Briston Maroney - Under My Skin

The Lasso - "No Illusions (feat. Ill Camille & A. Billi Free)" from the 2021 album 2121 on Mello Music Group. Detroit-based producer Andy Catlin records under the name The Lasso, an apt title as he's able to round up a dozen guest rappers and vocalists for his latest album 2121. (Today's Song of the Day brings in the vocal talents of New Mexico-based vocalist A. Billi Free and Los Angeles-based rapper Ill Camille.) These collaborators received instrumental demos created throughout 2019 and early 2020, and, as The Lasso told Bandcamp, “the finished product wasn’t something I would have ever thought of or composed.” “Some of the harmonies, nobody thought of them [first],” he continued, “because I sent the track out to three people at the same time, and they didn’t hear each other. They sent their work back to me, and I used one of each of their notes.” Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 Apr 20213min

Noname - "Rainforest," a 2021 self-released single. Since the release of her outstanding 2018 debut, Room 25, Chicago rapper Noname (real name: Fatimah Nyeema Warner) has stepped away from music a little, focusing on social justice by reading books on anti-capitalism, sharing resources and links to non-profit organizations on Twitter, and then in 2019, launching the Noname Book Club, a way for her to "highlight progressive work from writers of Color and writers within the LGBTQ community" with books being donated to those who are incarcerated. With her triumphant return to music, she speaks out against mass rainforest destruction, tweeting, "anyone who listened to my new song rainforest should read and share this." The single was produced by The Kount and features additional vocals from Adam Ness; and, it's the lead single from her just-announced album Factory Baby (release date TBA). She also tweeted that there would be no merch to support the song, but encouraged fans to donate to the Noname Book Club Patreon to help them send more books to incarcerated members. Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Apr 20212min

Beautiful Chorus - "I Am (feat. India.Arie)," a 2021 self-released single. Beautiful Chorus is a group that truly lives up to its name. The project was launched in 2021 by Alexandra Love, previous vocalist for Solillaquists of Sound and Chakra Khan. With Beautiful Chorus, she aimed to "spread a harmony-infused soundscape of interconnectedness, ease, and joy," a goal they've surely surpassed with their beautiful, introspective pieces. Today's Song of the Day pairs them with the Grammy Award-winning R&B artist India.Arie. On their YouTue page, the state, "this song is about reaching the inner chamber of ourselves, summoning forth all we desire, and deeply realizing that we have all we need and are all we desire to be." Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5 Apr 20214min

Boom Bap Project - "Hagler Vs. Hearns," a 2021 self-released single. Nightclubber Lang, Destro Destructo, and DJ Tre are the NW hip-hop trio Boom Bap Project, who first hit the scene at the turn of the millennium. The Trox-produced “Hagler Vs Hearns,” their first new music in almost 15 years, is the lead single to their upcoming album Return Flight, featuring beats from Trox, Vitamin D, and Craig Rip. The group call the song "an ode to the greatest fight in boxing history and a nod to the legend Marvelous Marvin Hagler (RIP)." Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Apr 20213min

Juan Wauters - "Presentation (feat. Nick Hakim & Benamin)," a 2021 single on Captured Tracks. On his latest single "Presentation," Juan Wauters, a longtime resident of Jackson Heights, pays tribute to New York City in this collaboration with artists Nick Hakim and Benamin. "'Presentation' was made one night when Nick, Benamin and I met at Nick's studio in Brooklyn," Wauters stated in a press release. "Nick and I had only met a few times before and Benamin and I met that night. We all hit it off really well and made this song that was built by all of us pitching ideas." He continues: The lyrics are a mash up from a bunch of notes I had scattered on my cell phone. There are many references to other songs, some obvious some not so much. I’d rather not disclose that since that’s the fun for you, the listener. I wanted the video to be an ode to early NYC hip hop in a very cliché way. It was filmed during the summer of 2020. At that time, there weren’t many people around the city, a lot of transplants had left and there were no tourists, so that painted the city in a very special tone. Nick, Ben and I met at a playground in Maspeth, Queens with Matthew Volz where we shot some casual footage of us to the song. The day after Matthew and I went to the Bronx to meet with a young crew of breakdancers. It was a really hot day. We filmed with them for about an hour. The dancers really brought the house down. It was so cool to see them all vibe to the music. We also filmed at Central Park’s Alice In Wonderland statue to connect some lyric references. In many ways, unintentionally, the song as much as the video came out to be a big shoutout to NY and things that have come out there. New York has been one of the main powers pushing behind my creation and this is me saluting it again. Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Apr 20212min

Cheekface - "Listen to your Heart.” "No." from the 2021 album Emphatically No. on New Professor Music. L.A.-based trio Cheekface bring their signature sense of humor to their sophomore release Emphatically No., out now via New Professor. Today's Song of the Day challenges the toxic positivity of self-help. "This is obviously a song about the negative messages your brain sends to you when you are suffering with a mental illness," guitarist/vocalist Greg Katz told Flood Magazine. His songwriting partner/bassist/vocalist Amanda Tannen added, "I remember while writing this one I was getting more comfortable with saying 'no' in general. But also feeling judged by so-called 'self-help' fads. You can say 'no' to anything supposedly good for you, or bad, reminding myself that only I can make that decision for myself." Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

31 Mars 20212min

Vegyn - "B4 the Computer Crash," a 2021 single on PLZ Make It Ruins. Back in 2019, LA-via-London producer Joe Thornalley (better known as Vegyn) was struggling with depression, an episode that influenced his latest EP, Like a Good Old Friend, out now via Plz Make it Ruins. “A friend let me stay at their house and they happened to have a piano,” he told The Face. ​“I was like ​‘cool, OK, I’m just gonna try and figure this thing out.’ My chords are definitely weird, but to me they’re not weird. I’m really just playing with shapes and trying to lean into the emotive quality of the music.” As the title of the EP would suggest, the new release features several of Thornalley's pals, including Owen Pallett, rapper Jeshi, lap steel guitarist Daniel Aged, London rapper John Glacier, and more. On today's featured track, Vegyn pairs up with multidisciplinary artist and pianist Duval Timothy, who brings his jazzy sensibility to this house-inspired, glitchy, yet somehow still smooth track. Check it out below, via a video by Richard Phillip Smith and Noah Burke. Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 Mars 20214min

Figmore - "Rosie," a 2021 single on Fresh Selects. Figmore combines the talents of Renton-raised producer 10.4 Rog (stream his Midnight in a Perfect World mix here) and JUICEB☮X, a rapper, multi-instrumentalist, and producer from Westchester, NY. Now based in Los Angeles, the duo combine psych, R&B, and hip-hop on their debut album Jumbo Street (out now via Fresh Selects). Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

29 Mars 20214min