Luisa Almaguer - "Wey," a 2023 self- released single It's been four years since we last heard from Luisa Almaguer (check out her previous Song of the Day pick here ), and now she's sharing the first single off her forthcoming full-length, titled Weyes , out in 2024. Like her previous work, it's a sultry slice of synth-pop, elevated by her powerful vocals. Almaguer has also been keeping busy as the host of the La Hora Trans podcast, and is currently working on a documentary about Mexican folk-roc...
Sep 26, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4586
Diego Raposo - "EL UNDERGROUND (feat. mediopicky)" from the 2023 album YO NO ERA ASÍ PERO DE AHORA EN ADELANTE, SÍ on GRAN VAINA This week's Song of the Day were selected by KEXP DJ Albina Cabrera , co-host of El Sonido , in honor of Aquí y Ahora: Without Borders . Join KEXP September 15th to October 15th as we continue amplifying the music, stories, and presence of Latinx, Latine, and Hispanic communities in the United States and the diaspora in our on-air, in-person, and digital world. More in...
Sep 25, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4585
Nada Rosa - “Reversal of Fortune" from the 2023 album Nunca Te Olvido on OTHERWORLDS Based in Seattle, but with roots in the Dominican Republic, Brandi Diaz celebrates her family with her musical project Nada Rosa . As she told KEXP Staff Reporter Martin Douglas back in June , the band name traces back to her beloved abuelito (or "grandmother"), who has passed away: it's a combination of her grandmother's name with the Buddhist concept of non-attachment. “And that’s when I started moving forward...
Sep 22, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4584
Black Pumas - "More Than a Love Song" from the 2023 album Chronicles of a Diamond on ATO "More than a love song," indeed! The Grammy-nominated Austin, TX-based duo Black Pumas (singer/songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada) return with their sophomore album Chronicles Of A Diamond , out October 27th via ATO. Burton describes today's Song of the Day as “the exclamation point on the initiation of mine and Adrian’s relationship in the first place.” “That’s what we sound like, ...
Sep 21, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4583
Hand Habits - "Something Wrong" from the 2023 album Sugar the Bruise on Fat Possum Sugar the Bruise , the latest LP from Hand Habits — led by LA-based artist Meg Duffy — was inspired by a songwriting class they taught back in August 2021. "It was both inspiring and terrifying," they shared via a press release. "I hesitated to consider myself a Songwriter, despite having released three records, let alone enough to teach others how to do it my way. In preparing for this course I examined my own ap...
Sep 20, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4582
Sparklehorse - "Evening Star Supercharger” from the 2023 album Bird Machine on ANTI- Today's Song of the Day is a bittersweet one: the track comes from the posthumous Sparklehorse album Bird Machine, recorded by singer/songwriter Mark Linkous in 2009, but unreleased following his death by suicide in 2010. The release was lovingly spearheaded by Mark's brother and his sister-in-law Melissa. “It’s the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” Matt says in a press release. “It’s difficult making a choice a...
Sep 19, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4581
Juan Wauters - “Modus Operandi (feat. Frankie Cosmos)" from the 2023 album Wandering Rebel on Captured Tracks On today's Song of the Day, Queens-based Uruguay-born artist Juan Wauters casts a critical eye on the New Yorkers who were able to vacate the city during the COVID-19 crisis. Against a melancholy plucked melody and with swelling strings, Wauters sings, "People that have options go back to their suburbs / To them it was just like some kind of Disney World." “COVID made it clear that some ...
Sep 18, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4580
Daisies - "Blue Cowboy," from the 2023 album Great Big Open Sky on K Records On their latest LP, Great Big Open Sky , Olympia, WA-based band Daisies flex their musical muscle, diverging from their previous trip-hop/electro-pop sound into more organic, folkier territory. That said, today's Song of the Day is true to the "electronic paisley underground" sound we've heard them explore over the past seven releases. Vocalist Valerie Warren girlishly coos the story of a "blue cowboy on the range," and...
Sep 15, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4579
Temple of Angels - "Waving to the Wind" from the 2023 album Endless Pursuit on Run for Cover. It's no surprise that the gothic dream-pop of Austin, TX-based band Temple Of Angels finds inspirations from actual dreams. Their debut full-length — titled Endless Pursuit , and out now from Run For Cover — reflects both the good and bad subsconscious nighttime reflections. “Sometimes a beautiful dream will sneak in past the nightmares, which inspire a lot of my writing as well, specifically these drea...
Sep 14, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4578
Deeper - "Tele," from the 2023 album Careful! on Sub Pop Records On today's Song of the Day, Chicago-based quartet Deeper gets vulnerable. The track can be found on their latest album, Careful! , their third full-length overall and first for Sub Pop Records. “’Tele’ is a song without its shield,” the band said in a press release. “In past Deeper compositions, we would hide behind jerky guitars and abstract vocals telling a story only we could decipher. With ‘Tele’ we wanted to explore the vulner...
