New Music Reviews (11/10)

Each week, Music Director Chris Sanley and Associate Music Director Alex Ruder (joined this week by Albina Cabrera, Latin Partnerships and Editorial Manager and co-host of El Sonido) share brief insights on new and upcoming releases for KEXP's rotation. These reviews help our DJs decide on what they want to play. See what we added this week below (and on our Charts page), including new releases from Emi Pop, ROSALÍA, Hatchie, and more. 

Emi Pop - No Te Voy a Extrañar (Fink City)
The debut full-length album from Puerto Rican-born, Seattle-based Emi Pop is a lively and catchy-as-hell blend of punk, indie-rock, and power-pop. With scrappy guitars, explosive drums, bright synths, and anthemic choruses, No Te Voy a Extrañar (which translates to “I’m Not Going to Miss You”) showcases her distinctive sound that feels equal parts fresh and familiar. After emerging in the local scene in the summer of 2023, these ten tracks perfectly capture her irresistible vision and vibe, setting the stage for more Puerto Rican rocanrol goodness to come. –CS

ROSALÍA - LUX (Columbia)
With LUX, Rosalía delivers her most ambitious album to date — one where, according to her, the lyrics take center stage. Following MOTOMAMI, the Catalan artist returns with a conceptual work of emotional reconstruction, framed by orchestral grandeur — specifically, the London Symphony Orchestra — and sung in 13 different languages. The album explores the mystical delusions of a restless soul, seeking to transcend the earthly in order to return transformed. It includes a total of 18 tracks, counting the three exclusive physical edition songs: “Focu ’Ranni,” “Jeanne,” and “Novia Robot.” Collaborations are unexpected, such as “Berghain” featuring Björk and Yves Tumor; “La Perla” with Yakima locals Yahritza y Su Esencia; “Memoria” with Carminho; and, according to still-unconfirmed rumors, Frank Ocean on “Porcelana.” Production was handled by her frequent collaborators Noah Goldstein and Dylan Wiggins; Pharrell; and arrangements by Caroline Shaw and Puerto Rican composer Angélica Negrón, among others. LUX fuses flamenco, sacred music, ambient, and experimental electronic, as Rosalía dissects love and fame in pursuit of freedom. –AC

ES:  Con LUX, Rosalía entrega su álbum más ambicioso, en el que, según ella, las letras son el centro de la atención. Luego de MOTOMAMI, la artista catalana regresa con una obra conceptual de reconstrucción amorosa, usando un paraguas orquestal — el de la Sinfónica de Londres — y cantada en 13 idiomas. El disco navega los delirios místicos de un alma en pena, buscando trascender lo terrenal para regresar transformada. En total, son 18 canciones, si incluimos las tres exclusivas de la versión física: “Focu ’Ranni”, “Jeanne” y “Novia Robot”. Las colaboraciones son inesperadas, como “Berghain” junto a Björk y Yves Tumor; “La Perla” con los locales de Yakima, Yahritza y Su Esencia; “Memoria” con Carminho; y, según rumores aún no confirmados, Frank Ocean en “Porcelana”. La producción estuvo a cargo de sus ya conocidos colaboradores Noah Goldstein y Dylan Wiggins; Pharrell; y los arreglos de Caroline Shaw y la boricua Angélica Negrón, entre otros. LUX fusiona flamenco, música sacra, ambient y electrónica experimental, donde Rosalía disecciona el amor y la fama con el objetivo de encontrar la libertad. –AC

Hatchie - Liquorice (Secretly Canadian)
The third album from Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Harriette Pilbeam, aka Hatchie, is a bittersweet set of infectious indie pop. Featuring her signature honeyed vocals, vibrant guitars, introspective lyrics, and addictive hooks, Liquorice is a glowing reminder of why we fell in love with Hatchie in the first place.  –CS

Mavis Staples - Sad And Beautiful World (ANTI-)
The fourteenth solo album from iconic singer and activist Mavis Staples further cements her status as a living legend. Centered on her powerful, singular voice, Sad And Beautiful World is a community effort built around mostly reimagined songs by Frank Ocean, Sparklehorse, Kevin Morby, Gillian Welch, Tom Waits, and others, along with a new original song co-written by Allison Russell and Hozier. With ornate arrangements, a cast of talented players and guests including Jeff Tweedy, Justin Vernon, Bonnie Raitt, and Katie Crutchfield, and production from Brad Cook, this collection is an earnest plea for peace, joy, and unity in a fractured world, delivered through ten heartfelt songs that blend soul, gospel, and folk as Staples’ rich, gravelly, and expressive vocals cut straight to the bone.  –CS

