Bet you thought you'd seen the last of us until the Fall! Well, we're back with four stacked newsletters for the remainder of the Summer! In this one, you'll find reviews of new releases from Arca, Porridge Radio, Ohmme, Clarence the Kid and Juan Solorzano. Enjoy, listen, and keep wearing those masks, kiddos.

- Lucy Talbot Allen, Music Writing Director

Porridge Radio - Every Bad

Porridge Radio is a band I was just recently introduced to by a friend, and I am absolutely captivated by their sound, as well as the intent within their simplistic and repetitive lyrics. Released on March 13, 2020, Every Bad is every angry female punk’s dream record, and even if you would not classify yourself as a female punk rocker, this band will put you in an eternal badass mindset.

Lead singer/songwriter Diana Margolin, drummer Sam Yardley, bassist Maddie Ryall, and keyboardist Georgie Stott all come from Brighton and absolutely encapsulate the British punk scene, as reimagined in 2020. Their sound has gone from the somewhat lighthearted but still strong record Rice, Pasta, and other Fillers to this colossal movement of an album, which I firmly believe will escalate and transform their fanbase and lead them to dominate the alternative and all-encompassing rock scene. This is the first record I have ever listened to from Porridge Radio, but I am a massive fan of Margolin’s mission as a female singer/songwriter and the empowerment that bleeds through her lyrics. Track one, “Born Confused,” starts off with the repeated lyrics, “I’m bored to death, let’s argue, what is going on with me?” and “I am charming, I am sweet,” spoken in an almost-chant,as if she is trying to convince herself of her mental state. There are an abundance of statements like these that create a tension throughout Every Bad, fueling the fire and pushing the record forward into a deep self reflection.

Margolin’s voice is incredibly unique, a drone-like alto sound whose pitch she modulates to convey the mood of the song. In her case, sometimes the quieter parts of the songs are the more meaningful ones. Rather than reflecting on a higher cause or greater purpose within the world, the album is merely a self reflection and introspection. “Born Confused” begs the question “What is wrong with me?” and the album’s other songs attempt to find an answer to that question. Track three, “Don’t Ask Me Twice” jumps from a slow lyrical expression to an echoed and cacophonous chorus and back again, emphasizing the duality of mood and tone at war.

Track Seven, “Give/Take” is my personal favorite. It’s the very first song I heard from Porridge Radio and I immediately had it on repeat. Margolin’s attitude and sass on the track, as well as the fun synth and guitar melody, make it so appealing to the ear. Margolin sings “I always get what I need” and “How do I say no without sounding like a little bitch,” emphasizing the experiences of feeling multiple emotions at once and not apologizing for them, as well as standing up for your own morals and wants within a relationship. The repetition of lyrics throughout the album, although simple, really drill into the listeners’ minds and begin to make them question themselves. By the end of the record, it is hard to tell if Margolin is grateful for her message, or filled with utter hatred. I am blown away by the storm of lyrics, drum beats, melodies, and utter dissonance Porridge Radio creates with each song and I highly recommend this artist if you are looking to feel a little angry and mosh around your room for no reason at all.

- Emma Goad, DJ

RIYL: Screaming Females, Destroyer, The Breeders, The Frights
Recommended Tracks: 1, 3, 7, 8
FCC: Clean

Clarence the Kid - Can You Hear Us Now?

Can You Hear Us Now? is the most recent project from LA-based conscientious rapper Clarence the Kid. Clarence spent his college days at USC, immersing himself in the music industry and local hip-hop scene, working with other up and coming artists like Kabwasa, Bran Movay, and 24kGoldn. CYHUN? double downs on CTK’s abilities as a lyricist, producer, and empathetic artist trying to bring natural goodness back into his world with his art.

As described by Clarence himself, CYHUN? is an audio collage project, intertwining hip-hop, his internal perspectives as a young Black man in America, and direct dialogue from #BLM protesters across the country. While showcasing his own DIY production on tracks like “Kabwasa’s Intro” and “Big Floyd Speaks,” Clarence continues to sharpen his skills as a wordsmith in higher energy tracks “EXHAUSTED!” and “Sirens.”

