Live on KEXP

Genre-hopping London three-piece PVA arrive at this juncture as one of the most dynamic and exciting new bands in the country, intuitively blending club music and a smart pop sensibility with the more organic elements and instrumentation of new-wave and post-punk. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson chats with the band on their unorthodox formation and how they brought the club to the studio for their d...

Genre-hopping London three-piece PVA arrive at this juncture as one of the most dynamic and exciting new bands in the country, intuitively blending club music and a smart pop sensibility with the more organic elements and instrumentation of new-wave and post-punk. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson chats with the band on their unorthodox formation and how they brought the club to the studio for their d...

It’s been often spoken about how, while the past year has been incredibly trying for most, for many it was also a moment of calm and self-reflection that was long-needed. For Langhorne Slim this appears to be the case, as he tells John Richards during his Live on KEXP at Home session. While it sounds tough to glean anything good from the compounding of a global pandemic, struggling with sobr...

It’s been often spoken about how, while the past year has been incredibly trying for most, for many it was also a moment of calm and self-reflection that was long-needed. For Langhorne Slim this appears to be the case, as he tells John Richards during his Live on KEXP at Home session. While it sounds tough to glean anything good from the compounding of a global pandemic, struggling with sobr...

If perfect pop songs made of punchy drums, rich chords, emotional dynamics, and just heaps and piles of vibe are your thing then we suggest you get familiar with mononymously named Claud. Earlier this year the 21-year-old musician made their album debut with ‘Super Monster’ to pretty much unanimous acclaim. Listen to their performance, as well as an interview with DJ Evie about how Dan...

If perfect pop songs made of punchy drums, rich chords, emotional dynamics, and just heaps and piles of vibe are your thing then we suggest you get familiar with mononymously named Claud. Earlier this year the 21-year-old musician made their album debut with ‘Super Monster’ to pretty much unanimous acclaim. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson charts Claud’s trajectory from food-named b...

Best-known as a multi-instrumentalist and co-lead singer in Durand Jones & The Indications, Aaron Frazer broke out on his own earlier this year with his debut solo album, ‘ Introducing… ’   In Frazer’s interview with DJ Morgan, he confesses that it was a fateful call from the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach that pushed him to step into the spotlight. Recorded...

Best-known as a multi-instrumentalist and co-lead singer in Durand Jones & The Indications, Aaron Frazer broke out on his own earlier this year with his debut solo album, ‘ Introducing… ’   For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson gives a brief introduction to the falsetto crooner before sharing snippets of Frazer’s interview with DJ Morgan in which he confesses that it...

On the heels of releasing her first project since 2019’s acclaimed full-length debut Miss Universe , an EP titled Feeling Lucky , Nilüfer Yanya joined Cheryl Waters for a virtual live session for KEXP. Joined by co-conspirator Jazzi Bobbi, Yanya played three songs from the EP and a cover of fellow Londoner PJ Harvey.  Recorded 03/01/2021. Same Damn Luck Crash Day 7.5093 Rid Of Me (...

On the heels of releasing her first project since 2019’s acclaimed full-length debut Miss Universe , an EP titled Feeling Lucky , Nilüfer Yanya joined Cheryl Waters for a virtual live session for KEXP. Joined by co-conspirator Jazzi Bobbi, Yanya played three songs from the EP and a cover of fellow Londoner PJ Harvey. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson delves into some of the interesting aspe...

Atlanta wunderkind Faye Webster is on the cusp of releasing her fourth studio album, 'I Know I’m Funny haha,' out June 25th via Secretly Canadian. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson details the anomaly of Webster’s music, which draws as much from the lap-steel singer-songwriter pop of the 1970s and teardrop country tunes as it does from the audacious personalities of her city’s rap an...

Atlanta wunderkind Faye Webster is on the cusp of releasing her fourth studio album, 'I Know I’m Funny haha,' out June 25th via Secretly Canadian. For her six-song, full-band set, recorded at Tweed Studios in Athens, Georgia, Webster plays a number of new songs from the forthcoming album, as well as her 2019 'Atlanta Millionaires Club’ track, "Kingston.” Recorded 03/09/2021....

