In an effort to keep providing great new music for our fans and friends of the station, your KZUU music directors have decided to contribute to a weekly playlist of the freshest and tastiest jams that we’ve been listening to during the pandemic. We hope you enjoy this latest installment and selection of fine music material, and are keeping safe and healthy during these particularly troubling times. We miss you, and hope to get back to playing music for you again soon.

This week’s tracks were selected by Flint, Jacob, Derek, Ryan and Mari…

Flint: Cal In Red – Cape

Cal In Red is a band that I was really looking forward to seeing at Treefort music festival in Idaho this year… before Covid came along and screwed up those plans. Safe to say, I’ve been keeping my eye on them ever since. They’re incredibly polished as a band despite only having three songs released so far, and definitely deserve a much larger following than what they have now. Cape is their latest release, and I picked it for this week’s SoTW specifically because I’m forcing myself to try to listen to more happy and uplifting music during this pandemic.

Jacob: Aesop Rock – The Gates 

He’d been teasing it for a while, but Aes is finally dropping a new album, his first solo full-length release since 2016’s The Impossible Kid. The Gates, the first single dropped off AR’s next album Spirit World Field Guide is a glitchy, double-time 8-bit accomplishment, counterpointed by his trademark raspy, Tom Waits-esque growl. It’s a cool-as-hell tease from an album that looks like it’ll be groundbreaking in terms of Aesop Rock’s style and production.

Derek: Nothing – Say Less

Nothing have released Say Less along with an announcement for their next album, The Great Dismal. The band is known for their modern, hard rock inspired shoegaze sound. Say Less lives up to that reputation as an energetic track with loud drums combined with typical shoegaze wall-of-sound guitars. I wasn’t a big fan of their 2018 album Dance on the Blacktop, but I know that Nothing are capable of greatness and this song is a sign of good things to come.

Ryan Tattershall: Deep Sea Diver – Impossible Weight

The Seattle native Jessica Dobson and the rest of Deep Sea Diver have released their second single off of their upcoming project, Impossible Weight, out October 16th via High Beam Records. Dobson talks about letting go of the pressure that comes with expectations from other people in her life, suggesting that she’ll just let ‘em down now instead. This track features Sharon Van Etten, it’s bad ass, extremely catchy, and it makes me wish I was at a concert with strangers enjoying the deafening sound of this beautiful melody. Give this track a listen by checking out the music video below, or via any streaming service you have!

Mari: Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh – Bones

This is the the first track off the sister Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh (GFM). And might I say their latest EP Operation Take Over starts off with a BANG! These young girls really don’t hold back right off the back. You definitely can tell how much they have grown as musicians compared to previous releases. I think that this song and band are perfect for anyone who really enjoys metalcore music. You’ll get some pretty brutal screams, compared with the soft singing. This song really just packs a punch and will leave you asking for more! You can stream their latest EP Operation Take Over on Spotify that came out on September 4th.

Ryan Tattershall: Fenne Lily – Solipsism

Sorry for appearing twice, but I couldn’t miss the chance to talk about the upcoming Fenne Lily project Breach. By the time you’re reading this, Breach will be available to the world on all streaming services, out September 17th via Dead Oceans. Lily has been releasing tracks over the course of quarantine, one being Hypochondriac (one of my favorite singles of 2020), while also creating a popular Instagram live show “Bathtime with Fenne Lily”. Phoebe Bridgers and other Dead Oceans artists have appeared while, you guessed it, sitting in a bath chatting about whatever comes to mind. More recently, she started to release a few tracks off the upcoming record. Solipsism, the most recent release is a hard hitting, electric guitar heavy, beautiful vocals, and has me very intrigued for the new project. In contrast, Berlin, the second single released off the album, is a soft sort of ballad that is perfect for quarantine as she repeats “it’s not hard to be alone anymore”, fitting right? If any of what I have just written piques your interest, I encourage you to check out the record Breach when it’s out, I have a feeling we’re in for a good one.