Lucius have dropped a five-song EP, Live From World Cafe, as a pay-what-you-can release on Bandcamp, with 100% of proceeds pledged to WXPN and its widely syndicated music program, World Cafe. Recorded at WXPN in Philadelphia on May 22, 2025, the EP is available now through Sunday, August 3.
The band frames this EP as a simple way for fans to shore up public media at a precarious moment. “Public radio is our home for sharing information, journalism, art and ideas,” Lucius write on the album page, adding that every penny goes “directly back to WXPN, World Cafe and the people that make these programs happen.” The release also marks Lucius’s fourth World Cafe session, each one uniquely shaped by the show’s time-intensive, artist-first approach.
Live From World Cafe arrives on a Bandcamp Friday, with WXPN encouraging fans to grab the EP during the fee-waived window and through the weekend.
Bruce Warren—WXPN Associate GM and World Cafe Executive Producer—recalls first spinning Lucius around the time of Wildewoman and being struck by how “their songs jumped out of the radio.” A decade on, he says, that blend of pinpoint harmonies, energetic live shows, and art-pop instincts still sets them apart.
The session features five cuts tied to the band’s 2025 self-titled album cycle, and the full studio performance (hosted by World Cafe’s Raina Douris) is up to watch as well.
Tracklist — Lucius: Live From World Cafe
“Final Days”
“Gold Rush”
“Mad Love”
“Hallways”
“Old Tape”
Why this matters
The EP’s release dovetails with a fast-moving funding crisis in U.S. public media. On August 1, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting said it will shut down after Congress eliminated its federal appropriations, a move that jeopardizes support for NPR, PBS, and local stations across the country. Actions like Lucius’s fundraiser offer immediate, direct relief to mission-driven outlets like WXPN as they navigate the uncertainty ahead.
