New Music Reviews (5/19)

Each week, Music Director Chris Sanley and Associate Music Director Alex Ruder 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 Adult Mom, Kali Uchis, Tune-Yards, and more. 

Adult Mom - Natural Causes (Epitaph)
On their fourth studio album, NY-based Adult Mom unveil their most honest, self-assured collection to date. Self-produced as a cohesive unit with engineer Chance Cypress, frontperson Stevie Knipe’s vocals and raw lyricism guide the way through folk-inflected indie rock and jangle-pop gems, adorned with embellishments of keys, strings, and horns. Natural Causes is equal parts warm and ferocious, intimate and urgent, showcasing a band that perfectly embodies the idiom: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. –CS

Kali Uchis - Sincerely, (Capitol)
The fifth studio album from Colombian-American visionary Kali Uchis is a sultry, seductive set of raw and heartfelt alt-R&B. With her stunning vocal acrobatics mesmerizing listeners throughout, Sincerely, floats seamlessly from track to track–mostly staying in the contemporary R&B lane, while peppering in some flourishes of doo-wop on standouts like “All I Can Say.” In a world with few absolutes, it’s comforting to know that Kali Uchis will always deliver – and it will never sound like anything she’s done before. –CS

Tune-Yards - Better Dreaming (4AD)
Rejoice! Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner return with their sensational sixth studio album, Better Dreaming. Bursting with technicolor sound, the album features endless grooves, captivating rhythms, vivid textures, and, of course, Garbus’s signature vocals. Their intoxicating, adventurous art pop shines on standouts like “Limelight” and “How Big Is The Rainbow,” while more subdued moments – such as the title track – reveal the duo’s restraint, offering listeners a peek behind the veil and showcasing the precision of their artistry. The result is a collection of vibrant pop songs that highlight Tune-Yards’ remarkable evolution and musicianship. –CS

Ezra Furman - Goodbye Small Head (Bella Union)
The latest album from Chicago-born, Boston-based Ezra Furman feels at once like a natural evolution of her previous work and an entirely new beginning. These dynamic songs blend elements of orchestral pop, folk punk, and indie rock, featuring a string section, samples, guitars, propulsive percussion and her commanding, emotive vocals delivering gut-wrenching lyrics. Goodbye Small Head is a true triumph, showcasing her singular vision and her ability to find light in the dim void. Speaking about the album, Furman shares: “Is it dark? Yeah! Is it also wonder-struck, laced with psychedelic beauty, triumphant in its wounded way? Yeah again. And by the end of it, the whole thing flames out in a burst of good old-fashioned rock and roll …”  –CS

M(h)aol - Something Soft (Merge)
The sophomore studio album from Irish trio M(h)aol is not only rough around the edges; it is ripped, torn, jagged, and sharp as hell. With angsty guitars, ferocious vocals, and explosive drums, Something Soft showcases their experimental, angular post-punk through a distinct feminist lens as they explore themes of consumerism, misogyny, and emotional detachment. Walking the line between melodic and avant-garde, these expertly crafted songs give listeners plenty to return to. –CS

Miso Extra - Earcandy (Transgressive)
The highly anticipated debut album from London-based Miso Extra packs a lot into just twelve short songs. Earcandy is playful, commanding, and irresistible, featuring killer hooks, inventive production, and intoxicating bilingual vocals. Her unique blend of future-pop, ‘90s R&B, an electronica showcases a distinct point of view as she shares stories of “growing through your mistakes and not being afraid to get things wrong. There are some deep messages in there but it’s surrounded by sweet earcandy – that spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down.” –CS

Preoccupations - Ill at ease (Born Losers Records)
The fifth studio album from Calgary’s Preoccupations is a thrilling set of new wave-inflected post-punk. The moody soundscapes – crafted with muddied guitars, menacing drones, bright synths, dark lyrics, and Matt Flegel’s theatrical vocals – are equal parts modern and nostalgic, making for an entrancing listen through all eight dynamic tracks. –CS

Soot Sprite - Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon (Specialist Subject)
The debut album from this Exeter, UK-based trio fronted by Elise Cook is a potent set of sweeping alternative rock and epic bedroom rock that mixes shoegaze, grunge, and emo elements to serve as the backdrop to Elise’s urgent, expressive, dark-yet-triumphant lyrics. -AR

spill tab - ANGIE (Because)
Unencumbered by genre, LA-based French-Korean singer, songwriter and producer Claire Chicha – aka spill tab – steps out and steps up with her debut full length. Featuring her breathy vocals, dreamy bedroom pop structures, innovative production, and enticing sonic manipulations, ANGIE marks an exciting and confident official arrival for spill tab. –CS

