Song of the Day: Chaos Chaos - Winner

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s selection, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, is “Winner” by Chaos Chaos from the 2012 self-released EP S.

Chaos Chaos - Winner (MP3)

When Seattle sisters Asy and Chloe Saavedra were a few years younger, they comprised the piano-pop duo Smoosh, but after three albums and a few years touring the local and festival circuits, the duo were ready for some change. Now based in Brooklyn and known as Chaos Chaos, the sisters have traded in the piano and acoustic drum kit for a set of sharp synths and array of electronic percussion, and as cliche as it may sound, their music as more mature than ever. Sharply crafted synth pop akin to the insistent thump of Music For The Masses-era Depeche Mode or the glossy electronic efforts of their recent tourmates Tegan and Sara, the pair's first EP, S, finds the sisters arriving fully-formed in their new incarnation. "Winner", the opening track, is filled to the brim with sounds, melodies, and rhythms that show off the sisters' musical chemistry. Heavy, but never overbearing, with Chloe's array of percussion, it's Asy's breathy melodies and uplifting coo that elevate the song to the dizzying height it reaches - and that's before they pull an M83 and call in a well-placed sax solo. Not only is "Winner" a stunning evolution from their former material as Smoosh, but it's also an instantly memorable, creatively textured pop song that songwriters with far more years of writing experience typically can't craft.

Chaos Chaos will be back on tour next year, so keep an eye on their website and Facebook for more information as it becomes available. Listen to their recent in-studio session here and watch the Kiliii Fish-directed video for the S track "My Hands" below.