New Music Reviews (1/19)

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 Ya Tseen, Imarhan, Lucha Luna, and more. 

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Ya Tseen - Stand On My Shoulders (Sub Pop)

The latest album from multidisciplinary artist Nicholas Galanin/Yeil Ya Tseen, known simply as Ya Tseen, continues his mesmerizing genre-bending journey. Guided by a deep connection to the Land, his ancestors, and revolutionary love, Galanin crafts an immersive sonic tapestry in full technicolor, drawing from rock, pop, experimental, folk, electronic, and disco. The result is a singular sound from a true visionary, inviting listeners into the universe of ‘Stand On My Shoulders’ featuring stellar collaborators including Pink Siifu, Portugal. The Man, and Meshell Ndegeocello. –CS

Imarhan - Essam (City Slang)

The fourth studio album from Imarhan showcases a more subtle, nuanced side of this Algerian Tuareg outfit. While ‘Essam’ (meaning “lightning” in the Tuareg language of Tamasheq) is a bit of a departure from the groove-forward rippers we’ve come to expect from the band, the impact is just as profound. Across ten tracks, the group flexes its dynamic arrangements, exceptional guitar work, polyrhythmic expertise, and an unwavering commitment to growth, evolution, and experimentation. –CS

Lucha Luna - BRILLA BRILLA (self-released)

The debut album from Lucha Luna, the new Seattle duo composed of Eva Vazquez and Thomas Arndt, is an electric fusion of reggaeton, punk, and cumbia. Balancing ferocious vocals with infectious rhythms, their dark synths, vibrant percussion, and heavy bass pull listeners into an “energetic expression of joy and rage” that speaks directly to the current sociopolitical climate. In a time that feels especially dark, Lucha Luna are here to remind us all to “BRILLA BRILLA.” –CS

Sassy 009 - Dreamer+ (HEAVEN-SENT/[PIAS] Électronique)

The debut album from Stockholm-born, Oslo-based singer, songwriter, and producer Sunniva Lindgård, aka Sassy 009, is a stellar set of dreamgaze-inflected hyperpop. Meticulously written, recorded, and fine-tuned over four years, her first full-length showcases her entrancing, ethereal, and manipulated vocals alongside lively soundscapes that fuse electropop, grunge, and experimental elements to thrilling effect. While never staying in one lane for too long, ‘Dreamer+’ still feels cohesive, successfully highlighting the depth of her songcraft. –CS

Westside Cowboy - So Much Country ‘Till We Get There (Nice Swan/Adventure Recordings)

The second EP from this young Manchester, UK-based four-piece is another excellent collection of dynamic, impassioned, and sophisticated indie rock that impressively balances a range of tones, tempos, and timbres, with three of the members sharing vocal duties. Opening track “Strange Taxidermy” may not be your standard radio hit, but it features a sprawling, slowburning build that’s as magnetic as an irresistible hook. –AR

AJ Suede, Lord OLO & TELEVANGEL - Relinquished (Last Epoch Recordings)

Seattle’s AJ Suede, Akron, OH rapper Lord OLO, and PDX-based producer TELEVANGEL (aka Ian Taggart, formerly one-half of Blue Sky Black Death) join forces for a stellar collection of heady underground rap. TELEVANGEL’s wavy, adventurous, psych-tinted beats serve as a brilliant canvas for both rapper’s low-key charismatic flows and hypnotic wordplay, delivering a standout late 2025 PNW gem. –AR

Courtney Marie Andrews - Valentine (Loose Future/Thirty Tigers)

The latest breathtaking offering from Phoenix-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews is an enrapturing collection of dusty, heartfelt, expansive Americana. Veering from subtle introspection to lush, vivid explorations, her poetry shines across these ten guitar-driven tracks. Recorded almost entirely live to tape, ‘Valentine’ captures the raw, vulnerable nature of these powerful songs, resulting in a cinematic masterpiece she calls “a record in pursuit of love.”  –CS

Headaches - Looking for Something New (dottidot)

The debut solo EP from Sydney-based singer, songwriter, and electronic producer Headaches (aka Melisa Bester) is a solid set of glistening synth-pop that pairs her dreamy, ethereal vocals with sweet, skittering beats co-produced by Melisa in collaboration with Maxwell Byrne (aka 1tbsp aka Golden Vessels). -AR

Jenny on Holiday - Quicksand Heart (Transgressive)

Jenny on Holiday is the solo alias of Norwich, UK-based musician Jenny Hollingworth, best-known as one-half of the wonderfully idiosyncratic synth-pop duo Let’s Eat Grandma. Her debut album is a solid set of epic, widescreen, soaring pop songs carried by her bold and ambitious vision. She comes out swinging in glorious fashion on the album’s standout opening pair of tracks. -AR

Langhorne Slim - The Dreamin’ Kind (Dualtone)

The ninth studio album from this veteran Pennsylvania-born, Nashville-based artist is a solid set of spirited rock and robust Americana that finds him “strapping on an electric guitar and embracing his longtime love of larger-than-life rock & roll.” Produced by Greta Van Fleet’s Sam F. Kiszka, ‘The Dreamin’ Kind’ boasts an engaging, ramshackle, widescreen charm and a notably sharp first-half. -AR

Max Gardener - Things We Tell Ourselves (Sadie Street)

Long Beach, CA-based musician Max Gardener creates breezy indie tunes with a melodic, homespun, slacker charm that he bills as Barbecue Pop, ie: “music meant for easy afternoons, with friends or caught in a beautiful moment alone.”  His fourth album consistently fits that warm, comforting bill, sonically resting alongside the likes of Real Estate, Woods, Kurt Vile, Mild High Club, and Cataldo. -AR

Oliver Night - Between the Lines (Tru Thoughts)

Right at home on Tru Thoughts, the debut album from London-based producer, DJ and multi-instrumentalist Oliver Night is a solid UK-steeped blend of house, broken beat, jazz, R&B, and dubstep that finds his hypnotic, shifty, kinetic grooves getting plenty of vocal assists and contributions from Roots Manuva, Megatronic, Blue Lab Beats’ David Mrakpor, and more. -AR-

Oxis - Oxis 8 (Boom Records LLC)

The 8th eponymous release from this low-key prolific and mysterious LA-based artist is a fascinating set of adventurous bedroom pop that touches upon alt-pop, art-pop, electro-pop, and trip-hop, and it’s all distinguished by Oxis’ colorful DIY vision. Early single “Piranha” is a wonderful highlight reminiscent of peak Lali Puna, while closing track “Fluke” slides into a gritty noir-pop zone that contains shades of Portishead. -AR

Shaking Hand - Shaking Hand (Melodic)

The debut album from this Manchester, UK trio is a promising set of contorting post-rock and shape-shifting experimental rock with an edgy, restless, underground pulse steeped in a love for 1990s American alternative rock. Early single “In For a... Pound!” offers the album’s most compact and immediate highlight. -AR

The Sha La Das - Your Picture (Diamond West Records)

The sophomore album from The Sha La Das, an ensemble composed of Bill Schalda and sons, Paul, Will, and Carmine, is a beautiful display of their sweet, soulful harmonies. Dedicated to their family matriarch, Linda, ‘Your Picture’ is a timeless, transportive set of doo-wop and classic R&B, centered around their vocals and propelled by a lively rhythm section. –CS