New Music Reviews (5/4)

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 duendita, Emma Louise, Modern Woman, and more. 

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duendita - existential thottie (10k)
Queens-born singer, songwriter, poet, and producer duendita packs A LOT into 18 minutes. These self-described “emotional bangers” explore themes of “being jiggly, ridiculous, and honest,” and their earnestness leaves an indelible mark. With gripping breakbeats, engrossing vocals, and a captivating fusion of alt-R&B, jazz, electronic, minimalist, and hip-hop soundscapes, duendita showcases their quick wit and exceptional sound design. –CS

Emma Louise - Sunshine For Happiness (Future Classic)
The breathtaking fourth studio album from LA-based Australian singer-songwriter Emma Louise is a true stunner. Running the gamut from introspective ballads to lively indie pop gems with ornate arrangements featuring guitars, horns, strings, organ, and innovative percussion, Louise dissects a mental breakdown and the healing process that brought her back to the light. With her dynamic vocals taking center stage, Sunshine For Happiness is a deeply personal, inviting collection that reminds us sometimes the only way out is through. –CS

Modern Woman - Johnny's Dreamworld (One Little Independent)
The debut album from this London band fronted by primary songwriter Sophie Harris is a sharp set of dynamic, evocative, and at-times explosive art-rock accented by a shapeshifting post-punk energy and distinguished by Harris’ poetic storytelling and transfixing, theatrical vocals. There’s some pummeling, immediate highlights, notably the opening title track and “Blessed Day,” while “Dashboard Mary” begins soft and delicate before delivering a devastating build to a downright transcendent climax. –AR

Pigeon - OUTTANATIONAL (Memphis Industries) 
Margate-based five-piece Pigeon unfurl an expansive fusion of funk, Afro-disco, krautrock, and psych on their intoxicating debut album. With progressive arrangements, emphatic vocals from Falle Nioke, and undeniable swagger, OUTTANATIONAL marks an exceptional first full-length from a band guided by “cosmic exploration, spiritual transformation, [and] unbridled spontaneity.” –CS

Tori Amos - In Times of Dragons (Universal/Fontana) 
The 18th studio album from legendary singer, songwriter, and producer Tori Amos is a fantastical concept record centered on a fictitious Amos who escapes a marriage to a dangerous billionaire, traverses America, and transforms into a dragon to defeat the evil forces against her. “This is a metaphorical story about the fight for democracy over tyranny” Amos explains. “We really don’t know how this American experiment of democracy is going to end up. I’m a pragmatist. I’m not an optimist. I’m not a fatalist. But as a songwriter I needed to hear the clarion call and just say … this is not really happening? You bet your life it is.” Through theatrical arrangements propelled by piano, harpsichord, strings, synths, guitars, percussion, and Amos’s commanding vocals, the drama of In Times of Dragons is palpable throughout 17 enrapturing tracks, empowering listeners to slay their own demons. –CS

Weird Nightmare - Hoopla (Sub Pop) 
METZ’s singer and guitarist Alex Edkins makes a triumphant return with his stellar second album as Weird Nightmare. Through killer hooks, bright melodies, and Edkins’ expressive vocals, Hoopla perfectly blends influences from ‘60s garage rock to ‘90s alternative. Co-produced with Spoon’s Jim Eno, this guitar-driven ten-track collection is punchy, playful, and catchy as hell.  –CS

Angelo de Augustine - Angel in Plainclothes (Asthmatic Kitty)
The fifth solo album from this LA-based artist is another lovely set of gentle folk songs carried by his impossibly tender falsetto and warm, lush, equally delicate arrangements. There’s an undeniable hushed vulnerability to Angelo’s music, and it's enhanced here by lyrical themes that “explore life's fragility, second chances, and picking up the pieces after an undiagnosed illness forced him to re-learn basic abilities.” He shares: “I'm trying to figure out who I am now. I feel like I may have been given a second chance at life, and I'd like to live it."  –AR

Bathing Suits - KILL BATHING SUITS EP (Underplay Recordings)
Leeds-based quartet Bathing Suits make a fast and furious arrival with their debut EP. Boasting a dizzying fusion of electro punk, industrial, and noise, KILL BATHING SUITS is a potent, gripping first collection from a thrilling new outfit. –CS 

Bel Cobain - Kizzy EP (Brownswood Recordings)
The second EP and Brownswood Recordings debut from East London artist Bel Cobain is a breakout set of expansive, exploratory British R&B/soul with splashes of folk, hip-hop, jazz, and alt-rock. The title comes from her dog who sadly passed as the EP was coming to a close, and Kizzy indeed comes off as a transitional and transformative body of work unafraid to come to terms with “endings, navigating eventualities, whilst still honouring the beauty of life.” Addictive lead single “Am I Dumb” combines breakbeats and a gritty trip-hop sensibility to kick off a stellar backhalf run that closes out with the nimble, jazzy highlight “Mind is a Dancer.”  –AR

IZCO - POWERSCROFT (Brownswood Recordings)
The debut album from this East London DJ/producer who has previously collaborated with PinkPantheress, Novelist, Katy B, and Greentea Peng is a sweet, soulful, UK-steeped blend of broken beat, grime,  jungle, garage, dub, and R&B that’s right at home on Gilles Peterson’s venerable label, Brownswood Recordings. Named after the road where he grew up, POWERSCROFT showcases IZCO’s “true musical personality and character” as well as his consistently fresh beats that serve as a foundation for a handful of guest MCs and singers, including multiple standout contributions from London rapper Reek0. –AR

