Bassvictim – ?

Bassvictim, a duo riding the indie sleaze revival with electroclash/bloghouse albums such as with their Basspunk series, takes a sonic and mood shift in 2026 ? EP. Maria Manow and producer Ike Clatman leave behind many of the dance-oriented and intentionally trashy influences in favor of deeply intimate folktronica and twee pop, similar to that of the Femcells’ debut album released this past January, also produced by Clatman. The album’s themes are deeply nostalgic of childhood and contrast innocence and wisdom; this can be heard as many of the folkish influences pull more from Manow’s Polish and Eastern European heritage than the traditional American folk revival harmonies. The 7-minute track Babcia Jadziais easily stands as the album’s highlight and contains stripped-back xylophones and toy sounds with childish vocals reading a tearjerker poem. Easily one of my favorite and well-executed surprises this year. It’s worth the listen.

–Amman Hassan

Stars Hollow – Catch Me (single)

Iowa’s own Stars Hollow has released 2 brand-new songs In preparation for the release of their record Kind of Hoping on April 24. Named after the fictional Connecticut town featured in Gilmore Girls (as well as in Supernatural according to my sister), the sound of Stars Hollow fits shoulder-to-shoulder with other emo projects out of the Midwest from the mid-2010s and early 2020s, though Hot Mulligan and Arm’s Length certainly come most strongly to mind. The singles feature competent math-rocking, scream-singing, and some solid guitar riffage. Stars Hollow starts an album release tour this summer, playing alongside their contemporaries Palette Knife and Kerosene Heights in Des Moines, IA on the 22nd of May. There’s still plenty of time to memorize the lyrics, if you can decipher them through the vocal fry. If the quality of their upcoming album follows the singles, we are in for another solid, supremely rare, emo record out of the Hawkeye State this April.

FFO: Hot Mulligan, Kerosene Heights, Arm’s Length, Palette Knife, Origami Angel.

–Daniel Lawless

heavensouls – westside trapped

While studying for midterms this March, the music I was listening to played a huge role in whether I could stay focused or not. Throughout this time, heavensouls was on the heaviest rotation. Largely known for The Sidepieces (his collaborative effort with experimental rapper Stickerbush) the duo has been making fun, glitchy, maximalist music bordering on the line of hip hop and electronic for the past few years. While all their releases have been great this is likely my favorite thing he’s made. Taking the more energetic sound collage inspired production of his previous works into these more varied lush textures, dipping into more classical genres like soul, jazz and funk. Creating these beautiful luxurious soundscapes that feel like you’re being transported into another world.

My favorite track off the album is easily shed a tear for me, the nine-minute long penultimate track. Starting with the beautiful repeated vocal line of “i can’t breathe,” backed by quiet piano notes before going into this danceable drum line and electric guitar solo (with a fucking choir in the background). This is briefly interrupted by a spoken word section before crescendoing back into this gorgeous multi minute instrumental breakdown. It’s truly a masterpiece of music production and will keep me beyond seated for anything heavensouls makes in the future.

–Tarik Krob

Fcukers – Ö

This is one of the greatest [my favoriteist!] music videos maybe of all time ever.

Contributing to the electronic/sleaze/dance beat wave, NYC duo Fcukers released their lorazepam-ed indie-sleazer debut album Ö last week. It’s a flirty voice and half-lidded eyes hidden behind sunglasses, a big-lights-on house party where scents of designer perfume mix into the cheap wine. The production from Kenny Beats ties UK garage and sleaze into a lazy-cool record that actually works, a genuine miracle these days. Jackson Walker Lewis of the duo describes their approach to reviving the indie sleaze nostalgia by asking, “what would Basement Jaxx do if they were young now?” Don’t get me wrong, this album is trendy, neither timeless nor monumental as the fresh gets cut through by an underlying tiredness. But in this charming moment we all share, it’s sickly sweet & sexy. It captures the haze of a club at 4am, everyone left on the misty dance floor swaying through their own drowsy sense of fatalism.

Ö is one of those albums that makes my depraved kitchen feel like a club for 30 minutes, which is truly all that a good dance beat album needs to be. An aching pit rests in my stomach, this leaden premonition that some track off this album is gonna blow up online and bring great fortunes and success to those Fcuckers (at least success beyond a Jimmy Fallon performance). Listen to it now so you can be cool before it’s not cool anymore. fucking what else is there to do i guess. besides dancing in your kitchen. and reading student radio articles.

–Pauly

Slayyyter – WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA

Miss Slayyyter dropped WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA this month, an explosive and explicit electro-pop record that took the internet by storm. every song sounds interesting, from heavily produced ones like “CRANK” and “YES GODDD,” to tamer ones like “GAS STATION” and “UNKNOWN LOVERZ.” There are also tracks like “DANCE…” which perfectly mix the adrenaline of grittier and more saturated songs with the less explosive ones.

The production of this album is packed with techno-electronic synths and EDM pop reminiscent of early 2010s Lady Gaga and Kesha. The drums and snare construct the songs masterfully. The album is also littered with nasty synths, which are definitely the highlight characteristic of the project for me. Many of the songs carry a sharp baseline that gives me an 80s slasher soundtrack vibe. Her vocals range from a controlled and sultry tone, to a bigger display of her range and impressive belts mixed into many of the choruses. She’s just electrifying through and through. The high you get from this album makes you wanna move a million miles a minute. This album makes you wanna crank up the volume and dance, which really is the unofficial motto of WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA.

–Clara Carrion

Maria BC – Marathon

Maria BC‘s Marathon feels like a logical step in the specific school of psychedelic folk that Sacred Bones Records has been pushing for years now. This record falls well within the tradition of established acts like Marissa Nadler, whilst retaining a sound very much its own. Maria’s performance is immediately intoxicating and demands the listener’s full attention as the slow progression of each track evokes the revolution of the earth, each track seamlessly transitioning into the next. A handful of cinematic instrumental interludes create a sleek journey from one track to the next, as Maria’s voice parses the desolate soundscapes as pleas from the void. The first song and title track constitute an undeniable hook to the record, placing Maria’s methodical craft on full display, and setting the tone fantastically for the record ahead. If you are at all a fan of folk, this is a record for you.

