New Music Reviews (5/5)

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 Blondshell, Car Seat Headrest, Mei Semones, and more. 

Blondshell - If You Asked For A Picture (Partisan)
Sabrina Tennenbaum arrived fully formed with her self-titled debut Blondshell album in 2023 – one that felt nearly impossible to top. Yet here she is, outdoing herself with this knockout of a sophomore release. She simultaneously levels up with bigger production and bolder arrangements while peeling back more layers through raw, emotional lyricism that explore sex, self-discovery, relational tension, and so much more. Led by her unmistakable vocals and expertly crafted song structures, If You Asked For A Picture is a dynamic and engaging listen that showcases the thrilling evolution of one of today’s most exciting indie rock visionaries. –CS

Car Seat Headrest - The Scholars (Matador)
On their first album in five years – and their first as a true four-piece band – Car Seat Headrest return with an epic, cinematic rock opera. Centered around students at the fictional Parnassus University, the songs follow a cast of characters on a journey as they grapple with essential questions about life, death, rebirth and even, “Does it put the ram in the ramalamadingdong?” With meticulous arrangements and lush, adventurous instrumentation – complete with horns, keys, and accordion – The Scholars is big, bold, and irresistible, reminding listeners along the way that “you can love again if you try again.”  –CS

Mei Semones - Animaru (Bayonet)
The debut full-length from Brooklyn-based Mei Semones is an astounding body of work, blending elements of jazz, baroque pop, bossa nova, and indie rock into a distinct and enrapturing soundscape. Animaru — inspired by the pronunciation of the word “animal” in Japanese — finds Semones walking the line between larger-than-life and intimately delicate, as her intricate arrangements, mind-boggling guitar work and spellbinding vocals (in both English and Japanese) welcome listeners into her ornate musical universe. –CS

Suzzallo - The Quiet Year (self-released)
Rocky Votolato’s world was shattered after the tragic loss of his child in a car accident. In the aftermath, he formed a new outfit, Suzzallo, as a means of processing his grief — through loud, fuzzy guitars, explosive drums, and raw lyricism that captures overwhelming emotion. Blending elements of punk, post-hardcore, and indie rock, The Quiet Year is steeped in ‘90s nostalgia and delivers a cathartic, all-consuming listen.  –CS

Boldy James & Real Bad Man - Conversational Pieces (Real Bad Man Records)
On their third collaborative album, LA-based producer Real Bad Man and Detroit-based MC Boldy James are in lockstep. Walking the line between contemporary flows and classic boom-bap, Conversational Pieces offers chill grooves, descriptive storytelling, astute observations, and standout features from EL-P, dreamcastmoe and Conway the Machine. –CS

Carriers - Every Time I Feel Afraid (Brassland)
The latest album from Curt Kiser’s Carriers project – and his first release with Brassland – is a warm, vivid exploration of Americana and indie-rock. Featuring intricately layered arrangements, his rich vocals, compelling storytelling, and confident songwriting, Every Time I Feel Afraid is a true triumph. –CS

Esther Rose - Want (New West)
The fifth studio album from Santa Fe-based singer-songwriter Esther Rose is a solid set of rich, vulnerable, and melodic Americana. Exploring a myriad of desires — existential, romantic, ambitious, and mundane — her captivating vocals, colorful lyrics, and excellent hooks carry listeners through these eleven memorable gems that effortlessly shift from dusty rockers to key-driven ballads infused with a necessary dose of pedal steel. –CS

Jenny Hval - Iris Silver Mist (4AD)
The ninth studio album from Norwegian sonic shape shifter Jenny Hval is a stunning reflection on the senses —particularly the union of scent, sound, and memory. With shimmering synths, meditative drones, bird chirps, propulsive percussion, and her dreamy, angelic vocals, Iris Silver Mist is a blissfully bewitching listen. –CS

Martin Luke Brown - man oh man! (Kartel Music Group)
The second solo album from London-based artist Martin Luke Brown (also a member of FIZZ) is an excellent set of shimmery, groovy, addictive psych-pop with a soulful, folky charm. His breezy falsetto and smartly-crafted songs often recall Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Whitney, but there’s also moments that bring to mind Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes” (“animal”) as well as Radiohead with Mk.gee-esque eccentricities (“say less !”), and surprisingly tender, poignant moments, like on “to be a man” where he reflects on getting older and friends passing away. –AR