Listening through the project, CTK’s influences, like J. Cole, Logic, and Childish Gambino, are imbued in the production, his words, and across the holistic artistic delivery of CYHUN?. With just seven tracks, Clarence is able to throw out half a dozen verses that provide succinct recountings of the Black experience in America. When he isn’t rapping, Clarence delivers verses barely above a delicate whisper, coaxing listeners in with punctuated turn arounds and stacked wordplay. The ending track, “black boys cry” reflects on the toxic masculinity imposed on Black men from an early age, tying in Clarence’s own insecurities and emotional depth.

During the early days of the COVID-19 quarantine, Clarence originally recorded “Expendable” in response to Ahmaud Arbery’s brutal murder and an unwarranted traffic stop within that next week. As civil unrest continued to unfold in America throughout late May and early June, Clarence decided to create CYHUN? over the course of a week starting on #BlackoutTuesday as a period project reflecting 2020.

This project threads a musical needle across the voices of protesters and Black America in an attempt to provide the most authentic narrative in a time where major media outlets refuse to highlight the passion of peaceful protests. Clarence wants to use his voice and other protesters’ to give insights to individuals that may not understand the movement and its purpose.

- Mitchell Alcoser, DJ

RIYL: J. Cole, Logic, Childish Gambino, Kabwasa
Recommended Tracks: 2, 6, 7
FCC: Explicit (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Ohmme - Fantasize Your Ghost

In my time in quarantine, I have had more time on my hands than I would have imagined. I tried the Netflix binge-watching and mini-canvas painting, and both my attention span and painting career have ended in quarantine. I have settled for obsessively waiting for new album releases. Among these is Fantasize Your Ghost, by the Chicago duo Ohmme. I first heard Ohmme when they opened for Twin Peaks this past winter in LA, and I remember thinking to myself that I’d be happy if they stayed on stage the whole night. I had been waiting for these many months, which felt like years in my Ikea stocked bedroom, for Ohmme to release something new.

Fantasize Your Ghost, a 10 track album, is the perfect combination of modern rock and roll with electronic loops and beautiful, light and breezy vocals. Starting the tracklist with "Flood Your Gut" is clearly intentional, allowing the listener to immerse themself in the grungy persona I imagine the album being the theme soundtrack to. The first half of the album kicks off strong, with powerful strums and sing-songy sounds. To further personify the listening experience, I would describe these first few tracks as being like the person who upholds a strong and angsty front. With "The Limit" comes a notable change in pace and attitude; the sounds soften as we start to understand the person we thought had a tough shell, and the album begins the transition to a hypnotic lullaby and neo-psychedelic tunes.

Ending with "After All" helps the listener become fully introspective, with a call to "seek your cocoon" and to "stop apologizing when you know you're right."

As I sit on my couch and write this review, I have toned it down quite a bit from existential and philosophical, but thinking about it now, this album--and all of Ohmme’s music--should be over-analyzed as it is in their very nature, with the name Ohmme, to spark analytical conversation.

- Ilana Cohen, General Manager

RIYL: First Aid Kit, Cate Le Bon, Locate S,1
Recommended Tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5
FCC: Clean

Arca - KiCK i

Alejandra Ghersi, better known by her stage name Arca, made the intent of her fourth studio album, KiCk i, immediately clear. The video for “Nonbinary,” the LP’s first single and opening track, features Ghersi near-naked, poked and prodded with prosthetics and surgical tools. It’s an unflinching artistic visual narrative of her own transformation since her last full-length, self-titled release in 2017. “What a treat/ It is to be/ Nonbinary/ Ma cherie/ Tee hee hee,” she intones over rhythmic industrial electronic noises.