Sep 13, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4577
Shamir - "Our Song (clean edit)," from the 2023 album Homo Anxietatem on Kill Rock Stars Last month, Shamir spoke with KEXP's Sound & Vision about his ninth full-length, Homo Anxietatem , and the anxiety that fueled his latest LP. In the video for today's Song of the Day, the genre-defying artist pays tribute to those who have literally stood by his side throughout it all. "It took about three months to write this song, which is the longest it’s ever taken me to write a song," he shares in a...
Sep 12, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4576
Fan Girl - "falling (ft Elizabeth M Drummond)," a 2023 single on Mandatory Music Australian pop-punk outfit Fan Girl returns with another KEXP Song of the Day pick: "falling" featuring guest vocals from Elizabeth M. Drummond. “Lyrically, ‘falling’ is about how the honeymoon period in a relationship is just the beginning. While it can be an electric and pleasurably nauseating period, it’s not the best bit, and it’s often not the real bit," the band told Jammer Zine . "We tracked ‘falling’ at our ...
Sep 11, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4575
Prometheus Brown - "(East | West) feat. Leua" from the 2023 album Taglagas on Beatrock Music LLC Seattle's own Prometheus Brown has long been an important voice in local hip-hop, dating back to his days as Geologic in the duo Blue Scholars. As the son of Filipino immigrants, he uses the stage to uplift and empower the Filipino community with his lyrics. His first ever musical project as a solo artist has been this four-part EP series, named for each of the four seasons, "after the nonliteral cor...
Sep 08, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4574
Black Milk feat. Phonte & Raphael Saadiq - "No Wish," from the 2023 album Everybody Good? on Mass Appeal / Computer Ugly Detroit-based producer, MC, and musician Black Milk returned with his eighth studio album Everybody Good? this summer, featuring special guests like Mick Jenkins, Karriem Riggins, and Quelle Chris. On today's Song of the Day, North Carolina rapper Phonte delivers a powerful, confessional, and personal guest verse against a track produced by award-winning artist Raphael Saa...
Sep 07, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4573
MMYYKK feat. Ricki Monique - "Bliss" from the 2023 album The Midst of Things on SwayHeavy Records. On his latest LP, The Midst of Things , Minneapolis-based musician and instrumentalist MMYYKK (pronounced "Mike") reflects on the state of the country today. Today's Song of the Day asks the questions, “Who can I trust in a world of deep fakes? Is there any objective truth in a world with 'alternative facts'? Is there one true reality or is it all subjective?" "This album is also the culmination of...
Sep 06, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4572
C.S. Armstrong - "SOUL SURVIVOR (feat. Buddy)" from the 2023 album COME AS YOU ARE on TOP OF THE BOOT RECORDS. Today's Song off the Day is more than just a song; as C.S. Armstrong writes on social media , "shit really is my life and a proclamation to never stop." On today's featured track, the Texas-born bluesman teams up with Los Angeles-based rapper Buddy . As Armstrong writes , "I moved to LA in 2015, after living in New York I became more recluse. Wasn’t tryna work with many folks but in my ...
Sep 05, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4571
On her latest EP, California-based artist Dea Galore teams up with L.A. group The Melodiks for a sunny, soulful set of songs. On today's Song of the Day, she invites guest vocalist Georgia Anne Muldrow , who she says has "impacted me and touched my soul since 2009... definitely a pinch-myself experience." The Flow was recorded in 2021, during the quarantine. "The ffirst timewe all made music together was golden and we were hooked," Galore continues. "We would meet up at what I call 'The Womb' ha...
Sep 04, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4570
Bread Pilot - "Crook," from the 2022 album New To You on Double Double Whammy Bread Pilot began in 2011, when high school students Taylor Hayden (guitar/vocals), Stephen Ibanez Jr. (guitar/vocals), and Evan House (drums) would practice in Hayden's mother's home. In fact, today's Song of the Day is named after Crook Horn Road, where a teenaged Hayden would host basement shows. After graduating, the trio relocated to Seattle, choosing to record their debut album at The Unknown in Anacortes. “We ha...
Sep 01, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4569
Glasser - "Vine" from the 2023 album c rux on One Little Independent Records Cameron Mesirow — who records under the name Glasser — returns this fall with her first album in a decade, and her third album overall, titled crux . It'll be released October 6th via One Little Independent Records. "Just getting back to making songs was hard for me after the last album," Mesirow explained in a press release. "When I made my first album, I didn’t have an established routine of trying and failing, it was...
Aug 31, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4568
The Budos Band - "Frontier's Edge," a 2023 single on Diamond West Records. After six soulful albums and two EPs on Daptone Records, the New York collective The Budos Band are releasing their new EP Frontier’s Edge via their own label, Diamond West. “It’s just a natural growth,” said guitarist Tom Brenneck in a press release. “We’re going further away from the sound of Daptone and into territory they probably wanted to stay away from.” That territory is still a psych-heavy instrumental one, inspi...