Pink Breath of Heaven - Colors Make A Sound (self-released)
Pink Breath of Heaven is a San Francisco-based outfit centered around Liv Field and Rex John Shelverton, the latter a former/founding member of Tamaryn. Their debut album is a strong set of fuzzy psychedelic rock infused with dreamy shoegaze and kaleidoscopic psych-pop. Liv’s vocals soar and glide through the duo’s consistently enveloping, reverb-drenched backdrops, yielding a confident sound that nails a cool psych gaze terrain. –AR

Samantha Crain - Gumshoe (Real Kind Records)
The seventh studio album from Choctaw singer-songwriter, musician, and producer Samatha Crain is her most impressive body of work to date. Fueled by her breathtaking, expressive vocals, melodic guitar, and compelling storytelling, Gumshoe unfolds across rich sonic landscapes featuring strings, horns, keys and pedal steel — resulting in an instant classic that begs for many repeat listens. –CS

Bobbyy x DERO - 20/40 (Stone Pixels)
This collaborative album between Seattle rapper/singer DERO and LA-via-Seattle producer/drummer Bobbyy (aka Bobby Granfelt, a member of adventurous Seattle-based jazz bands sunking and High Pulp) is a sweet set of wavy, blunted hip-hop that carries a woozy, floaty, jazzy aesthetic that nods to the cloud rap and chillwave of the 2010s.  The album’s title pays tribute to the city of Seattle too, as it references the numbers worn by the iconic Seattle Supersonics duo of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. –AR

Cloth - Pink Silence (Rock Action)
The third album from this Glasgow-based duo composed of twins Rachael and Paul Swinton is an impressive set of dreamy, romantic, hushed indie pop. There’s a moody, magnetic, slightly minimal vibe running throughout Pink Silence, as well as intermittent orchestral flourishes, that gives this album a quietly powerful beauty. –AR

Colin Miller - Losin’ (Mtn Laurel Recording Co.)
The second full-length from Asheville-based singer-songwriter Colin Miller is a tender collection of raw, earnest indie folk. With timeless song structures driven by guitars, pedal steel, and keys, Miller explores the lingering weight of grief in the aftermath of heartbreak through expressive vocals that shift from rich and twang-inflected to a breathy falsetto. Losin’ is one of those albums that feels instantly familiar on first listen, quietly insisting on being revisited. –CS

Fib - Heavy Lifting (Julia’s War)
The debut album from this Philadelphia-via-Portland band Fib is an impressive set of knotty, shape-shifting angular rock with a shifty post-punk element that adds an exciting unpredictability to their songs. –AR

Lael Neale - Altogether Stranger (Sub Pop)
Lael Neale’s cosmic folk-pop reaches new, entrancing heights with her fourth album, Altogether Stranger. As the title suggests, this collection sees Neale leaning into playful, off-kilter soundscapes built around keys, drum machines, tape loops, and Omnichord. While the album feels lively and expansive, her minimalist ethos remains a consistent thread, with her pristine vocals guiding listeners through reflections on the stark difference between her rural Virginia roots and her current life in the chaos of Los Angeles. –CS

Lizzy Dutton - See It All (Anxiety Blanket)
The debut album from Oakland’s Lizzy Dutton will stop ya dead in your tracks. See It All features vibrant arrangements led by haunting piano, acoustic guitar, and Dutton’s breathtaking vocals, enriched with enchanting flourishes of strings, horns, Wurlitzer, synths, banjo and more. Seamlessly veering from delicate and intimate folk to lush and layered chamber pop, these thirteen tracks make an exceptional first impression. –CS

Lucius - Lucius (Fantasy)
The fourth studio album from LA-based Lucius is a charming collection of introspective folk-pop. Featuring Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig’s signature harmonies, intricate arrangements, and infectious hooks, the album captures the band at their most personal. In their own words: “We saw the beginnings and endings of life cycles while making this record, the beauty and fragility of the human experience. So it’s only fitting that this album is self-titled, it’s our story, who we are now and how we got here. Welcome to our living room.” –CS

Luke Titus - From What Was Will Grow A Flower (Sooper Records)
The latest offering from Chicago-born drummer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Luke Titus is an enticing fusion of jazz, alt-R&B, indie soul, and bedroom pop. With meticulous arrangements featuring gripping peaks and valleys, as well as excellent hooks, From What Was Will Grow A Flower feels vibrant and hopeful. Speaking of the album, he shares: “This album is about spirituality and connectivity, both with the universe and the self, as told through my personal journey. It questions reality as a way to deepen one’s connection to it. I dedicate this album not only to anyone who has been through hard times, but to anyone who relates to the cyclical nature of the human experience.” –CS

