Razor-N-Tape Records have long been purveyors of top-shelf dance music and for the past few years they’ve been hosting a quarterly event called A Joyful Noise in the Sound Room at Public Records that features both DJs and live music to showcase their infectious, soulful, groovy aesthetic. Led by acclaimed DJ/producer/bassist Jason Kriveloff aka JKriv, A Joyful Noise’s live band is a collective of premier NYC musicians who confidently bring a magnetic energy to their fresh fusion of house, soul, funk, Afrobeat, and jazz flavors. For those not fortunate enough to attend in-person, this live album serves as a thrilling document of a world-class party that places the listener right in the middle of a joyful, euphoric, celebratory dancefloor. Adi Oasis, Toribio, and Cor.Ece make guest vocal appearances, and amidst a run full of addictive highlights is a brilliant Spanish-language cover of New Order’s “Blue Monday.” –AR

Carlita - Telepathy (Ninja Tune)  
The sophomore album from Turkish-Italian DJ, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Carla Frayman, aka Carlita, is a rapturous set of multifaceted dance music. Featuring stellar contributions from SOFI TUKKER, Justine Skye, Malive, Stevie Appleton, and Cleo Simone, among others, these thirteen tracks boast infectious grooves and lush, layered compositions poised to get listeners moving. With a kaleidoscopic blend of club, pop, and house, Telepathy highlights Carlita’s inventive production, balancing glistening sleekness with a touch of grit to deliver an exhilarating dance-floor experience. –CS

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - Na Dem (Django Music) 
Lagos-based singer, songwriter, saxophonist, band leader, and activist Seun Kuti returns with Egypt 80 for another electrifying set of Afrobeat, jazz, soul, and funk. Deeply political, rhythmic, and urgent, Kuti confronts societal ills with precision and fervor. Speaking about the inspiration behind Na Dem, he shares, “We are living in times where corruption tries to define our reality. This album is a call to resist, to stay awake, and to hold onto humanity.” Across six gripping tracks, he does just that, honoring the origins of the Afrobeat genre pioneered by his father, Fela, while bringing the sound into a contemporary space.  –CS

Shygirl - SWALLOW! (Because)  
London-based singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, and DJ Shygirl has been making vibrant waves in the club world for years. Now, on her second studio album, this sonic shapeshifter makes an unexpected but euphoric left turn into dreamier pop terrain without losing the thread of her club past. Analog instruments including guitars, cello, piano, and harpsichord accompany dizzying beats and synth work, as her ethereal vocals explore “the transcendent power of love.” Co-produced alongside Karma Kid and a swarm of additional producers, from Casey MQ to Dahi, SHALLOW! features an intoxicating fusion of alt-pop, jungle, and trip-hop that pulls listeners into its hypnotic orbit. –CS

Stephanie Gilbert - Elvish EP (PNKSLM Recordings)
The debut EP from Stockholm-based musician Stephanie Gilbert is a strong set of catchy, classic rock that mines inspiration from the mystical psych-rock, charismatic art-rock, playful garage rock, and punchy glam-rock of the 1960s and 1970s for its smartly-crafted throwback sound. –AR

Twisted Teens - The Holy Cross Tigers (Sub Pop)
On their third album of 2026, and first for Sub Pop Records, New Orleans duo Twisted Teens dish up their endearing, rag-tag blend of folk rock, psych, garage rock, and punk. With RJ “The Razor” Santos’s rich pedal steel serving as the backbone, The Holy Cross Tigers showcases singer-songwriter Caspian Hollywell’s gravelly vocals propelled by punchy guitars, buoyant bass, and driving drum machines. With a charming lo-fi flair and a knack for memorable melodies, Twisted Teens round out one heck of a trifecta for the year. –CS

Abyssinian Creole - Nostalgia for the Future (People Need Water)
Just over 21 years since dropping their debut album (and certified 206 classic) Sexy Beast, Seattle vets Gabriel Teodros and Khingz/KA.lil link-up once again for their second Abyssinian Creole album and it’s another sharp set of introspective, soulful, community-focused hip-hop that pairs their conscientious lyrics and familial chemistry with the duo’s warm boom-bap beats. While the city has dramatically changed, and both artists have grown from fledgling rappers to seasoned sages, Nostalgia for the Future smoothly captures their steadfast consistency and unwavering altruistic vision while welcoming in a bunch of Seattle artists, including KEXP’s own Prometheus Brown on “The Medicine,” along for the ride. As Gabriel confesses on the trip-down-memory-lane opening track: “This music saved our lives. We’re here to get that feeling back.” –AR

2nd Grade - Girls and Boys (Lame-O Records)
The new album from Philadelphia outfit 2nd Grade, their first for Lame-O Records, is an undeniably catchy set of power pop. With most tracks clocking in around two minutes, these hook-laden vignettes pack a serious punch, fueled by jangly guitars, swirling drums, and Peter Gill’s sweet, sincere vocals. Girls and Boys has the makings of a classic pop record, with poetic lyricism, approachable song structures, and memorable melodies sure to get listeners’ toes tapping right along with ‘em through all twenty infectious tracks.  –CS

