The Veldt - "Aurora Borealis (feat. Elizabeth Fraser)," a 2023 single on 5BC Records Back in August, we shared a different track from soul-gaze siblings The Veldt , a duo formed in 1986 by identical twins Daniel and Danny Chavis. Like that previous Song of the Day, this one comes from their "lost" LP, which was recorded in 1989 with the Cocteau Twins‘ Robin Guthrie as producer, but ended up getting shelved when the band was dropped by their label. The track features guest vocals from Guthrie's b...
Nov 27, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4630
Gabriel Teodros - "An Open Letter to My Cousins in Israel" from the 2023 self-released album From the Ashes of Our Homes Today's Song of the Day comes from beloved local artist/activist (and former KEXP DJ) Gabriel Teodros , whose powerful latest LP, From the Ashes of Our Homes , reflects deeply on the theme of losing your home, whether to an actual fire (as in the case of Teodros himself) or to the pandemic, climate change, or war. In the case of today's Song of the Day, that home is Palestine,...
Nov 24, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4629
Kauwila & Inalihi - "Pae ʻĀina to Palestine" from the 2023 album Rise Up: BDS Mixtape vol. 2 on Amplify Palestine This week’s Song of the Day picks were chosen by DJs Miss Ashley, Kevin Sur, Tory, and Isabel Khalili in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle. From Hawai’i to Sudan, these songs represent the global solidarity movement in support of Palestinians and anti-colonialism. The BDS Mixtape series that features three of this week’s songs was inspired by the 1985 Sun City album by art...
Nov 23, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4628
Riad Awwad, Hanan Awwad, and Mahmoud Darwish - "I'm From Jerusalem" from the 2023 album The Intifada 1987 on Majazz Project In December 1987, the First Intifada of protests and violent riots broke out, carried out by Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and Israel. Palestinian Riad Awwad was an electrical engineer with a passion for music, and within a week, he began recording this album in the family living room, using instruments he built himself. Today's Song of the Da...
Nov 22, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4627
Alsarah & the Nubatones - "Men Ana" from the 2023 album Rise Up: BDS Mixtape vol. 2 on Amplify Palestine This week’s Song of the Day picks were chosen by DJs Miss Ashley, Kevin Sur, Tory, and Isabel Khalili in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle. From Hawai’i to Sudan, these songs represent the global solidarity movement in support of Palestinians and anti-colonialism. The BDS Mixtape series that features three of this week’s songs was inspired by the 1985 Sun City album by artists boyc...
Nov 21, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4626
Al-Fajer Group - "Halalalalayya - هلالاليا" from the 2022 (reissue) album Al Fajer (The Dawn) on Majazz Project This week’s Song of the Day picks were chosen by DJs Miss Ashley, Kevin Sur, Tory, and Isabel Khalili in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle. From Hawai’i to Sudan, these songs represent the global solidarity movement in support of Palestinians and anti-colonialism. The BDS Mixtape series that features three of this week’s songs was inspired by the 1985 Sun City album by ar...
Nov 20, 2023•7 min•Ep. 4625
Lusine - “Dreaming (feat. Asy Saavedra)" from the 2023 album Long Light on Ghostly International Records Seattle-based producer Jeff McIlwain — aka Lusine — returns with his ninth full-length, Long Light. The album takes its title from a lyric in the title track, written by collaborator Benoît Pioulard: "long light signaling the fall again," reflective of the artist's now 20-year career. “Music making is a struggle and you have to have a ton of patience,” McIlwain shares in a press statement. He...
Nov 17, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4624
Gen & the Degenerates - "Big Hit Single," a 2023 single on Marshall Amplification Plc Records When you ask the Liverpool-based band Gen & the Degenerates to write a "big hit single," well, today's Song of the Day is exactly what you'll get! The cheeky pop-punk track was written in response to a request from their label, Marshall Records. Vocalist Genevieve Glynn-Reeves explains: "If you want the highbrow answer, then 'Big Hit Single' is about the experience of creating art under late cap...
Nov 16, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4623
Welsh duo Siula are new on the scene but you’d be remiss to not realize it given their big and refined sound. Based out of Cardiff, the group brings together the forces of Cotton Wolf’s Llion Robertson and Artshawty’s Iqra Malik. Arpeggiating synths dance vividly against booming beats. It’s a match made in heaven, ready for the dance floor. - Dusty Henry Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 15, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4622
Based out of Pamplona, Spain, Melnas are evoking a refreshed, revamped, and revelatory take on dream pop. Supposedly they started out work on their new album Ahora with a basic premise: “can you make jangle pop and garage rock with synthesizers?” The answer is apparently yes. The song “Bang” is effervescent, yet propulsive. A delicate balance of restraint with booming synthesizer whirls propelling their soft, entrancing melodies forward. Evoking Stereolab and Kraftwerk, the band find themselves ...