–Evan Raefield

The post KRUI Staff Picks: Best Releases of March 2026 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Even with hearing a bunch of amazing songs I had never heard they showed a master class in crowd work. They kept a high energy and talked to the crowd, guiding them through songs with different gestures. You can also tell they are just having fun, with great chemistry within the band and walking out into the crowd just to be with their fans. At one point they asked if anyone in the crowd had seen them before, and only three people raised their hands, but still everyone was singing along and new all the lyrics.

I had a great time at their show. I think that the intimate setting of Gabe’s helped capture an outstanding sound and environment for this show. If you have a chance to see Laundry Day live.

I would definitely recommend seeing them in person. It provides a different sound than their recorded songs, and their presence is commanding, drawing everyone into the show. Their songs can go from upbeat fun songs that have everyone jumping around making the floor shake to heartfelt songs that leave the crowd in tears. Overall they put on an amazing performance.

The post It’s Laundry Day at Gabe’s. Concert Review. 2/13/2026. appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Some of us KRUIers saw Lip Critic back in October, when they opened for White Reaper at Gabe’s, after a brief discussion, our prestigious council reached the unanimous conclusion that they were by far the best part of the show. Their music is somewhere in between electronic and hardcore, full of samples and electronic crunches, a divorced(?) eccentric vocalist, and best of all, not one, not three, but two drum sets! Our friend Tarik says it perfectly, “The infectious riffs, the manic yet catchy lyrics, the insane vocals combining with intense electronic production and live drumming create such a fun and powerful song that was both amazing live and amazing to listen too at home.” (Tarik©, 2025). Explosive energy drives tracks that slip into bizarre time signature changes leaving the crowd jumping more and more off-beat, reaching higher and higher.

Recess is a newer band out of the Iowa City punk scene but have been playing shows across Iowa City the past few months, and traveling to Omaha soon. With tomorrow night’s lineup spanning across hardcore, punk, metal, and electronic, they’re gonna be a great piece of the set. Their current Instagram story reads “GO TO A SHOW GODDAMNIT,” and I’m a good boy so I’ll be there. I must advise all others to comply with these vicious commands as well.

This will be a good show as Lip Critic’s first show of the year and the first of a mini-Midwest tour. I mean come on, “standing in a Wawa convinced I’m a god, so I’m gonna get any sandwich I want,” who else gets it like Lip Critic does? Even if you hate hardcore, or metal, or having fun with funky noises, I’m sure they’ll be delivering plenty of these poetic lessons, teachings that could deliver the unknowable visions of the second world into your consciousness. Just maybe, even someone like you could be the god in the Wawa…..only one way to find out!

Earplugs advised. Please. Doors at 8pm, more information and tickets can be found here. <3.

The post Show Preview: Lip Critic with Recess and Ascended Master at Gabe’s, February 19th appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Addison Rae, ‘Addison’

There was no other album I was more excited to make fun of this year than Addison Rae’s self-titled Addison. Yet, despite all odds and precedents, the TikTok-star-turned-singer-songwriter has deservedly etched a space for herself in the pop star landscape despite following one of the most pivotal years in the genre. In an interview on the Popcast podcast, Rae quotes, “taste is a luxury,” in reference to her own tastes in music and fashion. She credits her success on TikTok and her public as the reason she is now able to pursue her more genuine interest in music. This philosophy becomes very evident within the first few seconds on the album, with the song, New York. A familiar, yet unconventional, pop track opens with a rapid electronic pan and escalates to a breathy Max-Martin-esque dance beat that screams 2000s Britney. It feels nostalgic, yet new. The album is immediately rewarding, offering a fun and campy surface appeal on tracks like Money is Everything and High Fashion. Yet, the listener is often gifted with deeper lyrical focus on songs such as Times Like These and Headphones On. With an entirely female produced record, Addison feels in complete control of the feminine sexuality that underlies the album, reminiscent of her fellow recent breakthrough superstars like Sabrina, Chappell, and Charli XCX. Addison is an incredibly impressive debut project that makes me very excited for her career, and the future of pop music.

-Becca Warfield

Don’t Tap the Glass – Tyler the Creator

DON’T TAP THE GLASS by Tyler, The Creator is a shorter album, running just 29 minutes throughout its ten tracks. Released on July 21, just less than 9 months after the release of his last album, this
album is an outlier in his discography. Tyler’s known for his writing style which (lately) tends to be more
confessional and narrates the personal themes in his life. Instead, this album was written purely to make people move. When he released the album, he was open about this switch and told fans “yall better get them expectations and hopes down this aint no concept nothing” on Twitter. This tweet severely downplayed how strong this album stands out in his discography. While nothing conceptually profound, the album is one of his most upbeat and engaging. Every song builds off of the energy from the one before. Some standout tracks include Sugar on My Tongue, Big Poe, and Ring Ring Ring, which all experienced a lot of hype online. My own personal favorite is Sucka Free. Overall, this album is definitely worth a listen, especially if you need something carefree and upbeat, or just want a good beat to dance to.

-Will Clair

Ethel Cain, ‘Perverts’

Ever since its release back in January, Ethel Cain’s new project Perverts entranced me. This EP represents a drastic tonal and thematic departure from Cain’s debut album, Preachers Daughter, which built a southern gothic narrative from a mix of folk, slowcore, and elements of dream pop. This time around, Ethel Cain completely switched gears and opted for a dark ambient project composed of drone music, unsettling sounds, a near complete lack of lyrics, and a oppressively haunting atmosphere. With Perverts, we are taken on a journey of transcendence to explore the different manifestations of perversion in all its forms. From the opening title track, we are immediately thrust into this world Cain experiences, which transports us to decrepit basements, vast stretches of woods, industrial power plants, and this esoteric divine theatre. 

