New Music Reviews (7/7)

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 Black Whales, Cerrone & Christine and the Queens, Durand Jones & the Indications, and more. 

Black Whales - A Guide To Photographing The Sun (Cult Of Maybe)
Over a decade since their last album, Seattle’s Black Whales make a triumphant return. A Guide To Photographing The Sun is a blissed-out fusion of psych-pop, indie rock, and shoegaze. With warm, gauzy vocals, commanding guitar riffs, and kaleidoscopic keys, these bright, inviting rockers earn a spot on any summer playlist. –CS

Cerrone & Christine and the Queens - Catching feelings EP (Because)
Name a more iconic (and unexpected) collaboration in 2025. This match made in heaven was forged at the Paris Olympic Games, yielding an irresistible four-track collection that brings ‘80s disco into a contemporary space–including a modern reworking of the classic hit “Supernature” with help from Purple Disco Machine. With pulsing synths, funky basslines, Christine and the Queens’ magnetic vocals, and Cerrone’s masterful production, Catching feelings will have listeners doing exactly that. –CS

Durand Jones & The Indications - Flowers (Dead Oceans)
The fourth studio album from neo-soul extraordinaires Durand Jones & The Indications is yet another collection that proves these guys just don’t miss. With effortless grooves that fuse R&B, soul, disco, and funk, their sweet harmonies, tender lyrics, and lush arrangements transport listeners through timeless melodies. Flowers feels like a cool, welcoming summer breeze, showcasing the trio’s growth as much as their roots. –CS

Lorde - Virgin (Universal Music New Zealand/Republic)
Following a period of deep healing, reflection, and time away from the spotlight, New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde returns with her boundless fourth studio-album. Ranging from magnetic electro-pop bangers featuring pulsing synths and entrancing breakbeats to raw, introspective ballads, Virgin finds Lorde comfortable and confident in the fluidity of gender, existence, and expression. –CS

Nilüfer Yanya - Dancing Shoes EP (Ninja Tune)
The new EP from London-based Nilüfer Yanya is an essential companion piece to her stunning 2024 album, My Method Actor. Written during the same creative period, these new tracks were re-worked with longtime collaborator Wilma Archer post-tour, giving Yanya the space to fully realize their potential. With memorable guitar lines, enchanting violin, driving percussion, and her signature airy vocals, Dancing Shoes perfectly highlights Yanya's dynamic artistry. –CS

AJ Tracey - Don’t Die Before You’re Dead (Revenge)
The third album from British rapper AJ Tracey (aka Ché Wolton Grant) is a solid set of grime inflected with R&B and pop that lyrically explores getting older, grief, healing, love, lust, and identity. Jorja Smith appears on standout Brandy-sampling early single “Crush” and UK rappers Headie One and Aitch swing through on the equally strong early single “Friday Prayer.” –AR

Herbert & Momoko - Clay (Strut)
Veteran British electronic musician and composer Matthew Herbert teams up with London-based drummer/vocalist Momoko Gill – an emerging underground artist who has collaborated with the likes of Tirzah, Alabaster DePlume, and Coby Sey – for a sultry, sophisticated, and delicately groovy set of electronic soul gems that “treads nimbly between the dancefloor and the more introspective moods of the early hours.” It’s a stellar introduction to Momoko’s alluring voice and evocative artist, and a wonderful reminder of Herbert’s masterful, hypnotic, nuanced electro-acoustic productions that follows in the tradition of his close collaborations with Dani Siciliano on his 1998 album Around the House and with Róisín Murphy on her 2005 gem Ruby Blue. –AR

Laura Stevenson - Late Great (Really Records)
Born out of heartbreak and rebirth, Laura Stevenson’s seventh studio album is a captivating collection of soul-baring songs that range from intimate folk ballads to ornate rockers. Stevenson assembles an orchestra of old pals, including Jeff Rosenstock, Mike Brenner, Kelly Pratt, and Sammi Niss, to craft lush, cinematic soundscapes. As the ensemble weaves horns, strings, keys, guitars, and percussion, her emotive vocals remain the anchor, guiding listeners through her most raw and personal storytelling to date. –CS

Neggy Gemmy - She Comes From Nowhere (100% Electronica)
The fourth album from Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and producer Lindsey Elise French (aka Neggy Gemmy, fka Negative Gemini) is a sweet set of hazy, groovy, nostalgia-tinted dance-pop that blurs the lines between dream-pop, trip-hop, shoegaze, psych-pop, and 90s club flavors. –AR

Rujen - Velvet Dream (Broc Recordz)
The sophomore album from Atlanta-based quintet Rujen is a prismatic blend of psych-pop and indie rock. Velvet Dream delivers sweet melodies, spaced-out grooves, and a ‘70s-tinged wistfulness, keeping one foot in the present while embracing sounds of the past. –CS

Sababa 5 - Nadir (Batov Records)
On their fourth studio album, Paris-based Sababa 5 leans into the darker side of their groove-laden Middle Eastern psychedelic soul and funk. These sinister, spellbinding arrangements, driven by expressive guitars and vivid keys, highlight the band’s thrilling evolution. –CS

The Reds, Pinks & Purples - The Past Is a Garden I Never Fed (Fire Records)
The latest from Glenn Donaldson’s prolific project The Reds, Pinks & Purples is a bittersweet set of melodic jangle-pop. With keen nods to the ‘80s and ‘90s, The Past Is a Garden I Never Fed is a tender, nostalgic collection of earnest and honest songwriting. –CS