Aug 30, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4567
bdrmm - "It's Just a Bit of Blood," a 2023 single on Rock Action Records When post-rock icons Mogwai sign you to their label, Rock Action, you know you gotta be doing something right. Such is the case for Hull-based quartet bdrmm , whose second full-length, titled I Don’t Know , was just released by the label back in June. “After touring with Mogwai and forming such a close relationship with them, we feel blessed to have been invited to work with them and their team," the band said via a press r...
Aug 29, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4566
Dengue Fever - "Touch Me Not," from the 2023 album Ting Mong on Tuk Tuk Records. Los Angeles-based Cambodian psych band Dengue Fever return with their sixth studio album Ting Mong , to be released September 15th via their own Tuk Tuk Records. The band explain a "ting mong" is "a decoy or mannequin, similar to a scarecrow, used to fight away evil spirits and plagues." Following the pandemic, couldn't we all use a ting mong to protect us? Today's Song of the Day originated from a melody vocalist C...
Aug 28, 2023•4 min
High Pulp - "Unified Dakotas (feat. Jeff Parker)" from the 2023 album Days In The Desert on ANTI-. Los Angeles-based jazz collective High Pulp team up with Jeff Parker of Tortoise on today's Song of the Day. The track can be found on the band's adventurous new LP Days In The Desert , out now via Anti- Records. “We have been fans of Jeff Parker (both solo and his work with Tortoise) for years, and when thinking about who the right person may be to collaborate with on this song it became abundantl...
Aug 25, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4564
Sweeping Promises - "You Shatter" from the 2023 album Good Living Is Coming For You on Feel It Records. Sweeping Promises weren't kidding when they titled their second LP Good Living Is Coming for You . The duo of Lira Mondal and Caufield Schnug used the advance they received from Sub Pop Records to purchase a home in Lawrence, Kansas. In an interview with Pitchfork , they explain how they used the back of the house to build a recording studio where they crafted their latest album. (They've also...
Aug 24, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4563
Killer Mike - "SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS (feat. André 3000, Future, Eryn Allen Kane)" from the 2023 album MICHAEL on Loma Vista Recordings / Concord It's been 11 years since the last solo album from Killer Mike , and his latest LP, titled Michael , is his most personal yet. Songs reflect on his childhood growing up in Atlanta, and, as he told Zane Lowe in an interview , he was also inspired by "the civil rights movement, the abolitionist movement, which gave us some of the most beautiful music ...
Aug 23, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4562
Pozi - "Slightly Shaking Cells" from the 2023 album Smiling Pools on PRAH Recordings On their sophomore full-length Smiling Pools , London-tro Pozi break away from the post-punk sound they demonstrated on their debut LP, PZ1 . “It’s not our goal to totally embrace and restrict ourselves within a genre,” says bassist Tom Jones. “I feel that the tracks on Smiling Pools demonstrate that we’re taking our music to a different place and we want to bring the listener along on that journey.” Today's Son...
Aug 22, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4561
Sen Morimoto - "If The Answer Isn't Love" from the 2023 album Diagnosis on City Slang Records. Chicago-based artist Sen Morimoto has signed with City Slang Records, accompanying the announcement with the new single "If The Answer Isn’t Love." The track will appear on his third album, Diagnosis , out November 3rd via City Slang in partnership with his own Sooper Records. “In the face of imminent climate disaster, war and unending sickness it’s natural to start considering what will remain and wha...
Aug 21, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4560
RUB - "Contentment," a 2023 single on RUB Sounds. Today's Song of the Day is the debut single from Rub , a Seattle supergroup featuring members of Trick Candles, Salt Lick, Acid Tongue, Killer Workout, Cute Lepers, Panama Gold, and NighTraiN. The group are currently recording their debut full-length. On today's featured track, the band write: "This song is about Contentment. When will it happen, and what to do when you finally get it? It's about remembering that you are in control of your happin...
Aug 18, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4559
The Veldt - "The Everlasting Gobstopper," a 2023 single on 5BC Records. Flashback to 1989. North Carolina-based identical twins Daniel and Danny Chavis had formed The Veldt just a few years before, inspired by soul, Sun Ra, and shoegaze. They began recording the LP The Everlasting Gobstopper with Cocteau Twins guitarist Robin Guthrie on production, but despite this dream pairing, their label, Capitol Records, shelved the project. Jump back to 2023, and the album will finally see the light of day...
Aug 17, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4558
Obongjayar - "Just Cool," a 2023 single on September Recordings London-based Nigerian artist Obongjayar shares his first new single in a year, declaring, "Everyone is on edge! How could we not be?” He continues, "Where’s our united humanity? Where is our united love for our brothers and sisters and children looking for safety and opportunity? Where is the love for our planet? We’re constantly being lied to, used and squeezed of whatever energy is left in us. We’re in a pit fighting amongst ourse...
Aug 16, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4557
