Nation of Language - Spare Me the Decision (Cutouts Remix) a 2024 single on PIAS Brooklyn trio Nation of Language revisit last year's single "Spare Me the Decision" with a remix by their bassist Alex MacKay, who also records under the name Cutouts . The original version of the track appears on the album Strange Disciple , which was voted the #2 album of the year by KEXP listeners. “I knew pretty instantly “Spare Me the Decision” was the track I’d have the most fun trying to remix from Strange Di...
Feb 08, 2024•5 min•Ep 4683•Transcript available on Metacast Gustaf - "Starting and Staring" from the 2024 album Package Pt. 2 on Royal Mountain Brooklyn-based no-wave band Gustaf share the lead single from their upcoming sophomore full-length Package Pt. 2 , out April 5th via Royal Mountain. The new album was produced by Erin Tonkon, who worked on David Bowie’s final album Blackstar . With its driving bass and anxiety-ridden performance from vocalist Lydia Gammill, it's easy to see why this group is a tour mate of bands like IDLES, Sleaford Mods, and Yar...
Feb 07, 2024•3 min•Ep 4682•Transcript available on Metacast Ride - "Peace Sign" from the 2024 album Interplay on Wichita Shoegaze pioneers Ride return with the album Interplay , out March 29th on Wichita Recordings/PIAS. It'll be their seventh full-length overall, and their third since reuniting in 2014. “This album has taken a long time to make, and has seen the band go through a lot of ups and downs; maybe the most of any Ride album,” co-founder Andy Bell said in a press release. “But it has seen us come through the process as a band in a good place, f...
Feb 06, 2024•5 min•Ep 4681•Transcript available on Metacast TR/ST - "Robrash" a 2023 single on Dais TR/ST — a project of producer Robert Alfons — shares the first single from his latest release, a self-titled EP from his new label, Dais Records. Formed in Toronto, and now based in Los Angeles, he continues to craft darkwave synth perfect for haunting the dance floor. Today's Song of the Day was co-produced by Nightfeelings and mixed by the legendary Nick Launay, who has worked with everyone from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds to IDLES to Kate Bush. Read the...
Feb 05, 2024•4 min•Ep 4680•Transcript available on Metacast Brittany Davis - "Sepricon" from the 2024 album Image Issues on Loosegroove Records Last we spoke with Seattle artist Brittany Davis , they had released an EP via Loosegroove Records, the label ran by Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard (who is also Davis's bandmate in the side project, Painted Shield). Now, they've returned with their debut full-length album, titled Image Issues, out March 1st on Loosegroove. It's an ambitious 26-track, concept-driven release, interspersed with spoken word pieces...
Feb 02, 2024•3 min•Ep 4679•Transcript available on Metacast Izzy and the Black Trees - "F-16" a 2024 single on Antena Krzyku. Polish punk rockers Izzy and The Black Trees tap into some COVID anxiety for today's Song of the Day. As vocalist Izabela “Izzy” Rekowska explains to music blog Vanadian Avenue : "Back then, I was watching many movies and Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb really got stuck in my head. Plus, there was a constant hum of jet planes flying over our apartment. So, you get the story. T...
Feb 01, 2024•4 min•Ep 4678•Transcript available on Metacast Waxahatchee - "Right Back To It (feat. MJ Lenderman)" from the 2024 album Tigers Blood on ANTI- On today's Song of the Day, singer/songwriter Katie Crutchfield — best known as Waxahatchee — enlists the talents of MJ Lenderman (of the band Wednesday, as well as a solo artist) for an unconventional love song. “I wrote it backstage at Wolf Trap when I was on tour opening for Jason Isbell and Sheryl Crow,” Crutchfield says in a press statement. “I’m really interested in writing love songs that are g...
Jan 31, 2024•5 min•Ep 4677•Transcript available on Metacast SPRINTS - "Adore Adore Adore" from the 2024 album Letter To Self on City Slang Dublin, Ireland-based garage rockers Sprints rage against the patriarchy on today's Song of the Day, as vocalist Karla Chubb explains on Bandcamp: “'Adore Adore Adore' is a guttural reaction to my experience of criticism, gender, and misogyny. People can't seem to stop pressing their idea of what being a woman or acting like a woman is or should be upon us. You can't act like this, you can't say that, you have to be b...