Songs explore twisted depictions of desire, with kick drums, delicate piano and fragile vocals in Punish, and the terrifying howling over continuous murmurings of “i love you’s” in Housofpsychoticwomn. The album touches on the perversions of pleasure with my personal favorite, Onanist, creating its perversion with whispers, powerful bass, and building crescendos. The rest of the soundscape is a combination of heavy instrumentals, drones, distorted vocals, drums, lap steels and the hurdy-gurdy as Ethel Cain represents lustful experiences in Vascillator, proximity and abandonment from God in Thatorchia, and self-destructive within Amber Waves.

In just nine songs, she explores themes of guilt, shame, eroticism, resentment, faith, transcendence and corruption of self, with a soundscape akin to a horror movie soundtrack. It is best challenging for a casual listener, and at worst downright terrifying to anyone curious enough to peek into her veil. But I would be remiss if I didn’t insist that this project is worth the listen, if only to experience the journey of sonic transcendence Ethel Cain drags us through within her perversions.

-Clara Carrion

Westside Gunn, ’12’

Westside had a big year in 2025 with 3 full-length albums, 2 EPs, and multiple singles, including crossovers with JID, Cookin’ Soul, Karriem Riggins, and Doechii, who just received the Grammy for Best Rap Album of the Year last February. 12 is the newest installment of Westside Gunn’s long-running Hitler Wears Hermes mixtape series, which feels less like a batch of individual songs and more like a cohesive project than any Griselda releases this decade.  Amidst all the deluge of content from the Griselda label this year, 12 went under the radar and underappreciated, even by fans. While the album doesn’t experiment or break new ground sonically, it’s my favorite this year merely for the penmanship and lyrical delivery from all parties involved. 

The best RYM review I’ve ever seen noted, “Westside Gunn is the moment hip-hop goes post-hip-hop—transforming the MC into an echo, the beat into a museum piece, and the genre’s symbols (luxury, violence, nostalgia) into looped artifacts”. Almost nowhere is that more clear than on tracks like Vert and Bury Me with a Stove, where the essential hip-hop drums are replaced with droning ad-libs and grainy phonographic samples: Creating Giselle’s trademark haunting and lavish atmosphere. The tracklist, however, diversifies, with the gritty hardcore boom bap posse cut that is Boswell and Tom Sos’s featherlight voice and rhymes on tracks like Gumbo Yaya and Health Sciences offering a ray of light in 12’s nocturnal atmosphere.

Though technically under the name Westside Gunn, spiritually, this is Stove God Cooks’ masterpiece. He features on almost the entire first leg of the tracklist and steals the show in the album’s drumless outro, Dump World. StoveGod sounds more at home on an altar than in the studio, bringing unflinchingly egotistical lyrics and drumless gospel hymns to create a liturgy of the self, demanding the listener bend the knee and pray. Bars like “The Virgil Rug say rug, the plug name in my phone say plug” or “YOU EVER COOK HALF A BRICK IN DA AIR FRYER”  puts the entire Western literary canon to shame. Stove God features on this project more than any other Westside release. So if you’re looking for the most lavish bars in hip hop today, this project is for you.

-Amman Hassan

PinkPantheress, ‘Fancy That?’

It’s a Pink sweep. This music video for Stateside was shot outside a JCPenny, and really I think that’s all you need to know to truly get what this album’s all about. Music and fashion trends have been dominated by this idea of “Y2K” for the past few years, what initially began as unique and inspired 2000s throwbacks quickly turned into force-fed slop and algorithmic nostalgia regurgitated back at us from every corner Tiktok could touch. This year–praise god!–we’ve maybe started resisting crap in a low-rise bow, and with projects like Addison, Essex Honey, and cheetah print, we’re finally seeing a rise of Y2K nostalgia that is not only hopes to remind, but to inspire.

I hate to laud a southern, but anyone who can flaunt ultra-high rise capris is committed to this Y2K shit. It might as well be 2006 for PinkPantheress as she’s tapping into her U.K. jungle and D&B roots right from the opening beats of Fancy That’s first track, Illegal, with a complete embrace of a nostalgia that doesn’t stale or pull superficial. From Tonight to Romeo, this is neither her most emotional nor ambitious release, but I’d say it’s by far her most stylistically unique and coherent project by far. With this mixtape, Pink’s solidified her image. She’s drawing influences from around the world into her Brit tartan aesthetics, and creates tracks out of it that are so fresh & fit, it’s actually a no-skip record. Whether I was fucking about in Scandinavia or stateside, Fancy That? has been my dearest friend this year. This mixtape is sweet, sexy, and just pure fun with a bassline, it’s everything that this vague memory of an animal-printed and velour-clad 2000s embodies. Nostalgia is a tool, and Pink wields it with her iron-plaid fist. like what!?

-Pauly

Sudan Archives, ‘The BPM’

“An artist’s foray into a “Gadget Girl” persona in the year 2025 may verge on cliche and could even be banal, but with Sudan Archives it just feels so right. Following the acclaimed 2022 album Natural Brown Prom Queen, on this new record, The BPM, Sudan Archives leans even heavier into the (dare I say) archive of dance beats she intricately weaves together to explore the relationship amongst technology, body, and identity. With fifteen songs and clocking in at just under an hour, the album never feels bloated or rushed. The songs, which pull on club beats inspired by Midwest cities like Chicago and Detroit, flow from one to the other to explore Gadget Girl’s sci-fi persona and life. “MY TYPE” is a notable standout, with a racing beat, quick lyrics, and a chorus that is an instant club classic. On the album opener “DEAD” she sings: “Where my old self at? / Where my new self at? / Where my light side at? / Where my dark side at?” with a chorus of “right here, right here” reassuring herself after every line. Gadget Girl can go everywhere and be everything, as she sings on “A BUG’S LIFE,” another album standout, “’cause she never looks back / and she can’t go home.” With Sudan Archives and The BPM, I don’t think we even want to anymore.”

