New Music Reviews (4/20)

Each week, KEXP’s Music Director Don Yates  (joined this week by DJ Alex) shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases. See what's coming up this week below, including reviews for new releases from Fiona Apple, EOB, R.A.P. Ferreira, and more.

Fiona Apple —Fetch the Bolt Cutters (Epic) 
This veteran Venice Beach artist’s fifth album (and first in eight years) is a masterful set of percussion-driven avant-pop inflected with hints of vaudeville, blues and other styles, combining a stark, rhythmic and often-playful sound combining piano, guitar, bass and drums along with hand claps, foot stomps, dog barks, chanting and more with her elastic vocals and sharply crafted, often hard-hitting lyrics calling out toxic masculinity while celebrating love, connection and solidarity. — DY

EOB — Earth (Capitol) 
The debut solo album from Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien bounces from expansive prog and psych-rock to Manchester dance-rock, acoustic folk, and more. Produced by Flood with a stellar supporting cast, the album combines a lush, intricate sound with hypnotic melodies. — DY

R.A.P. Ferreira — Purple Moonlight Pages (Ruby Yacht) 
R.A.P. Ferreira is a new alias of prolific Maine-raised, Nashville-based rapper/producer Rory Ferreira who recently retired his long-running moniker as milo and has also put out releases as Scallops Hotel. His latest album is another enthralling set of adventurous left-field hip-hop that showcases his creative vocal style, exceptionally robust vocabulary, vividly unpredictable storytelling, and crafty wordplay over warm jazzy beats that bounce between meditative and invigorating energies. Purple Moonlight Pages' top-notch beats comes courtesy of production trio The Jefferson Park Boys that includes legendary Los Angeles underground producer Kenny Segal and features guest vocal appearances from Open Mike Eagle and Mike Ladd. — AR

Las Kellies — Suck This Tangerine (Fire)
The 6th studio album from this Argentinian duo comprised of Cecilia Kelly and Silvina Costa is a brilliant set of infectious, groovy, urgent post-punk that consistently thrills with unstoppable bass lines, ripping lead guitar, funky drum breaks, and vocals that are clever, cheeky, and incisive. — AR

Once And Future Band — Deleted Scenes (Castle Face)
This Oakland-based band’s second album is an adventurous blend of ‘70s-steeped prog-rock, psych-pop, jazz and more, featuring a colorful, intricately detailed sound with shape-shifting arrangements. — DY

Peggy Sue — Vices (French Exit)
Now a decade into their career, this British duo comprised of Katy Young and Rosa Blade unveil their 4th album of excellent, catchy, and clever pop that's infused with grunge, surf, power-pop, and 60s-girl group flavors. — AR

Nazar — Guerrilla (Hyperdub)
The debut album from this Manchester, UK-based Angolan producer is a captivating set of experimental electronic beats with a uniquely personal and political backstory. The son of a guerrilla Rebel General who was heavily involved in the Angolan civil war, Nazar documents his and his family's personal story of the tragic war and its aftermath in a detailed and episodic manner throughout Guerrilla while showcasing a visionary sound billed as "Rough Kuduro" that takes the high-energy dance music that was birthed in Angola in the late 1980s and flips it into gritty, dramatic, abstract territory. — AR

Roane Namuh — Petrichor EP (Liquid Beats)
The latest EP from this Portland-based DJ/producer is a sharp set of hip-hop, funk, R&B, soul, and boogie that carries a strong summery West Coast vibe. While his pair of crispy instrumental cuts stand out on their own, he gets vocal boosts along the way from Count Bass D, Nanna.B, Blossom, and others. — AR

Charlotte Dos Santos — Harvest Time EP (Because Music) 
Three years after her impressive debut album Cleo, Berlin-based Brazilian-Norwegian soul singer, composer, and producer Charlotte Dos Santos delivers a new EP (and Because Music debut) that yields another warm and welcoming set of earthy, feathery, jazzy neo-soul led by her stunning voice and gorgeous backdrops enhanced with jazz and Afro-Latin influences. — AR

Jamie Isaac — 3 EP (Marathon Artists)
The latest EP from this London-based vocalist and producer is another strong set of moody, nocturnal, magnetic R&B that's reminiscent of the dimly-lit UK soul of Jamie Woon mixed with the sexy, mysterious, breezy vibes of Rhye. The release is entirely co-produced by innovative Los Angeles electronic producer Nosaj Thing, who adds a stronger electronic foundation to the mix. — AR