Oceanator - "Beach Days (Alive Again)" from the 2022 album Nothing's Ever Fine on Big Scary Monsters. "By the ocean / Is where i wanna be / When this all comes to an end" On her 2020 debut album Things I Never Said , Brooklyn-based songwriter Oceanator (real name: Elise Okusami) pondered the apocalypse against grungy guitars and Green Day-inspired pop/punk. On her follow-up LP Nothing’s Ever Fine , she continues to explore similar themes... except on today's Song of the Day. “I feel like summer ...
Jun 29, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4262
Camilla Munck - "Blessed Be" from the 2021 album Aeon on Moondrop Records. Danish artist Camilla Munck began with a background in soundtracks and sound design. On her debut album AEON , she taps into these skills for an emotive, atmospheric experience. On her Facebook page, she describes today's Song of the Day as "a song about finding oneself in and outside communities. to dare step in and out of them. about following oneself, following one's curiosity. and about finding peace in the movement."...
Jun 28, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4261
Confidence Man - "Holiday" from the 2022 album TILT on Heavenly Recordings/[PIAS]. With today's Song of the Day, Australian electro-pop duo Confidence Man aim to make the party last forever. “We’ve been trying for the most epic, hands up, euphoric anthem for a while and this is the first time we’ve come close… Turns out it’s pretty difficult, but nothing’s too hard for Con Man,” said vocalist Sugar Bones. His bandmate Janet Planet added: “No one tells Confidence Man what to do. Who said a Holida...
Jun 27, 2022•5 min•Ep. 4260
Beautiful Freaks - "CROCODILE," a 2022 single on Scream Queen Records. Constantly evolving in their sound, Beautiful Freaks has always been a band built more on energy and experimentation than a specific genre tag. Formed in 2013, Peter Bryson and James Bonaci came together over their love for metal, jazz & punk. Their 2018 debut Cameo Artist was hardcore glam at its most frenzied and visceral but the former Bellingham band now resides in Seattle and is entering the next phase of their evolu...
Jun 24, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4259
Chainsaw Girl - "Chainsaw Girl" from the 2021 self-released Chainsaw Girl EP. Portland’s Chainsaw Girl were brought together with a combination of fate and Yu-Gi-Oh. Guitarists Manny Ruiz and Kei Iguchi met at a conference for the Japanese manga series in 2016 and found their common interests spanned beyond Yu-Gi-Oh and into a deep love for music. Vocalist Cricket Greene was later asked to join after their loud and constant singing could be heard through Iguchi’s walls. With the rest of the crew...
Jun 23, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4258
Ethel Cain - Hard Times - from the 2022 album Preacher's Daughter on Daughters of Cain Records The album title Preacher's Daughter is on point for 24-year-old artist Ethel Cain . Raised and home-schooled in a tight-knit Southern Baptist community where her father served as deacon and her mother sang in the church choir, Cain (legal name: Hayden Silas Anhedönia after a name-change at age 20) struggled against her conservative upbringing. At the age of 12, she came out as gay to her mom, and was s...
Jun 22, 2022•5 min•Ep. 4257
Dreamer Isioma - Dream Girl - from the 2022 album Goodnight Dreamer on Dreamer Isioma/AWAL. Goodnight Dreamer may be the debut album for 21-year-old Nigerian-American artist Dreamer Isioma , but it's hardly their first foray into music. “Well, it started before birth,” Isioma told the Chicago Tribune , revealing their parents enrolled them in Mommy & Me music classes before they were even out of the womb. “Basically, my parents had a plan. They’re like, this child is either gonna do music or...
Jun 21, 2022•2 min•Ep. 4256
Tasha - Perfect Wife - from the 2021 album Tell Me What You Miss The Most on Father/Daughter Records. With her sophomore full-length Tell Me What You Miss The Most , Chicago-based singer/songwriter Tasha invites the listener to nestle in to each track, allowing yourself to be enveloped by the warmth and light. "These are swaying songs," she says of the swoonful new release. “I was inspired by a distance I felt from myself,” she continues in a press release, “the writing was kind of born from thi...
Jun 20, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4255
Musician, producer, sound engineer, and all-around creative force Erik Blood is known for a lot of things - one-half of Knife Knights alongside Ishmael Butler, his recent funkified sensual project Pink Lotion with Rachel Ferguson, Black Constellation all-star contributor, and a solo artist in his own right. Something you may have missed was his 2011 foray into music soundtracking which saw the multi-hyphenate write an album’s worth of original music for the Brazilian film Center of Gravity . Wit...
Jun 17, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4254
In April, Chaz Bear dropped the seventh studio album from his constantly evolving project Toro y Moi titled Mahal . One of his jammier records, Mahal veers heavily towards psych-funk and features a hefty list of contributors including Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Ruban Neilson, Neon Indian’s Alan Palomo, visual artist and musician Sofie Royer, and jazz duo the Mattson 2. Our Song of the Day is the breezy track and early single “The Loop.” Led by a funky bassline and a meandering guitar, the song s...
