Song of the Day: Kite Party - Halflife

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, is "Halflife" by Kite Party from the 2014 album Come On Wandering on Animal Style Records.

Kite Party - Halflife (MP3)

In 2011, Philadelphia's Kite Party released their debut, Baseball Season, an album which sounded more electro-punkish than anything else. Now, after a three-year silence, their sophomore album not only resounds with their punk roots but also carries influence from the dreamier, electro-indie scene. As opposed to the songs on Baseball Season, Come On Wandering stretches beyond the horizon of their comfort zones, displaying the band's sonic ambition and multifarious musicianship. The vocals, for instance, are more prominent, the guitar cleaner, and the drums tighter. This is not to say Kite Party is anywhere near the mundane; rather, they have altered their sound to move in a new direction, a direction with a lot of potential. Today's Song of the Day is "Halflife," a track which embodies the ethos the group first established on Baseball Season as well as the newly discovered motivation Come On Wandering offered them. It's a three-and-a-half minute track full of blooming psychedelia, rhythmic drums, layered atmospherics, and, if you listen closely, a rewarding baseline.

Kite Party is currently touring on the East Coast. They have no plans as of yet for Northwest shows, but look for updates on their Facebook page and Tumblr. Until then, to get a sense of their live show, check out this fan footage shot last year: