New Music Reviews (9/23)

Each week, Music Director Chris Sanley and Associate Music Director Alex Ruder (joined this week by Albina Cabrera, Latin Partnerships and Editorial Manager and co-host of El Sonido) 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 Jamie xx, Nubya Garcia, Cassie Ramone, and more. 

Jamie xx - In Waves (Young)
The highly anticipated sophomore album from innovative producer Jamie xx lives up to the hype, and then some. ‘In Waves’ traverses through vibrant, multi-faceted soundscapes, moods, genres and grooves, providing a truly thrilling listening experience with hooks for days. Featuring insane synths, propulsive drumbeats and killer guests including Robyn, The Avalanches and Honey Dijon, this collection is primed for the repeat button and poised for the dancefloor. –CS

Nubya Garcia - Odyssey (Concord Jazz)
When Nubya Garcia says "Odyssey," she delivers on that promise. The spectacular sophomore album from this London-born saxophonist, composer, and bandleader is a true trip through space and time as she showcases her unique fusion of jazz, R&B, classical and dub. With frenetic movement and adventurous arrangements filled with epic swells of sound, these twelve dynamic tracks solidify Garcia as a powerful force in the modern jazz scene. –CS

Cassie Ramone - Sweetheart (CD-R)
The third solo album from Cassie Ramone of Vivian Girls and The Babies is an extraordinary foray into lo-fi, dreamy indie-pop while staying true to her garage and punk roots. The aptly titled Sweetheart has sugary melodies, infectious hooks and a healthy dose of reverb, adding a beautifully dusty, hazy quality to these timeless songs. –CS

Doechii - Alligator Bites Never Heal (Top Dawg Entertainment/Capitol)
The third mixtape from Tampa, FL’s Doechii is an exhilarating fusion of hip-hop and alt-R&B, showcasing her avant-garde vision and unique pop sensibility. With creative song-structures, inventive flows and infectious hooks, Alligator Bites Never Heal offers exciting surprises around every turn, providing a thrilling listen from start to finish. –CS

Fastbacks - For WHAT Reason! (No Threes)
Fastbacks are back! The beloved Seattle band return with their first new album in 25 years and their energy, chemistry, and songwriting chops sound as vital as ever throughout an infectious set of their trademark punk-influenced power-pop. Tight, concise, and catchy, For WHAT Reason! finds the original core trio of high school friends Kurt Bloch, Kim Warnick, and Lulu Gargiulo (who formed the band back in 1979) teaming up with longtime Fastbacks drummer Mike Musburger for a stellar back-to-basics record that is – as the band aptly describes – “fun and loud and proud!” -AR

Honeyglaze - Real Deal (Fat Possum)
The sophomore album from London outfit Honeyglaze is a captivating set of moody, emotive post-punk. Featuring artful arrangements with dizzying basslines, explosive drums, intricate guitar work and expressive vocals, Real Deal does not disappoint. –CS

Leyya - Half Asleep (Minor Changes)
The third album from Austrian duo Leyya (Sophie Lindinger and Marco Kleebauer) is an addictive collection of inventive synth-pop and magnetic psych-pop that’s cool, catchy, and consistently charming. Their colorful electro-acoustic backdrops combine fuzzy guitars, galloping beats, quirky samples, glistening keys, and hypnotic textures in imaginative ways. Sophie’s vocals are dreamy, low-key, yet charismatic, a perfect fit for their restless arrangements that swiftly swing from d&b-tinted art-pop to anthemic guitar-pop, hypnotic downtempo ballads to arty Krautrock, then tacks on some sweetly soaring indietronica (complimentary). Even a fleeting instrumental outburst like “basf260623” packs an impressive amount of fresh ideas into its 70 seconds. Marking their first new full-length record in six years, Leyya return in a major way on Half Asleep with one of the year’s freshest surprises. -AR

Pearl & The Oysters - Planet Pearl (Stones Throw)
Do you feel that? It’s the easy, breezy, effortlessly cool sounds of Pearl & The Oysters cruising into your heart and soul. The fifth studio album from the LA-based, French duo is another swoon worthy collection of spaced-out, jazz-infused art-pop, featuring bright synths, killer grooves and sweet, smooth vocals. Over the past decade, this creative and romantic partnership has crafted an infectious aesthetic that is so uniquely THEIRS. Sit back, relax, and welcome to Planet Pearl. –CS

Sunset Rubdown - Always Happy To Explode (Pronounced Kroog)
The fourth studio album–and first in fifteen years–from beloved art-rock outfit Sunset Rubdown marks a triumphant return. Ranging from sparse, almost sinister keys, to lush, ornate soundscapes with synths, syncopated percussion, and guitars, Spencer Krug’s distinct vocals propel the remarkable songwriting and surreal storytelling throughout Always Happy To Explode. –CS