Jun 16, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4253
Poppy Ajudha - MOTHERS SISTERS GIRLFRIENDS - from the 2022 self-released album THE POWER IN US On her debut album The Power In Us , Poppy Ajudha displays just that: a fearless force-of-nature, with songs about feminism, colonialism, gender politics, mental health, and other social issues on her mind. Today's Song of the Day, in particular, is a call to action for women's rights. "Women don’t have to be just what they are taught to be," she emphasizes, via a press release. "There is so much more ...
Jun 15, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4252
Sampa the Great - Lane (feat. Denzel Curry) - a 2022 single on Loma Vista. Today's Song of the Day finds Zambian-born, Botswana-raised artist Sampa The Great taking up some well-deserved space, alongside guest vocalist and fellow rapper Denzel Curry . “We’re not going to stay in one lane, we’re going to create multiple ones,” she said in a press statement. “My truest self encourages me to explore different lanes, and go beyond what I think I know of myself.” She adds that the song is “about expr...
Jun 14, 2022•3 min•Ep. 4251
Alabaster DePlume - I'm Good at Not Crying - from the 2022 album GOLD on International Anthem. Quirkiness is in the cards with a nom de plume like Alabaster DePlume . The London-based poet/songwriter (real name: Gus Fairbairn) has just released his cheekily-titled sophomore album, Gold , a 2xLP collection, captured chaotically. During the 2020 recording sessions, DePlume invited a different set of musicians each day to record the same songs at the same speed. Two rules were in place: one, that m...
Jun 13, 2022•3 min•Ep. 4250
Hollis - Burn Burn - a 2022 single on AntiFragile Music. After years as a supporting artist for artists like Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and bands like The Flavr Blue, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Hollis (full name: Hollis Wong-Wear) is front and center on her solo album debut Subliminal , out now via Anti Fragile. "It’s an opportunity for me to sonically chart the spectrum of feelings," she shared in a press release, "from existential angst and the tension of our historical moment, to med...
Jun 10, 2022•3 min•Ep. 4249
Zola Jesus - The Fall - from the 2022 album Arkhon on Sacred Bones. Zola Jesus returns with her sixth full-length later this month titled Arkhon . The artist, whose real name is Nika Roza Danilova, explains that the title translates to "power" or "ruler" in ancient Greek. "Arkons are a Gnostic idea of power wielded through a flawed god," Danilova elaborated via a press release. "They taint and tarnish humanity, keeping them corrupted instead of letting them find their harmonious selves. I do fee...
Jun 09, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4248
The Heavy Heavy - Miles and Miles - from the 2022 album Life and Life Only on ATO. Brighton, UK-based duo The Heavy Heavy channel the sun-drenched sound of the '60s with today's Song of the Day. “‘Miles and Miles’ is about driving across the country, trying to get from place to place — free and easy but with real energy and motion," band member Georgie Fuller said in a press release. "It was inspired by the landscapes of Easy Rider and Vanishing Point and this fantasy of racing down the highway....
Jun 08, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4247
Porridge Radio - "The Rip" from the 2022 album Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder to the Sky on Secretly Canadian. Right before the pandemic shut the world down, Brighton band Porridge Radio dropped Every Bad , their first record on Secretly Canadian that would go on to receive a Mercury Prize nomination as well as a generous amount of airplay on KEXP. While not technically the first album under the Porridge Radio moniker, it felt like an introduction to the band, who blended UK post-punk with ant...
Jun 07, 2022•3 min•Ep. 4246
Julia Jacklin - "Lydia Wears A Cross" from the 2022 album Pre Pleasure on Polyvinyl. Four years after charming the socks off of us with her 2018 record Crushing , Julia Jacklin is finally releasing its anticipated follow-up. Titled Pre Pleasure , the record was conceived upon returning home at the end of a mammoth Crushing world tour and finished in a frantic few months of recording in Montreal. Our Song of the Day is the lead single and opening track off the record, “Lydia Wears a Cross.” Harke...
Jun 06, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4245
We believe that everyone who runs should have a great soundtrack. Not one curated by an algorithm, but one that’s hand-picked by a DJ who runs too. The Runcast with John Richards brings you a dynamic mix of music and inspiration to keep you company and motivate you on your run, no matter what your level. Subscribe to KEXP's The Runcast with John Richards, wherever you podcast, and enjoy new episodes every two weeks, June 3 - October 7, 2022. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omny...
Jun 03, 2022•43 sec
These Arms Are Snakes - "Camera Shy" from the 2022 album Duct Tape & Shivering Crows on Suicide Squeeze. Thirteen years after the unceremonious breakup of post-hardcore outfit These Arms Are Snakes , the Seattle band have released the double LP Duct Tape & Shivering Crows . While it’s not made up of entirely new material, the record gives a thorough overview of the band’s expansive experimentations over their seven-year run. Our Song of the Day is the track “Camera Shy.” Originally relea...
