New Music Reviews (9/29)

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 Geese, Neko Case, SPRINTS, and more. 

Geese - Getting Killed (Partisan)
Cameron Winter’s theatrical croon is bound to stop anyone in their tracks. He and the rest of the Geese crew — Emily Green, Dominic DiGesu, and Max Bassin — let it all hang out on their kaleidoscopic third studio album. With a mesmerizing soundscape built from layered keys, guitars, drums, and samples, Getting Killed is an epic, no-holds-barred art rock masterpiece that transcends time, space, and genre. Having cut their teeth as high schoolers, this band has continued to expand its innovative expression with each release, making it clear that the sky — if that — is the limit.  –CS

Neko Case - Neon Grey Midnight Green (ANTI-)
On her first album in over seven years, the inimitable Neko Case returns with one of her finest works to date. Neon Grey Midnight Green features ornate arrangements with sweeping strings, driving keys, her spellbinding vocals, and tender lyricism that come together to create a lush sonic landscape. Through vivid storytelling and compelling compositions, Case invites listeners to lose themselves in this treasure that feels both intimate and expansive. –CS

SPRINTS - All That Is Over (Sub Pop)
Less than two years after their explosive debut, Dublin quartet SPRINTS return with a ripping sophomore album. Building on their raucous garage punk roots, All That Is Over feels like a big step forward, with striking crescendos, sludgy subdued moments, and, of course, the fierce vocals, searing guitars, and pounding drums that first drew listeners in. The devil’s in the details, and the raw energy combined with artful intricacies will keep fans coming back for more. –CS

Absolute Losers - The In Crowd (We Are Busy Bodies)
Hailing from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Absolute Losers are a Canadian trio composed of brothers Sam and Josh Langille alongside their longtime friend Daniel Hartinger. Their second album is a strong set of anthemic power-pop and energetic jangle-pop with all three members sharing singing/songwriting duties that gives The In Crowd a confident, classic, communal alternative sound. –AR

Automatic - Is It Now? (Stones Throw)
The third studio album from LA-based trio Automatic is a masterclass in infectious, laid-back synth punk, boasting killer hooks, enticing arrangements, and smooth, often deadpan vocals. But don’t let their nonchalant delivery fool you. Is It Now? sounds the alarm, drawing attention to the evils that exist all around us. As Izzy Glaudini explains, it’s a reminder “not to fall into nihilism or cynicism, to instead see life through a bit of a spiritual lens. Despite the horrible shit constantly happening, life can still be mysterious and beautiful. I wanted to lean into a sense of dreaminess, and to have the verses feel like a dark lullaby.”  –CS

CARRTOONS - Space Cadet (+1)
The latest from NYC multi-instrumentalist and producer Ben Carr, aka CARRTOONS, is a dynamic, collaborative affair. With knockout guests from Haile Supreme to Erick the Architect, Space Cadet, despite its title, is a focused, groove-laden collection that blends R&B, soul, hip-hop, and jazz with flair and finesse. Walking a fine line between nostalgic and contemporary soundscapes, this transportive, deeply engaging album is one for the books. –CS

Cate Le Bon - Michelangelo Dying (Mexican Summer)
The seventh studio album from Welsh singer, songwriter, and producer Cate Le Bon finds the artist examining heartbreak through a prismatic pop lens. Michelangelo Dying weaves a rich, evocative sonic tapestry that spins a bright web out of melancholy, uncovering light within the darkness. With layered guitars, synths, saxophone, drums, and vocals, these densely textured, transformative gems are all consuming. –CS

crushed - no scope (Ghostly International)
Following the word-of-mouth success of their self-released 2023 debut EP extra life that was later reissued by Ghostly International in 2024, this American duo composed of LA-via-Texas musician Bre Morell and Portland-based musician Shaun Durkan deliver their debut full-length album and it continues to sharpen their magnetic blend of dream-pop, shoegaze, and trip-hop with a '90s-steeped alt-radio touch. With both artists sharing vocal duties across ‘no scope,’ there’s a steady undercurrent of romance, melancholy, and tenderness that runs throughout the record. –AR

Jeff Tweedy - Twilight Override (dBpm Records)
The new epic triple album from Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy showcases the singer, songwriter, and producer as a masterful storyteller. Intimate, intricate, and uncompromising, all three chapters of Twilight Override — which represent the past, present, and future — envelop the listener in Tweedy’s signature folk-inflected indie-rock soundscapes. Speaking on this ambitious undertaking, he shares: “Whatever it is out there (or in there) squeezing this ennui into my day, it’s fucking overwhelming. It’s difficult to ignore. Twilight Override is my effort to overwhelm it right back. Here are the songs and sounds and voices and guitars and words that are an effort to let go of some of the heaviness and up the wattage on my own light. My effort to engulf this encroaching nighttime (nightmare) of the soul.” –CS

Purity Ring - purity ring (the fellowship)
On their first studio album in over five years, innovative future pop duo Purity Ring return with a stunning concept record, imagined as the soundtrack to a fictional role-playing game. Megan James’ enchanting, celestial vocals float above Corin Roddick’s cinematic soundscapes, built from sparkling synths, driving beats, pan flutes, and touches of classical piano and guitar. With its mesmerizing peaks and valleys, their self-titled fourth full-length is a truly spellbinding listen. –CS