Model/Actriz - Pirouette (True Panther/Dirty Hit)
The second album from this Brooklyn band is a thrilling set of visceral, volatile, engrossing dance-punk infused with industrial, No Wave, post-punk, techno, noise, goth, and cutting-edge electronic elements. Cole Haden’s provocative lyrics and moody, theatrical delivery brilliantly matches their explosive, intense, and commanding productions, creating a daring, disorienting, and appropriately dizzying experience. –AR

Muito Kaballa - Tomorrow A Flower (Batov)
The second album from this Cologne/Berlin-based 9-piece collective/ensemble led by tenor saxophonist, composer, and founding member Niklas Mündemann finds a sweet spot between organic soul, warm jazz, global groove, and sophisticated indie pop. Petite Noir shines bright on the simmering early single “In My Delir.” –AR

Pillowprince - pretty, baby! (Dune Altar)
The debut EP from this Oakland “queergaze” trio fronted by Olivia Lee (also of the dream-pop trio There’s Talk) is a refreshing blast of smartly-crafted, 90s-influenced, alternative-pop jams. Gritty, catchy, and fun, Pillowprince includes “bubblegrunge” as a genre tag on the EP’s Bandcamp page, and that kind of nails it. –AR

Pyramids - Pythagoras (The Flenser)
What do you get when you fuse together shoegaze, metal, reggaeton, ambient, neoperreo, and experimental soundscapes? The mesmerizing new album from Denton, TX outfit Pyramids — their first in a decade. Pythagoras features densely layered synths, pulsing beats, ethereal vocals, and intoxicating rhythms, delivering a deeply dark, uniquely innovative, and completely captivating sonic journey.  –CS

Röyksopp - True Electric (Dog Triumph)
Renowned Norwegian electronic production duo Röyksopp share a catalog-spanning DJ mix featuring new studio recordings of their anthemic hits and remixes, as well as the previously unreleased track “The ‘R’,” that were created to “capture the essence and energy of our live shows bearing the same name” and “put an emphasis on the clubbier aspects of our music, as well as returning to our roots within the realms of electronic music.” It’s an appropriately epic, immersive, dynamic journey through their expansive and sophisticated sound packed with euphoric highs, necessary cool-out breathers, and a consistently propulsive, scintillating energy. –AR

Sextile - yes, please. (Sacred Bones)
The fourth album from this LA-via-NYC duo composed of Melissa Scaduto and Brady Keehn is another intense, high-octane, pummeling blend of EBM, industrial, electroclash, goth, rave, and post-punk. Once again propelled by high-BPM beats, old school synths, buzzing guitars, booming bass, brash in-your-face vocals, and a relentless energy reminiscent of iconic late 90s soundtracks (namely ‘Spawn,’ ‘Mortal Kombat,’ and ‘Blade’),  yes, please. further cements Sextile’s unwavering eye for dark dancefloor mayhem. –AR

Thanya Iyer - TIDE/TIED (Topshelf)
For her third album, Montreal’s Thanya Iyer has constructed a lush, welcoming dreamscape. TIDE/TIED contains multitudes, weaving together elements of jazz, experimental folk, chamber pop, and ambient music to breathtaking effect. Featuring her ethereal vocals and elaborate instrumentation – including harp, keys, violin, cello, trumpet, clarinet, saxophone, guitars, and drum programming–these twelve tracks float with a delicate force. Sit back, breathe, and let her waves wash over you. –CS

Viagra Boys - viagr aboys (Shrimptech Enterprises/Year0001)
The fourth studio album from Swedish punk outfit Viagra Boys is a potent dose of chaotic catharsis. Featuring ripping guitars, fierce saxophone, and Sebastian Murphy’s signature vocal swagger, the band’s dark humor captivates listeners throughout this set of well-crafted post-punk and art-rock gems. –CS

Wild Gloriosa - Growing Pains (Hopestreet Recordings)
The debut EP from Melbourne-based vocalist Wild Gloriosa (aka Gloria Ragesh, an artist with South Indian roots and a Singaporean upbringing) is a short-and-sweet set of smooth neo-soul tunes that marry her honeyed vocals with lush, warm, jazzy beats. –AR