Sorry - COSPLAY (Domino)
The third studio album from London outfit Sorry is a moody collection of melancholic post-punk and grunge. With dark, labyrinthine twists and turns, COSPLAY is a wholly captivating listen featuring expressive vocals, gripping guitars, sinister keys, and ominous textures. Moving effortlessly between hushed expression and explosive release, these eleven innovative tracks highlight the band’s inventive spirit and impressive evolution.  –CS

Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers - GLORY (Mom+Pop/Community Music)
The second album from this Australian band co-fronted by Anna Ryan and Scarlett McKahey is a potent set of energetic, muscular, anthemic rock packed with big hooks, soaring guitars, youthful angst, and loads of swagger. There’s a brash, snarling, exuberant charisma that runs throughout GLORY, delivering an album that’s “the sound of the bus ride home after a night out, mascara smeared and battery on 1%.” –AR

Tomo Nakayama - Ocean (Porchlight)
The fourth solo album from this beloved Seattle musician and former Grand Hallway frontman is another wonderful set of melodic, intimate, folky indie-pop that’s tender, poetic, reflective, and buoyant. Backed here by pianist Yuuki Matthews (The Shins), bassist Abbey Blackwell (Alvvays), and drummer Christopher Icasiano (Fleet Foxes), Ocean is a return to Tomo’s expansive, lush, graceful singer-songwriter realm after a turn towards 80s-steeped synth-pop on his excellent 2020 album ‘Melonday,’ and this communal-minded focus is enhanced by songs that touch upon “grief, healing, and the meaning of creating art and maintaining humanity in a tumultuous world.” –AR

SML - How You Been (International Anthem)
The second album from SML, the experimental jazz supergroup composed of Anna Butterss, Jeremiah Chiu, Josh Johnson, Booker Stardrum, and Gregory Uhlmann, is a scintillating showcase of groove-forward improvisation. Recorded live across Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle (at The Tractor!), and NYC, these thirteen exhilarating tracks exude life and reflect the chaotic nature of modern times. With an intoxicating blend of jazz, electronic, krautrock, and psych, How You Been is a transportive, innovative collection of essential contemporary jazz fusion.  –CS

Whitney - Small Talk (self-released)
The fourth studio album from Chicago duo Whitney marks both their first self-produced and first self-released project. But don’t let the DIY spirit fool you, Small Talk, while deeply personal, feels larger than life. Boasting warm, lush, symphonic soundscapes filled with swells of strings, flutes, keys, guitars, and delicate percussion, Julien Ehrlich’s signature falsetto guides listeners through a set of wistful, pop-tinged folk-rock gems.  –CS

Yalla Miku - 2 (Bongo Joe)
The second album from this Geneva, Switzerland-based five-piece outfit is a thrilling set of adventurous genre-blurring global music with a vibrant, restless, daring pulse. Appropriately described as “culture colliders” and co-founded by Bongo Joe Records co-founder Cyril Yeteria, Yalla Miku brew Krautrock, mutant disco, psych, Afrobeat, dub, trance, experimental electronics, and post-punk together, and further enhances this hybrid sound with traditional Middle Eastern and East African flourishes for a frenetic, mesmerizing, transportive journey. –AR

Black Polish - YUNA (BMG)
The sophomore album from LA-based musician Jayden “Jay” Binnix, aka Black Polish, is a thrilling, genre-bending set of menacing euphoria. Inspired by their alter-ego Yuna, they move through a tangled web of rock, R&B, electronic, pop, and experimental soundscapes to explore the darkest corners of their psyche. They explain: “My therapist said one day, ‘In order to love yourself fully, you have to love and forgive all the things you want to hide.’ This album is essentially a love letter to that side of Jay; the obsessive, the manipulative, the aggressive, the dirty, the lustful, and the recklessness that they desperately try not to be. Of course, no one wants to be that person, but you have to forgive yourself to grow into the next version of yourself.” –CS

