Underscores’ last studio album “Wallsocket” leaned in a folk, indietronica direction, with heavy worldbuilding elements and a lot of social commentary. This time, underscores combined her hyper-pop sound from the first album “Fishmonger” with a new energetic and electropop one, making her latest album “U” a “good thesis statement of who I am as an artist”, as stated by Grey in an interview with Vogue.

In that same interview, the musician also talked about her longtime fascination with hotels, airports, and malls from her childhood, especially the way people listen to music while moving through those spaces. This heavily inspired the album and you can certainly notice: from the mall in the cover art to the visuals where she hauls around luggage while dancing with her headphones in. It’s a short, cohesive, and focused record that offers some of the best pop songs this year.

“U” starts off strong with “Tell Me (U Want It),” a beautiful song where underscores first showcases the usage of her breath as an instrument. From the breathy and rhythmic intro we move to soft verses and an exciting chorus. One of the most interesting parts of the song is the outro where she adopts these harsh, robotic whispers as the song fizzles out. It’s an instant classic in her discography and it flows well into the following track “Music,” which had everyone obsessed when it dropped as a single. It was my first underscores song, and I was totally blown away. This beautiful track compares the company of a special someone to the feeling of listening to/making music, incorporating mesmerizing beats and harmonies. The song feels like underscores’ love letter to music and her passion for it really shines through, especially with the breakdown in the bridge where she mentions multiple genres of music that are meaningful to her.

We then move into the first new song for me (since I already knew the singles) called “Hollywood Forever.” The brilliance in this one comes from the switch ups, which make it feel like three songs in one. Following that we have “The Peace,” a song different from everything I’ve heard from the musician. Vocal inflections are chopped up in the beginning and she uses her breath as percussion for the second time. This is actually maintained throughout the whole track, making for a consistent, electronic-heavy song that offers a nice break from the previous three explosive ones.

Next is my personal song of the year (and no, I don’t care that it’s too early to call): “Innuendo (I Get U).” She does get me! Demonstrated by her inclusion of everything I think sounds cool in a song: quick switch ups, intense kicks, well-placed talk singing, a powerful beat drop, and playful lyrics. Underscores uses her whispers and soft register once more, combining them with loud, layered vocals, proving her versatility. 

“Lovefield” is another one of my favorites. Spacious and atmospheric, the track starts off soft and laid back, eventually dissolving into a gorgeous display of underscores’ vocal range as she belts the chorus one last time. “Do It” is a wonderfully produced, quintessential underscores track released as one of the three singles. It’s upbeat and fun, and probably the first song I’d recommend to someone wanting to get into her music. Though there was also a remix of the track featuring Yves before the album dropped, I like this version better (but by a close margin).

“Bodyfeeling” is my least favorite on the record, but still a very good song that became quite popular with the fanbase. This one is more interesting lyrically, with touching verses about ignoring your body and your reality in favor of existing in a fantasy with the person you love. However, the chorus beat felt a little clunky.

The final track “Wish U Well” follows a similar pattern to “Lovefield” in the sense that it’s also laid back, albeit without an explosive bridge or chorus. Again, the lyrics hit me pretty hard and it made for such an emotional and dreamy song that easily slipped into my top 3 (alongside “Innuendo (I Get U)” and “Do It”). Overall, this underscores project is a progressive, hyper-pop, and electronica masterpiece that everyone should check out. Just put on some headphones, find a good mall to wander around in, and lose yourself in the glitchy, maximalist world of “U.”

The post Feeling the BPM with underscores’ third studio album “U” appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Collaborating with University of Iowa’s Scope Productions, The Englert Theater brought Lip Critic back to Iowa City as a part of their Track Zero series. With the band’s unique and unconventional blend of various music styles and this being their second visit to the world city, it’s no surprise that they’ve quickly gained the cult following of punks, raver’s, alt kids, hip hop heads and music lovers alike all across Iowa. Joined by local powerviolence act Recess and punk rockers Ascended Master, it was bound to be a great show.  

