“A lot on this record is about how grief is not a punishment, it’s an act of love and it’s just another expression of love,” Hurray for the Riff Raff (aka Alynda Segarra) says of their new album, The Past Is Still Alive, on the inaugural episode of KEXP's new podcast A Deeper Listen, on which host Emily Fox talks with artists about the stories behind their songs and the experiences that inform their work. Fox says: "The album's melodies are catchy, and the lyrics are so beautifully crafted. They drew me in and made time stop for a moment." You can hear their conversation below via Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Hurray for the Riff Raff continues the Western leg of their tour at the Urban Lounge in Salt Lake City tonight and Larimer Lounge in Denver on Wednesday before heading to Texas for three shows this weekend. For details and tickets, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.

Alynda Segarra created The Past Is Still Alive during a period of personal grief, when they found inspiration in radical poetry, railroad culture, outsider art, the work of writer Eileen Myles, and activist groups like ACT UP and Gran Fury. Segarra uses their lyrics as a way to immortalize and say goodbye to those they have loved and lost, and to honor both the heartbroken and the hopeful parts of themselves. "Segarra has created an epic tale of life on the road, a nearly mythic version of their own life story that stands alongside other great American musical travelogues," exclaims NPR Music. "Career-defining." Rolling Stone says: "Segarra has honed their craft into a cohesive, astonishingly realized singer-songwriter record ... the best batch of songs Segarra's ever written." Paste calls it "a celebratory measure of love, sanctuary, and defiance ... In their hands, the trauma of the present day is a prelude to the possibilities of a better tomorrow."