Atlanta Soundtrack: Music videos from Larkin Poe, Kibi James and Bktherula

Kibi James — ‘Bender’

Dream-pop triumvirate Kibi James gives us a surreal and entertaining spin on the wild partying of youth via its new single from the band’s first full-length album, delusions, which dropped on August 25. As the three friends and musicians — Mari on guitar and keys, MJ Corless on bass and Pomi Abebe on drums — float through various scenes of chaos, they declare a wish to “surrender to all of the colors.” And, thanks to some inventive direction and animation by Rebecca Shenfeld and striking cinematography by Ian Cone, they’re able to do just that.

Still relatively new to Atlanta’s indie music scene, Kibi James started out in 2018, releasing their debut EP Azúcar first in 2019 and then with a reissue in 2021 (which we covered here). This newer, fuller record was co-produced, recorded and mixed by Drew Vandenberg, who has worked with their fellow local singer-songwriter Faye Webster, along with acts such as Toro y Moi. It’s a big moment for the group, one which they recently committed to memory on their social media, posting: “And thanks to our friends and to atlanta (sic) for inspiring us to write these songs. This album is for and about you.”

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Bktherula — ‘CRAZY GIRL P2 (feat. Youngboy Never Broke Again)’

Is there any better song fodder in the world than a toxic, utterly chaotic relationship? We think not. Some of our greatest bops have been pledges of fealty to the deeply dysfunctional. Think classics like John Cougar Mellancamp’s “Hurt So Good,” Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love,” Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor” and Britney Spears’ “Toxic.” Heck, a lot of the Beatles’ catalog falls into this category. So in that grand tradition, Bktherula and YoungBoy join forces for this second part in a two-part ode to people who probably shouldn’t be together but, by gum, they’re gonna try. 

A versatile artist who can dip into psychedelia and party ragers in equal measure, Bktherula, aka Brooklyn Rodriguez, has been a rising star since her 2020 debut, Love Santana. In various interviews, the 20-year-old has cited her dad’s career as a rapper — he was in the group Planet X — as the early inspiration to pursue hip-hop professionally. This latest album, LVL5, dropped in February and contains her most complex collection of creative work to date. 

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Larkin Poe — ‘Blue and Sentimental’ (Count Basie tribute)

Larkin Poe’s latest comes by way of Late Night Basie, a recent tribute album to the late jazz legend Count Basie, featuring other contributions from modern-day musicians like hip-hop artist Talib Kweli and New Orleans brass band The Soul Rebels. Pianist and band leader Basie originally recorded this tune in 1938, and it has enjoyed covers through the years from such luminaries as Nat King Cole and Tony Bennett. 

The Georgia-born, Nashville-based sister duo Megan and Rebecca Lovell put their twangy, melancholy slide guitar spin on the tune, a track that also features musicians Will Lee and Shawn Pelton. Having just come off a successful stateside tour with the Indigo Girls over the summer, Larkin Poe will kick off autumn with its Blood Harmony Tour across Europe, playing numerous gigs in Scandinavia, Germany, France, the UK and more throughout October and early November.

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Want Atlanta Soundtrack in your ear all day, every day? Check out our compilation of previously featured songs and artists on the ArtsATL Atlanta Soundtrack Spotify playlist here: