New Music Reviews (2/24)

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 Close Counters, Saya Gray, Wrong Way Up, and more. 

Close Counters - LOVERS DANCE ACADEMY (HOLY SOUND)
I DARE YOU TO SIT STILL WHILE LISTENING TO THIS ALBUM. Seriously, give it a try. Couldn’t do it? Didn’t think so. LOVERS DANCE ACADEMY is a true masterclass in GROOVE, fueled by soaring synths, driving bass lines, and excellent vocal features from Lyric Jones, Tiana Khasi, Allysha Joy, Jace XL and shiv. With their exhilarating fusion of electronic, jazz, funk, soul, house, broken beat, and R&B, this Melbourne-based duo is priming listeners for many close encounters on the dance floor. –CS

Saya Gray - SAYA (Dirty Hit)
Saya Gray would like to introduce herself. On her aptly titled debut album SAYA, the Toronto-born visionary pulls listeners into her mesmerizing sonic landscape. With influences that range from classic rock to contemporary alt-R&B, Gray crafts memorable alt-pop that is understated yet profound. This immensely talented songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist is carving out a special niche for herself with her intricate, captivating arrangements, leaving listeners on the edge of their seats as they wait to hear where she’ll take them next. –CS

Wrong Way Up - Totally Right (Soundway)
The debut full-length album this Melbourne-base duo composed of producer/songwriter/mastermind ADP and vocalist Emmanuela Degery is a fresh, funky, fantastic record that fully showcases their addictive Afro-Synth sound inspired by a deep love for the bubblegum soul and synth boogie music that was popular in South Africa throughout the 1980s, and still sounds amazing in 2025. -AR

Baths - Gut (Basement’s Basement)
After a (much too) long seven-year hiatus, Will Wiesenfeld–aka Baths–returns with his crowning jewel. Gut will punch you right, well, in the gut, with provocative lyricism, dizzying synths and strings, propulsive drum beats and innovative production. His signature vocals soar across these eleven transfixing tracks, weaving vivid storytelling with intricate arrangements, making the void he left over these years even more painfully obvious. –CS

Cryogeyser - Cryogeyser (self-released)
The fourth album from LA-based Cryogeyser is a delectable collection of dreamy, atmospheric, grunge-inflected shoegaze. Led by Shawn Marom, the outfit delivers raw, potent, and immediate songs with memorable guitar lines and hazy vocals as they effortlessly traverse from intimate ballads to cathartic rockers, leaving listeners to ponder: “Maybe it’s best to walk away in silence.” –CS

Dead Gowns - It's Summer, I Love You, and I'm Surrounded By Snow (Mtn. Laurel Recording Co.)
On her debut full-length as Dead Gowns, Portland, ME songstress Genevieve Beaudoin illuminates her poetry with enchanting indie-folk and indie-rock soundscapes, with her expressive, pristine vocals leading the way. It’s Summer, I Love You, and I’m Surrounded By Snow is a pensive, evocative exploration of the depths of her unbridled soul, offering an immaculate introduction to her intimate storytelling. –CS

Errol Eats Everything - Errol Eats Everything (Big Chune Media)
Hot on the heels of his NYAM! EP, enigmatic MC Errol Eats Everything unveils his fierce and ferocious debut album. Featuring razor-sharp lyricism, his socially conscious hip-hop is presented with fresh, smooth flows and classic boom bap production from Furious Evans. His stories are timely as hell, inviting listeners to hold up a mirror to society – and to themselves. And naturally, he says it best: “I wanted to make a record that people can feel in different ways — whether it’s knowledge, energy, or just straight-up bars. I’m channeling our ancestors and building on the wisdom of our master teachers to galvanize the diaspora. I am here to change the world. I am unafraid.” –CS

Moses Yoofee Trio - MYT (LEITER)
The debut album from this Berlin-based trio led by pianist, keyboardist, and producer Moses Yoofee is a stellar jazz record with the trio exploring the expressive, soulful, and dynamic interplay between jazz, hip-hop, R&B, and electronic styles. MYT’s thrilling instrumental arrangements, adventurous rhythms, and crisp productions consistently shine bright on their own, especially on R&B-tinted highlight “SHOW ME HOW,” while standout jam “GREEN LIGHT” features a knockout appearance from British rapper ENNY. -AR

Youth Lagoon - Rarely Do I Dream (Fat Possum)
On his fifth album as Youth Lagoon, Trevor Powers crafts a rich, kaleidoscopic atmosphere, blending his experimental indie-folk with a keen pop sensibility to bring old memories to life. Weaving recordings from home movies with his singular vocals and a vivid, textured sonic tapestry achieved through synths, horns, viola, lap steel and more, Rarely Do I Dream is a landmark achievement for Powers, in full technicolor. –CS