Recess was the first opener and started the night off with some incredible energy. Lead singer Sir Anne Wrappe has dipped their toes in several forms of performance art including drag and burlesque acts which makes them a very unique but exciting hardcore front-man. This juxtaposes perfectly with Powerviolence’s usual style of fast paced, aggressive guitar solos and murky, sludgy bass riffs to make Recess really stand out amongst a sea of copy-cat metal bands. Another highlight of their performances for me was their undeniable chemistry as a group, from the consistent swap of vocalists to the way the drum fills compliment the guitarists, you can tell this is a group of highly skilled and experienced musicians. Excellent set and I can’t wait to see more from Recess, they don’t have any released music so make sure to check out a show from these rising stars in the Iowa City music scene!

Next up was Ascended Master, the “unc band” of the lineup. Due to how strong their performance was, I was surprised to find out that they’ve only been playing shows for the past few months, but it made more sense knowing how stacked the group was with music scene veterans. Namely their lead singer Oliver Weilein of City Council and BOOTCAMP fame. At one point in between songs he went around the crowd asking people what they would want to change about Iowa City and actually listening to their responses. It’s really great to see a local musician who’s so dedicated to uplifting their own community and just goes on to show why Oliver is such a local legend.

Even speaking exclusively about music, the set was such a blast, just punk bangers back to back with such a keen understanding of performance and crowd control. I think my favorite was a cover of Descendents iconic song Hope, with some really fun mic grabs and crowd pile ons throughout the track. Unfortunately they have no social media, so make sure to continue looking out for them popping up on some local flyers!

The simplest and most accurate way to describe Lip Critic’s music is experimental. The eccentric four man multi instrumentalist group combines elements of rock, hip hop, punk, electronic, and industrial music to make these incredibly produced tracks that are equally aggressive as they are danceable. This was reflected perfectly within this show’s moshpit which ebb and flowed between rave style dances and more traditional push pit moshing. 

You can’t help but shake ass to the grooveable rhythms of Toxin Dodger, thrash your head to The Heart and sing your lungs out to the choruses of Milky Max and In The Wawa (Convinced I Am God). And none of this would be possible without the band’s incredible stage presence. Their lead singer Bret Kaser is an absolute maniac who will do anything to bring up the crowd’s energy whether that’s running into the pit, bringing people on stage or screaming random things between sets. With such high energy performers it’s hard to not reciprocate that energy and want to move with them, which I believe everyone in the audience (me included) felt for the whole set. If you want to hear more about specific tracks, check out my review of their latest album Hex Dealer. If you love what you hear, definitely anticipate the group’s upcoming album Theft World, out on April 30th. But for now, thank you Lip Critic, for an amazing performance.

While not available for a full interview after the show, I did get the really great opportunity to have a conversation with the lead singer at the merch booth and here’s some of what he had to say.

Tarik: Hey thanks for a great set, really loved it.

Bret: Thank you man, thanks for the energy.

Tarik: Did you actually meet your wife in Iowa? (Referring to earlier in the show when he shouted between songs that he met his wife at Gabe’s)

Bret: Nah I don’t even have a wife.

Tarik: Wait what, why’d you say that then?

Bret: I don’t know, I just thought it’d make people excited.

Tarik: Do you always make up stuff like that during shows?

Bret: Yeah, just something funny that gets people going.

Tarik: I was gonna say, cause I think last time you were here you said you were going through a divorce.

Bret: Haha yeah, did you come to our show here with White Reaper?

Tarik: Yeah no it was so fun. I didn’t know who y’all were before the concert, and I came and you guys put on such a great show I had to come see you guys again.

Bret: Do a lot of people around here just kinda like coming to shows, even if they don’t know the artists?

Tarik: Yeah, a good amount of people, we got a pretty solid music scene.

Bret: Yeah that’s sick man, we really didn’t know Iowa City was like that before our first show here, but we were really sleeping on it, you guys go crazy.

Tarik: Thanks, y’all should come back.

Bret: Yeah, we definitely will next tour.

Tarik: When’s that gonna be?

Bret: Probably around fall after we release our new album. This was kind of just a mini tour to test out new songs live and create some hype around the album.

Tarik: Well I’ll definitely show up man, see y’all next time.

Bret: Yeah thank you!

