Chat Pile – Sifting (single)

Fresh off the heels of their latest collab album with postrock artist Hayden Pedigo, Oklahoma hardcore/noise band Chat Pile return to their typical fast paced and abrasive style with two new singles. Starting off with the absolute head thrasher Masks, you can really feel the influence of their new record label Sub Pop, which they themselves cited as influencing the song. “It’s a true dream to put out a single on Sub Pop, and our new song Masks hopefully honors the spirit of the mythical, sometimes mystical, city of Seattle,” said Chat Pile in a recent press statement. This influence is apparent with the aggression and style of other iconic Sub Pop bands such as Mudhoney and The Melvins. Still though, they maintain the band’s complex rhythms and Raygun’s own unique vocal style to give this era its own spin.

Continuing along with the Seattle tributes, the band paired the Masks release with a deep cut cover of Nirvana‘s Sifting. If you thought that song couldn’t get dirtier and sludgier, you’re in for a treat. The perfectly sloppy guitar solos pairs with these muddy backing riffs and vocals that are just low quality enough make for such a grimy and fun listening experience. The six minute run time feels like a breeze, considering the level of quality we’re working with, and it makes me more than excited to listen to whatever they have planned for the future.

–Tarik Krob

My New Band Believe – Numerology (single)

altFresh from the elegantly titled My New Band Believe is their second ever single, Numerology. Helmed by Cameron Picton of black midi fame, My New Band Believe offers on Numerology a blend of very poppy indie rock with elements of samba and disco that feels triumphantly hectic. The lyrics evoke a night on the town with your buddies as you get increasingly…inebriated, and the finale of the song is admittedly comical, but still feels like a ripe conclusion for the preceding spectacle. The song clocks in at 4:18, yet its manic energy makes it feel half that length. As a consequence, I usually listen to this song at least twice in a row. After the conclusion of black midi, frontman Geordie Greep has received the brunt of the attention from the public, especially following the release of his album The New Sound, in 2024. However, I imagine Picton will have his own stint in the windmill-scene spotlight as Numerology feels undoubtedly like Picton’s Holy, Holy moment.My New Band Believe releases their debut album on April 10th, be there or be square!

–Jack Manley

Lana Del Rey – White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter (single)

To say this new Lana Del Rey track was surprising would be an understatement. Not only is it shocking that she actually released it, instead of just relentlessly teasing it on social media like she’s been doing with her upcoming Stove album for half a year now, but the song itself is a very different direction for the singer. It’s dark and sinister. It builds tension in the verses and dissolves it with an almost “Disney princess” cadence of soft whispers in the chorus. The atmosphere is at times heavy, and at times light, but an underlying eeriness keeps the listener on their toes. The song is composed of haunting synths and magical entrancing string instruments like violins, violas and cellos. Sweet guitars, piano, percussives, brass, and even a harp bleed into the delicate mix. These instruments build the orchestral nature of the track, giving it an almost ethereal and uncanny quality.
Instead of leaning country like Lana promised with the upcoming Stove album, she seems to be more interested in exploring ominous soundscapes with this track, opting for a southern gothic route with her own spin. However, the singer’s tendencies to romanticize the mundane are still very much present, with her basking in the traditional, stay-at-home-wife lifestyle that she has come to greatly appreciate. White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter paints this picture of Lana cooking for her husband while she awaits his return from hunting wild animals in the spooky woods near their home. Mentions of words like “voodoo” and “magical” evoke a mystical feeling into her daily affairs, and the expression “whoopsy-daisy” and the “yoo-hoo” ad-libs make the song feel all the more whimsical.
Lana Del Rey’s new single offers a glimpse into a darker side of her music which was prevalent in the earlier days of her discography. Her Born to Die album and her Lizzy Grant persona both offer a preview of this gloomy sound, as highlighted by many fans in online spaces. But despite similarities to her earlier works, White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter demonstrates an entirely new soundscape and tonal shift for Lana, which is exciting to experience as we await the release of the upcoming album.

–Clara Carrion

Ratboys – Singin’ to an Empty Chair

Chicago has always consistently been putting out incredible music: Wilco, John Prine, Mavis Staples. Today, there is something brewing in the second city, that has come to boil over. Leading this charge is indie-rockers, Ratboys. The Notre Dame Alumni, and Chicago natives, celebrated their sweet sixteen as a band by releasing their sixth studio album, Singin’ to an Empty Chair.

