James and the Cold Gun - "Seven" from the 2022 False Start EP on Venn Records. With a sound that’s miles away from the Kate Bush song they’re named after, the two James’ of James and the Cold Gun - James Joseph and James Bliss - are making blistering rock n’ roll that harkens back to the early aughts alt-rock scene. The duo individually formerly fronted other bands but have been making waves in their Cardiff scene for their balls-to-the-wall pub shows as well as outside of it, touring with bands...
May 19, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4233
Nina Kohout - "Moonlight" from the 2022 Pandemonium EP on Deadred Records. When Slovakian artist Nina Kohout released her first single "Blue Sunray" back in 2020, she landed the Newcomer of the Year award from her hometown Rádio FM's annual Radio_Head Awards. More accolades are sure to be on the way with the release of her long-awaited debut EP, Pandemonium . She describes today's Song of the Day as a "Vampiric Waltz" in this YouTube clip . Kohout currently resides in London, attending The Brit ...
May 18, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4232
alyona alyona - "Ridni moi (feat. Jerry Heil)," a 2022 single on ENKO. For Easter this year, Ukrainian rapper alyona alyona shared a plea to celebrate and to uphold traditions with her latest single "Рідні мої." She writes on YouTube : The warmest memories of most people in Ukraine during their lives are warm family gatherings for Easter. Opportunity to get away from business, to see the closest ones, to visit distant relatives, to take part in creation of Easter eggs, to taste mother's or grand...
May 17, 2022•3 min•Ep. 4231
Hazel English - "Summer Nights," a 2022 self-released single. On her forthcoming EP Summer Nights (out June 17th), Hazel English teams up with producer Jackson Phillips (Day Wave) for a "short story"-like collection of songs whose narratives interweave with another. Today's Song of the Day is “about the intoxicating feeling of developing a crush on someone. I thought it would be interesting to explore the buildup of tension sonically because to me, the anticipation is the best part.” “Jackson an...
May 16, 2022•3 min•Ep. 4230
Ben Zaidi - "Jerusalem" from the 2022 album Acre of Salt on Nettwerk. “What are you?” is an eye-rolling question people of mixed heritages never cease to get asked and often have no idea how to answer. Seattle’s Ben Zaidi tackles his unique background and the internal conflict of not knowing how to identify in today’s Song of the Day, “Jerusalem.” Born to a Jewish father, Pakistani mother, and with Muslim grandparents, Zaidi candidly unpacks his familial stories and the complicated feelings surr...
May 13, 2022•6 min•Ep. 4229
Fontaines D.C. - "Roman Holiday" from the 2022 album Skinty Fia on Partisan. In April, Irish post-punkers Fontaines D.C. released their third studio album Skinty Fia . Their first record since relocating to London, the album title is an Irish phrase that translates to “the damnation of the deer" and delves deep into the minds of transplants reckoning with their feelings around identity and belonging. Our Song of the Day, “Roman Holiday,” really drives that home with a bittersweet ode to discover...
May 12, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4228
Say Sue Me - "꿈에 To Dream" from the 2022 album The Last Thing Left on Damnably. South Korean dream-pop quartet Say Sue Me will release their third LP The Last Thing Left this coming Friday, May 13th via long-time label Damnably. The group states the new release "has the theme of some realization, eventually the realization of love. Love in relationships, love for oneself, and the ultimate love gained after realizing those two things!” On today's Song of the Day, they surrender to slumber, with v...
May 11, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4227
Camp Cope - "Running With the Hurricane" from the 2022 album Running with the Hurricane on Run For Cover. Melbourne, Australia-based trio Camp Cope find the calm within the storm on their latest full-length Running with the Hurricane . While their 2018 album How to Socialise & Make Friends channeled the intensity of '90s artists like Alanis Morissette or Courtney Love, the new LP takes a quieter approach. During the pandemic, guitarist/vocalist Georgia Maq returned to her post-rock world of ...
May 10, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4226
Gracie Gray - "Happiness" from the 2022 album Anna on Hand In Hive. Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Gracie Gray looks back on her youth on this wistful acoustic track off her latest LP anna . The accompanying music video features VHS footage from her family's archive, alongside footage of her today. (Watch below.) "'happiness' is about longing for childhood innocence," she explained in a press release. "It's something that can never be fully recaptured, but the video shows that these younger...
May 09, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4225
Moon Palace - "It’s a Shame" from the 2022 self-released Love Lost EP. We’ve written about Moon Palace a number of times since the release of their 2017 self-titled debut. In fact, today marks the third time that the Seattle band has received the Song of the Day treatment! If they get to five, they get a jacket! (Or, at least, should. In my opinion.) Today’s Song of the Day “It’s a Shame” is actually quite a departure from the rambling psychedelia Moon Palace has released over the past five year...
