Each week KEXP's Music Director Don Yates shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases. See what's coming up this week below, including reviews for new releases from Anna Calvi, Muncie Girls, Big Red Machine, and more.
Anna Calvi – Hunter (Domino)
This British artist’s third album is a strong set of dark and dramatic art-pop combining pounding percussion, atmospheric keyboards and some of Calvi’s fiercest guitar work to date with her rich, soaring vocals and upfront lyrics celebrating queer sexuality and gender fluidity.
Muncie Girls – Fixed Ideals (Buzz)
This British trio’s second album is a strong set of punkish, hook-filled garage-pop combining ringing guitars and energetic rhythms with Lande Hekt’s crystalline vocals and bracingly honest lyrics blending politically charged critiques of conformity and inequality with deeply personal reflections of anxiety and substance abuse.
Big Red Machine – Big Red Machine (PEOPLE/Jagjaguwar)
The debut full-length from this duo comprised of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and The National’s Aaron Dessner is a well-crafted set of groove-driven avant-rock inflected with R&B, gospel, folk and other styles, combining a densely layered sound featuring a variety of acoustic and electronic instrumentation with Vernon’s haunting vocals.
Ohmme – Parts (Joyful Noise)
This Chicago-based duo comprised of Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart has worked with everyone from Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa to Jeff Tweedy, Ken Vandermark, and Whitney. Their debut album is a vibrant set of shape-shifting avant-rock with dual improvisational guitars, unconventional rhythms, close harmonies and inventive song hooks.
Say Hi – Caterpillar Centipede (Euphobia)
The 12th album from this Seattle project spearheaded by Eric Elbogen is a well-crafted set of glam-tinged garage-pop with crunchy guitars, driving rhythms, quirky lyrics and anthemic song hooks.
Alien Boy – Sleeping Lessons (Tiny Engines)
This Portland band’s debut album is a promising set of shoegazerish post-punk with fuzzy guitars and driving rhythms accompanying Sonia Weber’s gloomy vocals, swooning melodies and emotive, often-dark lyrics of lost love.
Sudakistan – Swedish Cobra (PNKSLM)
The second album from this Stockholm, Sweden-based comprised of four South American expatriates and one Swedish guitarist is a potent set of psych-tinged garage-punk with a raw, live in-studio sound combining buzzing guitars and driving, occasional Latin-influenced rhythms with bilingual vocals and hypnotic hooks on songs ranging from frantic punk to atmospheric psych.
Menace Beach – Black Rainbow Sound (Memphis Industries)
This British duo’s third album features a more keyboard-driven sound for their blend of spiky post-punk and buzzing garage-pop, combining bright keyboards and fuzzy guitars with driving rhythms, alternating lead vocals, and sharp song hooks.
Shannon Moser – I'll Sing (Lame-O)
This Philly-based artist’s second album is an often-poignant set of punkish, country-tinged folk-rock, with a raw, direct sound featuring electric and acoustic guitars along with occasional cello and keyboards accompanying her aching vocals and intimate lyrics.
ADULT. - This Behavior (Dais)
This veteran Detroit duo’s seventh album is a fine set of dark, industrial-tinged electro-pop with squelchy synths, propulsive rhythms, stern vocals, and hypnotic song hooks.
ginla – Codex (Terrible)
The debut full-length from the New York/Toronto duo of Jon Nellen and Joe Manzoli is a solid set of atmospheric electro-pop enlivened at times with some garage-house and drum ‘n’ bass beats.
Iron & Wine – Weed Garden EP (Sub Pop)
The latest Iron & Wine EP from Sam Beam features songs written for his 2017 album Beast Epic but left unfinished until now. It’s a solid enough 6-song set ranging from buoyant folk-pop and quirky funk-inflected pop-rock to some sparse acoustic ballads.
Rejoicer – Energy Dreams (Stones Throw)
The latest release from this Tel Aviv producer/musician blends groove-driven astral jazz with shades of hip-hop and funk, combining spacy keyboards with a variety of intricate beats.
Steven A. Clark – Where Neon Goes To Die (Secretly Canadian)
This Miami artist’s fourth album is a solid ‘80s-steeped blend of aching R&B, driving funk and wistful synth-pop.
Anomie Belle – Carrot Flowers EP (Diving Bell)
This Seattle artist’s latest EP begins with a brooding version of a Neutral Milk Hotel song while also including a song from her last album along with a couple of spacy remixes.
Each week KEXP's Music Director Don Yates — joined this week by KEXP's DJ Abbie — shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases. See what's coming up this week below, including reviews for new releases from Blood Orange, Nothing, IDLES, and more.
Each week KEXP's Music Director Don Yates shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases. See what's coming up this week below, including reviews for new releases from Mitski, Death Cab For Cutie, Death Cab For Cutie, and more.
Each week KEXP's Music Director Don Yates shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases. See what's coming up this week below, including reviews for new releases from Tirzah, Cullen Omori, Oh Sees, and more.