Joya Mooi - All the Things (Unity)
The latest EP from Amsterdam-based South African-Dutch artist Joya Mooi continues to revel in a slick R&B-pop lane that pairs her honeyed vocals over luxurious productions. Amongst the few standout anthems is a pair of knockout duets in “Technicolour” with Chicago rapper/singer Ric Wilson and “Only Water” with Nigerian singer Lady Donli. –AR

Julia Cumming - Julia (Partisan)
The debut solo album from Sunflower Bean’s Julia Cumming finds the singer-songwriter confidently sauntering into a new era. Aptly titled, Julia reintroduces herself through layered, ornate arrangements driven by keys, guitars, and intricate percussion. Spanning eleven breezy, compelling tracks, the album marks a decisive shift from the harder rock sound of her band toward sophisti-pop and soft rock, a lane where she fully flexes her impressive vocal prowess, resulting in a “joyful, anti-cool coming-out: a celebration of the dorks, the misfits, and the enduring truth of being enough.” –CS

Jump Source - Fold (NAFF)
Jump Source is a Montréal-based duo composed of Patrick Holland and Francis Latreille (aka Priori), two renowned musicians/producers who have emerged as integral behind-the-scenes figures in both the electronic/club and cutting-edge pop scenes. Following a 10-year run of hotly-tipped singles and EPs, Fold arrives as Jump Source’s long-awaited debut full-length album and it's a hypnotic showcase of their exquisite production talents that confidently sways from progressive pop-slanted anthems to cerebral minimal tech-house grooves. billy woods steers the album into a unique hip-hop space on standout early single “Empty Bars” while Helena Deland, CFCF, Loukeman, Nick León, POiSON GiRL FRiEND, Deaton Chris Anthony, BEA1991, Harmony Index, and Ross Meen also make guest appearances. –AR

Kathryn Mohr - Carve (The Flesner) 
The sophomore album from Bay Area artist Kathryn Mohr is a striking set of minimalist experimental folk and bedroom pop. With layered, distorted guitars, field recordings, and haunting, deadpan vocals, the nuanced textures throughout Carve yield a bewitching listen.  –CS

KNEECAP - FENIAN (Heavenly Recordings/[PIAS])
The second studio album from this Belfast, Northern Ireland trio is a hard-hitting set of provocative, political hip-hop propelled by intense synth-heavy beats produced by in-demand British artist Dan Carey, slanted by their mix of Irish and English lyrics, and carried by an unflinching arena-ready energy that tackles themes of human rights, free speech, working class culture, Irish republicanism and Irish language rights.  –AR

Maya Hawke - MAITREYA CORSO (Mom+Pop) 
The fourth studio album from singer, songwriter, and actress Maya Hawke is a lovely collection of tender, introspective folk-pop. Driven by acoustic guitars, violin, delicate percussion, and keys, Hawke examines love and self-acceptance while showcasing her remarkable skill as a lyricist and storyteller.  –CS

Mildred - Fenceline (Memorials of Distinction/Dog Day)
The debut album from this Oakland four-piece band is a strong set of loose, laidback, rootsy indie rock that leans heavily into a ripe intersection of slacker rock, Americana, and alt-country. All four members share singing and songwriting duties, which yields a warm, welcoming, communal vibe to Mildred’s music and a lived-in, nuanced, memorable angle to their lyrical storytelling. –AR

Serafima and the Shakedowns - Ride Easy (BWGiBWGAN) 
Seattle’s own Serafima and Shakedowns – led by singer, songwriter, guitarist, and KEXP’s Programming Admin Specialist Serafima Healy – bring their distinctive, delightful “hunky tonk” charm on their wonderful debut full-length album. Serafima’s heartfelt voice tells tales that are vivid, quirky, sometimes self-deprecating, sometimes slyly mischievous, and always honest. And with help from her communal band of friends that includes founding members Sam Burrows and Joe McPhee alongside fellow KEXP colleagues Jay Kardong (on glorious pedal steel), Ian Davidson (engineering/recording), and Julian Martlew (mastering), Ride Easy brings its own idiosyncratic leftfield-pop instinct to a classic country template and even sneaks in a twangy arrangement of a traditional Russian folk song (“The Slender Rowan”) with Serafima singing in fluent Russian. –AR

White Fence - Orange (Drag City) 
Tim Presley returns with his first White Fence album in over seven years. Produced by Ty Segall, who also lends his talents behind the drum kit, Orange boasts jangly guitars, nonchalant vocals, and bright melodies, marking a welcome return for White Fence.  –CS

youbet - youbet (Hardly Art)
Originally conceived as Nick Llobet’s solo project, the third full-length album from NYC outfit youbet is fittingly self-titled, marking the band’s first album as a duo and artfully embodying the evolution of their sound. Music teachers Llobet (he/they) and Micah Prussack (she/her) move fluidly across ten delightfully textured tracks, weaving a sonic tapestry built from experimental folk, bedroom pop, and indie rock. Through compelling vocals and intriguing arrangements filled with distortions, manipulations, and expansive flourishes, this collection serves as a vivid mission statement for the duo’s new chapter. –CS