Golden Features - "Flesh" from the 2023 album Sisyphus on Foreign Family Collective With today's techno-tinged Song of the Day, Australian DJ/producer Golden Features (real name: Thomas Stell) celebrates a city he discovered on tour: Berlin. "'Flesh' was one of the earlier demos from the album's writing process," he shared in a press statement. "It was a direct response to my time in Berlin and a song that encapsulated everything I fell in love with on my journeys. I wrote it trying to express f...
Dec 07, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4638
Barry Can't Swim - "Dance of the Crab" from the 2023 album When Will We Land? on Ninja Tune Scottish DJ/producer Barry Can’t Swim found inspiration from '70s-era Brazilian group Trio Ternura for today's Song of the Day. The track can be found on his debut full-length, When Will We Land? , which features a joyous and ambitious blend of jazz, house, and Afrobeat. Today's featured track in particular, found inspiration in the funky poly-rhythms of Trio Ternura, as the artist (real name: Joshua Mann...
Dec 06, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4637
Middle Kids - "Dramamine" from the 2024 album Faith Crisis Pt 1 on Middle Kids/ AWAL Sydney, Australia-based trio Middle Kids celebrate love on today's Song of the Day. The track was co-written by bandmates vocalist/guitarist Hannah Joy and bassist Tim Fitz, who also happen to be married. This revelation makes the chorus of: "You are the only reason I believe in anything/ I hope you don't take this the wrong way" even more poignant. The single gives a sneak peek at their forthcoming third full-l...
Dec 05, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4636
M83 - "Mirror," a 2023 single on M83 Recording Inc/Mute It's not déjà vu: if you feel like you've heard this M83 song before, you may have! Today's Song of the Day dates back to the 2011 album Hurry Up, We're Dreaming , and was released as a hidden track found as a secret download in the packaging of the CD. For those who don't own a CD player anymore, the song was then re-released as a Record Store Day exclusive 7-inch single in 2012. And now, the fan-favorite track has been re-re-released as a...
Dec 04, 2023•6 min•Ep. 4635
Maya Marie & Night Wizards - "The Garden," a 2023 self-released single Earlier this year, Seattle psych-pop band Night Wizards teamed up with soulful siren Maya Marie for the single "The Garden." Now they've reconvened for this sultry electro-pop jam. Here's hoping for a full-length from this collaboration in 2024. Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 01, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4634
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - "Theia (Extended Mix)" from the 2023 album The Silver Cord on KGLW The Australian psych sextet King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard might be making KEXP history with this 20-minute long track, which I'm pretty sure is the longest Song of the Day offering to date! The single comes from their 25th overall LP (and second of 2023), The Silver Cord , which finds the experimental group delving into electronic music. “We come at electronic music from an amateur an...
Nov 30, 2023•21 min•Ep. 4633
Autogramm - "WannaBe," a 2023 single on Stomp Records Today's Song of the Day comes from mostly-Northwest new wavers Autogramm : drummer/synths/guitarist/vocalist The Silo now lives in Chicago, while vocalist/guitarist Jiffy Marx and vocalist/bassist CC Voltage hail from Vancouver; vocalist/guitarist Lars Von Seattle resides — well, you can guess! On their third full-length — titled Music That Humans Can Play, released earlier this month — the guys continue to flex their '80s power-pop-influence...
Nov 29, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4632
Alex Vile - "Stainless," a 2023 self-released single. Tacoma's own Alex Vile began as a solo project of vocalist/guitarist Alexandra Vilenius, but are currently a power quartet featuring Kaelyn Stevens on bass, Leo Quale on lead guitar, and Evan Hartung on drums. While new on the scene, they've been recording with veteran producer Jim Kaufman (Helmet, Everclear, and assistant composer on the score to the horror movie, Saw ), who elevates the band's '90s-grunge influence to more modern heights. R...
Nov 28, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4631
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
