Briston Maroney - Under My Skin

Nappy Nina - "Prayer Posture (feat. JusMoni)" from the 2023 album Mourning Due on LucidHaus. On her latest LP Mourning Due, Nappy Nina, as she puts it, "considers grief a currency and questions who is owed what." The Oakland-born/Brooklyn-based artist delivers vulnerable lyrics in her distinctive rapid-fire style, like a conversation with a friend who's had too many cups of coffee.  Mourning Due features a plethora of guests, including Moor Mother, Mavi, lojii, maassai, Cavalier, Stas Thee Boss, and on today's Song of the Day, JusMoni. The track is produced by Nina's frequent collaborator, Nelson Bandela. "Prayer Posture" explores the uncertainty of life. As Nina raps "Shit won't last on some quarter notes / I may laugh but I'm hoarding hope and reading my homies' horoscopes," JusMoni coos in a following line, "I feel like the worlds on fire / none of us know how to swim." It's a relatable emotion, that resonates throughout the whole reflective album.  Read the full story at KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 Mars 20232min

Lavarr the Starr & Shabazz Palaces - "Glass Top Roof (The One)" from the 2023 album Illusions Ago on Glass Cane Records. Like many of Ishmael Butler's projects, this collaboration between Lavarr the Starr & Shabazz Palaces is shrouded in mystery. Their Bandcamp tells us they're based in Lagos, Nigeria, and that today's Song of the Day features "Lavarr sings of blissing, riding around with 🧁 sun roof peeled tunes floating cuz Love Ain't Dead." Luxuriate in a backyard hang with the track's accompanying video, directed by Natalie Worgs for gIRLS aBOUT pECKHAM productions. Read the full story at KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Mars 20232min

Zari Alexandria - (Gotta Get) Over You from the 2022 self-released Congratulations, I'm Angry EP. 19-year-old Zari Alexandria has been honing her vocal abilities since childhood, performing in choir and musical theater and delving into songwriting at fourteen. After spending the past five years sharpening her skills and finding her sound, she released her debut EP Congratulations, I’m Angry in 2021. Made up of six tracks of emotionally-charged R&B/pop tracks, it’s an excellent introduction to an artist determined to climb her way to the top. Our Song of the Day is the EP’s lead single “(Gotta Get) Over You,” a heartbreak banger led by a synth piano line and a softly driving electronic drum beat. In it, Alexandria relays an all-too-familiar story for many of a romantic partner stringing her along and the final realization that she’s just gotta get over them because “You make me feel bad.” Alexandria will be competing in this year’s 2nd annual 21-and-under Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) music showcase, Sound Off! She’ll be performing on Saturday, March 4th alongside other up-and-coming local artists Midpak, Podesta, and Wyatt Silva. Watch the official video for the Congratulations, I’m Angry track “Be Gone” and read the full post at KEXP.org.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 Mars 20234min

Yves Tumor - Echolalia from the 2023 album Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) on Warp. Genre-bending visionary Yves Tumor is set to release their fourth full-length Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) on March 17th and the anticipation couldn’t be higher. After breaking through in a big way with their acclaimed 2020 record Heaven To A Tortured Mind, Tumor has been proving their rock god excellence through their expertly crafted blend of rock, psychedelia, R&B, and electronica as well as their larger-than-life androgynous stage persona. The second single off the album, released in February, is our Song of the Day “Echolalia.” Led by syncopated drumming and a buzzing guitar riff, the song churns with momentum as Tumor sings of an all-consuming kind of love to a person referred to as “God” and the madness a love like this provokes. Meanwhile, the spoken-word interlude advises against this. “If you say you love me and you, like, your happiness only depends on me, it might not be true love. Maybe it's something you need and you want, but you think it's love, it's not love.” The song comes with a striking video directed by Jordan Hemmingway which leans on a Gulliver’s Travels-type theme, with a team of tiny Tumors taking down one giant one. Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) is produced by Noah Goldstein (Frank Ocean, Rosalía, Drake, Rihanna, Bon Iver), and mixed by Alan Moulder (My Bloody Valentine, Nine Inch Nails). It also features contributions from Chris Greatti (Yungblud, WILLOW), Yves Rothman (Girlpool, Amaarae) and Rhys Hastings. Watch the video for “Echolalia” and read the full post at KEXP.org.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Mars 20233min

