New Music Reviews (5/11)

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 Chinese American Bear, MUNA, Aldous Harding, and more. 

Subscribe to our New Music Tuesday newsletter to have these dropped in your inbox weekly: www.kexp.org/new.

Chinese American Bear - Dim Sum & Then Some (Moshi Moshi)
The third album from beloved Seattle duo Chinese American Bear is another collection of playful, hook-laden indie pop goodness. Composed of spouses Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten, the pair continue to elevate their bright and colorful craft, wielding a blend of synth-pop, psych, disco, and experimental soundscapes that is entirely their own. Veering from meditative chants to wacky pop bangers sung in both Mandarin and English, Dim Sum & Then Some is a certified delight that perfectly encapsulates their ethos: “open, curious, and lighthearted.”  –CS

MUNA - Dancing On The Wall (Saddest Factory)
The fourth studio album from electropop outfit MUNA finds the trio taking their queer joy into darker, more adventurous spaces as they examine messy relationships, sociopolitical outrage, and the anxiety that ensues amidst it all. Their pointed lyricism and infectious hooks are propelled by pulsing synths, killer guitar lines, Katie Gavin’s pristine vocals, and magnetic tension achieved through Naomi McPherson’s masterful production. Dancing On The Wall continues MUNA’s impressive sonic evolution, delivering a collection of intimate, inimitable pop treasures. –CS

Aldous Harding - Train On The Island (4AD)
Your favorite weirdo’s favorite weirdo is BACK with another magnetic collection of left-of-center gems. The Newland singer-songwriter’s fifth studio album features a decidedly more subdued Aldous Harding, but that doesn’t stop her from taking exciting twists and turns, proving the devil is in the details. With warm acoustic guitars, piano, harp, synths, layered percussion, and her signature expressive vocals, Train On The Island is an absolute stunner from start to finish. –CS

Brother Wallace - Electric Love (ATO) 
The debut album from Georgia-bred singer, songwriter, and pianist Brother Wallace is an electric set of gospel-fueled soul brilliance. Co-written and co-produced with The Heavy’s Dan Taylor, Electric Love is composed of gut-wrenching ballads, fiery proclamations, and everything in between. With his rich, transfixing vocals at the helm, this thirteen-track collection showcases his distinct neo-soul sound with undeniable charisma and flair. –CS

La Doña - Corrientes (Text Me Records)
The sophomore album from Bay Area singer, songwriter, and activist La Doña is an enrapturing contemporary celebration of Afro-Indigenous musical traditions, from cumbia to reggaeton, sung in both Spanish and English. Conceived across travels to Colombia, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba, Corrientes, which translates to “currents,” boasts vibrant rhythms, fluid genre hopping, La Doña’s captivating vocals, and a robust guest list, resulting in a rich, dynamic listen. She shares: “Love, pain, beauty, healing, resistance, joy, and loss are all captured in this album Corrientes, which celebrates trans-border solidarity and collaboration. From collaborations with Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto, Son Rompe Pera, Rumba All-Stars, and more, you will hear seeds of culture as they have been carried across time and space on the winds of human resilience and self-determination. In this moment of suppression and catastrophe, Corrientes is an ethnography, a ceremony, a revolution.”  –CS

lucky break - made it! (Fire Records) 
The debut album from San Francisco singer-songwriter lucky break is a compelling set of introspective indie rock with tinges of folk and bedroom pop. Written over the course of the past five years, made it! features heart-on-her-sleeve, diaristic lyrics delivered through her emotive vocals and hook-filled arrangements, making for a deeply endearing debut. –CS

Lykke Li - The Afterparty (Neon Gold/Futures)
The latest offering from Swedish artist Lykke Li is an excellent mini-album of anthemic pop songs that glides through her distinctive, elegant, sophisticated blend of dance, soul, synth-pop, dream-pop, and art-pop. Billed as “a dance record for the end of the world, and a radical new grammar of honesty in pop,” The Afterparty was written in Los Angeles and recorded in Stockholm with a 17-piece string orchestra which lends a sweeping cinematic scope to Lykke Li’s magnetic pop presence. –AR

Nu Genea - People of the Moon (NG)
The fourth album from this Naples, Italy-based duo (Massimo Di Lena & Lucio Aquilina) is another knockout set of timeless, global, infectious funk, disco, jazz, and soul that's bursting with vibrant instrumentation, loose rhythms, groovy supplemental vocals, and a celebratory globetrotting spirit. –AR

Oddisee & Heno. - From Takoma With Love (Outer Note Label)
Named after Takoma Park, the Maryland city and Washington, DC suburb where Heno. grew up, From Takoma With Love is a collaborative link-up between the first-generation Ethiopian-Eritrean rapper and Washington, DC-based artist Oddisee, the latter a shining star and entrenched vet of the DMV hip-hop scene. With Oddisee handling all of the beats and intermittently popping up on the mic, Heno. pays tribute to the formative neighborhood that “shaped his curiosity, love for music, and resilience” and they deliver a solid underground hip-hop record with a  reflective warmth. “Can’t Look Back” offers a distinctive late highlight that taps into a go-go-tinted funk-pop lane. –AR

American Football - American Football (LP4) (Polyvinyl)
Midwest emo mainstays American Football return with LP4. Mike Kinsella’s lyrical wizardry cuts deep throughout these lush, intricate arrangements featuring atmospheric guitars, complex percussion, ornate flourishes, and noteworthy guest appearances from Brendan Yates, Caithlin De Marrais, and Wisp. Arriving nearly three decades after LP1, this new collection continues their legacy while pushing their sound into exciting new territories.  –CS