Aaron Frazer - Corners EP (Dead Oceans) 
The new collaborative EP from LA-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and bonafide crooner Aaron Frazer is a tasty collection of vintage soul and R&B. Featuring contributions from Tommy Brenneck, Cold Diamond & Mink, Kelly Finnegan, Gabe Roth, Anthony Masino, Mayer Hawthorne, and Blake Rhein, Corners was written and recorded in between tours simply for the joy of making music, and making music with friends. The result is a smooth, cool set of timeless tunes, boasting Frazer’s silken falsetto and classic song structures with a modern edge. –CS

Basht. - Poor Advice (LAB)
The debut album from this Dublin-based band fronted by Jack Leavey is a potent set of brooding, expansive, enveloping rock with a classic alternative streak. Produced by Ali Chant, who’s worked closely with Dry Cleaning, PJ Harvey, Yard Act, Poor Advice impressively sways and lurches from a place of quiet patience to explosive urgency with confidence, especially on the anthem-in-the-making standout “Terror TV.” –AR

Bricknasty - forever (FAMM)
The latest lengthy EP from this Dublin-based group is another stellar display of their adventurous, catchy, off-kilter R&B/hip-hop/pop sound sprinkled with folk, jazz, and dance flavors that’s inventive, restless, and peculiar. Still closely reminiscent of the expansive communal creativity of defunct American crew BROCKHAMPTON, as well as reverentially glancing at N.E.R.D.’s influential genre-blurring sound, Bricknasty’s evolving palette now contains shades of contemporary mavericks like Nourished By Time and Jim Legxacy. Rising Irish artists Dove Ellis and Samuel Pierre make guest appearances. –AR

Carolina Oliveros - Ya Rompimos el Silencio (Chulo)
The debut solo album from this Brooklyn-based Colombian singer-songwriter and vocalist from the group Combo Chimbita is an evocative set of vibrant, soulful, passionate Latin-pop that’s rooted in the Afro-Indigenous musical traditions of Colombia and the Caribbean, yet enhanced with colorful contemporary productions. Inspired by her journey of healing from childhood trauma, Ya Rompimos el Silencio (Spanish for “We Have Already Broken the Silence”) is a cathartic act of reclamation that ”follows the path toward truth, resilience, queer love, collective healing, and liberation” and serves as “an invitation for others to break their own silences.” –AR

​​Current Joys - ROSEBUD (They Are Evil)
The latest album from this solo project of chameleonic Reno-bred, LA-based musician and Surf Curse frontman Nick Rattigan is a captivating set of cutting-edge alt-pop that blends a wide array of influences – hyperpop, indie rock, hip-hop, punk, electronic, emo, nu metal – into its catchy, mesmerizing, blown-out world. There’s a tender, vulnerable, melancholic core to ROSEBUD that often comes off like an emotive indie rock album, yet his maximal, unpredictable, dizzying productions and ability to write punchy, hook-heavy songs elevates the album into its own genre-blurring stratosphere that’s filled with consistently thrilling moments. –AR

Juno Togiak - Dead Cold, a Liar (self-released)
The debut album from this Bellingham-based band is an impressive blend of dynamic orchestral emo, impassioned indie rock, raw post-hardcore, and evocative chamber-folk distinguished by lead singer Henry Sloan’s wavering vocals that fluctuate between singing, screaming, howling, whispering, and talking in acrobatic fashion, and further accented by Nora Simpson’s beautiful accents on the violin. –AR

L'Eclair - Echo EP (Innovative Leisure)
The latest EP from this Geneva-based outfit led by Bulgarian brothers Stef & Yavor Lilov continues to tap into a cerebral, spacey, and groovy instrumental sound that roams around an intersection of electronic, psych, funk, Krautrock, and prog styles and it’s all accented by their celestial analog synths. –AR

tommy oeffling - Neighbors (22TWENTY)
The new album from Chicago-based singer-songwriter tommy oeffling is a tenderhearted set of expansive indie rock infused with folk, noise, and shoegaze. Written, performed, and produced entirely on his own, Neighbors offers a portrait of oeffling’s many talents, as delicious textures and dynamic peaks and valleys draw listeners into his compelling musical world. –CS

TRÍADA - Exuvia (Verve/Mercury)
The debut album from Argentine trio TRÍADA is a breathtaking set of folk-infused bossa nova. Named after the process of an animal shedding its skin, Exuvia finds the outfit exploring “emotional maturation [and] the transition from one stage to another” through classic Latin rhythms, stunning harmonies, rich acoustic guitars, and vibrant percussion. With an abundance of warmth and inviting melodies, TRÍADA make a gorgeous first impression. –CS

Willy Delphia - All In EP (goodtwin)
The debut EP from London-via-New Zealand electronic producer Ben Stewart (aka Willy Delphia) is a cool set of jazzy house and deep disco grooves with a pair of vocal-laced highlights in “Always In The Right” featuring Hana Amaya and “Come With Me” featuring Carmy Love. –AR