Shabazz Palaces - Binoculars (feat. Royce the Choice)
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Episodes
In Our Headphones
Finding good new music can be a full time job, so let KEXP help! In Our Headphones brings you five song recommendations every Monday, straight from KEXP’s DJs and Music Directors. We learn stories and insights about the artists, make connections between the music and the world around us, and get to know the diverse roster of DJs that make up the KEXP airwaves. Join hosts Janice Headley and Isabel Khalili on this never-ending journey of music discovery.
Episodes
Speedy Ortiz - You S02
Speedy Ortiz - "You S02," from the 2023 album Rabbit Rabbit on Wax Nine Records On today's Song of the Day, Speedy Ortiz songwriter Sadie Dupuis finds inspiration in season 2 of the Netflix series You . She explains in a press statement: "Mostly when I’ve met my musical heroes, they’re kind and principled people. But occasionally someone whose work I love(d) reveals themselves to be anti-union, or anti-’woke,’ or some other gear-grinding ugliness. That’s who I wrote ‘You S02’ about, the song’s f...
nour - wana
nour - "wana," a 2023 single on Ra Records On her debut EP Daydreaming , Egyptian artist Nour shares a sparkling synth-pop, with lyrics in both Arabic and English. After discovering fellow Egypt-based producer Kubbara on Instagram, Nour sent him some lyrics and a beat, igniting the creative fires behnd today's Song of the Day. The song is about empathy. "It's someone agreeing with the same thing you're going through," she explains in an interview with SceneNoise . "So, if someone says 'wana,' it...
Tara Clerkin Trio - The Turning Ground
Tara Clerkin Trio - "The Turning Ground," a 2023 single on World of Echo On today's hypnotic and dreamy Song of the Day, the Bristol-based band Tara Clerkin Trio draw influence from the dub-step-heavy influences of their backyard (think Portishead and Massive Attack), combined with their own past as the eight-piece psych-folk group the Tara Clerkin Band. (“You could say the Tara Clerkin Trio started mainly because everyone else un-joined the Tara Clerkin Band,” Clerkin tells Loud & Quiet . “...
Little Dragon, April + Vista - Rebels
Little Dragon & April + Vista - "Rebels," from the 2023 album Slipping Into Color on Ninja Tune Grammy-nominated quartet Little Dragon are about to head out on tour with Washington D.C. duo April + VISTA , and what better way to kick off the tour than with a collaborative release? The EP, titled Slipping Into Color , is out now via Ninja Tune Records. “On a recent trip to the US we got to hang with April + VISTA and we couldn’t resist their sound," Little Dragon explain in a press statement....
Emi Pop - Lo Se
Emi Pop - "Lo Sé," a 2023 self-released single Now based in Seattle, Emi Pop began her musical journey in her home of Puerto Rico. Following stints in bands like Mely y Los Poppers, and local groups Famous Lizards and 38 Coffin, Emi Pop has ventured out on her own with her debut single "Lo Sé." The track is an irresistible blend of punk and pop, punctuated with some new wave-y keyboards. As she writes on her Instagram , "It was about time I put my music out into the world — this song is just one...
Pachyman - Trago Coqueto
Pachyman - "Trago Coqueto," a 2023 single on ATO Records L.A.-based artist Pachy García — who records as Pachyman — reflects on his homeland of Puerto Rico on today's Song of the Day. “It’s like a stream of consciousness,” he tells Remezcla . “I wanted to play with the idea of being a bartender, the profession of getting people drunk, and my constant dilemma about returning home – which I am still not ready to do. It’s about grappling with the emotions of my daily life in a casual yet poetic man...
Verito Asprilla - Letras Millonarias
Verito Asprilla - "Letras Millonarias," a 2023 single on Discos Pacífico Colombian artist Verito Asprilla arrived on the scene from Tumaco-Nariño at the age of 18, yet possessing a maturity beyond her years on her debut EP Mundo Lila . She writes of women's empowerment, and on today's Song of the Day, she raps, "I'm still poor but my lyrics are millionaire." An inspiring message of self-esteem in any language. “It flows to me,” she says in a Google-translated interview with Colombia Visible . Sh...
Luisa Almaguer - Wey
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...
Diego Raposo - EL UNDERGROUND (feat. mediopicky)
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...
Nada Rosa - Reversal of Fortune
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...
Black Pumas - More Than a Love Song
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, ...
Hand Habits - Something Wrong
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...
Sparklehorse - Evening Star Supercharger
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...
Juan Wauters - Modus Operandi (feat. Frankie Cosmos)
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 ...
Daisies - Blue Cowboy
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...
Temple of Angels - Waving to the Wind
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...
Deeper - Tele
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...
Shamir - Our Song (clean edit)
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...
Fan Girl - falling (ft Elizabeth M Drummond)
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 ...
Prometheus Brown - (East | West) feat. Leua
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...
Black Milk feat. Phonte & Raphael Saadiq - No Wish
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...
MMYYKK feat. Ricki Monique - Bliss
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...
C.S. Armstrong - SOUL SURVIVOR (feat. Buddy)
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 ...
Dea Galore, The Melodiks & Georgia Anne Muldrow - Soft Inside
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...
Bread Pilot - Crook
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...
Glasser - Vine
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...
The Budos Band - Frontier’s Edge
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...
bdrmm - It’s Just a Bit of Blood
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...
Dengue Fever - Touch Me Not
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...