And this conversation is where I found my story. I thought back on October 4th my first time seeing Lip Critic, and what I initially thought was gonna be an average night out with some fun music, but what turned into one of my favorite live music experiences and a newfound love for an extremely talented emerging group. All resulting from me just choosing to take a chance on seeing a lineup of bands I knew next to nothing of. Like Bret stated “People here just kind of like coming to shows, even if they don’t know the artists.” Similar to how Lip Critic took a chance on playing in Iowa City for the first time and now it’s becoming a tour staple for them.

I talk to music fans on a daily basis, many of which you would almost never catch at a local show. Usually saying something along the lines of “Well how do I know if I’ll like it if I don’t know the artists?” Well my question is what if you DO love it? It’s a common trend to see online music lovers post performances from their favorite artists at the dawn of their career. Playing to small crowds at local restaurants, venues and basements. A far cry from their later critical acclaim and global success. You’ll see these comments flooded with people talking about how much they wish they could’ve been there to see these amazing acts for cheap in such an intimate environment. Well what’s stopping you from doing that now? Every city is flooded with performances from talented, hungry young artists looking to make something special and one of them might just be a new favorite of yours. I found that with Lip Critic, and you can too.

The post Concert Review: Lip Critic, Ascended Master, Recess, and why you should go to local shows. February 19th at Gabe’s. appeared first on KRUI Radio.

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.

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.

Tom Higgenson: I don’t think they’re like considered to be emo in the same scene. 

DeMar Hamilton: But they could be on the festival and it would be, it’d be awesome.  

Logan Melia: They were. First year, Avril Lavigne played weekend one, got sick, weekend two, they came in.

Tim Lopez: No shit? 

Logan: Yeah, so they like weren’t ‘on’ on the lineup but you know. They’re one of my all-time favorites.

DeMar: I love them, yeah they’re awesome.

Logan: All right, Plain White T’s, how are we feeling guys? 

Tim: Feeling good how are you? 

Mike Retondo: Feeling great man.

Logan: When We Were Young and we had a big show yesterday with Hawthorne Heights.

Tim: Oh yeah. 

Logan: How was that?

Tim: That was amazing. It was a pool party. 

Logan: You guys jumped in at all? 

Tim: None of us jumped in the pool. I didn’t bring trunks to be honest.

DeMar: We did that emo’s not dead cruise so it was like oh this is the cruise but in Vegas at our hotel.

Tim: Thats exactly what it was.

Logan: How do you like the Vegas Vibe so far?

Tim: I mean, I like it. I like Vegas in short spurts.  

Logan: Weekends.  

Tim: Yep, exactly. 

Mike: It’s nice this year. We did it two years ago, this fest, and it’s a lot cooler now than it was two years ago.  

Tim: Like temperature wise. 

Mike: Vegas breeze rolling through. 

Tim: I feel like Vegas is getting like a little grittier. 

Mike: Grittier? 

Tim: Yeah. 

DeMar: Going back to its roots. 

Tim: Yeah, I think so. As I was driving in, I was like, yeah, this is where like all the bodies are buried.  

De’Mar: Yeah, it is kind of sketchy. 

Logan: On the Uber over here, there was a place with a bunch of tanks and ammunition.  

DeMar: Yeah, right across right here.

Logan: Yeah, that’s my first time here. I woke up, you know, kind of got in the car and that was one of the first things I saw.  

Tim: Yeah, greeted with that. Welcome.  

Logan: Yeah. You guys are on the road quick with the Delilah v. Juliette Tour. So you keep going, are you guys excited for that?  

Tom: Oh, yeah, yeah. Cannot wait and Emo Nite is opening by like spinning a bunch and DJing emo bangers to get the crowd going so it’s going to be a super fun tour. 

Logan: Do you guys have any favorites that you go sneak on to that pre-show playlist?

Tom: Yes.

Tim: Ooh probably but I don’t know if we’re controlling that thing, I don’t know.

DeMar: I’m sure they’re gonna play some some Panic!, some Fall Out Boy you know Taking Back Sunday, Ocean Avenue.

Tom: Yeah the hits.

Logan: Now you’re from the Chicago suburbs, I’m from Westmont, Illinois.

Tom: Oh no shit?