May 06, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4224
Night Shop - "Let Me Let It Go" from the 2022 album Forever Night on Dangerbird Records. Night Shop is the solo project of Justin Sullivan, who can often be seen hitting the skins as the touring drummer for Kevin Morby, in addition to playing with Waxahatchee, Hand Habits, The Babies, Anna St. Louis, and LA post-punk outfit Flat Worms. This past February, he unveiled Night Shop’s debut album Forever Night via Dangerbird Records which saw a lot of these prior collaborators give back to their favo...
May 05, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4223
Spiritualized - "The Mainline Song" from the 2022 album Everything Was Beautiful on Fat Possum. Long-running space rock pioneers Spiritualized return with their ninth studio album, the appropriately titled Everything Was Beautiful . Founding and sole constant member Jason Pierce (aka J. Spaceman) plays 16 different instruments on the recording, which was done at 11 different studios (not including his home), and employing 30 different collaborators. “There was so much information on it that the ...
May 04, 2022•6 min•Ep. 4222
Death Of The High Street - "Synergy," a 2022 self-released single. Midlands-based post-punk band Death Of The High Street hit the scene last year with a very strong vote of confidence: their debut single was released by Creation Records empresario Alan McGee, on his new label named It’s Creation Baby. Their latest single continues their reign of dark, driving, pulsating sound. “Synergy is a mantra. A reminder that the collective struggle is more important than the individual," the band shared in...
May 03, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4221
Dazy & Militarie Gun - "Pressure Cooker," a 2022 single on Very Loud Sounds. Combine the talents of LA-based hardcore band Militarie Gun and James Goodson's punk/pop project Dazy , and what you get is "Pressure Cooker," a collaborative single out now. A conflict of interest? Perhaps, as Goodson also serves as Militarie Gun's publicist, but the creativity could not be contained. “Ever since I met Ian [Shelton, frontman of Militarie Gun], we’ve had a tendency to veer off into long conversation...
May 02, 2022•3 min•Ep. 4220
Rigmor - "Det er lige meget" from the 2022 album Glade blinde børn on Mermaid Records. This week's Songs of the Day were selected by KEXP DJ Kevin Cole, host of Drive Time, spotlighting artists playing the SPOT Festival in Aarhus, Denmark, May 6-7th. This past February, two years after they dropped the Rebel EP, Danish indie pop band Rigmor unveiled their debut record Glade blinde børn . In English the title translates to “Happy Blind Children” which is telling of the poetic melancholy the band ...
Apr 29, 2022•3 min•Ep. 4219
La Dame Blanche - "Mata Sede (feat. Amanda Magalhaes)," a 2021 single on Nacional. This week's Songs of the Day were selected by KEXP DJ Kevin Cole, host of Drive Time, spotlighting artists playing the SPOT Festival in Aarhus, Denmark, May 6-7th. Cuban singer, flautist, and percussionist Yaite Ramos Rodriguez makes a distinctive mix of cumbia, hip hop, dancehall, and feminist lyrics as La Dame Blanche . The daughter of the artistic director of the Buena Vista Social Club orquestra and a loving m...
Apr 28, 2022•3 min•Ep. 4218
Lydmor - "Nevada" from the 2021 album Capacity on hfn music. This week's Songs of the Day were selected by KEXP DJ Kevin Cole, host of Drive Time, spotlighting artists playing the SPOT Festival in Aarhus, Denmark, May 6-7th. Danish artist Lydmor [real name: Jenny Rossander] examines the space she's in on her fourth album Capacity , a Björk-inspired expression of futuristic electro-pop. On today's Song of the Day, she's joined by Faroese singer Eivør on guest vocals. Read the full post on KEXP.or...
Apr 27, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4217
Les Filles de Illighadad - "Eghass Malan" from the 2017 album Eghass Malan on Sahel Sounds. This week's Songs of the Day were selected by KEXP DJ Kevin Cole, host of Drive Time, spotlighting artists playing the SPOT Festival in Aarhus, Denmark, May 6-7th. Hailing from the secluded commune of Illighadad, located in central Niger, Les Filles de Illighadad tap into their "desert blues" heritage on their most recent album, Eghass Malan. The band breaks the mold of the typical male Tuareg guitarist w...
Apr 26, 2022•5 min•Ep. 4216
Verdens Sidste Idé - "Marianne" from the 2022 self-released album Strå. This week's Songs of the Day were selected by KEXP DJ Kevin Cole, host of Drive Time, spotlighting artists playing the SPOT Festival in Aarhus, Denmark, May 6-7th. Danish pop band Verdens Sidste Idé [translation: The World's Last Idea] is a seven-member orchestra led by songwriter/frontman Asbjørn Hvelplund. They debuted with the full-length Den Indre By [translation: The Inner City ] at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, ...
