This year’s NonCOMMvention has come and gone and we’re all very, very tired. Thankfully we can look to these newly released albums for a mid-spring pick-me-up. Chicago trio Dehd were one of the highlights of the NonCOMM showcases, and fifth album Poetry solidifies their minimalist anthemic sound. Kings of Leon unleash a rowdy set with help from producer Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Maggie Rogers) on their ninth full-length, Can We Please Have Fun. Written in the wake of an unimaginable personal tragedy, Oakland’s Shannon & the Clams weave sorrow with joy on the resilient The Moon is in the Wrong Place. Another NonCOMM standout, MRCY’s Volume 1 fuses Kojo Degraft-Johnson’s soulful vocals with Barney Lister imaginitive production for a forward thinking yet timeless debut.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise remains urgent and eclectic on Love Hate Music Box; the North Carolina group’s first album in six years features a guest appearance from Kacey Musgraves. Inspired by mambo and tropicália, Pokey LaFarge wrote the songs for Rhumba Country while working on a farm in rural Maine. Damon McMahon’s bold sixth album as Amen Dunes, Death Jokes, offers a challenging noise- and sound collage-based structure that took more than two years to realize. Canadian country mysterio Orville Peck duets with Willie Nelson, Elton John, Allison Russell, and Nathaniel Rateliff on Stampede: Vol. 1; he’s simultaneously debuting a new, more streamlined look to his trademark mask.
Listen for spotlights on new records like these (and more) every week on the XPN Morning Show and Indie Rock Hit Parade.