New Music Reviews (6/29)

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 Tierra Whack, Alewya, Beth Orton, and more.

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Tierra Whack - WHACK'S MUSEUM (Interscope) 

“They said I should rap more. What more could I ask for?” are the first words Tierra Whack utters on her spectacular new mixtape, ‘WHACK'S MUSEUM,’ and as the old adage goes, ask and you shall receive. Across twelve gripping tracks, Whack flexes her colorful bars, showcasing clever-as-hell lyricism, smooth flows, and lush, innovative sonics. She’s not just one of Philly’s finest. She’s one of the best in the rap game today, and she knows it, closing out the set with “give me my flowers.” –CS

Alewya - ZERO (Because London)

London-based Ethiopian-Egyptian singer, songwriter, producer, and visual artist Alewya DELIVERS on her sensational debut album. Arriving six years after her first single, ‘ZERO’ is a dynamic, multifaceted collection boasting delicious textures and a singular vision. Moving fluidly through Afro-house, alt-R&B, and global sonic terrain, Alewya’s magnetic vocals and intoxicating rhythms keep listeners spellbound as she explores her unbridled power through themes of limitless possibility, surrender, and renewal. –CS

Beth Orton - The Ground Above (Partisan) 

The incomparable Beth Orton returns with her breathtaking ninth studio album. With her signature vocals that stretch from a hush to a howl and vivid, poetic lyricism front and center, lush, cinematic arrangements built from piano, horns, strings, guitars, and drums ebb and flow with a beautiful fluidity. Produced by Orton herself and realized with the help of trusted musicians and engineers, ‘The Ground Above’ exudes a gentle force that beckons many repeat listens. –CS

Chanel Beads - Your Day Will Come (Jagjaguwar) 

Shane Lavers expands his Chanel Beads project with his highly anticipated sophomore album, which just happens to share a title with his debut (not confusing at all). On THIS edition of ‘Your Day Will Come,’ his gauzy, intoxicating soundscapes boast densely layered, hooky song structures with hazy vocals, keys, violin, guitars, pedal steel, intriguing manipulations, and innovative production, coalescing into a distinct, mesmerizing fever dream that could only be conceived by Lavers and his cast of collaborators. –CS

Chanpan - autogratis (EQT Recordings)

The second EP from this rising NYC-based Asian-American trio is another sharp set of adventurous, provocative, edgy, hyperactive alt-pop. Myanmar-born, Louisiana-raised singer/actress Grace Dumdaw brings a magnetic energy and smart hooks over multi-instrumentalist identical twin brothers Lance and Matthew Tran’s kinetic backdrops fueled by buzzy guitars and propulsive breakbeats. -AR

Dead Pioneers - Wagon Burner (Hassle)

The third album from this Denver band led by Indigenous artist, musician, and activist Gregg Deal is another fiery and defiant punk record. Deal’s searing, scathing lyrics continue to hold up a mirror to the evils and injustices of capitalism, colonialism, fascism, imperialism, white supremacy, and other timely socio-political issues, and he calls them out loudly with conviction. Aimee Allen of American ska band The Interrupters, Jason Williamson of British punk misfits Sleaford Mods, and Stefanie Byrne of kindred Colorado punk band Cheap Perfume make guest appearances on standout tracks. -AR

Downtown Boys - Public Luxury (Sub Pop)

Rhode Island punk outfit Downtown Boys return with their fourth album, their first full-length in nearly nine years. Ferocious as ever, ‘Public Luxury’ finds the quintet pulling no punches with angsty, pointed lyricism and expansive arrangements featuring seething guitars, explosive percussion, dreamy synths, and blaring saxophone. Marked by Victoria Marie’s captivating, snarly vocals in both Spanish and English, these eleven urgent tracks form an essential, maximalist punk record that confronts the forces fueling today’s political unrest. –CS

Spacemoth - Inward Eye (Greenway Records) 

Bay Area singer, songwriter, producer, and engineer Maryam Qudus returns with her vibrant second Spacemoth album. ‘Inward Eye’ features a spaced-out blend of art pop and psych rock with trance-inducing rhythms, mesmerizing loops, and hazy vocals. Across ten rich, engrossing tracks, Qudus builds a world that invites deep reflection, total abandon, and everything in between. –CS

Born at Midnite - Eternal BAM Nation (Arbutus)

