New Music Reviews (8/3)

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 Francisca Valenzuela, Charli xcx, DOMi & JD BECK, and more. 

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Francisca Valenzuela - MALDITA (Frantastic Records)
The seventh studio album from Chilean singer-songwriter Francisca Valenzuela is a bewitching set of orchestral, cinematic Latin pop. The tension is palpable, moving between light and dark with kinetic, piano-driven arrangements boasting intoxicating rhythms, ornate strings, vivid textures, and her entrancing vocals. Across MALDITA she explores the reality of motherhood through a raw, unfiltered lens. She shares: “This album is the house you are trapped in. The journey of your reality being ripped apart, and the journey of putting yourself back together. It’s an album I made during my postpartum period — with a messy bun, a hoodie stained with breastmilk and most likely baby vomit, between naps and bottles and diaper changes … The album is very raw and very live.” And very live, it is, bursting with emotion at every turn, culminating in an all-consuming listen. What a triumph. –CS

Charli xcx - Music, Fashion, Film (Atlantic)
For her follow-up to the phenomenon that was BRAT, British pop sensation Charli xcx turns everything on its head for Music, Fashion, Film. Trading hyperpop-forward bangers for more revealing, rock-inflected anthems without losing her electronic flair, she embraces a gritty, dynamic soundscape whose rougher edges perfectly complement her more intimate lyricism as she explores the realities of stardom and evolving under the (proudly adorned) party girl label. It’s another fearless reinvention from one of pop’s most ambitious auteurs. –CS 

DOMi & JD BECK - WHO ASKED? (APESHIT/Blue Note) 
The sophomore album from DOMi & JD Beck, aka French-born Domi Louna and Texas native JD Beck, is a frenetic set of progressive jazz fusion and chamber pop. Following their feature-heavy debut from 2022, WHO ASKED? finds the duo racing through dizzying song structures while employing their own vocals as yet another instrument in delightfully chaotic arrangements with densely layered keys, drums, woodwinds, strings, and more. What unfolds across this nearly one-hour journey is an eccentric, dazzling display of DOMi & JD Beck’s untouchable, innovative musicianship.  –CS

Ebbb - Shallow Hits (Ninja Tune)
The debut album from London trio Ebbb is an infectious set of kaleidoscopic electropop. Their maximalist soundscape soars across thirteen compelling tracks, with densely layered vocals, samples, and drum patterns coalescing into intoxicating rhythms. Contrary to its title, Shallow Hits showcases immense depth and impeccable artistry, making for an unforgettable debut. –CS

Mallory Hawk - Chinook (self-released)
The debut album from Philly-based, Fayetteville-raised singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Mallory Hawk is a gripping collection of swirling indie rock. As she builds intricate layers of sound with guitars, keys, horns, organ, and percussion, she peels back layers of herself, revealing a musician who arrives both confidently and intimately after honing her craft for the past decade. Centered on themes of identity, coping, and self-preservation, Chinook is a raw, remarkable first solo outing from this multifaceted tour de force.  –CS

Malummí - Damaged By Their Silence (Mouthwatering Records) 
Basel-based trio Malummí return with their stunning third studio album. Their transfixing, guitar-driven blend of indie folk, atmospheric rock, and emotive pop now features a more prominent piano presence, while Larissa Rapold’s voice, equal parts enchanting and commanding, searches for answers amid tales of pain, love, loss, and reconciliation. With arrangements that ebb and flow from minimal and reflective to rich and expansive, Damaged By Their Silence is a dynamic, gentle force of an album that beautifully captures Malummí’s continued evolution. –CS

Opus Kink - The Sweet Goodbye (SO Recordings)
The debut album from Brighton-based outfit Opus Kink is a thrilling set of jazz-inflected post-punk and art rock. Opening with a sinister saxophone riff, the sextet sets the stage for a theatrical journey that twists and turns around murky corners to unveil the carnival that is The Sweet Goodbye. With raucous, endlessly inventive compositions driven by guitars, horns, synths, percussion, and Angus Rogers’ emphatic vocals, the six-piece explores themes of violence, shame, anxiety, and emptiness through irresistibly catchy songs that are perfectly rough around the edges. –CS

Shannon Lay - Past the Veil (All The Best)
The latest album from this LA-based singer/songwriter is a warm, lush, evocative set of exquisitely crafted folk-pop that often reflects the mystical earthiness of artists such as Beth Gibbons, Karen Dalton, Julie Byrne, and Jessica Pratt. Also marking the first release on her new artist-run label following a steady run on Sub Pop, Past the Veil paints from a broad, timeless, richly-orchestrated folk palette. –AR

Shearwater - The New World (Polyborus)
Shearwater’s eleventh studio album, their first in four years and first self-released, is a mesmerizing collection of ornate, cinematic indie rock. Rich arrangements built from keys, guitars, horns, strings, field recordings, woodwinds, and dynamic percussion propel Jonathan Meiburg’s distinct vocals as they move effortlessly from restrained to assertive. Recorded in London, Berlin, New York, and Texas with an expansive cast of players joining core members Meiburg, Dan Duszynski, and Emily Lee, The New World crafts an entirely new universe from Shearwater’s gorgeously textured, emotive, and transportive compositions. –CS