HighSchool - HighSchool ([PIAS] Australia)
Following a run of impressive EPs and singles, this London-based, Melbourne-raised Australian band deliver their debut full-length album of gauzy, melancholic, coming-of-age guitar-pop with splashes of New Wave, post-punk, and shoegaze that combines chiming guitars, steady rhythms, and smeared downcast vocals in an alluring fashion. While it’s largely a consistent sound and vibe throughout, synth-heavy album closer “Colt” distinctively switches gears for a New Order-esque highlight. –AR

Jaime Rosso - Away (Domino)
The debut EP from this British musician is a sweet set of groovy, soulful, kaleidoscopic dance-pop that fuses infectious psych-tinted house rhythms, low-key vocals, and airy melodies with a sample-happy aesthetic that brings to the likes of Moodymann, Toro y Moi, Joe Goddard, and Daphni. –AR

Jordana - Jordanaland EP (Grand Jury)
The new EP from LA-based singer-songwriter Jordana is a charming set of bright, infectious indie pop. Featuring gripping hooks, sweet vocals, and intimate lyricism, Jordanaland is described as “an oasis from the chaos, where tampons are free, everything is easy, and Luther Vandross is vice president.” –CS

Kurious - God’s Time (Casual Dad)
Legendary NYC-based rapper Jorge Alvarez, aka Kurious, returns with his sixth studio album. Entirely produced by DJ K-Rec, the two take a masterful tightrope walk between ‘90s boom bap and contemporary hip-hop, showcasing Kurious’s introspective flows over infectious grooves and intoxicating beats.  –CS

Monte Booker - noise ( meaning ) (EQT Recordings)
Monte Booker is a Chicago producer whose innovative blend of hip-hop and electronic styles found an early home on Soulection before a steady run of collaborations with the likes of Smino, Ravyn Lenae, Noname, Saba, Vince Staples, Doechii, Mick Jenkins, Sango, Ari Lennox, JID and many more. His debut album is a sweet reflection of his magnetic, loose, and shifty sound as he twists fresh, fleeting, genre-fluid beats through an adventurous prism with assists from Smino, Ravyn Lenae, Mereba, chlothegod, Planet Giza, Nami, Young Pink, reggie, and VITA. –AR

Møtrik - EARTH (Jealous Butcher)
The fourth full-length from Portland outfit Møtrik is a delightfully wild, synth-heavy celebration of krautrock. With trance-inducing arrangements built on driving basslines, propulsive percussion, potent guitars, and layered synths, EARTH is an imaginative, psychedelic trip. –CS

Pansy - Skin Graft (Earth Libraries)
The second release from this Seattle-based four-piece band fronted by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Vivian McCall (also The Stranger's News Editor) is a strong set of classic indie rock with a power-pop touch that closes out with a pair of more tender, sparse, folky tunes. Whereas Pansy’s 2021 self-titled debut album explored Vivian coming out as a trans woman, Skin Graft tackles her experiences post-transition and trying to live a normal life in an increasingly hostile environment. –AR

Robert Glasper - Keys to the City Volume One (Loma Vista Recordings)
The latest offering from legendary Houston-bred pianist/producer Robert Glasper is another stellar display of his versatile jazz sound as he wraps hip-hop, R&B, funk, and electronics into his soulful sound. Culled from different sessions performed during his five-year residency at NYC’s iconic Blue Note venue, Keys to the City Volume One features standout collaborations with Black Thought (covering The Roots’ seminal “Step Into the Realm”), Meshell Ndegeocello (covering Ready For the World’s all-time slow jam “Love You Down”), Norah Jones (covering André 3000’s influential “Prototype”), Thundercat (covering Chick Correa’s “Paint the World”), and Yebba (“Over”), alongside additional appearances from Bilal, Esperanza Spalding, and T3 of Slum Village. In keeping with Robert’s tradition of doing wild Radiohead covers, he also tackles an epic rendition of “Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box.” –AR

Sessa - Pequena Vertigem de Amor (Mexican Summer)
The third studio album from São Paulo-based artist Sergio Sayeg, aka Sessa, is an expansive collection that expertly blends bossa nova, soul, psych, Tropicália, and folk. With technicolor arrangements that feature lively percussion, strings, alto sax, guitars, and flutes, these richly textured songs serve as a true salve for the soul.  –CS

TATYANA - Amour Armour (Sinderlyn)
The latest EP from London-based electronic producer, DJ, singer, and songwriter TATYANA finds her furthering her sights on the dancefloor with a stellar set of pulsating jams that fuse magnetic house rhythms with a crystalline avant-pop sensibility. –AR