As Toronto-based teens, best buds Katie Monks and Liz Ball would sneak off to the park to play guitar. What started as a secret has now become broadcast around the world on KEXP: as Toronto quartet Dilly Dally, Monks and Ball channel their '90s influences into fierce, grunge-inspired pop, spotlight…
It seems the thing people at KCMU most wanted to talk about regarding this 12" single by the Northern Irish band (with an American singer) That Petrol Emotion was the graphic statement on the back of the record regarding the strip searching of female prisoners at Armagh Prison in Northern Ireland. …
Seattle's Jason Baxter & Kyle Hargus craft colorful electronic music under the moniker USF, rising up with the pioneering chillwave album Ocean Sunbirds in 2009 as Universal Studios Florida. They've been unleashing more club-inspired jams on a string of EPs under the shortened alias, most recen…
This is one of those records where reading the DJ reviews from 1987 really makes me want to hear the album (without having to do anything so crazy as, say, buy it on iTunes or Amazon, cheapskate and preferrer-of-physical-media that I am). A lot of tantalizing phrases and references get thrown aroun…
Our fourth day of live Iceland Airwaves music from Kex Hostel in the volcanic wonderland of Iceland kicked off early and with a high energy middle finger. Oh, are you hung over from Reykjavik's infamously late nightlife? Pink Street Boys don't care. These boys claim to be the loudest band in Icelan…
It’s time again for Friday on My Mind. Our weekly blog post where we look at videos centered around one common theme. This is a collaborative effort between KEXP and King 5 News. I doesn't feel more like summer to me than when the Concerts at the Mural begin. We present these free shows along with …
Happy Earth Day, everybody. Today we celebrate the birth of our planet... oh, wait, no, today we pay attention to the giant sphere hurtling through space that we all live on, and hopefully take a few moments to reflect on the valuable gifts it gives us and our own impact upon it. Earth Day itself s…
Multi-genre program featuring eclectic sets by a rotating cast of international and local DJs, each building upon a party vibe to kick off your weekend.
It's been a long time coming, but British post-industrial trio Factory Floor have finally made it out to the US west coast. The band dropped their self-titled debut LP last year on DFA after releasing one-off singles and remixes in the current lineup for the better part of four years. Over the year…
There are some shows where a three or four paragraph description just doesn't cut it, and if you know anything about Oxford indie rock band Foals, then you know this is one of those shows. That being said, I'm not even going to try - the pictures (and my ringing ears) speak for themselves. June 1st…
Probably among the most beloved hilarious trouble making tongue in cheek Canadians making the music rounds right now is Mac DeMarco - and he's all of these things plus some in his new video for "My Kind of Woman" off his recent album 2. Plus he's in drag. Sort of - and he winks like a pro every tim…
Boise isn't one of those places where you hop out of bed and say "I think we should go to Boise this weekend!" Actually, I don't think it would have ever been a destination on my list, but then low and behold Treefort Music Festival was born. So many people talked up this fledgling festival last y…
Björk's new "Tinder album" is on its way and we finally have a taste of what it might sound like with lead single "The Gate." The storyline of the song picks up where Vulnicura left off, with Björk healing from the heartbreak of the dissolution of her 13-year relationship. “My healed chest wound/Tr…
Swedish sister act First Aid Kit are releasing their first album in three years, Ruins, at the beginning of the new year. Today they've shared the third single from the album, "Fireworks." They've previously shared the songs "It's a Shame" and "Postcard." The duo also shared a one-off single for I…
The Pacific Northwest and the mid-Atlantic will converge again on Saturday, October 14th at Reykjavik Calling, presented by KEXP. As the musical leg of the Taste of Iceland festival -- which celebrates its 10th anniversary this week -- Reykjavik Calling pulls together some of the most exciting musi…
KEXP was lucky to host an in-studio session with Okkervil River over the weekend. If you missed it, here's a consolation prize: a new video for the track "Judey on a Street" off their recently released eighth full-length, Away. Director Gabrielle Demeestere captures actor Steven Ogg, meandering th…
Alvvays are due to release their highly-anticipated sophomore album, Antisocialites, on September 8 via Polyvinyl. Today they've shared the third single from the new album, "Plimsoll Punks." It follows the wistful tracks "In Undertow" and "Dreams Tonite." In a press release the band claims "Plimsol…
Back in April, Father John Misty (aka Josh Tillman) had an in-depth, intimate chat with DJ Cheryl Waters before his latest LP, Pure Comedy, had even arrived via Sub Pop Records. (You can listen to that here.) A month later, he reunited with Cheryl for this unique live in-studio session, performing …
Arcade Fire released a brand new single called "Electric Blue" this morning off their forthcoming highly anticipated (and highly promoted) new album Everything Now and then minutes later revealed a video for the single. Directed by Cousin Club, the video focuses on AF's Régine Chassagne strutting t…
It's been three years since the last record from The Drums, and a lot has changed for frontman Jonny Pierce. In that time, Jonny moved across the country twice, split up with his husband, and found himself without a bandmate as founding member Jacob Graham left the band to pursue other interests. J…
