New Music Reviews (6/30)

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 Adrian Quesada, Arc De Soleil, Daisy the Great, and more. 

Adrian Quesada - Boleros Psicodélicos II (ATO)
Austin-based singer, songwriter, producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Adrian Quesada unveils the second volume of his Boleros Psicodélicos project. Deeply rooted in collaboration, the album features co-production from Alex Goose and contributions from Angélica Garcia, Hermanos Gutiérrez, Daymé Arocena, and others who help bring his technicolor vision to life. Fusing psych, '60s and '70s Latin soul, experimental pop, and jazz, these moody, intoxicating soundscapes feel both timeless and futuristic, beautifully showcasing Quesada’s singular brilliance. –CS

Arc De Soleil - Lumin Rain (Maison)
The new album from composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Kadawatha, aka Arc De Soleil, is a masterclass in hypnotic groove. With a spellbinding fusion of guitar-driven psych, rock, and global sounds, Lumin Rain is expansive and cinematic, carving out well-deserved space for Arc De Soleil alongside contemporaries like Khruangbin and Glass Beams. –CS

Daisy the Great - The Rubber Teeth Talk (S-Curve)
The third album from this Brooklyn duo composed of Mina Walker and Kelley Dugan is an excellent set of dynamic, catchy, expansive indie rock distinguished by their soaring harmonies and youthful, angsty energy that bounces from muscular jams (“Ballerina”) to tender ballads (“Mary’s At The Carnival”) to playful alternative anthems (personal fave, “Dream Song”). –AR

Frankie Cosmos - Different Talking (Sub Pop)
The sixth studio album from NYC’s Frankie Cosmos is a beautifully bittersweet collection of compelling storytelling. Written entirely by Greta Kline and arranged, performed, and produced with her bandmates Alex Bailey, Hugo Stanley, and Katie Von Schleicher, the four-piece masterfully crafts infectious, ornate indie rock soundscapes centered on Kline’s clever, coming-of-age lyricism. Shifting from fuzzed-out rock to dreamy bedroom pop, Different Talking captures the quartet’s range and ever-evolving sonic palette. –CS

Gelli Haha - Switcheroo (Innovative Leisure)
Welcome to the Gelliverse. Described as “somewhere between Studio 54 and Area 51,” the debut album from LA-based Gelli Haha is a playful and adventurous exploration of synth-driven art-pop. With syncopated rhythms, lively arrangements, vivid textures, and inventive production, Switcheroo is a fun, quirky, and completely captivating listen. –CS

Madison McFerrin - SCORPIO (MadMcFerrin Music)
Fiercely independent producer, musician, and powerhouse vocalist Madison McFerrin is back with her hypnotic sophomore album. Written in the aftermath of a breakup, SCORPIO is raw and honest, with intimate lyrics carried by her dynamic, otherworldly vocals. Weaving jazz, electro-pop, rock, and gospel into a captivating mix of soul and R&B, she moves effortlessly from melancholic ballads to bold anthems of heartache, striking listeners with deeply emotional precision. –CS

Mocky - Music Will Explain (Choir Music Vol. 1) (Stones Throw)
The latest album from Los Angeles-based Canadian musician, singer, producer, and do-it-all artist Dominic Salole (aka Mocky) marks his first for Stones Throw Records and it’s an immaculate showcase of his warm, lush, orchestral soul music. Written in an attempt “to capture the essence of humanity in an increasingly digital and artificial world,” there’s a nostalgic, analog-rich, feel-good charm to Mocky’s music, which gets a boost from a 16-piece choir that includes Moorea Masa, Nia Andrews, Maylee Todd, and Nana Adjoa. –AR

Sharpie Smile - The Staircase (Drag City)
The debut album from LA-based duo Sharpie Smile is one hell of an introduction–or rather, a re-introduction, as this marks a new chapter for Dylan Hadley and Cole Berliner, formerly known as Kamikaze Palm Tree. Their expansive electronic art-pop shines throughout The Staircase, showcasing Hadley’s dreamy vocals, entrancing beats, shimmering synths, intriguing manipulations, and magnetic production. –CS