Logan: Yeah right next to Lombard and I’m not sure I’m familiar with the current scene, but they got a cool couple of DIY venues. There’s one called Basement of the Coven in the bottom of a salon that you got like a ladder down or whatever, and your guys’ name is on the wall.

DeMar: No way!

Logan: I’m being completely serious right now. 

Tim: Like a sticker or we have been there? 

Logan: I don’t think you guys have been there. 

Tim: You gotta climb down a ladder to get into the place? 

Mike: That sounds awesome!

Tom: We should go play it!

Logan: Yeah, it’s awesome. Basement of the Coven. It’s right in downtown Lombard and right next to the train station in this little outlet. 

Tim: Dude we should go play it.

Logan: If you guys really want we can set it up.

Tim: Send the info.

Mike: Next to the train stop video building.

Logan: How was the scene when you guys were growing up there in Lombard, what was it like?  

Tom: It was so awesome.  

Mike: Great library. Lilacia Park is beautiful.  

DeMar: I love it.

Tom: I literally just, on the way here today in the car, listened to our friends Lucky Boys Confusion. I don’t know if you know them from back in the day, but they just released one of their independent albums digitally on Spotify. And so rocking that on the way here and thinking back to all those old suburban scene shows. We played with them all the time, Show Off all the time, DeMar’s band, Knockout, Mike’s old man, Tone Deaf George. It was a vibrant scene.  Everybody, all the bands just kind of helping each other out and just trying to build this thing that eventually we moved it into the city and you know we’re selling out The Metro and the freaking Fireside Bowl and places like that. So yeah it was really the scene was important to us back in the day.  

Logan: I did some research. 17 shows was my count for how many times you guys played The Metro.

Tim: Woah!

Logan: Do you remember the very first one?  

Tom: I do. These guys weren’t even in the band. When we started, one of our original goals was to play The Metro. That was like my favorite venue going to shows in the city and within about a year or so we got our first gig there so it was cool. Yeah, actually they let us into The Metro before the Fireside and before any of those other cool venues.

Mike: Who was there? 

Tom: It was with Woolworthy, who I believe is still maybe a band. 

Mike: I was at that show and I have the ticket stub. 

Tom: No shit? Yeah crazy.  

Mike: Didn’t play but it was a fan. I love Woolworthy.  

Logan: Well, I want to thank you guys so much for sitting down and taking time with me. I’m looking forward to your set later today. 

Tom: See you in Lombard, man.  

Logan: I’ll be there. 

The Plain White T’s showed once again what makes them the connective tissue for so many music fans, even beyond the scene. Hitting tracks off of 5 separate albums, and even throwing in a cover by Chicago suburb brethren Fall Out Boy with their song “Dance, Dance”, the Lombard locals flaunted their expansive and entrapping discography. They will wrap up the year opening for Waterparks in December and playing the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival in Chicago. You can find tour dates here as we await what is next for the quintet.

The post Interview: KRUI With The Plain White T’s appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Logan Melia: Well, I’m here with Cecilia Castleman. How are you today? 

Cecilia Castleman: I’m good, how are you? 

Logan: I’m doing well. You mentioned it’s your fifth day on the road. So you’ve kind of set up a routine a little bit. How does your day look on tour right now? 

Cecilia: Yeah, normally I get in late the night before from the show. And then my mom and I, we’ve just been traveling by ourselves with the dog and we get up early and drive to the next venue and then I get ready and we head to the venue for sound check and yeah, it’s been really fun. But yeah, it’s a lot. I’ll be ready to have a little time off tomorrow, but it’s been the best. It’ll be like 37 shows in total. 

Logan: Is the dog on board for all 37 shows? 

Cecilia: Yeah, she’s been with us the whole way. 

Logan: What’s your dog’s name? 

Cecilia: Toby, she’s a rescue. 

Logan: How long have you had Toby? 

Cecilia: Oh gosh, probably three years. 

Logan: That’s very sweet. Toby, does she come on every tour you’ve done in the past three years?

Cecilia: No, she’s normally home. 

Logan: Home’s in Nashville, right? 

Cecilia: I was born in Nashville. Franklin, right outside of Nashville. And yeah, I’ve lived there all my life. 