-Corrine

Frost Children, ‘SISTER’

SISTER, the latest Frost Children album, was released on September 12th of this year, which perfectly blends genres to create a timeless electronic-hyperpop-indiepop-EDM album that will be played for years to come. The two siblings, Lulu and Angel Prost, began making music together in 2020, leading them to release 5 albums from 2020-2023. After a 2 year break, they returned and released what is, in my opinion, their best album yet.

SISTER builds upon the electro-punk and indie-sleaze style of hyperpop they employed in the albums SPEED RUN and Hearth Room, but turn the EDM knob up slightly. This gives the album an inherently nostalgic quality that I haven’t heard from a new release ever in recent memory. They perfectly encapsulate the energy of 2010s pop hits but build upon them with their already established abrasive style of hyperpop, to not only draw from the past but to innovate a new style of electronic music all together. Songs like Falling and Position Famous perfectly illustrate this push and pull – they sound at points deeply nostalgic and also very innovative, creating for a sound I haven’t heard before and a mix of genres that I’m sure will influence the next wave of electronic music for years to come.

-Chase

MIKE, ‘Showbiz!’

I, like many others, was introduced to MIKE by his long term friend, collaborator and fellow abstract hip hop artist Earl Sweatshirt. Mainly from a line off his 2018 single The Mint, “I was in the kitchen with that nigga Mike”. Curious, I decided to check out his 2019 album tears of joy, and since then I’ve gotten to experience one of the best and most unique modern hip hop discographies unravel with Showbiz! being no exception. 

With 24 tracks, you’d think MIKE’s signature laid back, monotone delivery would get repetitive or boring but far from it. Combined with the sample heavy jazz & soul inspired production it creates a very relaxed, meditative feeling to the album that makes it feel more dream-like than sleepy. His lyrical ability has also never been sharper with tracks such as Lucky and When it Rains featuring bar after bar of creative and well delivered lyrics. 

But what really holds this album together and makes it my favorite release of the year is its common thread of family, reflection of one’s past and the path ahead of him. On one of its standout tracks What U Boutta Do?/A Star was Born he professes “I’m the living proof, I’m my parent’s child. Put you in my shoes, it’s a scary route”. Since a lot of MIKE’s work revolves around mental health and personal struggles, seeing him be able to so honestly reflect on some of what’s led to these issues discussed on other tracks is very fascinating. On the albums most popular track man in the mirror it begins with a sample of a man discussing the pressure of his job and how “showing off” has almost become a requirement, but also a huge cause of pain in his life. As MIKE has continued to see growth and recognition it’s fascinating to see how this has affected his perception of himself and “the man in the mirror”.

With such a consistent album that I’ve been replaying since its release I’m excited to see where the career of one of hip hop’s best working rappers is gonna continue to lead us toward. And if it’s to more amazing albums like this one. Then I’m pretty happy with the trajectory.

-Tarik Krob

Kevin Atwater, ‘Achilles’

Once again, Kevin Atwater manages to break my heart yet simultaneously make me sing along. His first album, Achilles managed to be in my constant rotation year round. Despite his soft voice, Atwater with each song, manages to illustrate his emotions so impactfully. Atwater has been hurt before and much of that gets channeled in crushing lyrics that paired with intense instrumentals. That’s what I like about Atwater and this album. It wears its heart on a sleeve and inspires a sort of connection with Atwater in a sense. Atwater bares his soul for the album and as a listener I feel appreciative he’s willing to share it all with me. Most of songs come from Atwater’s personal experiences and it’s clear that he’s laying all his cards on the table. I don’t just admire that Atwater’s is willing to get vulnerable, it’s also that I think he’s able to tell the stories in these songs quite beautifully. That’s what got me to got me to come back to this album numerous times this year. Some of my favorite tracks of this album include “Jamie’s Daydreams” and “the cage”, as they show Atwater at his angriest and hurt. Even though Atwater never raises his voice in either song, his anger is palpable and visceral through lyrics that pack a punch. achilles has showed me that Kevin Atwater is still manages capitivate me with his stellar songwriting and has me excited to see what he has in store for the future.

-Ria Das

the side peices (heavensouls x stickerbrush), ‘darkskin n****s with lightskin problems’

Prolific avant-rap producer-mcs stickerbrush and heavensouls more than eke out a place for themselves within an ever-expanding universe of deepweb art. Teaming up for a second time after their initial inverted skintone collaboration, 2024’s lightskin n****s with darkskin problems, 2025 sees the two solidifying their artistic connection in a fragmented and frenetic auditory experience often as multifaceted as everyday life in 2025 feels, an unpredictable world of extremes, liable at any moment to turn on a dime to a polar opposite. Expansive, enveloping sound collages initially cloying in their sweetness give way to harsh staticky bursts, overlapping vocal shards and textures swirling- one moment cacophonous, the next, breathtaking. Any artist that can transition from a verse about zero star yelp reviews to one of the best Jersey Club beats I’ve heard all year surely has a grasp of what exactly they are doing.

While both artists are by no means household names, the sheer quality of this project has caused a slow but steady expansion of their profiles throughout the year, setting the stage for their anticipated third project dropping next year.

-Evan Raefield

Sam Fender, ‘People Watching’

For 2,603 minutes this past year, I was listening to Sam Fender. In November of last year Fender announced his third studio album “People Watching” would be released on February 21st and the anticipation only built until then. Some singles to try and calm the excitement only led to the expansion of this desire to hear the whole thing. The record opens with the title track, my 13th most listened to song this year, and for good reason. Its bright instrumentation, a collection of acoustic and electric guitars brought along with a dancing bassline and much more, welcome you into this reflective and beautiful record.