Tagua Tagua - RAIO (Wonderwheel Recordings)
Brazilian producer and composer Felipe Puperi – aka Tagua Tagua – brings all the grooves on his third studio album. With his effortless fusion of psych-pop, Tropicália, disco, and neo-soul, RAIO finds Puperi singing in both English and Portuguese over funky basslines and bright keys, priming listeners for the dancefloor. –CS

Yuno - Blest (Sub Pop)
The long-awaited debut album from NYC-based musician and producer Yuno does not disappoint. Joyfully kicking off with the infectious title track, Blest bobs and weaves through moments of melancholy, euphoria and vulnerability. His captivating fusion of bedroom-pop, indie rock, psych-pop, trap, and emo – paired with his smooth, emotive vocals – completely grips the listener. –CS

100%WET - 100%WET (Crunchy Frog)
The debut album from this Copenhagen-based duo composed of guitarist/producers Jakob Birch and Casper Munns is a bold, confident, skyscraping affair that puts their massive “hypergaze” sound on full display. Featuring big, fuzzy, blown-out productions and huge hooks, 100%WET stir together elements of shoegaze, hyperpop, drum’n’bass, grunge, trip-hop, acid house, and alt-pop to dizzying, enveloping effect, and they invite a handful of different vocalists to brilliantly accent their celestial sound. -AR

Bouquet - Spellbreaker (Ulrike Records)
The latest from LA psych pop duo Bouquet – their first album in ten years – walks a fine line between past and present, blending the nostalgic ‘60s pop of Laurel Canyon with contemporary, folk-tinged dream pop. With Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs’s crystalline vocals at the helm, she and Max Foreman weave luminous textures that unfold into prismatic pop perfection. –CS

EKKSTACY - FOREVER (UnitedMasters/Dine Alone)
The fourth full-length album from this enigmatic Vancouver, BC-based artist is another solid set of raw, anguished, heart-on-sleeve alternative rock that further establishes his buoyant yet gloomy blend of guitar-pop, new wave, post-punk, punk, grunge, and youthful alt-pop/rock. -AR

Friendship - Caveman Wakes Up (Merge)
Fronted by Dan Wriggins and his captivating vocal style that pairs a distinctive baritone with nuanced, poetic storytelling, Philadelphia band Friendship deliver smart, memorable, rootsy folk-rock in a similar lane as David Berman, Bill Callahan, and MJ Lenderman. Their fifth album and second on Merge Records is a painterly collection of tender and poignant songs, highlighted by the stunning early single “Free Association.” -AR

Ilajide - POCKET JAMS 2 (self-released)
Detroit rapper/producer and Clear Soul Forces member Ilajide delivers a fresh uptempo hip-hop sound on his second POCKET JAMS album, a series he launched back in 2022 that seeks to create a “perfect fusion of rap and funk.”  -AR

Madame Gandhi - Let Me Be Water (We Make Noise)
The debut studio album from London-based artist and activist Madame Gandhi is a deep, soulful collection of reflections, mantras, and celebrations. Created in collaboration with 50 women and gender-expansive creatives, Let Me Be Water stands as a true testament to unity, resilience, and the interconnectedness of the human spirit. Blending electronic elements, rhythmic percussion, global influences, and spoken word, these positive indie-pop affirmations are inspiring and uplifting – especially in a time when such messages are urgently needed. Speaking about the album, Madame Gandhi says: “It is about flow. It is about acceptance. It is about existing without pushback. I do feel very much like a butterfly out of the cocoon on the other side. I feel more in my power energy, and when we show up for ourselves, it ends up being medicine for others.” –CS

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - Carpe Diem, Moonman (What Reality?)
The seventh studio album from this Perth-based five-piece is another rippin’ journey through their captivating and adventurous brand of psych-rock. Boasting big, fuzzy guitars, memorable melodies, and frontman Jack McEwan’s emphatic vocals, Carpe Diem, Moonman packs a punch. –CS

Surprise Chef - Superb (Big Crown)
The fourth album from this Melbourne-based quintet is a sweet set of instrumental beats that brew together jazz, funk, hip-hop, and soul elements to create their own moody, groovy sound packed with slippery basslines, fresh keys, spaced-out synths, hypnotic drums, fresh guitar licks, and proper cool-out vibes. -AR

Tanika Charles - Reasons To Stay (Record Kicks)
The latest album from Toronto’s Tanika Charles is another confident set of classic soul, timeless R&B, and analogue funk that would sound right at home on Daptone Records. -AR

Your Grandparents - The Dial (drink sum wtr)
The latest album from this Los Angeles trio – producer Cole Thompson and vocalists DaCosta and Jean Carter – is a promising set of colorful, breezy, expansive hip-hop with a youthful, refreshing genre-hopping spirit that folds R&B, jazz, and indie pop sensibilities into its lively mix. -AR