Jan 30, 2024•3 min•Ep 4676•Transcript available on Metacast Arcwelder - "Lafayette" from the 2024 self-released album Continue Minneapolis trio Arcwelder return with their first new album in 24 years. During their '90s heyday, they released six albums on Touch & Go and Big Money Records before their double-decade hiatus. Their latest LP was mixed by J. Robbins of Jawbox, Burning Airlines, and Government Issue. And it's all too appropriate that "Lafayette" is today's Song of the Day, as the band say the track is drummer/vocalist Scott Macdonald's trib...
Jan 29, 2024•4 min•Ep 4675•Transcript available on Metacast Spoon Benders - "Dichotomatic" from the 2023 self-released album How Things Repeat With their sophomore full-length, How Things Repeat, psych-rock group Spoon Benders continue to elevate the glam-garage sound we first fell in love with on their 2020 debut LP Dura Mater . As they explained to Be in a Band or Die , "Since April of 2019, the band has been writing, rehearsing, and performing live together multiple times a week. I think How Things Repeat has captured that growth and is an excellent r...
Jan 26, 2024•4 min•Ep 4674•Transcript available on Metacast Skating Polly - "Hickey King" from the 2023 album Chaos County Line on El Camino Media Tacoma-based punk-pop trio Skating Polly describes today's Song of the Day as "the most Skating Polly song" on their latest LP, a double-album titled Chaos County Line , out now via El Camino Media. Songwriters (and step-sisters!) Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse trade off vocals on the stripped-down single, inspired by a bad date Kelli went on. “In Peyton’s verse she’s talking about never knowing how far to go ...
Jan 25, 2024•4 min•Ep 4673•Transcript available on Metacast Hurry - "Beggin' For You" from the 2023 album Don't Look Back on Lame-O Records Philadelphia-based group Hurry released their sixth album last year, titled Don’t Look Back , a nod to a 1995 Teenage Fanclub song, if that gives you a hint to their influences. And today's Song of the Day brings that same jangly, power-pop goodness. The new album was produced by Ian Farmer (of Slaughter Beach, Dog, and Modern Baseball), and is out now via Lame-O Records. Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the s...
Jan 24, 2024•4 min•Ep 4672•Transcript available on Metacast Matt Pond PA - "Imagining Everything" from the 2024 album Call and Response on 131 Records Today's Song of the Day marks a homecoming for singer/songwriter Matt Pond who launched his career in 1998 as matt pond PA , but tried to ditch the name the past few years, releasing an album under the moniker The Natural Lines in 2022. But now, he's re-embraced his original band name with the release of this new single. "Our album as The Natural Lines was one of my favorite experiences in making music,” M...
Jan 23, 2024•3 min•Ep 4671•Transcript available on Metacast Bayonne - "Right Thing" from the 2023 album Temporary Time on Nettwerk Today's Song of the Day from Bayonne (a solo project from Austin, TX-based singer/songwriter Roger Sellers) is extra potent, not just for being a total new wave nostalgic groove, but because it was the last song Roger was able to play for his father before he passed away from cancer. “Approaching my mid 30s, I was having a lot of anxiety about life, music and the future – contemplating where I wanted to go creatively, which a...
Jan 22, 2024•4 min•Ep 4670•Transcript available on Metacast Ghoul Talk - I Just Like To Watch from the 2024 album I Want to Consume on Death Certificate Records Seattle's Ghoul Talk — a solo project of local artist Rachel King — brings an exhilarating ferociousness to today's Song of the Day, a track she declares her "favorite and most polarizing song so far." She describes the single as "a two-and-a-half minute relationship horror story about ignoring your intuition, written in a 100+ degree room." She tells KEXP, “I re-recorded the vocals many times, a...