Tasha - All This and So Much More (Bayonet)
Chicago-based singer-songwriter Tasha is letting it all hang out on her third studio album. The delicate, intimate nature of her songwriting remains, as does her breathtaking timbre. However, on All This and So Much More, listeners are getting precisely that. With bolder arrangements and expansive soundscapes that incorporate horns, strings, keys, guitars, and propulsive percussion, Tasha has opened the floodgates, inviting us into her dreamy, lush, cinematic world as she examines grief, change and growth. What a gift. –CS

TR/ST - Performance (Dais)
LA-based Robert Alfons has truly outdone himself with the fourth studio album as TR/ST. Performance weaves through dark corners with eerie, moody synths, industrial beats and hazy, affected vocals as he elevates his darkwave soundscape to rousing new heights. –CS

Dame Area - Toda la verdad sobre Dame Area (Humo Internacional)
Dame Area ushers in a new era with their highly anticipated fourth studio album, Toda la verdad sobre Dame Area, in collaboration with the labels Mannequin Records and Humo Records. The Italo-Catalan duo, comprised of Silvia Konstance and Viktor Lux Crux, has crafted a unique identity by blending industrial tribal polyrhythms with minimalist basslines, drawing inspiration from avant-garde figures such as Esplendor Geométrico, Throbbing Gristle, and Suicide. This new album marks a significant evolution. Unlike its predecessor, Toda la mentira sobre Dame Area (2022), which leaned more towards melody, Toda la verdad sobre Dame Area embraces a sharper aggression. The industrial influence is solid, with a special emphasis on percussion. Tracks like "Si no es hoy cuando es," "Vengo dall'aldilà," "Tú me hiciste creer," and "Sempre Cambiare" are a burst of industrial experimentalism, yet maintain a catchy melodic core. –AC

Dave Guy - Ruby (Big Crown)
Dave Guy is a NYC native and renowned trumpet player who’s a member of numerous legendary bands including The Dap-Kings, Menahan Street Band, El Michels Affair, The Budos Band, and The Roots. Spurred by The Tonight Show going off-air during the 2023 Writers' Strike and leaving him with some rare downtime, Ruby marks his debut solo album and it fuses his deep love for hip-hop, jazz, funk, and soul into a fresh, engaging, instrumental record. -AR

Joyce - Voyce (Human Worth)
Joyce is a new project from Wales, UK’s Jimmy Watkins, a former Olympic athlete who’s a member of The Vega Bodegas, former member of 4AD band Future of the Left, and founder of the global running movement Running Punks. His debut album under this moniker is an absorbing set of expansive widescreen alternative rock that packs a sneering punk attitude, thrillingly distorted guitars, Watkins’ distinctive vocal style that often veers into spoken word territory, and a generally larger-than-life, in-the-red, blown-out aesthetic that’s quite consuming. While Jimmy’s the ringleader, Joyce features contributions from Phil Thornalley of The Cure, Joe Hicklin of Big Special, Gwenllian Anthony of Adwaith, Paul Broome of Fauxchisels, and more. -AR

julie - my anti-aircraft (Atlantic)
This young Los Angeles trio/art collective’s debut album is a strong set of gritty, urgent, enveloping rock songs that mines the sonic pillars of shoegaze, grunge, and alternative rock and refashions them into a confident sound that’s fresh and youthful, sophisticated and mature, and distinguished by the band’s potent guitar attacks, magnetic back-and-forth vocals from Keyan Pourzand and Alexandria Elizabeth, and pummeling drums from Dillon Lee. -AR

Lutalo - The Academy (Winspear)
The debut album from this simplified alias of Minnesota-raised, Vermont-based musician Lutalo Jones is a solid set of expansive indie rock that comfortably moves between tender, melancholic folk-pop songs to dense, dreamy shoegaze-leaning jams with Lutalo’s welcoming vocals and sharp songwriting leading the way. -AR

Marcos Valle - Túnel Acústico (Far Out Recordings)
The latest album from the legendary Brazilian musician and “renaissance man of Brazilian pop” is a colorful foray into his timeless, breezy, vibrant MPB fusion of bossa nova, samba, jazz, soul, disco, and psychedelic styles. Featuring a standout posthumous collaboration with American soul icon Leon Ware (“Feels So Good”), a track co-written with Laudir De Oliveira for the group Chicago (“Life Is What It Is”), a tribute to the late, great Burt Bacharach, and contributions from Joyce Moreno, Céu, Moreno Veloso, Valle's brother Paulo Sergio Valle, and members of Azymuth, Túnel Acústico adds another delightful entry into the 81-year-old’s spectacular discography. -AR