Califone - The Villagers Companion (Jealous Butcher)
The latest Califone album from LA-via-Chicago artist and former Red Red Meat frontman Tim Rutili is another immersive, intricate, homespun set of woozy psychedelic folk-rock. Carried by Rutili’s abstract, fragmented, poetic lyrics and adventurous, amorphous, sometimes disorienting backdrops that casually sway from noisy '90s alternative terrain to hypnotic post-rock vibrations, this follow-up to his 2023 LP villagers is beautiful, haunting, and gripping. And while not an immediate highlight, “Family Swan” is a particularly memorable and harrowing gutpunch of a song. -AR

cutouts - Snakeskin (self-released)
The debut album from this NYC-based project spearheaded by Nation of Language bassist Alex MacKay is a solid set of dark synth-pop and slinky goth-pop that bleeds with a love for darkwave, dance-punk, Krautrock, post-punk, and slightly unsettling dream-pop. -AR

Eem Triplin - Melody of a Memory (RCA)
The debut album from rising Johnstown, PA rapper, singer, producer, and artist Eem Triplin is a sweet set of vibrant, wide-eyed hip-hop with a handful of highlights that showcase a smooth, slick sound that’s smart and slaps, which quickly brings to mind Tyler, the Creator as well as N.E.R.D., Smino, Baby Keem, Phony Ppl, and PawPaw Rod. -AR

Frog - 1000 Variations on the Same Song (tapewormies/Audio Antihero)
The sixth album from this NY-based duo composed of brothers Daniel and Steve Bateman follows up their breakout 2023 album Grog and it mines deeper into their absorbing, endearing, idiosyncratic folk-rock world that roams around homespun alt-country, dynamic indie rock, dreamy twang, and joyful freak-folk with a wiry, wide-eyed, scrappy touch. Daniel’s elastic voice is an ideal fit for the brother’s varied backdrops, swaying from a rugged folksy tenor to a soaring, at-times funky falsetto and lending a distinctive top line to Frog’s charming, weird, and increasingly adored sound. -AR

J.PERIOD - J.PERIOD Presents... REINCARNATED (self-released)
Brooklyn’s J.PERIOD reworks five (already edited) tracks off Kendrick Lamar’s latest masterpiece GNX and creatively blends cleverly-picked beats from other icons (2Pac, Nas, Zapp & Roger, DJ Premier, LL Cool J included) to reexamine Kendrick’s top-tier raps in a fresh context. Kicking off with Samuel L. Jackson’s iconic speech in Pulp Fiction, REINCARNATED is one of the best collections of mashups and blends I’ve heard in awhile, highlighted by the irresistible union of “Computer Love” with “dodger blue” that segues into Andre 3000’s A+ verse from the remix of  2006 hit “Walk It Out” by DJ Unk (RIP). -AR

Joseph Giant - A Night in the Sun (Lithic)
The latest album from this solo project of veteran Seattle musician Joe Syverson (Final Spins, Floored Faces, Pearly Gate Music) is another charming set of fuzzy indie folk, dreamy Americana, nostalgic psych-pop, and lo-fi indie rock carried by a cozy PNW vibe and songs that “lead the listener down a path of hope, love and loss.” -AR

Kelora - Sleepers (True Panther)
The sophomore album from London-via-Glasgow duo Kelora is a moody, intimate set of guitar-driven gothic folk and experimental pop. With melancholic vocals and atmospheric instrumentation, the dark undercurrents throughout Sleepers are trance-inducing, begging for many repeat listens.  –CS

Mild Minds - GEMINI (Foreign Family Collective)
The sophomore album from producer Benjamin David as Mild Minds is an intoxicating, exuberant showcase of his craft. With vibrant synths, infectious R&B samples, and a healthy deoes of club culture, GEMINI is sure to get listeners moving.  –CS

Porridge Radio - Machine Starts To Sing EP (Secretly Canadian)
What a swan song. Recorded at the same time as their 2024 album, Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me, the new EP and final release from Porridge Radio encapsulates everything we’ve come to know and love about this band: Dana Margolin’s gripping poetry and singular vocals, expressive instrumentation, masterful crescendos, and an abundance of heart and vulnerability. –CS

Sheepish - Goodbye Lemon EP (self-released)
The debut EP from London-based Sheepish, led by songwriter Charlie Bowles, is a solid set of jangly, psych-infused indie rock. With a jazz-meets-bedroom-pop sensibility, Goodbye Lemon boasts great hooks and intricate guitar work, offering a perfect introduction to these newcomers.  –CS

Sunny War - Armageddon In A Summer Dress (New West/V2)
The seventh album from Sydney Ward – aka Sunny War – is an extraordinary showcase of her guitar picking, powerful songwriting, and uncanny ability to balance the dark with the light. Bridging the past with the present, her contemporary folk-punk, tinged with Southern Gothic Americana, provides a raw and honest reflection of the times, as she “captures the complexities of life, loss, and the transformative power of creativity.” –CS

United Freedom Collective - Bright Patterns (Multi Culti)
The fifth and latest EP from this multi-disciplinary London-based collective founded by vocalist/musician Robbie Redway and psychedelic researchers Mathieu Seynaeve and WaiFung Tsang is another beaming, transportive, and euphoric set of kaleidoscopic vocal-laced electronic grooves with a sleek kinetic pulse and a colorful genre-fluid flair that yields a few undeniable highlights. -AR