Petite Noir - "Simple Things (feat. Theo Croker)" from the 2023 album MotherFather on Roya. Petite Noir (real name: Yannick Ilunga) shares a message of empowerment on today's Song of the Day.  “’Simple Things’ is about taking back your power,” the Congolese artist states in a press release. “It’s a song for the people, to embrace harmony, reject division, and recognise that freedom comes from within.” The track features trumpet from Grammy-nominated, Floridian jazz musician Theo Croker, and will appear on his forthcoming sophomore LP MotherFather, out April 14th via Roya Records. It'll be his first new release since 2018's mini-album La Maison Noir / The Black House, and his 2020 singles “Alive” and “Through the Bad Times.” Read the full story at KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Mars 20233min

M83 - "Amnesia" from the 2023 album Fantasy on Mute. Earlier this month, M83 shared six songs from their forthcoming ninth LP Fantasy, due out March 17th via Mute. In a press release, primary songwriter/frontman Anthony Gonzalez claims it'll be his most intimate release yet. "I wanted to be more present lyrically and vocally even if that was daunting at first. I thought if I could achieve that, this album will be more personal than those that came before.” He adds, “I wanted this record to be very impactful live. The idea was to come back with something closer to the energy of [his 2005 album] Before the Dawn Heals Us. The combination of guitars and synths is always in my music, but it’s maybe more present on this new record than on the previous ones.” You can experience the impact yourself when M83 stops in Seattle for two dates at Showbox SoDo on May 10th and 11th. Read the full story at KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

28 Feb 20234min

June McDoom - "On My Way" from the 2022 June McDoom EP on Temporary Residence Ltd. Singer/songwriter June McDoom taps into her family history for her music: her parents relocated from Jamaica to New York City in the 1970s. As an adult, she began listening to folk artists from that era, like Joan Baez and Judee Sill, vintage soul from The Delfonics and The Supremes, and reggae artists her family listened to, like Alton Ellis and Phyllis Dillo. On her self-titled debut EP, she infuses these influences through a mix of analog and digital recording techniques.  “‘On My Way’ is about making my way through life while sharing it with another person," she told Beats Per Minute. "About how grounding and scary it can be to share a life with someone, while both working to fulfill life’s passions and dreams. Living in NYC always feels like a journey just getting from one place to another and life can feel just the same.” "I recorded several versions of this song, with earlier versions at a slower tempo. Then one day I had an idea to try recording it one more time from scratch a little faster, after continually feeling like it needed something more/dragged a bit and it ended up fitting a lot better so we followed through with that final arrangement. With the tempo change of the final version, I wanted to also texturally mirror the message of traveling and working towards a destination with low and high moments." Read the full story at KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 Feb 20233min

Pilot Seat - Spinning Circles a 2022 self-released single. The Shoreline, WA-based band Pilot Seat only just started playing together in 2021 and released their first three singles in 2022 but have already made a name for themselves locally with a strong legion of loyal fans huddled closely to the stages they’ve played. The video for their second single “A Place Like Nowhere Else” has already racked up 2.7k views in the five months since its release which is nothing to scoff at for a band just at its beginning. Our Song of the Day, “Spinning Circles,” is their third and latest release and shows the band at their dreamiest. The song starts with a jangly guitar melody and softly cooed lyrics about the anxieties that plague the mind late at night with the song building and bursting with cathartic release, mimicking the moments of letting go. Pilot Seat will be competing in this year’s 2nd annual 21-and-under Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) music showcase, Sound Off! They’ll be performing on Saturday, February 25th alongside other up-and-coming local artists King Zaae, defsharp, and lavenderhayez. Watch the official video for “A Place Like Nowhere Else,” directed by Quang Nguyen, and read the full post at KEXP.org.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

24 Feb 20233min