Kiwi Jr. return with Blowin' Up, their first for Perennial / K Records

Kiwi Jr. released Blowin' Up on September 3, their fourth LP and first for Perennial / K Records. The ten-track album follows the Toronto quartet's 2022 effort Chopper, and it finds Jeremy Gaudet (vocals, guitar), Brian Murphy (guitar, keys), Mike Walker (bass), and Brohan Moore (drums) tightening a sound that's always leaned toward the frayed end of indie pop.

Contributors include Margaux Bouchaudon of En Attendant Ana and members of Protomartyr, which hints at the record's scope: artful outsider strings and Detroit muscle beneath Gaudet's deadpan lines. "I'm 19 in Windsor, that's Pure Michigan" is one of several dispatches from band's Canadian midwest, while opener "Waiting Time" sets the tone with its chorus about soundcheck and opening bands.

Blowin' Up is streaming now, and the band will hit the road later this fall. The wide release comes after K Records and Perennial picked up the group following a handful of singles on Mint Records.