After over 25 years in the game, Mogwai are a band that should need no introduction. Yet, perhaps because of their primarily instrumental nature, the Scottish post-rock band only recently received their first chart-topping album with 2021’s 'As the Love Continues.' Hitting No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart this past February, the record builds upon the emotively expansive world-constructing sound...

As you may know, last year we started producing intros for each episode, providing insights and backstory for the session you were about to hear. While many listeners are enjoying this added context, we've also heard that some of you miss our old format. Based on that feedback, we've decided to upload a second version of each episode every Tuesday, starting May 18th. That second version will conta...

After over 25 years in the game, Mogwai are a band that should need no introduction. Yet, perhaps because of their primarily instrumental nature, the Scottish post-rock band only recently received their first chart-topping album with 2021’s 'As the Love Continues.' Hitting No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart this past February, the record builds upon the emotively expansive world-constructing sound...

Korean American musician Margaret Sohn has been dealing with the syndrome that inflicts nearly everyone in creative fields from time to time. Her sophomore EP as Miss Grit, ‘Impostor,' tackles that feeling head-on in ways both intimate and inventive.  For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson fills us in on the producer, engineer, singer, effects pedal builder, and composer before she plays a...

Since 2008, Luz Elena Mendoza has been blending indie, Latin, folk, and pop music in eclectic, inventive ways under the name Y La Bamba. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson takes us through an abbreviated version of Mendoza’s journey from lo-fi self-produced recordings to working with a vast array of talented musicians and producers out of Portland. Her Live at KEXP at Home performance sees Mendoz...

Tennessee-born, Brooklyn-based artist Valerie June fuses folk, soul, gospel, country, and blues for a blissful blend of Southern charm. Her latest release, 2021’s 'The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers' is made up of “Songs with healing messages that keep our dreams a reality.” For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson delves into the lush new album, co-produced by Jack Splash (Kend...

With two EPs and a seemingly endless number of accolades from nearly every tastemaker in the music industry under her belt, it’s an understatement to say that Arlo Parks’ debut album was highly anticipated. Released in January, ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’ lives up to the hype and reflects the artist born Anais Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho’s compassionate, friendly, and poet...

Malawi-born and Boston-based musician Anjimile has more resilience and fortitude than your average 27-year-old. After battling alcoholism, the queer trans artist turned to music during recovery which has produced a special gift in the form of their 2020 debut album, 'Giver Taker.' For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson delves into Anjimile’s fascinating life story and the influences that would push t...

As Troy Nelson details in this week’s Live on KEXP,  Jean-Sébastien Yves Audet has created an incredibly large body of work for only 24 years on this planet. After putting out music under the names Un Blonde, Faux Fur, You Are Minez, Darren Wantz, and Zouk Fuck, his latest project as Yves Jarvis is probably his most palatable thus far. Intimate and evocative, the textured warmhea...

A skillfully quick-witted musician, Stella Donnelly rose from the secluded coastal beaches of Perth to a world-touring artist by being uncompromisingly candid. Her debut album ‘Beware of the Dogs,’ released in 2019, sees Donnelly address misogyny and sexual assault in a direct but humorous way. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson charts her journey from Wales to Australia to Secretly Canadia...

In an effort to explain the context of the land from which the desert blues rockers Songhoy Blues reside, Troy Nelson delves into the meaning behind the commonly-used phrase, “From here to Timbuktu” and the history of the Malian city. From there, Nelson charts the progression of the trio that make up Songhoy Blues, from refugees to Nick Zinner collaborators to Glastonbury performers to...

“I meant to behave.  There were just too many other options.” While this quote comes from paranormal romantic thriller writer Darynda Jones, it could easily be applied to British producer and rapper Tricky. An early pioneer of trip-hop, he’s never been afraid of pushing boundaries. Troy Nelson delves into Tricky’s musical and personal evolution over the past 25 years o...

“Age is just a number. It’s irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine.” This Joan Collins quote sets the tone for this week’s Live on KEXP, which uses wine vintage as a metaphor for the incredibly difficult year in which Slow Pulp’s latest album, 'Moveys,' was made. Over the course of Spring 2019 until its release in October 2020, the band dealt...