Basement - WIRED (Run For Cover)
The fifth album from this British five-piece band fronted by Andrew Fisher is a solid set of punchy alternative rock infused with grunge, punk, emo, and space-rock styles. With assistance from super prolific American producer John Congleton, WIRED pulses through a melodic, muscular, poppy alternative terrain. –AR

Broken Social Scene - Remember The Humans (Arts & Crafts) 
Remember The Humans is such a fitting title for this triumphant return from Broken Social Scene, transporting listeners back to a time when the world felt so much more human. Cut to the year of their debut album, 2001: No social media. No AI. All we needed was this euphoric collective of immensely talented Canadians. On their first studio album in a decade, this band led by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning with a deep, deep bench showcase their lush, densely layered arrangements with a rotating cast of vocalists and moods. Throughout these twelve tracks fans will encounter every emotion, walking away remembering their own humanness. –CS

Cola - Cost of Living Adjustment (Fire Talk)   
The third studio album from Montreal trio Cola, made up of Tim Darcy and Ben Stidworthy of Ought alongside drummer Evan Cartwright, is a melodic set of experimental post-punk and art rock. With jangly guitars, crisp percussion, poetic lyricism, and Darcy’s distinct vocals, Cost of Living Adjustment (which is ALMOST a self-titled record) is an angular, expansive listen.  –CS

Fireball Kid - Deer Path Turn To A Shortcut (Born Losers)
The third album from this Montreal band is a strong set of fuzzy, colorful, DIY pop jams with an idiosyncratic psych-pop touch that exists in a lane reminiscent of This Is Lorelei, The Unicorns, and Grandaddy. –AR

JWords - Sound Therapy (Sine Wave Records) 
The sophomore album from Brooklyn-based producer, educator, and synth builder Jennifer Hernandez, known as JWords, is a delightfully textured set of atmospheric electronica and hip-hop. Arriving after entering her thirties, she ushers in a new “calmer, chiller, ‘Yeah, I got my shit together’ kind of era” on Sound Therapy through spellbinding synth arrangements and beat work, alongside a standout appearance from Nappy Nina on “Clarity.”  –CS

Kacey Musgraves - Middle of Nowhere (Lost Highway) 
Kacey Musgraves is going through it, and taking us along for the ride. On Middle of Nowhere, the Nashville-based, Texas-born singer, songwriter, and producer explores the weight of feeling deeply alone and the freedom that comes with embracing the liminal spaces. With her velvet, honeyed vocals, twangy Americana arrangements, and guest appearances from Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, Billy Strings, and Gregory Alan Isakov, this seventh studio albums balances polished sonics with lyrics that dig a little deeper into the dirt, resulting in a lush and raw collection. –CS

Lip Critic - Theft World (Partisan) 
The second full-length album from NYC four-piece Lip Critic is a frenetic fusion of electro-punk, industrial, noise, and hardcore. With dizzying arrangements featuring double drums, samples, breakbeats, and Bret Kaser’s distinct vocals, Theft World is urgent and intense, showcasing a band continuing to level up its chaotic, singular sound.  –CS

Lucky - Biting Heels EP (Community Music) 
The debut EP from Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Lucky is a solid set of emotive indie rock. With melancholic melodies, tender lyricism, dreamy vocals, and bright guitars, Biting Heels offers a stellar introduction to this up-and-comer.  –CS

Namasenda - Limbo (YEAR0001)
The highly-anticipated debut album from Swedish pop sensation Namasenda is an exhilarating exploration of hyperpop. Led by her bewitching vocals, pulsing beats, and dynamic synths, Limbo strikes a tantalizing balance between dancefloor bangers and emotional depth, resulting in a thrilling juxtaposition. –CS

Runkus - Supernova (Easy Star Records)
This new album from Jamaican artist Runkus is his latest partnership with Bahamian multi-disciplinary artist Tavares Strachan – a creative relationship that’s “in the footsteps of pairings like The Velvet Underground & Andy Warhol, Kanye West & Virgil Abloh, and Bob Marley and Neville Garrick” – is a solid set of contemporary reggae/dancehall jams with a universal R&B/pop sensibility. –AR

sadie - Better Angels (bloody knuckles)  
The debut album from Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter, and producer sadie is a showstopper. Casting hyperpop through a prismatic, experimental lens, Better Angels unfolds as a lush, atmospheric fever dream full of keys, guitars, distortions, and samples, beautifully melding organic and synthesized sounds. –CS

Talaya. - almost EP (self-released)
The latest EP from Seattle-based singer, songwriter, and producer Talaya. (aka Talaya Morgan) is another solid set of smooth, melodic, '90s-influenced R&B. –AR

The Lemon Twigs - Look For Your Mind! (Captured Tracks)
The sixth album from this Long Island, NY band led by brothers Brian and Michael D'Addario continues to tap into their buoyant retro psych-pop sound that’s soaked in the influential catalogs of The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Joined here by live members Reza Matin (drums), Danny Ayala (bass), and Tchotchke’s Eva Chambers, Look For Your Mind! carries a summery care-free vibe through their memorable, transportive, catchy songs aboout love and the highs, lows, thrills, and paranoia that comes along with it. –AR