After a hot and damp holiday, PRESS PLAY is back with a lucky assortment of new releases. On Forward, their first album as The Swell Season in over 15 years, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová reflect on their long and often turbulent creative partnership while pressing ahead with each other’s support. Four years after the runaway breakthrough of “Chaise Longue,” Wet Leg return with their second album, moisturizer, which captures the dizzying energy of their live shows. Now operating with his band The Fixin’s, Georgia songwriter Brent Cobb shows off his gritty side on Ain’t Rocked in a While.

Indie pop charmers Allo Darlin’ pick up right where they left off over a decade ago with Bright Lights; their fourth LP is brimming with sunshiny melodies and cleverly romantic lyrics. Inspired by Afrobeat legends like Fela Kuti and Ebo Taylor, London collective Kokoroko offer uplifting, resilient anthems on Tuff Times Never Last. Never one to shy away from deeply personal songwriting, The Villain is the boldest collection to date from Mal Blum; the Los Angeles-based DIY mainstay confronts the adversaries within themselves with sharp, observational compositions.

Listen for spotlights on new records like these (and more) every week on the XPN Morning Show and Indie Rock Hit Parade.

PRESS PLAY on these new releases

The Swell Season – Forward

CHECK OUT: “People We Used to Be”
“Stuck in Reverse”

Wet Leg – moisturizer

CHECK OUT: “catch these fists”
“CPR”

Brent Cobb & the Fixin’s –
Ain’t Rocked in a While

CHECK OUT: “Even If it’s Broke”
“Ain’t Rocked in a While”

Allo Darlin’ –
Bright Nights

CHECK OUT: “My Love Will Bring You Home”
“Tricky Questions”

Kokoroko – Tuff Times Never Last

CHECK OUT: “Sweetie”
“Just Can’t Wait”

Mal Blum – The Villain

CHECK OUT: “Killer”
“I’m So Bored”

The PRESS PLAY-list

FURTHER LISTENING

311 – Blue Album (30^th Anniversary Edition), Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad – Dom Salvador JID024, Africa Express – Africa Express Presents… Bahidorá, Aunt Katrina – This Heat is Slowly Killing Me, Autocamper – What Do You Do All Day?, Backstreet Boys – Millennium 2.0, Barry Can’t Swim – Loner, The Beta Band – The Three E.P.’s (Reissue), 81355 – Bad Dogs, Burna Boy – No Sign of Weakness, Chris Stamey – Anything is Possible, Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out, Fuubutsushi – Columbia Deluxe, Gina Birch – Trouble, Goon – Dream 3, Guided by Voices – Goodnight El Dorado, Gwenno – Utopia, Half Japanese – Adventure, Jeffrey Runnings – Piqued, Joey Waronker & Pete Min – King King, The Kinks – The Journey Part 3, Leroi Conroy – A Tiger’s Tale, Mike Pollize – Around Sound, Murry Hammond – Trail Songs of the Deep, Nate Mercereau, Josh Johnson, and Carlos Niño – Openness Trio, Noah Cyrus – I WANT MY LOVED ONES TO GO WITH ME, Ólafur Arnalds and Talos – A Dawning, Open Mike Eagle – Neighborhood Gods Unlimited, Pegg and Van Dyke Parks – Presque Tout: Variations no. 435-514 “Baseball Season” EP, Peter Salett – Suite for the Summer Rain / Dance of the Yellow Leaf, Petey USA – The Yips, Rip Van Winkle – Blasphemy, Steve Kalinich – I Love My Life

WXPN Musicians On Call