One of Fender’s greatest skills is making you feel like you’re next to him at a pub talking. These songs trace all the things that have made him who he is to their origin. A disruption of faith on “Little Bit Closer” is written as a confession of confusion from a man who is lost in his relationship with god, or whatever else is up there. It’s not often a younger artist, 31, can be so honest about his worries about death and what will happen to him and his loved ones when that day arrives. A plea for not even an answer, but guidance, placed along with an outro that rivals any contemporaries is something that will rattle around the ears after a listen.

“Arms’ Length” is another favorite of mine, with a riff that made me find the nearest guitar and play along. Fender’s voice is an instrument in and of itself. His tenor range cuts like a silver bullet through his guitars, with a sturdiness that anchors each tune to the stories he is so good at telling. “Rein Me In” has gotten a lot of attention recently too with Fender inviting fellow rising star Olivia Dean along for the tune. “Something Heavy” is another honest reflection on the loss of friends, even if they are still alive. It drips in heartbreak for those who’ve fallen to substances and is an extension of the hand to those trying to make it out the other end. This album is a no skip for me, but these songs in particular have etched their way into my mind.

Fender rightfully so has a stranglehold across the pond, selling out three nights at St. James Park in Newcastle this past June. These annual homecoming gigs in Newcastle keep getting bigger and bigger, and rightfully so. His live shows are an explosion of joy and vulnerability. I had the privilege of seeing him in a much more intimate setting than those in England at The Aragon Ballroom in September. Hitting six songs off “People Watching”, Sam and his band have written their names on this historic venue. Accompanied by a stellar live band that brought my favorite record of the year to life, the closing tune of “Hypersonic Missiles” left me hugging my brother and strangers alike. There was a communal feeling in that room, knowing this was the smallest venue we will ever see Fender in as his conquering of the States will require a much larger space the next time he comes our way.

“People Watching” has not left the rotation and will not any time soon. An open book with a golden voice, Sam Fender is here to stay.

-Logan Melia

Thanks for rocking with college radio in 2025, stick with us here at KRUI in lovely 2026 and beyond<3.

The post Best Albums of 2025: KRUI Staff Picks appeared first on KRUI Radio.

FRIDAY DEC 26 

The week starts out with a bang as 6 of the 7 venues will be full. Radius, which is busy the whole week, brings a trio of Chris Lorenzo, Omnom, and Melé. Lorenzo just performed in Shanghai to a massive audience, continuing his global conquest. At Cermak Hall, Azzecca will be spinning with Eli Escobar and Chicago’s own Ariel Zetina. The Smartbar on Clark is where Zetina spends her time creating a loyal following in this town, a proper support to back-to-back-to-back Coachella staple Azzecca.  

Black Light Smoke and his impressive collection of synths will be making waves at Smoke and Mirrors. A cornerstone of the Logan Square scene, it continues to be a must visit on the first two days of Transitions. Incorrect Music owner Anthony Attalla will be bringing his wide collection to Serum on Friday evening. The Chicago based dj will be supported by his fellow labelmates Carlo Lio and DJ F*ck Chuck. 

SATURDAY DEC 27 

Ayybo will be calling Cermak Hall home on Saturday as he continues his climb. He just announced his biggest headlining show to date at the Knockdown Center in Queens for this March. Odymel also has had a big year with his Boiler Room set dropping just last month. He will be performing at Smoke and Mirrors on Saturday Night. 

Matroda will play his second to last set of his busy year at Concord Music Hall. He sold out three nights in Los Angeles at Gloria Molina Grand Park in the heart of downtown. An expansive sound that erupts live. Havana’s favorite duo Pauza will take on Spybar with their crystallizing sound heavily intertwined with their Caribbean heritage. 

SUNDAY DEC 28 

Cloonee has had a bucket list year, playing Lollapalooza, EDC, and many more iconic festivals but none more iconic than his latest announcement of Red Rocks this May. A feat reserved for the best artists of our time, Cloonee has earned his spot as one of the most electric shows out there. He will be playing Radius with Andruss and Iglesias. Hailing from across the pond in Dundee, Scotland, Hannah Laing has had a monumental run in the past 10 years. Becoming one of the first female residents at Hï Ibiza, there is no denying her star power as she will perform at Serum. 

MONDAY DEC 29 

Radius will be the home to an incredible combo of Four Tet, Dylan Brady, and INVT. A massive amount of talent for one room on one night, there is a sweeping variety on 640 W Cermak Street. Four Tet is an internationally renowned DJ, wrapping up a run in South Africa earlier this December. Dylan Brady of 100 Gecs will also be playing, continuing a busy year that includes a collaboration with Skrillex. Chloe Caillet, who just played her first all nighter, will be at Cermak Hall with Floorplan, Paurro, and Chicago’s own HOTPRETTY.  

TUESDAY DEC 30 

Cermak Hall continues to host stellar days as Kobosil will take the helm with the help of Cera Khin B2B Zorza. Kobosil, a Berlin born techno artist, has had a storied career starting to spin records at 17 years old, amassing a craterous inventory of songs that continue to draw people in.  

Purple Disco Machine brings his bright and energetic show to Radius on Tuesday Night. The realms of music Tio Piontek dives into makes an atmosphere unlike any other. With support from Claude Vonstroke and Never Dull, there is no lack of new sounds between the trio.  

WEDNESDAY DEC 31 

The busiest and final day of the week culminates with a massive 21 hour set at Outset. From 7am to 4am, Adam Beyer, Derrick Carter, Noizu and many more will be performing well into the new year. All other venues will be full too, as Cermak Hall houses Kasablanca and HNTR, Perc and Selective Response take on Smoke and Mirrors, and many more world class artists continue their runs in Chicago.  