SHIMA - Welcome to SHIMAJIMA (Young Art)
The debut album from LA-based Japanese musician SHIMA is a euphoric set of pop-infused electronic bliss. Aptly titled, Welcome to SHIMAJIMA is packed with earworm after earworm, luring listeners into her magnetic blend of “East-meets-West electronic.” Through pulsing beats, bright synths, and multilingual vocals, this former J-Pop girl group singer makes a bold reintroduction with a strong first solo outing. –CS

Smokey Brights - Dashboard Heat (Share It Music)
The sixth album from this veteran Seattle band is another sharp set of anthemic indie rock, folky indie pop, and fuzzy power-pop packed with soaring melodies, buoyant harmonies, and a robust, full-bodied sound. “Northgate Way” and its hyper-specific referential lyrics kicks off the album with a sweet nod to the band’s entrenched Pacific Northwest roots. –AR

SONS - Hallo ([PIAS] Recordings)
The third studio album from Belgian four-piece SONS is a dense, urgent, and melodic collection of explosive garage rock. With angular guitars, emphatic vocals, incendiary drums, and dark undertones, Hallo feels like a reintroduction to the quartet. Emphasizing intent and expression, the band sharpened their focus while working with producer David McCracken. Lead vocalist and guitarist Robin Borghgraef explains, “More than once, the lyric served as the foundation of a song, whereas before we took a different approach: make up riffs, figure out a song and add lyrics. This new approach added depth to the album.”  –CS

Cochemea - Vol III: Ancestros Futuros (Daptone)
For the third and final chapter in his epic quest to explore and express the spiritual connection between his art and his Yaqui and Mescalero Apache Indian ancestry, NYC-via-California saxophonist, composer, and Dap-Kings member Cochemea Gastelum taps into a cosmic, amorphous, instrumental-rich blend of jazz, funk, ambient, and psychedelic styles. –AR

Hash Adams & WIZDUMB - Worst Case Scenario (Lo-Flydelity)
Portland-based rapper Hash Adams teams up with Seattle hip-hop triple threat WIZDUMB (aka Alex Hupp) for a solid set of playful, blunted, jazzy hip-hop that aesthetically taps into WIZDUMB’s affinity for sample-happy, loop-heavy, '90s-era boom-bap. Each track is named after a beloved cultural figure with a slant towards iconic PNW athletes – “Ken Griffey,” “Shawn Kemp,” “Bill Walton,” “Marshawn Lynch” – and WIZDUMB cleverly uses samples to spice up each cut with a nostalgic touch. –AR

KennyHoopla - conditions of an orphan// (GARBAGEHILL)
The fifth EP from Cleveland-born, Wisconsin-raised musician KennyHoopla follows up his transformational 3-song EP rebirth // renaissance – released less than four months ago – with another palette-expanding EP that finds him bringing back traces of his major-label pop/punk roots to his evolving alternative rock sound. The result captures an early 2000s energy that often brings to mind the buzzy, pulsating anthems of Bloc Party’s early output, and serves as the final EP ahead of his debut full-length album. –AR

Lila Iké - Treasure Self Love (Ineffable)
The debut album from Jamaica’s rising reggae star Lila Iké, born Alecia Tameka Grey, is a vibrant fusion of reggae, R&B, soul and dancehall. With intoxicating rhythms, sultry vocals, and exceptional guest performances from Joey Bada$$, Protoje, Masicka, Maverick Sabre, and H.E.R., Treasure Self Love marks Lila Iké’s official and much-celebrated arrival after several years of making waves in the scene. –CS

Meklit - A Piece of Infinity (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings)
The latest album from Addis-born, San Francisco-based Ethiopian-American vocalist, songwriter, composer, and cultural activist Meklit Hadero continues to explore her organic, cross-cultural, jazzy neo-soul music that’s all rooted in traditional Ethiopian folk music. Over lush, expressive backdrops, Meklit sings in multiple native languages, including Kembata, Amharic, and Oromo, along with two songs in English, yielding an adventurous, welcoming, interconnected record that’s “an invitation to think, to love, and to groove.” –AR

Night Tapes - portals//polarities (Nettwerk)
The debut full-length album from this London trio is a consistently solid set of immersive, atmospheric, introspective dream-pop with hints of trip-hop carried by Iiris Vesik’s hushed vocals and airy melodies that glide smoothly over the band’s warm synths, gently propulsive beats, and swirling textures. Early single “pacifico” samples Souls of Mischief’s classic song “93 ‘til Infinity” and flips it into a standout slice of breezy dream-pop. –AR

Snuggle - Goodbyehouse (Escho)
Perfectly at home on Danish label Escho alongside labelmates Molina, Astrid Sonne, Fine, and Smerz, the debut album from Copenhagen duo Snuggle is an impressive set of dreamy indie rock, sophisticated guitar-pop, hazy art-pop, and cozy shoegaze with intermittent string flourishes that add a chamber-pop sensibility to their deceptively expansive palette. –AR