Born at Midnite are a Montreal duo composed of visual artist and pop songstress Amery Sandford alongside David Carriere, the latter a guitarist, songwriter, and producer in the bands TOPS and Marci. Following an effortlessly cool run of singles and EPs over the past six years, ‘Eternal BAM Nation’ marks their proper debut full-length album and it’s a playful, buoyant, slinky set of groovy bedroom pop that taps into disco, house, synth-pop, and New Wave flavors. -AR

Cutie Pie - Cutie Pie EP (Elixir)

The debut EP from this San Francisco band formed around siblings Deston and Avianna Swift is a charming set of lo-fi bedroom indie pop accented by Avianna’s low-key yet sunny vocals. -AR

ill peach - EAVESDROPPING (Handwritten)

The second album from this LA-via-Minnesota trio fronted by Jess Corazza is a solid set of buzzy, synthy, catchy alt-pop with a big blockbuster sound that brings to mind acts like Sleigh Bells, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and The Ting Tings. -AR

Jacob Ungerleider - Congratulations (2 Heads/Sipsman) 

The debut album from LA-via-Virginia singer, songwriter, and producer Jacob Ungerleider is one of those tender, stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks kind of records. Classic arrangements built from guitars, keys, strings, and pedal steel propel Ungerleider’s intimate, heartfelt lyricism and sweet, emotive vocals. ‘Congratulations’ gently unfolds, drawing listeners in closer with each bittersweet note to reveal a timeless debut. –CS 

LOV - Iskwêw (self-released)

LOV is the alias of Lovina Tootoosis, an Indigenous Treaty 6 Saskatchewan-based singer and songwriter from Poundmaker Cree Nation. Her debut album is a gorgeous set of organic neo-soul and pillowy R&B with a softly magnetic sound that’s “both healing and unapologetically empowering.” Her warm, earthy voice and honest, personable lyrics find a lovely match in the lush backdrops created by Montréal-based producer Connor Seidel, who’s previously worked with Charlotte Cardin, Half Moon Run, and Katie Tupper. -AR

Orquestra Pacifico Tropical - El Poder (self-released)

The third album from this Portland-based 11-deep collective is a vibrant set of boisterous cumbia jams infused with an absorbing psychedelic touch. Spanish for “power,” ‘El Poder’ delivers a frenetic, funky, feverish experience that’s “meant to unite, empower, and uplift people across the world.” -AR

Rell Be Free - Everything Is Everything (People Need Water)

The latest album from Seattle rapper Rell Be Free finds him teaming up with veteran Seattle hip-hop artist and former KEXP DJ Gabriel Teodros for the latter’s official “producer premier.” Gabriel’s warm boom-bap beats provide a stellar steady foundation for Rell Be Free’s thoughtful lyrics that often reflect on community, family, and Seattle’s shifting identity amidst gentrification. A handful of fellow PNW-based artists make guest appearances, including Seattle’s Talaya and Suquamish-based Indigenous singer Calina Lawrence, who inject their respective songs with a fresh R&B flavor, and a standout guest verse from KEXP’s own Prometheus Brown, alongside a hook cooly sung by Gabriel, on their ode to Seattle’s public transportation on the hyper-local gem “Metro Joe.” -AR

Steady Weather - Golden Child EP (Steady Records)

Steady Weather are a Melbourne-based outfit led by violist, composer and producer Tamil Rogeon who’s joined by bassist Luke Hodgson and drummer Graeme Pogson (both founding members of Mondo Freaks) alongside Uzbekistan-born vocalist Rita Satch and keyboardist Ben Grayson (also of The Bamboos). Their second EP is a super fun set of lively, loose, and luxurious disco grooves infused with boogie, house, jazz, R&B, and orchestral flavors. All four original tracks are ace, the two complimentary remixes inject a heftier electronic pulse to their respective song’s already funky make-up, and everything here is primed for getting bodies moving on the dancefloor or bouncing in their chairs. -AR

Takuya Matsumoto / 松本卓也 - Song of the Ocean EP (Inhale Exhale)

The latest EP from Japanese producer Takuya Matsumoto is a tasty set of exquisite house-heavy  grooves that kicks off with the addictive steel pan-blessed title track and features distinctive forays into acid on “A Machine From Tokyo” and breaks on “Out Of The Difficulty.” -AR