Throughout the 7 days, there is no shortage of incredible artistry on display. DJ’s from all over the world are bringing their unique sound to one city, and Transitions is home to it all. The wide variety in genres and stylings are mesmerizing as it sprawls across Chicago for 7 days. You can check out the full lineup below, and find tickets here.  

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Speaking of dancing, on November 12, Nuovo Testamento graced Iowa City with their music live at The James Theater as a part of The Englert Theatre‘s Track Zero concert series, which highlights local and touring alternative artists. I attended the concert that night, fully ready to boost a move myself.

Before they went on, the show kicked off with three openers. First was Jeff In Leather, a dance/electronic artist based in Omaha, Nebraska. He had provided a strong start to the night with a hardcore but enthralling set. He was then followed by The Mall, a synth-punk artist who had an equally flashy set. It also inspired much headbanging from me and the audience. Lastly, there was Nuovo Testamento’s tour opener and electronic music artist Nuxx, who had flair I couldn’t help but admire when performing.

Any opener I’ve witnessed in my limited concert experience, has never let me down, which remains the case here. Each set from the openers contained amazing light shows and their performances got mine and the crowd’s blood pumping. They certainly were a fantastic build-up to the central act of the night and were quite the acts themselves. Admittedly, there’s a bit of a humorous transition from the hardcore electronic music to the flowy disco-pop but this didn’t cause the night to slow down.

Thankfully, once it was time for Nuovo Testamento, I managed to find an amazing spot on the floor right in front of the stage and very middle of the floor. I was very grateful for this amazing view, and it made the whole experience more immersive for me. The James Theater is a smaller venue, so many of the performers throughout the night came down from the stage and to the dancefloor where the audience and I were. It gave the show an overall more intimate feel, which I immensely cherished. 

Once Crowley and band members Giacomo Zatti (drums) and Andrea Mantione, entered the stage, the audience’s adrenaline rush kicked in once again. Crowley, upon approaching the mic, cheerfully encouraged the audience to dance, remarking that she knew we could after seeing us watch the openers, which was something I was happy to oblige. 

The band mostly performed tracks from Trouble, including “2 Hearts”, “Soldier for Love”, “On the Edge”, and “Dream On”. It was an absolute dream to hear my favorites from the EP performed live and be able to dance along to them.

Crowley certainly helped in sparking the dancing. She was a compelling performer in her own right, dancing onstage and clearly enjoying it so much that it was hard not to follow in her footsteps. She clearly wanted all of us moving on the dance floor, and she certainly delivered in convincing me to do so, much to my surprise.

Since this was my first time going to a concert alone and I prefer dancing in groups, I was nervous about dancing around a bunch of strangers. However, this night ended up being different. Shockingly I found myself disregarding all that and moving to the beat without a care in the world. Getting to dance to this upbeat music with these strangers became a new experience that I welcomed with open arms. 

Nuovo Testamento also played some older tracks from their 2021 album New Earth, like “The Searcher” and “Vanity”. Although I’m not familiar with much of their older work, hearing these two tracks live made me want to check out this album in full, and  the audience and I were still happily dancing. 

Much like their openers, the group was illuminated by various colored lights. Once again, the audience and I were treated to light show with a lot of variety. For a group that produces such colorful music, it’s appropriate that they have an equally colorful stage to perform on. 

After the show concluded, I was left with this post-concert high that I had missed. Seeing Nuovo Testamento illicited pure joy that can only be brought on by hearing a band so energetic live. But if you want to feel even fraction of that feeling, I’d recommend their new EP. In the meantime, that will certainly do the trick. 

More information on upcoming Track Zero shows presented by The Englert Theatre can be found here.

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Regarded as one of the most influential artists in the contemporary music scene, Björk has an extensive and mesmerizing discography ranging from jazz and experimental to electronic and avant-garde music. She is a major pioneer in her genre-bending productions, and inspired others such as Radiohead, Frank Ocean and Lady Gaga. 

The live album’s opening track “Family Intro” starts us off with bird noises, bubbles, and nature ambience. It’s a shortened version of the original, which used to be heavier and more intense with the soundscape. This new, cut version she performed live seemed lighter, as she highlighted the importance of love throughout the process of healing. It beautifully transitions into “The Gate”, which has interesting synths and flutes chiming in every few lines. This recording of her voice live sounds identical to the studio album, a testament to her wonderful voice. Björk sings about her healing journey after a terrible breakup and how her open wounds transformed into a gate where she now receives love from. It became a place where the “light shines in”.

The next tracks “Utopia” and “Arisen My Senses” demonstrate the common theme of blending nature and technology that is seen throughout her discography, and it’s truly hypnotizing how she represents that with the sounds. They’re lighthearted and spacious but not too interesting. The following “Ovule” is boring when compared to how grandiose her songs often are. The melodies and beats stay roughly the same throughout and it doesn’t have a chorus to break up the verses. “Show Me Forgiveness” is similarly bleak and unimpressive, although her vocals are pretty. Both songs are performed almost identically to their original counterparts. 

“Isobel” is a gorgeous song that maintains a steady, marching beat and displays very evocative imagery. The next track “Blissing me” is a gentle ballad about falling in love with someone by sharing music. Interestingly, the melodies reminded me of the “Minecraft Volume Alpha” soundtrack by C418, being very similar to songs like “Door” and “Wet Hands”. The live version really did it justice. We segue into the “Arpeggio” interlude, where Björk delivers the “It’s an emergency” manifesto, urging us to pay attention to the environment in order to survive as a species. After the inspiring call to action, we move into the grandiose “Body Memory”, which is very vibrant in a live setting. The background vocals are very powerful as we transition beautifully into the second half of the album. 