Smut - Tomorrow Comes Crashing (Bayonet)
Chicago-based outfit smut returns with their incendiary third studio album. With an irresistible blend of post-punk, shoegaze, grunge, and bedroom pop, Tay Roebuck’s expressive vocals move freely from smooth and sweet to a ferocious snarl, embodying her deeply emotive lyricism. Showcasing memorable guitar lines, sharp hooks, and enthralling textures, Tomorrow Comes Crashing is a triumph. –CS

Cid Rim - SPRINT (LuckyMe)
The fourth studio album from Austrian drummer, producer, songwriter, and vocalist Clemens Bacher (aka Cid Rim) finds him adding a brighter and more joyous spin to his mesmerizing, adventurous, futuristic hybrid-pop nuggets. Inspired by skipping out an Austrian winter for the first time in his life in favor of an extended sunny stay in Mexico, SPRINT continues to reveal his labyrinthian production talents, next-level drumming, and leftfield pop instincts, yet there’s a sunnier sense of wonder and optimism to these thrillingly complex, frenetic, catchy songs. Lead single “Yes” is a euphoric Caribou-esque anthem, while “Light Me Up” plays out like a kinder cousin to The Prodigy’s “Firestarter.” –AR

Dana and Alden - Speedo (Concord Jazz)
The third album from this Eugene, Oregon musical duo composed of brothers Dana and Alden McWayne is a creative, freewheeling, wonderfully dizzying journey through their kaleidoscopic jazz/psych/pop vision. Carried by a consistently playful and exploratory spirit, Speedo boasts an ability to swim from starry-eyed psych-pop to sophisticated smooth jazz and over to sultry R&B ballads with ease, effectively bringing a refreshing energy to the jazz world. –AR

Dávila 666 - Dávila 666 EP (In The Red Records)
We weren’t expecting new music from Dávila 666, but their return came right when it was needed most — delivering the perfect closing act to their trilogy. Chloë Sevigny was Act I: Illusion, where street fantasy took shape through seductive riffs and pop attitude. Then came Secretos (Act II: Confession), an introspective, psychedelic journey. Act III: Confrontation marks the rawest, most political and cathartic chapter in their narrative, opening with “Juracán,” where the sound of rain sets the exact tone of fear every Boricua feels when a storm approaches. In this new EP, the Puerto Rican band boldly covers “Demolición” by Los Saicos, pioneers of Peruvian garage punk. Act III is another powerful way to celebrate Caribbean American Heritage Month this June. –AC

Empanadas Ilegales - Sancocho Trifásico (We Are Time)
Empanadas Ilegales are a Vancouver, BC-based ensemble formed from  late-night jam sessions among friends with roots in Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, and Canada. Their latest album is a strong showcase of their vibrant, groovy, psychedelic sound that fuses cumbia, salsa, surf rock, and a touch of jazz in colorful, confident fashion. –AR

Jeanines - How Long Can It Last (Slumberland)
The third studio album from the NYC/Massachusetts outfit Jeanines is a charming blend of folk-tinged ‘60s pop and lo-fi jangle rock. The juxtaposition of heavy lyricism, which explores themes of personal upheaval and identity, with breezy melodies across these short but oh-so-sweet tracks strikes a perfect balance. –CS

Juan Wauters - MVD LUV (Captured Tracks)
For his seventh studio album, New York-based Juan Wauters returns to his hometown of Montevideo, Uruguay, recording there for the first time. Sung in both Spanish and English, MVD LUV reflects Wauters’ deep love for his city, with rich, vibrant psych-pop and indie-folk soundscapes. –CS

Mareux - Nonstop Romance (Revolution)
The second album from this solo project of LA-based Iranian-American musician Aryan Ashtiani is a sweet set of brooding darkwave and icy synth-pop. There’s a murky, rugged, lo-fi allure to Mareux’s catchy, dimly-lit songs, which yields a pair of highpoints with the addictive title track and the cinematic early single “Ébène Fumé” that features a soaring guest appearance from LA-based vocalist Riki. –AR

Ryli - Come and Get Me (Dandy Boy)
The debut album from this Oakland band led by vocalist Yea-Ming Chen and guitarist Rob Good and “fueled by friendship and a love of classic pop songwriting” is an impressive set of DIY indie pop gems packed with jangly guitars, scrappy rhythms, and sweet melodies. –AR