Nov 14, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4620
The moniker of Robin Paul Braum, Athlete Whippet is always challenging himself to push beyond his own boundaries. Studying music at London’s renowned Goldsmiths, he brings that same academic rigor to his production and dance nights. His latest EP, U Never Listen , finds him singing over his own production as well. “U Look at Me” is a perfect ode to dance floor romance. That look across the room, a glance beckoning to dance. The house beats, dreamy vocals, and banging synthesizer lines make for a...
Nov 14, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4621
Swamp Wife - "The Spit" from the 2023 EP Swamp Wife EP on LACE Records Seattle quartet Swamp Wife are so new, they just played their first live show back in June. Today's Song of the Day comes from their self-titled debut EP, which was just released last month. KEXP Music Director Chris Sanley calls it "a solid introduction to their both melodic and fierce post-punk sound, with swirling guitars and catchy hooks." Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See o...
Nov 10, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4619
Drop Nineteens - "A Hitch" a 2023 single on Wharf Cat Records It's been 30 years, but Boston shoegazers Drop Nineteens returned last week with their long-awaited third full-length, Hard Light . The album features the band's original line-up of Greg Ackell, Steve Zimmerman, Paula Kelley, Motohiro Yasue, with drummer Pete Koeplin (who played on the band's second album, National Coma) . Co-founder Ackell describes the new album as "the band’s proverbial follow up to [their 1992 debut] Delaware , a ...
Nov 09, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4618
Sheer Mag - "All Lined Up," a 2023 single on Third Man Records Philadelphia-based punks Sheer Mag have been signed to Third Man Records, who will not only be reissuing their older albums, but their forthcoming full-length as well (no hard details yet, but stay tuned for a release date). “Having been aware of Sheer Mag since their earliest 7-inch singles and keeping up with their self-released, independent, DIY take-no-prisoners ethos, I never envisioned a world where they would ever sign to a re...
Nov 08, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4617
IAN SWEET - "Your Spit" a 2023 single on Polyvinyl Records Ian Sweet — the project of L.A.-based artist Jilian Medford — returned last week with her fourth full-length, titled SUCKER, an album she began writing during a post-COVID cross-country road trip to an artist residency. “I went there not knowing exactly what I wanted to do or make, but I knew I wanted to explore and get out of my comfort zone," she says via a press release. "I forced myself to make things on the spot, in the moment and n...
Nov 07, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4616
Angélica Garcia - "El Que," a 2023 single on Partisan Records The title to today's Song of the Day roughly translates to English as "He Who," and songwriter Angélica Garcia describes the lyrics as "a specific inner monologue that I have navigated most of my life." The Brooklyn-based artist continues in a press statement, "Keeping myself and my body safe as a woman is such a careful dance that I often play out in my head, like a lion tamer facing a lion. The vocals were done in one take, and the ...
Nov 06, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4615
This week’s Song of the Day picks were chosen by Sharlese , in honor of Halloween week. For more dark sounds in various wave and synth genres, check out her show Mechanical Breakdown , Friday nights/Saturday mornings from 1-3 AM PT. Vancouver-based duo Wire Spine has been weaving their industrial-influenced darkwave sound since 2015. It's been a few years since their debut full-length, Bury Me Here , but we're excited to share their brand new single as today's Song of the Day. On Facebook , foun...
Nov 03, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4614
Brixx - Erotomania (feat. Kim Little) from the 2023 album Erotomania on SYNTHICIDE This week’s Song of the Day picks were chosen by Sharlese , in honor of Halloween. For more dark sounds in various wave and synth genres, check out her show Mechanical Breakdown , Friday nights/Saturday mornings from 1-3 AM PT. Melbourne, Australia-based DJ, producer, and composer Brixx teams up with Kim Little aka Hnymlk on today's Song of the Day. The single comes off Brixx's latest LP, Erotomania, which was ins...
Nov 02, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4613
XTR Human - "I Want More" from a forthcoming full-length out 2024 on Wie ein Gott Records This week’s Song of the Day picks were chosen by Sharlese , in honor of Halloween. For more dark sounds in various wave and synth genres, check out her show Mechanical Breakdown , Friday nights/Saturday mornings from 1-3 AM PT. With today's Song of the Day, German post-punk project XTR Human shares an early listen at their forthcoming full-length out 2024 via Wie ein Gott Records. Johannes Stabel, the long-...
Nov 01, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4612
Nature Nvoke - "Shadow" a 2023 self-released single This week’s Song of the Day picks were chosen by Sharlese , in honor of Halloween. For more dark sounds in various wave and synth genres, check out her show Mechanical Breakdown , Friday nights/Saturday mornings from 1-3 AM PT. Cleveland-based musician Nate Eberhardt explores the gamut of genres, first through hip-hop and punk rock, but now, with his project Nature Nvoke , through darkwave electronic music. He reflects to Black Techno Matters a...
