While we’re all rocking out hard with the fabulous new Superchunk and getting our minds blown by the new Ought and Titus Andronicus heat that Merge Records has been dropping, it’s important to remember that the house that Mac and Laura built has always had room for all kinds of music.
Recently released in the states by Merge, Hollie Cook’s Vessel of Love is a sumptuous collection of smoothly bumping r&b-influenced reggae, and “Stay Alive” is here to make you feel better about the fact that there’s no new Sade album on the horizon anytime soon. Effortlessly switching from controlled and subdued to belting out “trying to stay alive” on the chorus, Cook rides the ripples of tooting horns and walking basslines with supreme control; even when she’s begging for release from her heartache, you know she has the strength within to love another day.
There are no local (or even American) tour dates from Cook at the moment, but you watch her KEXP performance from a few years ago below.
Finding good new music can be a full time job, so let KEXP help! In Our Headphones brings you five song recommendations every Monday, straight from KEXP’s DJs and Music Directors. Join hosts Janice Headley and Isabel Khalili on this never-ending journey of music discovery.
Host Emily Fox and KEXP’s editorial team talk with artists about the stories behind their songs and the experiences that inform their work. Through each conversation, we uncover the humanity behind the music, allowing us to hear it in a whole new way.