Doohickey Cubicle - Good at it (self-released)
The third album from this Vancouver, BC duo (Alli Deleo and Francis Hooper) continues to casually cruise through their woozy intersection of dreamy psych-pop, mellow indie pop, and fuzzy lo-fi dance-pop bolstered by warm synths, breezy beats, and gauzy vocals. The album’s bookends serve as sweet entry points, kicking off with the kaleidoscopic psych-pop grooves of the title track and closing out with the thumping lo-fi house vibes of “Don't let them numb you.” –AR

Hercules & Love Affair - Danseur Part One EP (Stratasonic)
This long-running project from legendary queer dancefloor artist Andy Butler quickly follows a late 2025 EP Something Else Is Calling and it’s another stellar 4-track collection of kinetic anthems pulsing with a classic electro/house/disco/synth-pop vision. This EP marks another rejuvenated collaborative effort alongside Elín Ey (of Hips & Lips) and Quinn Whalley (of DECIUS, Paranoid London, and many more projects) and it’s also the first in a two-part Danseur series, with Part Two slotted for a September 2026 release. –AR

Homeboy Sandman & Jack Splash - Resonance Frequency (Soulspazm)
Brooklyn-based emcee Homeboy Sandman links up with LA-based producer Jack Splash for a timeless, funky hip-hop collaboration. Homeboy Sandman’s sharp, vivid bars glide effortlessly with Splash’s groove-forward production, resulting in a hook-laden collection that balances old-school, underground hip-hop with contemporary flair. –CS

Leah Senior - Pt. Roadknight (Third Eye Stimuli/SPINSTER)
The fifth album from this Melbourne-based artist is a gorgeous collection of timeless, intimate, sweeping songs that spotlight her beautiful voice, poignant lyrics, quietly robust instrumentation, and earthy baroque psych-folk sound. Written during an extended stay in the small coastal village of Anglesea that’s a 90-minute drive from Melbourne, Pt. Roadknight kicks off with the spritely, spirited “Motherhood” before easing into a sublime, subdued lane full of ebbs and flows and quietly magnetic moments. –AR

MADELEINE - Earth Cry EP (Bridge the Gap)
The latest EP from this London-based artist swims through a warm, welcoming, and lightly adventurous blend of jazz, neo-soul, and lush electronics for a sound that’s closely reminiscent of Neon Ion alongside shades of Salami Rose Joe Louis, Hiatus Kaiyote, Sparklmami, and corto.alto. –AR

Michi - Dirty Talk: Sunshine Hotline Mixes (Stones Throw)
LA-based Latinx vocalist Michelle Guerrero (aka Michi) emerged last year with Dirty Talk, her solid debut album of 90s-influenced R&B/soul album cuts and now she’s dropped the skip-free accompanying Sunshine Hotlines Mixes with heavy contributions from Stones Throw mainstays Mndsgn and Knxwledge. The latter shares four house-heavy Kaytranada-esque remixes that shift Michi’s lush vibes towards the dancefloor. Mndsgn applies his supremely chill vibes to a pair of remixes and a pair of new collaborative covers, The Feminine Complex’s “Are You Lonesome?” and a sweet take on the timeless R&B cut “Emotion” written by The Bee Gees’ Barry and Robin Gibb that became a breakout hit for Destiny’s Child. –AR

Mopar Stars - Official Researchers Of The NJ Devil (K/perennial)
The debut album from this Philadelphia band featuring members hailing from Poison Ruin, Zorn, Sheer Mag, and Positronix is a solid set of scrappy, hook-filled, 90s-steeped indie rock with a classic, punchy power-pop streak. –AR

Ruby Wood - No Rain, No Flowers (First Word)
The second solo EP from this Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK-based vocalist, songwriter, and Submotion Orchestra member is another sweet set of warm, lush, silky R&B with a smooth 90s-influenced energy. Ruby’s honeyed voice shares intimate tales of “long-term love, fleeting intimacy, grief, and the relationships that shape us,” while Illa J, Devin Tracy, Abnormal Sleepz, and Prido make guest appearances and twist their tracks into distinct standout hip-hop/soul lanes. –AR

XELTA - B.D.S.M. (Körperspannung)
XELTA is a collaborative project between NYC producer Bruno Coviello and KEXP’s own Sharlese Metcalf. Their debut EP is perfectly described as “five tracks of precision-engineered industrial, EBM, and darkwave” with Sharlese’s spoken-word vocals adding a shadowy, alluring angle to XELTA’s mechanical, visceral, techno rhythms. –AR

Yehra - Inner Feelings (self-released)
Yehra is a collaborative project between Toronto-based Barbadian-Canadian singer Jen Mahon and Copenhagen-based Danish producer Rasmus Liebst. Following years of working strictly remotely, they finally worked together in-person for their third and latest EP Inner Feelings and it’s a nice set of breezy, summery, dreamy indie pop with a chill, lush, ethereal R&B streak. –AR