“Hidden Place”, “Mouth’s Cradle” and “Victimhood” are pretty tracks, but they start to blend together a little, the last one being especially monotonous. The “Cornucopia” live album is fascinating, but from these tracks onward I start feeling the album length a little. It feels too long, and even though the songs are different enough from each other to keep things interesting, I got bored with the last few. “Fossora / Atopos” has a loud and chaotic banging that accompanies the second half, but is overall quite uninteresting, which I can also say about “Features Creatures” and “Courtship”. Their dullness is especially highlighted when contrasted with the beautiful “Pagan Poetry” that comes right after them.

A classic in Björk’s discography, “Pagan Poetry” reflects on the confusion and difficulty of emotional and physical connection with a partner. It’s a shortened version of the original, starting from the repeated line of “I love him” in the outro. The following “Losss” has a stellar electronic soundscape that leads to a tumultuous outro. “Sue Me” is plain boring (sorry) and so is “Tabula Rasa”, although the latter’s title did grab my attention, as I recognized John Locke’s philosophy. The Tabula Rasa refers to the idea that all humans are born with a clean slate and no innate knowledge about the world: we must build that knowledge from scratch. Björk uses this theory to address the new generation and tells us to rebuild the world our way, considering how the previous generations left it to us in such a rough shape. 

“Notget” is a powerful track about a break up, where the drumbeats symbolize the singer’s heartbreaks. And the final song on the album, “Future Forever”, is a hopeful perspective on the future. We hear a choir of child-like voices singing about brighter days ahead, which ends the live album on a high note and an optimistic view of the world and what’s to come. All of these tracks come together to create a performance highlighting environmentalism, female empowerment, hope for the future and humanity, solidarity and the collaboration of nature and technology. Even though Björk can be a challenging artist to get into, “Cornucopia Live Album” is an exceptional project and a must listen for fans of avant-garde music and powerful symbolism.

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White Reaper

White Reaper was the final headlining act and closed out the night with a bang. Pulling partially from their new album and partially from their old hits, the hour worth of consistently engaging music Louisville alt rockers made the room extremely lively and fun to listen too. White Reaper have been pushing out good stuff in the Indie music scene for the last decade with albums like The World’s Best American Band and You Deserve Love. Their new album Only Slightly Empty maintains this consistency while also introducing more mature theme’s about relationships, fame and our world at large. If you want a more in depth review of the album you can read our review of it by KRUI writer and reporter Will Clair.

World’s Worst

World’s Worst first opened up the show phenomenally pulling mainly from their new album American Muscle. With a variety of influences from genres like Shoegaze, Emo, Grunge & Slacker Rock they had a really great performance filled with a nice mix of more relaxed and more high energy songs. My favorite from the set was their last track Rockets. It ran pretty long but I would’ve listened for 10 more minutes because of how it used its repetitive drumming, hypnotic bass lines and beautiful guitar tones (shoutout fuzz peddles) to create this really powerful and addicting wall of sound. After the set was over I got to speak with two of their band members Zach and Jake and had a nice conversation about some of their origins and influences. They all met in the skateboarding scene around University of Utah and formed Worlds Worst in late 2019, after having to split up briefly during covid they reformed towards the end of 2020 and have been going really strong since. If you wanna hear more about their story you can check out the interview KRUI’s own Logan Melia did with them. Great work and thanks for doing an interview with us World’s Worst!

Lip Critic

Lip Critic really amped up the audience for their half hour. Coming in with two drummers, a power electronic set and a lead singer who you would’ve thought was on coke. The pit went into a frenzy. Moshing, walls of death, crowd surfing and general high energy dancing made for a really fun set. The lead singer added to this quite a bit with running into the crowd multiple times and other crazy hijinks. Their mix between styles of dance and electronic music with more traditional American hardcore and metal makes for a really interesting boundary pushing music.

I wanted to highlight their unique style and genre blending that was seen across their performance and music as a whole. Their set consisted mainly of their 2024 album Hex Dealer which I got to buy a CD of afterwards at their merch stand. After taking it home to listen I immediately felt the same rush I felt at their show within the first few tracks and this kept going for the whole album

Kicking off the album with It’s The Magic, the track starts with a powerful bass and initially calm vocals before slowly introducing more instruments. Going into the second chorus the songs continues to intensify until the screeching vocals and heavy drums in verse three, carrying on for the rest of the song. 

Track two Love Will Redeem You wasted no time amping up. The heavy repetition and vocal effects are extremely effective at creating this chaotic almost manic vibe. This theme of manic anger continues on into the song The Heart, which is seemingly about an inescapable feeling of pain rushing through someone’s heart. The scattered vocal lines mixed with lyrics such as “Is beating inside me, a feeling untimely, can’t fight it off, can’t fight it off” effectively induces this feeling of anxiety and paranoia within the listener.

When speaking with the group after the show they discussed some of their influences within industrial hip hop artists such as Death Grips and Danny Brown, the latter of which they’ve actually opened for. These influences really show within their next two tracks. Starting with Bork Pelly we get a fun posse cut with underground rappers GHOSH & ID.Sus and continuing onto the very catchy Spirit Bomber. Both of them are the first fully rapped songs on the album and feature these very manically delivered non linear lines akin to MC Ride and other industrial hip hop artists.

The second and final feature on the track comes from DJ Izzy Da Fonseca on Death Lurking. The repetitive vocal lines create a very hypnotic yet fun and catchy atmosphere leading perfectly into Milky Max. Their most popular song delivers perfectly on what so much of what makes this album so great from front to back. The infectious riffs, the manic yet catchy lyrics, the insane vocals combining with intense electronic production and live drumming create such a fun and powerful song that was both amazing live and amazing to listen too at home.