Sophia Stel - Object Permanence EP (Pack Records)
The debut EP from Vancouver-based singer-songwriter and producer Sophia Stel as one hell of an introduction. Object Permanence boasts intriguing synth work, layered and manipulated vocals, propulsive beats and captivating hooks, culminating in a solid collection of indie-pop magic from this artist on the rise. –CS

Tanukichan - Circles EP (Carpark)
The new EP from Oakland’s Hannah van Loo is a solid set of big, blissed-out shoegaze and indie-rock featuring fuzzy guitars and hazy, emotive vocals. On Circles she explores internal struggles, societal belonging and coping with hardship while continuing to develop her dynamic sound. –CS

THE WAEVE - City Lights (Transgressive)
The latest offering from the collaborative project of Graham Coxon and Rose Dougall is a solid set of big, sweeping alt-rock infused with lush, orchestral flourishes. Featuring strings, brass, keys, and dynamic percussion, the duo crafts an expansive soundscape rich with dark undertones. –CS

Bathe - Inside Voices (Side A) (MNRK)
The new EP from Brooklyn R&B duo Bathe is a sultry collection of heartfelt soul jams, reminiscent of early Frank Ocean. With seductive vocals, shimmering guitar tones and smooth production, Inside Voices (Side A) makes it impossible to speak in hushed tones about their talent. –CS

Cursive - Devourer (Run For Cover)
The latest studio album from Omaha’s post-hardcore luminaries, Cursive, is as fresh and urgent as ever. Nearly thirty years since their inception, Devourer showcases their cello-infused blend of post-punk, emo, indie-rock and hardcore with frontman Tim Kasher delivering his signature anguished vocals. While the album inevitably evokes nostalgia due to their distinctive sound, there is nothing recycled or stale here. Instead, Devourer finds the band revitalized, with an energized sound and an ever-evolving perspective. –CS

K.O.G. - Don’t Take My Soul (Pura Vida Sounds/Heavenly Sweetness)
K.O.G (Kweku of Ghana) is the alias of Ghana-born, UK-based artist and “sonic shaman” Kweku Sackey, leader of Afro-fusion collective K.O.G & The Zongo Brigade, lead singer of Onipa, and co-founder of the Zongo Music collective. His latest solo album is his second to be produced entirely alongside versatile Spanish musician Guts and it’s another vibrant blend of Afrobeats and highlife jams infused with hip-hop, reggae, funk, and folk flavors. -AR

LSDXOXO - DOGMA (Because Music)
The debut album from Berlin-based producer, vocalist and DJ LSDXOXO is a titillating exploration of dance, drum n bass, grime and electropop. With provocative lyricism, expert production and layered sonics, the long-time collaborator firmly steps into the spotlight with a clearly defined vision and sound, ambition. –CS

Miles Nautu - Allude EP (Blak Label)
The new EP from Brisbane MC Miles Nautu is a smooth fusion of hip-hop and jazz, boasting the artist’s skilled production with captivating beats and samples propelling his seamless, laid-back flow. –CS

Snoozer - Mid-Earth (Born Loser)
The third album from this Philadelphia-based duo composed of brothers Mike and Tom Kelly – the latter a touring drummer for Alex G – is a nice set of scrappy indie rock with a rough-around-the-edges DIY charm and a deceptively eclectic sound that reflects their origins as a Philly house show band who’s “only goal was to be loud.” -AR

Terror Cactus - Forastero (Shika Shika)
The musical and geographical journey of Martín Selasco reaches its most creative point with Forastero, his new album released by Shika Shika. In these ten tracks, Terror Cactus explores his identity, memory, perception, and mysticism. The title, which translates to “outsider” or “foreigner,” reflects the experiences of immigrants, troubadours, and displaced individuals, evoking feelings of isolation, solitude, and introspection. The musical atmosphere of Forastero blends electronic sounds with folk, dark cumbia, chicha, and psychedelic beats, featuring standout collaborations with artists such as Pahua, Rumbo Tumba, Barrio Lindo, and Corina Lawrence. One of the highlights is the song “Sombra,” a dark psychedelic cumbia inspired by Atahualpa Yupanqui’s “Vidala para mi Sombra,” creating a connection between Argentina and Seattle, surrounded by South American folklore and the lush forests of the Pacific Northwest (PNW). –AC

Thurston Moore - Flow Critical Lucidity (Daydream Library Series)
The ninth solo album from the veteran, influential, London-based musician and founding member of Sonic Youth is an adventurous journey through evocative art-rock, hypnotic drone-rock, and brooding psych-rock that swims through a more mellow, poetic, and painterly terrain than his well-known noisier works. With inspiration stemming from contemporary dance legend Isadora Duncan, lucid dreaming, and the European landscape, Flow Critical Lucidity features moody, meandering, mesmerizing passages well-worth the patience that is asked upon the listener. Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadier makes the lone credited guest appearance on the early single and album highlight “Sans Limites.” -AR