Jun 03, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4244
Kraus - "Anyone" from the 2022 album Eye Escapes on Mutual Skies. Will Kraus has been releasing his unique brand of caustic shoegaze under his surname since 2016. Since then, the Dallas musician has released four records, with his latest being 2022’s Eye Escapes . A collection of recordings from 2016 - 2021, primarily from a lost album between Path and View No Country , the 11 tracks were mastered by the legendary Sacramento-based producer Blank Body, who also recently dropped a new record - his...
Jun 02, 2022•2 min•Ep. 4243
The Hunt - "I Can’t Stand (Zola Jesus cover)" from the 2022 album Todo Muere SBXV on Sacred Bones. This year, Brooklyn-based label Sacred Bones Records celebrates its 15th anniversary, and to commemorate this occasion, they've devoted the latest volume of their annual Todo Muere compilation to artists on their roster covering other artists on their roster. And who better to reunite for this release than The Hunt ? The post-punk duo helped launch the label with their very first release, a 7" sing...
Jun 01, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4242
Automatic - "Skyscraper" from the 2022 album Excess on Stones Throw. Los Angeles trio Automatic tap into consumerism on their latest single, “Skyscraper,” channeling a materialistic yuppie type, obsessed with consumer culture. “It’s about spending your life making money and then spending it to fill the void created by said job,” explained bassist/vocalist Halle Saxon, with bandmate Lola Dompé cheekily adding, "Kind of like going to LA to live your dreams." The track will be released on their for...
May 31, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4241
Working Men’s Club - Circumference from the 2022 album Fear Fear on Heavenly Recordings. UK quartet Working Men’s Club return with their sophomore full-length Fear Fear , to be released July 15th via Heavenly Recordings. Like their first album, Ross Orton (The Fall, Arctic Monkeys) provides production talents; unlike that debut LP, the band have evolved their post-punk sound in a more new wave, synth-heavy direction, providing a stark contrast to their lyrical approach this time around. “The fir...
May 30, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4240
MALIA - "Undone" from the 2022 album What's After 'I Love You?' on MALIA/Black Sea Music. Seattle-born, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter MALIA recently unveiled her latest set of soulful R&B tunes with What’s After ‘I Love You.’ Following her 2021 debut Unpolished , the vulnerable album examines a past relationship in the wake of immense heartbreak. Our Song of the Day is the record’s closer “Undone,” in which MALIA comes to terms with the fact that the relationship is now forever changed...
May 27, 2022•3 min•Ep. 4239
Jelly Cleaver - "Cosmovisions," a 2022 single on Jelly's Jams. London musician Jelly Cleaver’s otherworldly take on jazz by utilizing her DIY/punk scene influences and integrating political activism within her work makes the century and half year-old genre something entirely new. A recipient of the coveted Steve Reid Innovation Award, a grant that funds outstanding emerging artists of which Nubya Garcia and Moses Boyd have also been recipients, Cleaver is on a clear path towards greatness. Our S...
May 26, 2022•6 min•Ep. 4238
Mumu Fresh - "Dance Daughter" a 2022 self-released single. For her latest single (and today's Song of the Day), Grammy-nominated artist Mumu Fresh teamed up with the movement 20 Million Women Strong, Planet Restoration, and the Netflix original TV show "We Speak Dance" to craft a special song for Earth Day. On social media, she thanks the organizations for "sharing the healing balm and uplifting energy of dance on behalf of Mother Earth and women, mothers, sisters, and daughters around the world...
May 25, 2022•5 min•Ep. 4237
Chronixx - "Never Give Up" a 2022 single on Forever Living Originals. With his latest single, reggae artist Chronixx sends love to generations of his fellow artists in Jamaica. On social media, he writes: Give thanks for the Rastafari vibration. The positive vibrations that make it possible for youths here in a seemingly chaotic world to sing from our souls into the soul of the world. For all the people who are struggling for peace and against systematic oppression. #nevergiveup the fight for th...
May 24, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4236
Quelle Chris - "Alive Ain't Always Living" from the 2022 album Deathfame on Mello Music Group. Fresh off co-composing part of the score for the Oscar-winning film Judas and The Black Messiah , rapper Quelle Chris returned last week with his latest full-length, DEATHFAME . The Detroit-based artist (real name: Gavin Tennille) describes the genre-defying new LP like "an incredible lost tape found at a flea market." Guests include Navy Blue, Pink Siifu, and Quelle's longtime collaborator Chris Keys ...
May 23, 2022•4 min•Ep. 4235
Damien Jurado - Taped in Front of a Live Studio Audience from the 2022 album Reggae Film Star on Maraqopa. Longtime KEXP-favorite Damien Jurado is on the heels of releasing his 18th album Reggae Film Star this June. The album comes 25 years after his debut album Waters Ave S. and is just one of seven albums the prolific songwriter wrote and recorded during the pandemic. 2021’s The Monster Who Ate Pennsylvania was the first of those to be released. Our Song of the Day is the short but sweet “Tape...
May 20, 2022•2 min•Ep. 4234