This is not only a continuation of their breakout success from 2023’s, The Window, but an expansive journey into their own sound and personality. This album feels as though every note has a meaning behind it and every strum is a continuation of a bed time story you don’t want to end. Ratboy’s has a comforting sound, one that puts the listener in their world with lyrics reading, “the bugs are writing books with their eyes.” This sense of joy and poetry bleeds from songs, while reflections of todays wild world in The World, So Madly brings it back down to earth. The slide guitar sings by itself, and the bouncy yet fuzzy guitars within the band blend together like peanut butter and jelly.

Ratboys throw in hits throughout their album like its nothing, and put forth my favorite album of 2026 so far. They will be touring the record this spring with support from Florry, villagerrr, and fellow Chicagoans Free Range.
FFO: MJ Lenderman, Waxahatchee, Wednesday, The Beths

–Logan Melia

xaviersobased – Xavier

Periodically, it seems that the Music Discourse Eye of Sauron happens to latch its all-consuming gaze onto a particular artist who has established a particular brand of sound until it has become so virulently synonymous with their name that it cannot help but seep through these fiber-optic spaces into the minds of those cultural sleuths so invested in the all-important web of contemporality. Xavier happens to be one such example, the culmination of multiple years of underground consistency and empire building surrounding Xav’s uniquely futuristic, atmospheric, and outright unpredictable approach to production. He proves himself to be at once an absurdist paragon, a staple of the modern cloud rap scene (as well as the extended Surf Gang universe), even forming his very own imprint 1c in the lead-up to this album. Thus, through following an approach that is entirely unpredictable yet expected, Xav has captured the spotlight into a…decidedly mixed reaction.

The seasoned listener will notice differences. There is a greater sleekness in each beat’s construction. There are feature placements that would have once seemed impossible with Zaytoven and Rio da Yung OG, as well as this being Xav’s first big-boy big label treatment, giving cause for a greater critical stir even with this being his first studio album in four years. It seems Xav took this opportunity to give people more of what they had flocked to him for in the first place: a cinematic, woozy, and disorienting experimental rap album. iPhone 16 features a discordant symphony’s instrumentation that wouldn’t have been out of place on a Steve Reich composition. Production standouts include Tony Hawk, as well as 100,000, both ranking among Xav’s most explosive compositions yet. However, the real star of the show is the digital streaming exclusive, Party At My Place, featuring Dylan Brady of 100 Gecs and Skrillex, creating a characteristically mind-bending and bombastic blend of the three’s respective styles. All in all, those who were already fans of Xavier’s output found more to enjoy, whereas those who weren’t (for the most part) gave a collective shrug and continued about their days. Give it five years, though…

–Evan Raefield

Converge – Love is Not Enough

Metalcore legends Converge return with another intense record after five years. This band does not miss, they wind up each shot and take the fattest fucking swing at it and send it flying at wee Anthony Fantano’s slippery baldass head. It’s a great record, neither their best nor worst, but Converge excels at consistency. 30 years of this metalcore business and they’re still accelerating ahead, splitting noise and peeling catharsis off the razor’s edge. Vocalist Jacob Bannon describes the album and its creation as “unrelenting and super raw the entire time, and that’s by design, because that’s how we feel. That’s what’s resonating in our collective spirit right now.” It’s a surprisingly political album, with lyrics from Bannon lying much more grounded in reality than his previous work, themes ranging from human powerlessness to the opiate industry. The band describes Love is Not Enough as less approximating an album, instead existing as the culminating “artist’s statement,” of the full band. Don’t let the title fool you, this is a record that advocates for love. Each song is a lonely cry of agony, desperate for more love to lay exposed and shared in the world, combating the darker chaos and panic around us. “Love is essential, but it’s not everything.”

–Pauly

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

The latest release from Beach House is a dream pop behemoth. Released in four installments, this double LP brings a new spark of ambition to the duo’s recent catalog. Once Twice Melody may not offer the catchy singles of their previous works, but instead patient, meditative songs with a diverse instrumental palette. The second track, “Superstar”, is an excellent example of what makes so much of this album great. The melodies are simple, but the production is miraculously intricate–sampled and repitched vocal recordings from Victoria Legrand make for a great addition to the soundscape. She sings of loss, but with an acceptance that brings comfort to the song. The warm memory is eroded by time and the pain has lost its bite. “New Romance” is a cheery moment in the tracklist and brings one of the most straightforwardly catchy choruses on the album. “Masquerade” rocks a propulsive beat and a variety of eerie synth tones. A consistent theme across the album is time and its passing–a recurring lyric is “Days go by.” In a sea of releases marketed as “quarantine albums”, Beach House has captured the feeling of expanding time without needing to be so obvious. They have created an album where its form complements its content in a way few artists can. Decades into Beach House’s career, they continue to hone their sound on the impressive Once Twice Melody.