Oct 31, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4611
El Ojo y La Navaja - "Cuerpo Muerto" from the 2021 self-released album Extimidad This week’s Song of the Day picks were chosen by Sharlese , in honor of Halloween. For more dark sounds in various wave and synth genres, check out her show Mechanical Breakdown , Friday nights/Saturday mornings from 1-3 AM PT. Today's Song of the Day comes from El Ojo y la Navaja , a minimal synth project out of Mexico masterminded by musician Erick Arévalo. For this featured track, he collaborated with Paola Gaona...
Oct 30, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4610
Small Paul - "Miner for a Dream" from the 2023 self-released album Come Alive & Live Again When you've got four talented musicians in your COVID bubble, the only thing to do during the pandemic is start a band! This is how Ballard-based quartet Small Paul came to be, featuring housemates Kevin Murphy from The Moondoggies, Chris King and Malcolm Roberts from Chris King & The Gutterballs, and Seth McDonald from All Star Opera. Their debut LP, Come Alive & Live Again , was produced by E...
Oct 27, 2023•6 min•Ep. 4609
Jungle - "Dominoes" from the 2023 album Volcano on Caoila Records/ AWAL. British production duo Jungle return with their fourth LP, Volcano, and this time around, they've tapped into some collaborators like Erick The Architect, Bas, Roots Manuva, Channel Tres, and JNR Williams. The result is a full-length co-founder J Lloyd tells NME is "actually really the most honest record we’ve made." “In my head, I see us as like Daft Punk or Chemical Brothers – that sort of duo that makes electronic music,...
Oct 26, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4608
Activity - "Department of Blood" from the 2023 album Spirit in the Room on Western Vinyl The latest LP from Brooklyn band Activity — titled Spirit in the Room — is appropriately "haunting." Songs take inspiration from the loss of vocalist/mutli-instrumentalist Travis Johnson's mother to pancreatic cancer, including today's Song of the Day. “The grief was (and sometimes is) this colossal thing,” he shares in a press statement, “and I kept finding myself thinking of how I could find her or get in ...
Oct 25, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4607
Grandaddy - "The Town Where I'm Livin Now" from the 2023 album Sunday: Excess Baggage on Dangerbird Records Long-time KEXP faves Grandaddy recently a digital-only collection of rarities and b-sides titled Sumday: Excess Baggage . With a career spanning three decades, there are a lot of gems within, including today's Song of the Day, a dreamy tribute to songwriter Jason Lytle's home in California. “I like making songs like this," he shares in a press release. "Lots of bleak but sweet visuals. Eve...
Oct 24, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4606
Tycho - "Time to Run" a 2023 single on Mom + Pop Records It should come as no surprise that our host of The Runcast should choose the track "Time To Run" for today's Song of the Day. Like KEXP DJ John Richards, Scott Hansen — the producer behind long-running electronic project Tycho — is a runner. As he explains in a press statement: “Music has always served as a kind of meditation for me, long before I started creating it. As a competitive runner throughout my early life, I would play back loop...
Oct 23, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4605
Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 20, 2023•6 min•Ep. 4604
Dabda - "Flower Tail" from the 2023 album Yonder on Electric Muse Records Korean quartet Dabda / 다브다 call their unique brand of math-rock "Pastel Psychedelic," which you can hear in the soft, dreamy sonic waves they weave on their latest EP Yonder . Though based in Seoul, the band found inspiration in a recent trip to Thailand, describing it as "an intense experience." "The gap between the manufactured nature in vacation spots, which we usually are comforted with, and the nature that exists wild...
Oct 19, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4603
During KEXP’s fall fund drive, discover the variety of music podcasts we produce at KEXP and hear some of our favorite clips from each one. We’re thankful to the thousands of amplifiers who already donate to KEXP, building the foundation for our community of storytelling, and we want you to join them with a one-time donation or a recurring gift! 50 Years of Hip-Hop: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/50-years-of-hip-hop/ El Sonido: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/el-sonido/ Fresh off the Spaceship: htt...
Oct 19, 2023•9 min
Subsonic Eye - "Performative," from the 2023 album All Around You on Topshelf Records. Singaporean dream-pop group Subsonic Eye continue their exploration of nature on their latest LP, All Around You . This examination of the natural world around urban landscapes began on their third album, 2021's Nature of Things . "Ticking boxes / charging laptops / separating causes from ourselves," they sing on today's Song of the Day. "Nature is everywhere around you, even in the city," vocalist Nur Wahidah...
Oct 18, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4602