The 11 remaining tracks on KiCk i embrace and celebrate the fluidity of Ghersi’s identity, from her multicultural upbringing to her public transition. “There was a clear intention [on the album] to allow every self to express itself. Not to decide how much air time each self would get, but to allow for modulation between them in a spontaneous way” she told Garage Magazine.

Beyond switching between English and her native Spanish, each track sonically occupies its own individual space in the canon of modern, electronic pop music. While “Calor” and closing track “Ne Queda Nada” achieve the dramatic operatics of more intimate pop ballads, “Mequetrefe” and “KLK” inject Ghersi’s signature hyper-industrial sound with danceable reggaeton beats.

What makes this album different from Arca’s catalogue is its VIP list of features -- Bjork, Rosalia, SOPHIE, Shygirl -- pulling from some of the most influential architects of modern music. An expertly curated guest list can easily bog down the talent of an artist as singular as Ghersi, but these features subtly amplify the musical niche that they bring to the table while maintaining the record’s cohesiveness.

Despite being Arca’s most digestible, pop-oriented work to date, the erratic soundscape of KiCk i can make it difficult to fully appreciate its layered nuance. When lyrics are used as sound effect and texture, it can be near impossible to understand their meaning -- regardless of language. Tracks like “Watch” employ Arca’s characteristic techno-futuristic glitchiness, but sometimes at the cost of a fully formed sonic arc, and end up feeling half-baked.

And yet, Ghersi’s unwavering dedication to her artform (both sonic and visual) gives way to a sound that refuses to confine itself to predetermined ideas of musical genre and escapes the perceived boundary between human and machine. KiCk i showcases Arca’s abilities as a multi-faceted and nuanced producer for the next generation of nonbinary pop music.

- Barbara Rasin, Music Director

RIYL: SOPHIE, Bjork, Yves Tumor, Holly Herndon
Recommended Tracks: 1, 3, 8, 10
FCC: Explicit (track 1)

Juan Solorzano - Different Light

Relationships are our everyday. No matter how meaningless an interaction may be, we are continually in contact with other people. More often than not, most individuals we meet come and go within our lives without consequence.

There are times, of course, when we do meet someone who has an impact on us. But no relationship can leave such a lasting mark as a relationship with a lover. That kind of intimacy is sacred and, in most cases, shared with few. True intimacy requires vulnerability. Vulnerability means allowing ourselves to be seen fully and known fully by someone else. This is difficult to allow in the first place; but, imagine separating from that someone. Chaos is inevitable.

In his newest EP, Different Light, Juan Solorzano’s chaos blossoms into a reluctant triumph, as he presents his narrative of a broken relationship. Exploring themes of heartache and adjustment to remembrance and resentment, we follow a man’s journey of recovery and growth.

The opening track, “Turn Blue,” shares the sorrows that come with losing someone you’re close to, even when the relationship may have ended with resentment. The rich textures and tensions within the song’s string section, paired with Solorzano’s raw, unfeigned lyricism exquisitely illustrate the conflicting emotions and regret felt with his grief.

Time apart can sometimes lend itself towards a change in perspective. In the track “Downpour,” Solorzano shows frustration in his partner’s dismissive attitude towards their relationship (“Always looking at the downpour / Never seem to think of what could grow”).

As time progresses, he moves past his state of seclusion (“Don’t Know”), and starts to accept the situation and move forward (“Pinpoint”). “Hold on To,” the last song on the record, shows his acceptance of the breakup. Though the relationship ended, Solorzano has grown because of it and still has moments and memories that he will choose to keep.

With any loss comes a grief. In both its words and instrumentation, Different Light gives bleak insight to the spectrum of emotions felt after a bitter breakup, as well as the valuable personal growth that follows.

- Olivia de Witt, KXSC Alumna

RIYL: Blake Mills, Julia Jacklin, Ethan Gruska
Recommended Tracks: 1, 4, 6
FCC: Explicit (tracks 1 & 2)

NEW ADDS: Porridge Radio, Clarence the Kid, Ohmme, Arca, Juan Solórzano