— Jaden Amjadi

yeule – Glitch Princess

Where to even begin with Glitch Princess? We could talk about the cavernous ambience full of synths and industrial noise, the child-like delivery of yeule, the menacing aesthetic that permeates the album. All of it works to chilling effect, but it would just ring hollow if it weren’t for the lyricism involved. This certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. Self-harm, eating disorders, drug use, hatred, loneliness; the list goes on. Hell, they introduce the album with the lines “I like crushing up rocks and snorting them.” The hyperpop scene has never been one to shy away from difficult material, even if it’s covered in a glossy finish, but Glitch Princess is at a whole new level of despair and disgust. Except, that’s only half the story. Sure, we all love a good downer of an album, but Yeule recognizes the importance of existence as resistance, of carrying on even when it’s hard. That shines most on the highlight of the album “Don’t Be So Hard on Your Own Beauty.” The drones, the synths, everything comes to a halt, leaving only guitar and a pitch-shifted yeule who remarks on the joy of being in a relationship that allows for mutual understanding and compassion in the face of trauma: “You turn this horrible place into orange light, sunset in sight / You tell me not to be so hard on my own beauty.” It’s a moment of, well, beauty that allows you to take a breath before diving back into the darkness. As the world seems ever darker, it’s nice to see an artist like yeule who can understand and work with the knowledge that there’s always a glimmer underneath the murkiness of reality. 

— Zachary LeBoeuf

Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You

Indie folk rock heavy-hitters Big Thief return with their newest release Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You. With a title that long and a tracklist that is equally lengthy, one may be deterred thinking that the record is pretentious or bloated. However, this is indeed not the case as every track in the album’s 20-song tracklist demands its own attention and deservedly so. The record as a whole sees the band exploring a softer and more sentimental sound than their previous works while retaining all of their signature emotive poetry. Songs like “Dried Roses” and “Change” show the softer side to the band with the warm melodies of the acoustic guitar, steady beat of the drums, and lead singer Adrianne Lenker’s typically scorched and empathetic vocals. On other songs like “Time Escaping” and “Heavy Bend” the band experiments in a sort of shuffling percussion with somewhat echoic production value, and shows off an uncut side with the inclusion of guitar noise, small verbal cues, and initial stumblings before the beginnings of songs. All of this adds to the pervading rawness of the record in both its instrumental palette and emotional thematic leanings that give this record its potency to not just endure the lengthy 20 tracks, but consistently impress and encapsulate.

— Sydney Sjobakken

Cities Aviv – MAN PLAYS HORN

Underground hip hop mainstay, Cities Aviv, presents the world with a groovy and experimental amalgamation of samples in his new album, MAN PLAYS THE HORN. Based in Memphis, Tennessee, the rapper and producer began his career with a mixtape titled BLACK PLEASURE 2012. The initial tape blew up in underground rap circles around the country, cementing his name as a promising force in the experimental hip hop community. Cities Aviv develops a melodic and mature approach to this new album; meshing together his dilapidated and driving song structures with that of a variety of samples, mainly from classical and R&B ballads. This dichotomy that comes from the spastic nature of the tracks and his use of harmonies and pleasant chords results in enjoyable and head-hanging production. This, coupled with Aviv’s intentional bars and witty one-liners creates an LP that will do more than please the audience for a few listens – it creates an LP that will outlast most of the others in your rotation.

— Russel Hanneman

Marissa Nadler – The Wrath of the Clouds EP

On The Wrath of the Clouds, a companion EP to last year’s excellent The Path of the Clouds, Nadler continues to flex her magical songwriting capabilities and offers a couple of covers as well. While at times this project may not have the same attention to production as its full-length counterpart, the detailed storytelling and memorable performances make these songs anything but cast-off extras. Nadler delivers what she’s perfected over the years–dark folk tunes with somber tales to share, and in recent work especially, songs that absolutely drip with an eerie atmosphere. The opener, “Guns on the Sundeck”, tells a wartime horror story over tight acoustic finger-picking. The droning ambiance and interjecting wails of electric guitar make for a haunting start to the EP. “All the Eclipses” sounds like the heavier sequel to “All the Colors of the Dark”, and it’s worthy of this appraisal. A scuzzy, tavern-ready guitar tone provides a backbone to the track as Nadler sings of reeling from loss. The covers, with their electronic drums, give the sense of a more lo-fi recording setup.  Her cover of Sammi Smith’s “Saunders Ferry Lane” is great as expected, but especially her cover of Alessi Brothers’ “Seabird” is a wonderful surprise. The way in which Nadler incorporates her own shoegazey style while leaving the song’s yacht rock sensibilities intact is stunning. On The Wrath of the Clouds, Marissa Nadler gives us everything we need–that being more Marissa Nadler.