Apr 25, 2022•5 min•Ep. 4215
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Apr 22, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4214
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Apr 21, 2022•3 min•Ep. 4213
Robert Glasper - "Why We Speak (feat. Q-Tip & Esperanza Spalding)," a 2022 single on Loma Vista / Concord. In 2012, jazz pianist Robert Glasper 's fifth album, Black Radio , was a breakout success. It landed him the Grammy for Best R&B Album, while at the same time, hitting #1 on the Billboard jazz charts. The following year, Black Radio 2 was met with similar success, winning the Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the track "Jesus Children of America" featuring Lalah Ha...
Apr 20, 2022•6 min•Ep. 4212
Sarah MK - "MITTOS (Make It To The Other Side)," a 2022 self-released single. Montreal-based soulstress Sarah MK shares an uplifting new single, the first from her sophomore full-length Wax & Gold , out later this month on April 27th. “I wrote this song a few years back for a friend of mine going through a difficult time in her life,” Sarah MK told the Tinnitist . “I just wanted her to know that no matter what she’s facing, she’s going to get through it and make it out. The song seems just a...
Apr 19, 2022•5 min•Ep. 4211
Rell Be Free - "$FreeMunny" from the 2022 self-released album Sow What? (Phase 3). South Seattle-based musician/educator/entrepreneur Rell Be Free (real name: Jerrell Davis) returns this month with Sow What? (Phase 3) . On this latest installment of the series, he teams up again with local producer Noah Coinflip for their atmospheric, mysterious sound. Read the full post on KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 18, 2022•3 min•Ep. 4210
Mala Suerte - "Habla Mierda de Mi" from the 2022 album Mala Suerte on Freakout Records. Back in October, KEXP shared the debut single from brand new PNW meets MEX supergroup Mala Suerte . Made up of members of Carrion Kids , Acid Tongue , Los Honey Rockets , and Grizzled Mighty , the band is an international fusion of spirited sounds and talents. Our Song of the Day, “Habla Mierda de Mi” takes the psychedelic sounds of Acid Tongue, the bluesy riffs of Grizzled Mighty, the grittiness of Carrion K...
Apr 15, 2022•2 min•Ep. 4209
Crows - "Garden of England" from the 2022 album Beware Believers on Bad Vibrations Records. London-based quartet Crows released their sophomore dark and fuzzy post-punk record Beware Believers in early April. Written during the summer of 2019, Song of the Day “Garden of England” takes its inspiration from the complicated and controversial Brexit elections. “This is straight-up our Brexit anthem,” frontman James Cox explains. “Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t care less which way you voted, your vot...
Apr 14, 2022•2 min•Ep. 4208
Francis of Delirium - "The Funhouse," a 2022 single on Dalliance Records. Fronted by 20-year-old dynamo Jana Bahrich, the Luxembourg-based band Francis of Delirium brings a moody, yet driving alt-rock sound to today's Song of the Day. On their latest single, Bahrich says she was inspired by the disarray we experience daily. “'The Funhouse' is largely about how we are adapting to the chaos that is present in our everyday lives," she shared in a press release. "The way it can feel that the world i...
Apr 13, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4207
Chaka Gettz - "Incinerate for KG" from the 2022 self-released Daytime Eraser EP. Ukrainian band Chaka Gettz admits : "If someday a series is made about us 🎬, then the beginning of the first series (our 2-year activity before the release of the first track) will not be very dynamic in visual terms. Probably, the director should just turn on the camera and shoot at an accelerated pace, as we play, compose, change and improve our songs day after day, sitting in our cozy studio in Kharkov (Ukraine)...
Apr 12, 2022•5 min•Ep. 4206
Hello Mary - "Sink In," a 2022 self-released single. Today's Song of the Day comes from Brooklyn trio Hello Mary , who formed when band members Helena Straight (vocalist/guitarist), Mikaela Oppenheimer (bassist), and Stella Wave (drummer/vocalist) were still teenagers. They released their debut album Ginger back in 2020. Earlier this year, we were thrilled to premiere this latest single , along with its sister song "Stinge." As KEXP's Tia Ho reported, the singles were produced by Bryce Goggin, w...
Apr 11, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4205
The Black Tones - "The End of Everything," a 2022 single on Sub Pop. Seattle twin sibling duo The Black Tones made a splash in 2019 with their gritty debut full-length Cobain & Cornbread which saw Eva and Cedric Walker utilize blues, soul, and grunge to explore topics both light and heavy. While “Ghetto Spaceship” and “Mama! There’s a Spider in My Room” veered towards the former, songs like “The Key of Black (They Want Us Dead)” swung so dramatically towards the latter that it was clear the ...
Apr 08, 2022•3 min•Ep. 4204