Jan 19, 2024•3 min•Ep 4669•Transcript available on Metacast IDLES - "Dancer (feat. James Murphy & Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem)" from the 2024 album TANGK on Partisan Records Today's Song of the Day teams up two powerhouse KEXP faves: UK band IDLES and LCD Soundsystem ’s James Murphy and Nancy Whang . It's the first single from IDLES' forthcoming fifth full-length, Tangk , due for release on February 16th via Partisan Records. IDLES frontman Joe Talbot says the new album will be full of enchantment. "I needed love. So I made it," he says in a press...
Jan 18, 2024•3 min•Ep 4668•Transcript available on Metacast Stepan i Meduza - "Осеньs," a 2018 self-released single Ukrainian duo Stepan i Meduza evoke the spirit of early Depeche Mode on this captivating synthwave track. Kiev-based musicians Burkov Aleksandr (vocals, guitar, synth, programming, mixing) and Mashkin Dmitry (bass guitar, vocals, synth, programming) have been releasing music together for over a decade, starting with their 2012 debut LP Bludnitsa . Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystud...
Jan 17, 2024•4 min•Ep 4667•Transcript available on Metacast Dharmacide - "Horses/Divorces" a 2023 self-released single Hailing from Madrid, Spain, shoegaze quintet Dharmacide thrilled with their dreamy debut LP, Cult Band Member , in 2021. With today's Song of the Day, they achieve one of the ultimate shoegaze honors of working with Mark Gardener of genre-icons Ride, who mixed, mastered, and produced the track from his OX4 Studios. Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...
Jan 16, 2024•4 min•Ep 4666•Transcript available on Metacast Bien et Toi - "Haiku" from the 2023 Voici EP on Temple Records L.A.-based producer Gianluca Buccellati has been racking up accolades, especially for his work on the 2021 Arlo Parks album Collapsed in Sunbeams . He crafts just as much beauty on his own music, which he records under the name Bien et Toi. With its warm, sunny vibes, his latest EP — the six-song release Voici — is the perfect antidote to grey winter weather. "This collection of songs was created when I was in a completely carefree s...
Jan 15, 2024•3 min•Ep 4665•Transcript available on Metacast Bella Cuts - “Until Everybody Is Free” from the 2023 album Rise Up: BDS Mixtape Vol. 2 on Amplify Palestine “The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free” — Dr. Maya Angelou Berlin-based artist Bella Cuts originally wrote today's Song of the Day as an anthem for the Internationalist Queer Pride Berlin. It has since gone on to become the theme song for The Solidarity Index , a podcast "exploring cultural power for collective liberation." The track was built around a vocal sample...
Jan 12, 2024•6 min•Ep 4664•Transcript available on Metacast Bosq & Kaleta - “No Walls" from the 2023 compilation album By the People, For the People on House of Afandi Records Long-time collaborators Bosq & Kaleta team up again for an Afrobeat-inspired disco funk groove. Born Benjamin Woods in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Bosq is now based in Colombia where he has dominated dance floors with his blends of Afro-Latin music with Disco, Funk, Reggae, House, and Hip Hop. Singer/songwriter/producer/musician Leon “Kaleta” Ligan-Majekodunmi was born in Port...
Jan 11, 2024•5 min•Ep 4663•Transcript available on Metacast Baraari - "Habal (feat. Jurum) (prod. Julmud),” a 2023 self-released single Based in Ramallah, Palestine, MC/singer Baraari blends Arabic melodies with hip-hop in today's Song of the Day. When not recording her own music, she's also active in pre-production of different audio/visual projects with artists Basel Abbas & Ruanne Abu Rahme, and organizes events and private parties in Palestine. Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listen...
Jan 10, 2024•2 min•Ep 4662•Transcript available on Metacast Bint il Sham - "Ishtar” from the 2023 compilation album By the People, For the People on House of Afandi Records A relatively new singer/songwriter, Bint il Sham says her music is "driven by translating the journey of being a Palestinian refugee between Amman and Damascus." Her songs mix minimal electronica with poetry and sociopolitical messages related to her own experiences. Today's Song of the Day is the title track from her 2023 EP, inspired by the book Lugz Ashtar (or The Mystery of Ishtar...