— Jaden Amjadi

Mitski – Laurel Hell

Mitski’s one of those artists who seem to always surround certain corners of the Internet, to the point that even without ever listening to a full album of hers, I pretty much thought I had her sound and style figured out. And then Laurel Hell arrives. While that classic Mitski style is still there, her mournful lyrics over a sparse musical backdrop, this release really shows how far she’s grown since her debut back in 2014. The sound of the ’80s permeates this album, from the New Romantic xylophone chords on “Should’ve Been Me”, the Blondie-like “Stay Soft”, and the synthwave drive of “Love Me More”. It all works to great effect, even with the addition of comparably standard Mitski songs like “Working for the Knife”, the songs mesh well together without any one sound overpowering the other. For those who have wanted to get into Mitski, I can’t think of a better album to start with than this. It’s the sound of an artist at a crossroads, experimenting, yet refining their music. And God help us all when Mitski finally reaches that apex. You might as well reach for the tissues now.

— Zachary LeBoeuf

The post The Best Releases of February: Music Staff Picks appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Since it is February and Valentine’s Day is a thing that happens in February, I figured I should probably make a recipe that harkens to the other mostly useless holiday in the month. Now, if you thought that meant I was going to make some sort red velvet-type of baked item, I’m going to stop you right there.

To be honest, red velvet is pretty freakin weird—why do we have to add an entire bottle of artificial red food dye just to enjoy a mildly cocoa flavored caked with cream cheese frosting?? Traditional red velvet is actually pretty cool with the chemical reactions happening to produce the red tint, but people have become so used to the artificial hue that the traditional just doesn’t have the same sex appeal.

Instead of fake food dye that stains your mouth and teeth red (which isn’t a very sexy look for V-Day, unless you and your Valentine are into vampire roleplay), I wanted to make something that was naturally rose-tinged. For some reason, the thought of making a rustic berry tart has been calling to me for a while and I figured with plenty of strawberries and raspberries it would be the perfect antithesis to the basic red velvet.

I found a berry tart recipe (okay technically it’s a “galette” not a tart, but I like calling it a tart so whatever) from a blog called Finding Zest that used frozen berries, which was fantastic because fresh berries in February would’ve been hella expensive. To enhance the ~*Valentine’s Day vibes*~ I invited the boyfriend over for moral support, because what says romance more than having to babysit your whiskey inebriated girlfriend to make sure she doesn’t drunkenly burn herself??

Time started: 8:00 pm

What I’m drinking: This time I went full whiskey. I had a couple swigs before starting, and then mixed the rest of what was left in the bottle with some cherry coke. (There were only like 2-3 shots left in the bottle, okay. Don’t panic.)

Estimated difficulty: 2/5

This seemed pretty simple, and since I cheated with store-bought pie crust there really wasn’t a lot of labor involved. (I was going more for aesthetics than anything, forgive me.)

Challenges (besides being intoxicated): To be honest, there really weren’t too many extra challenges this time around. I do remember running into the chairs and table more times than usual. I also knocked a cup to the floor, but thankfully it was empty.

Time finished: 9:30 pm

Results

My drunk opinion: “It’s super tasty, I’m in to it. It’s also “berry tart” but in a good way.” (I do remember thinking I was very clever coming up with that pun while drunk.)

Jake’s opinion: “It’s good. Definitely one of the best pie crusts I’ve had.” (Store bought for the win.)

Shanea’s opinion: It’s really good! 10/10 would definitely eat again. I really enjoyed the blue goo.

My sober morning opinion: This is a really great balance of sweet and tart. The berries turned into kind of a jam, and it goes perfectly with the crust. I might actually be obsessed, not going to lie.

Final deliciousness rating: 10/10

Heck yeah I’d make this again. Here’s the recipe if you’d like to make it yourself, and I’d highly recommend that you do. (And it’s extra easy with store-bought pie crust!)

As a sort of “blooper,” I tried making a glaze for the tart out of some leftover canned coconut milk I had in my freezer and powdered sugar, and although it tasted pretty good, when I tried drizzling the glaze concoction on the tart it ended up looking like a bodily fluid you probably shouldn’t put on any sort of baked good, Valentine’s day or not. I didn’t take a picture for evidence, so I’ll just let you use your imagination to work out the details on that.

Next month is March, which means that’s the month spring is actually supposed to arrive in and I have no idea what I’m going to make!! You should still definitely tune in then though!!

Previous Episodes:

Episode 1: Orange Chili Brownies

Episode 2: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones

Episode 3: (Almost) Vegan Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Episode 4: Peppermint  & White Chocolate Brownies

Episode 5: Vegan Coconut Lime Cake

The post Whisks + Whiskey: Episode 6 appeared first on KRUI Radio.