The next three tracks are where you can see their hardcore roots blossom further. The heavy drumming in the Sermon outro, the breakneck pace of I’m Alive and the screeching vocals on My Wife and The Goblin really push the listeners stamina with nonstop high energy songs. In The Wawa (Convinced I Am God) in it’s own unique way tells what I believe to be a story of a man rejected by conventional society and norms and turning to find his own truth, ie: convincing himself he’s god. I think this perfectly exemplifies how many of the songs lyrics (despite being seemingly nonsensical) have some deeper ideas and meaning behind them. This concludes with the final track Toxic Dodger a braggadocious track that I see as the group almost manifesting their success within music. Repeating “If you wanna stop me you’re gonna have to kill me” until you believe it as hard as they do, and to be quite honest after finishing this record I think I do.

Even a year after its initial release Hex Dealer still remains one of the most exciting and boundary pushing release’s within underground music and this show was living proof of that. Their high energy genre blending sound and undeniable production talent lead to great albums and even better performances. I think its valuable for music audiences to challenge their ears by listening to music that doesn’t neatly fit into specific genre labels which is why I think artists like Lip Critic are so important. And I would definitely keep them on my radar of up-incoming talent within Electronic, Experimental Hip Hop and Noise music.

The post October 4th: White Reaper, World’s Worst & Lip Critic at Gabe’s. Lip Critic’s Hex Dealer Album & Show Review. appeared first on KRUI Radio.

With a behemoth 30 song track list typical of the modern day streaming error, MUSIC suffers from a lack of quality control and cohesion. This can be seen on similar sounding tracks such as “OVERLY” and “DIS 1 GOT IT”. The song “TOXIC” sounds like a cheap rehash of the previous single “BACKROOMS”. For an album that has been in the works for so long, MUSIC surprisingly has lackluster mixing. It shows with things like the bizarre extended intro sequence that sounds like it could’ve been ripped off of YouTube video outro on what’s currently the album’s most popular track “EVIL J0RDAN”.

Additionally, outside of a few guest appearances, most of the features on the record are middling or drag down the project at times. An A-list artist such as Playboi Carti should be capable of producing a more diverse and creative set of collaborations than three Travis Scott features, two Lil Uzi Vert features, three Kendrick Lamar features, two Future features and a repetitive feature from The Weeknd. Even though Carti is not known for being a profound lyricist, MUSIC lacks those sparing moments of introspection that added more depth to his previous projects.

Despite being a very flawed project, MUSIC has some highlights when it focuses on expanding the sounds of Whole Lotta Red. “POP OUT” is raw, sonically unhinged, and one of the most explosive and thrilling tracks to open an album. The songs “CRANK” and “COCAINE NOSE” feel like the evolved final form of the punk-rap sound. Kendrick Lamar makes an unexpectedly fun appearance as a hypeman on “MOJO JOJO”. However, another Kendrick Lamar collab “GOOD CREDIT” pales in comparison to his collaborations with Baby Keem and is slightly underwhelming due to a dull production choice and Carti’s lethargic vocal delivery.

Out of all the various genre forays on the album, Playboi Carti is at his best when tapping into electronic and sample based sounds. The spacey production on “OLYMPIAN” and “I SEEEEEE YOU BABY BOI” is hypnotic and serves as a perfect medium for his raspy melodies. Playboi Carti delivers his finest performance on “OPM BABI” by using an eclectic vocal delivery and surrounding himself with thrilling, unrelenting gunshot effects and hype producer tags courtesy of Atlanta legend DJ Swamp Izzo. Another stellar performance on the album comes over a fun creative sample of the Rich Kidz song “Bend Over” on “LIKE WEEZY”. These sounds suit Playboi Carti well and one can only hope he continues to explore these lanes on future projects instead of rehashing cheap thrills that have already run their course in mainstream music.

Official Maurice Crawford Score: 6.8/10

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Their resplendent approach is immediately noticeable throughout the immaculate buildup of the opening track “She Looked Like Me” with relaxing, pulsating synths that build up to explosive horns in the middle of the epic song. Despite making more grandiose musical choices, they still haven’t lost the catchy melodies and bridges that have always laid at the core of their music. This is best exemplified on “Death & Romance”, which might go down as the best pop song of the decade. The bright keys and catchy hook of this track centered around themes of eternal love is close to perfection with its psychedelic backdrop. “Image” is another catchy pop song with amazing bass lines that makes it nearly impossible to resist dancing.

There are many ways to objectively review an album, but the most absolute way to determine the quality and appeal of is to hear it played live. Fortunately, many students at the University of Iowa, including myself, were blessed with the opportunity of seeing them play live during the annual homecoming concert put on by SCOPE. Not only did the performance live up to my high expectations of the group, but they exceeded them by a large margin. Mica Tenenbaum’s vocals were ethereal, and the instrumentation was also cosmic with Matthew Lewin delivering on the keys and guitar.

Hearing songs off the album such as “Killing Time”, “Fear, Sex”, and a more punk like rendition of “That’s My Floor” with live guitar and drums showcased the artistry that is sometimes overlooked in their discography. The quality of the live vocals and rhythm sections were show stopping and gave new life to the songs as they evolved from the studio versions. The set was incredible with colorful, gleaming lighting fitting of their music, and came to a perfect end with the triumphant and bouncy track “The Ballad of Matt & Mica”, which gives a euphoric synopsis of the duo’s own personal lore.

In what has seemed like a major year of pop revivalism, Magdalena Bay deservedly stands at the forefront of a year of music loaded with incredible releases. It is one of the best things to witness in music when musicians at their artistic peak manage to effectively translate a cohesive, yet opulent vision to an album both conceptually and musically. This record delivered on all fronts and improved upon their first album in almost every way possible. In case you’ve never heard anything like it before, this album is pop music fleshed out at its highest level, balancing thoughtful and introspective songwriting, maximalist song arrangements, and catchy melodies that will be permanently inserted into your brain.

Official Maurice Crawford Score: 9.0 / 10

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