Jan 09, 2024•4 min•Ep 4661•Transcript available on Metacast El Waili - “TGLY” from the 2023 compilation album By the People, For the People on House of Afandi Records Egyptian artist El Waili — a project of rapper/producer Kareem Gaber — takes his name from a neighborhood where he once lived in Cairo. "I started to produce music that translates my sonic experience while living in the El Waili neighbourhood," he told Egypt Today . "I wanted to deconstruct the urban noises and present a perspective and a feeling with a distinctive music style and drops." R...
Jan 08, 2024•3 min•Ep 4660•Transcript available on Metacast Hak Baker - "DOOLALLY" from the 2023 album Worlds End FM on Hak Attack Records / AWAL Hak Baker has penned a party anthem with today's Song of the Day. (It even garnered him a collaboration with spiced rum brand Sailor Jerry, who released a limited edition "DOOLALLY" bottle back in the summer.) The East London-based artist was born to a Grenadan father and a Jamaican mother, and combines his love of reggae and punk into his lauded debut LP Worlds End FM . “We thought we was big, big boys, going ...
Jan 05, 2024•3 min•Ep 4659•Transcript available on Metacast Aphex Twin - "Blackbox Life Recorder 21f" from the 2023 EP Blackbox Life Recorder 21f on Warp Today’s Song of the Day marks the first new music from electronic music icon Aphex Twin (aka Richard D. James) in five years. (And it's been nearly ten years since his last album, 2014's Syro .) His latest EP — titled Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / In a Room7 F760 — is a percussive-heavy delight. with a surprising synth-laden sensitivity. His signature glitchiness is ever-present, but the song also reflec...
Jan 04, 2024•4 min•Ep 4658•Transcript available on Metacast Afrosideral - "Aggayu El Immenso" a 2023 single on Ocha Records Under the moniker Afrosideral , multi-instrumentalist/producer/songwriter Kumar Sublevao-Beat explores the mystical side of his culture. On today's Song of the Day, in particular, he pays tribute to the Aggayú Orisha, which is said to be "an esteemed Yoruba deity of wilderness and change," most associated with powerful flowing forces like volcanic lava and raging rivers. (An "Orisha" is a divine spirit that play a key role in the Yo...
Jan 03, 2024•6 min•Ep 4657•Transcript available on Metacast Troy Kingi - "All Your Ships Have Sailed" from the 2020 album The Ghost of Freddie Cesar on All Good Absolute Alternative Records When he began his career, New Zealand-based actor/musician Troy Kingi set a goal to release 10 albums in 10 genres across 10 years, which he calls the "10/10/10 project." Today's Song of the Day comes from his funk-inspired album, which is also his most personal album: it was inspired by a cassette tape owned by his father, who tragically disappeared around Christmas ...
Jan 02, 2024•4 min•Ep 4656•Transcript available on Metacast Lord Echo - "Whoa! There's No Limit (feat. Mara TK)(Alternate version)" from the 2023 album Rarities 2010-2020: Japanese Tour Singles on Soundway Records. New Zealand-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Lord Echo (aka Mike Fabs) digs into the vault for a new compilation from London's Soundway Records, titled Rarities 2010 - 2020: Japanese Tour Singles . The title really does say it all: the eight-track LP shares digital versions of what were vinyl-only singles released only in Japan, at the...
Jan 01, 2024•4 min•Ep 4655•Transcript available on Metacast Freekind. - "Visualize" from the 2023 album Since Always and Forever on Butter92 Croatian duo Freekind. combines the talents of pianist and vocalist Sara Ester Gredelj and drummer Nina Korošak-Serčič. On their debut LP, Since Always And Forever , they craft a soulful sound with nods to pop, hip-hop, and jazz. Today's Song of the Day, in particular, brings a peaceful groove they say is meant to inspire. As they write on their website , "We were at a period in our lives where we had the possibilit...
Dec 29, 2023•3 min•Ep 4654•Transcript available on Metacast 
