In Our Headphones

Crows - "Garden of England" from the 2022 album Beware Believers on Bad Vibrations Records. London-based quartet Crows released their sophomore dark and fuzzy post-punk record Beware Believers in early April. Written during the summer of 2019, Song of the Day “Garden of England” takes its inspiration from the complicated and controversial Brexit elections. “This is straight-up our Brexit anthem,” frontman James Cox explains. “Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t care less which way you voted, your vote, your choice. I just hated how much Brexit had become so ingrained in our day to day life. First thing I’d hear about when I woke up and the last thing I’d read before I went to sleep at night. It became all people spoke about. ‘Garden of England’ is more of a comment about the divisiveness it caused, splitting families, friends, widening the north-south divide and empowering nationalism. Public figures’ ability to lie publicly and not be held accountable, it’s just dangerous dog-whistle politics that doesn’t belong in the UK.” The song is accompanied by a video directed by Joe Hoffman and Phoebe May, with Hoffman explaining, “When chatting with a boxer mate one day, he mentioned a friend at his club who was a career ‘Journeyman’. He explained this was a boxer who was not skilled enough to go pro, but was all the same good enough to fight around that level. The Journeyman makes a career by being paid, often weekly, to lose fights (unbeknownst to many of the crowd). When up-and-coming boxers are looking to progress to the next stage of their career, they need an unbroken streak of say 12 wins. When they are nearing this streak after maybe 10 wins, the coach often doesn’t want to risk them losing at this point so they will employ a Journeyman to put on a good show, and ultimately lose the fight.” “I found this to be a fascinating concept,” he continues. “As I imagine it to be a real battle of the psyche for a Journeyman. They love the sport, but to partake and make a living in it they must fight to lose, and with this often lose the respect of their peers too. Many Journeymen work hard during the week, as low paid labourers or similar, and then will be paid a few hundred quid at the weekend to step into the losing ring. I’m sure it must be a battle in their head, but ultimately it will put food on the table and get them in the ring. The idea that he is a loser out of choice, and the fact he gets paid for it, brings into question who in this story is the actual loser? Is it the Contender? Is it the Journeyman? Or is it the crowd? I think maybe it’s all of them and none of them.” Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Francis of Delirium - "The Funhouse," a 2022 single on Dalliance Records. Fronted by 20-year-old dynamo Jana Bahrich, the Luxembourg-based band Francis of Delirium brings a moody, yet driving alt-rock sound to today's Song of the Day. On their latest single, Bahrich says she was inspired by the disarray we experience daily.  “'The Funhouse' is largely about how we are adapting to the chaos that is present in our everyday lives," she shared in a press release. "The way it can feel that the world is crashing down around us and in order to protect ourselves, we become numb to the sheer terror of it all. Sort of like walking through a funhouse and attempting to remain unphased by the mayhem that surrounds you.” Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ukrainian band Chaka Gettz discusses their creative process and music journey, sharing insights on their 2-year activity before their first track release. They talk about composing, changing, and improving songs in their cozy studio in Kharkov. The trio's debut EP Daytime Eraser features '90s-inspired songs dedicated to indie-rock icon Kim Gordon.

Hello Mary - "Sink In," a 2022 self-released single. Today's Song of the Day comes from Brooklyn trio Hello Mary, who formed when band members Helena Straight (vocalist/guitarist), Mikaela Oppenheimer (bassist), and Stella Wave (drummer/vocalist) were still teenagers. They released their debut album Ginger back in 2020. Earlier this year, we were thrilled to premiere this latest single, along with its sister song "Stinge." As KEXP's Tia Ho reported, the singles were produced by Bryce Goggin, who brought his experience working with '90s guitar-heavy bands like Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement to the studio.  Wave told KEXP, “‘Stinge’ is a passion-filled, sad/angry song focusing on the polarizing emotions and back and forth feelings that come with nearing the end of a relationship (friend, romantic partner etc.), “Sink In” puts the relationship to rest. The feeling is less angry, and more accepting of the new state of things.”  She added that the two new tracks are "more mature on all fronts," adding, "Most of the songs on Ginger were written when Helena and Mikaela were 14 years old. The song writing, even though it can be catchy and fun, is pretty amateur in comparison to the new songs. Our ‘sound’ has become more unique since we have been playing together for longer. It’s more Hello Mary.” Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Black Tones - "The End of Everything," a 2022 single on Sub Pop. Seattle twin sibling duo The Black Tones made a splash in 2019 with their gritty debut full-length Cobain & Cornbread which saw Eva and Cedric Walker utilize blues, soul, and grunge to explore topics both light and heavy. While “Ghetto Spaceship” and “Mama! There’s a Spider in My Room” veered towards the former, songs like “The Key of Black (They Want Us Dead)” swung so dramatically towards the latter that it was clear the Walkers have important things to say. Since then, they’ve been using their art primarily just for that - to voice their concerns about the issues, be it political or personal, of the present moment. The George Floyd protests inspired them to write “My Name’s Not Abraham Lincoln” in the summer of 2020 and, most recently, the culmination of two years of personal anxieties, grief, and anger led to our Song of the Day, “The End of Everything.” Named after the book The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by Katie Mack, the song confronts the fact that, whether it’s the second coming of who or whatever you believe in, this will all end. A variety of gods and religious symbols - Jesus, Buddah, Allah, Confucious - are shouted out in the sludgey ‘90s-indebted scorcher that features vocals from former Talking Heads backing singer and member the 1970s disco group The Ritchie Family, Edna Holt. “This song is not a jab at religion or anything like that,” Eva Walker told American Songwriter in an interview. “This song is saying, it doesn’t matter what you believe in, the second coming of whoever or whatever, this is all going to be over and it feels like humans might be speeding up that process.” Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Quinton Brock - "There For You," a 2022 single on Shadow Panther. With an ambitious goal to “change rock music forever,” Quinton Brock is clearly not shy about his pursuits. The former singer of the bluesy surf rock duo The Get Money Squad has been slowly releasing singles under his government name over the past couple of years that prove he just might do it too. With a penchant for breezy R&B-tinged indie rock that’s typically played by artists of a paler complexion, Brock is on an ever-growing list of black artists reclaiming rock. Highly influenced by Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the lost godmother of rock and roll, who melded spiritual lyrics with electric guitar (shredding long before Elvis gyrated his way to becoming to the “King” of rock n’ roll), Brock similarly fuses genres. Our Song of the Day, “There For You,” utilizes surf rock guitar tones with R&B production for a sunny ditty about love. “This song is so close to me,” explains Brock. “An ode to a past love. The song fades out in the end the same way love sometimes fades away. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.” Watch the video for “There For You,” directed by Allen Jiang, at the link below. Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Magdalena Bay - "Secrets (Your Fire)" from the 2021 album Mercurial World on Luminelle Recordings. Electro-pop duo Magdalena Bay share their struggles with social media on today's Song of the Day. “‘Secrets’ is about interconnectivity, privacy, and digital anxiety,” band members Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin shared in a press release. “It’s also about a need to keep sharing, to keep giving up more and more of yourself to faceless strangers in the hopes of making friends or fans.” Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Congotronics International - "Where's The One?," a 2022 single on Crammed Discs. Congotronics International is truly a global affair: this supergroup comprises members of Konono Nº1, Kasai Allstars, Deerhoof, Juana Molina, Wildbirds & Peacedrums, and Skeletons’ Matt Mehlan. Their forthcoming full-length, Where’s The One (due April 29th via Crammed Discs), was crafted over ten years, with files being emailed across four continents, sent from Kinshasa DRC, Buenos Aires, New Mexico, New York, Stockholm and Brooklyn.  “There was no rational explanation behind what was going on, it was just direct, immediate experience on both sides. Things you think are impossible just happen,” Vincent Kenis of Crammed Discs said in a press release (Kenis is the co-founder of Kasai Allstars and curator/producer of the Congotronics series). Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TV Girl x Jordana - "Jump the Turnstile" from the 2021 album Summer's Over on Summer's Over. Los Angeles-based group TV Girl have a long history with NYC artist Jordana. The pair have toured together, and a collaborative EP seemed like a natural next step. Titled Summer’s Over, the seven-song release combines Jordana's heavenly voice with the west coast trio's sample-heavy style.  TV Girl set off for their first headlining European tour later this year, and Jordana releases her debut studio album, Face The Wall, on May 20th via Grand Jury. Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ODESZA - "The Last Goodbye (feat. Bettye LaVette)," a 2022 single on Foreign Family Collective/Ninja Tune. In Early February, ODESZA returned from a four-year hiatus to drop the cinematic soulful single, “The Last Goodbye.” Featuring reworked vocals from Bettye LaVette’s 1965 soul/R&B track “Let Me Down Easy,” the track is a six-minute spine-tingling epic blending the Grammy-nominated duo’s electronic grooves with LaVette’s heartwrenching vocals to stirring effect. “This song was born out of the concept of trying to bring these lasting, defining musical pieces like the 1965 release of “Let Me Down Easy” by Bettye LaVette into a modern and contemporary electronic setting,” explained Clayton Knight and Harrison Mills of the song. “The idea of bringing two worlds together, that at first seem distant, has always been something we’ve been drawn to. It was an absolute honor to be able to work with Bettye’s voice over the course of writing the track. She’s able to convey emotion with her vocal work unlike any other. To date, this has been one of the more fulfilling songs we’ve had the chance to work on as artists.” The song comes from ODESZA’s forthcoming fourth studio album of the same title, which according to a press release, is said to be their most ambitious and personal album to date and includes contributions from a number of notable artists including Låpsley, Ólafur Arnolds, Julianna Barwick, Izzy Bizu, and Charlie Houston. The video for “The Last Goodbye” artfully highlights the power of the instrumentation (including KEXP’s Eva Walker on bass!) and features archival footage of LaVette performing “Let Me Down Easy.” Watch it at the link below. Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.