Logan: Okay, nice. And that’s obviously a huge scene for the kind of music you’re doing right there. Have there been any kind of out of the ordinary influences that maybe you’ve picked up on? 

Cecilia: Gosh, I think just how you really have to have your chops up in Nashville because you never know who you’re going to write with or who you’re going to run into. And I think it definitely pushed me to be better at what I did. There’s definitely a lot of drive in Nashville and everyone’s really nice and encouraging, but that was the one thing. When you get into a room with people, you better know what you’re doing. So that was the one thing. 

Logan: Have you ever had a moment where you’re like, okay, I actually do know what I’m doing. Has there ever been a switch that’s flipped for you? 

Cecilia: Yeah, a little bit here and there. I feel like the minute I sort of get a grasp on it, something new like comes up that I need to learn. But I feel like I’m slowly getting better every day. 

Logan: Now, big year for you. First, LP, and that came with a collection of songs that you’ve released on previous EPs. When you’re writing these songs, do they fall out of the sky for you or are they kind of a laborious process? Do you toil over them for a while? 

Cecilia: Sure. Gosh, I mean, I write them pretty quickly. It’s just, for me, it’s like figuring out the time to get in the studio and get everyone together. But I made the record with Don Was, who has made a lot of my favorite records. And it was like the first LP I had so many songs, so there was a big catalog to choose from. But it was pretty easy picking the 13 or 14 that we did. The writing really wasn’t the hard part. It was more the executing and getting it how we wanted it and like the production and all that stuff. 

Logan: What are your biggest inspirations when you’re writing? Are there things you kind of fall back on that are just like home runs that always make you write? 

Cecilia: Sure. Right now it’s like Prince and I’ve really been into Oasis. They’ve had it such a comeback. 

Logan: Did you see them? 

Cecilia: I didn’t, no. But yeah, I listen to Fleetwood Mac, it’s a big one, Tom Petty, I love Mayer and all that kind of stuff. Those are like my mains. 

Logan: Do you have a favorite Oasis song? 

Cecilia: Slide Away.

Logan: It’s so good. Another artist that I saw that may have some influence on you. I saw you cover Bruce Springsteen’s “One Step Closer”. 

Cecilia: Oh, yeah. 

Logan: Give me your thoughts on The Boss, I love the guy. 

Cecilia: Yeah, he’s awesome. There’s one of my songs, track number four on the record. I was listening to a lot of Springsteen, especially the “Streets of Philadelphia” song, just with all the synth pads and all that stuff. That was a big one for me. But yeah, he’s great. Especially traveling, you know, like we’ve been up north and, you know, to all the, you know, northeast cities and it’s been awesome. 

Logan: When you’re writing these songs, do you feel like, oh my god, there’s a little Springsteen in this one. Oh my god, there’s a little Fleetwood Mac in this one?

Cecilia: Sure. Yeah, I think it’s like, there’s always that, even subconsciously. I don’t know, I listen to them so much. Of course, I’m gonna sort of, not copy what they do, but they definitely have a big influence on my music for sure. 

Logan: You remember the first time you heard an artist and you’re like, this is magic, this is beautiful. Was there a song that you heard that hit you? 

Cecilia: Yeah it was definitely, things started clicking for me music-wise. I started to feel a lot when I was around 11. Tom Petty, his song “Don’t Come Around Here No More” was in a movie. And I heard it, and I was like, oh my gosh, this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen or heard. Definitely that. When I got my permit and I was driving down the road and I heard “Boys of Summer”, Don Henley. So like those kind of moments for sure. 

Logan: Do you remember your first guitar? 

Cecilia: Oh gosh, yeah, I still have it. It was an Epiphone, the Jim Croce Epiphone. Yeah, and my dad gave it to me and it had signatures. It had Neil Young’s signature and Neil Harris’s signature on it. I was so little, so when I would play, like my elbow would rub off the signatures, so they’re not there anymore. And he was not very happy about that. But don’t give a kid signed guitars. 

Logan: I mean, it must have paid off now. You can get another Neil Young signature if you really want. 

Cecilia: Maybe someday, yeah. 

Logan: What guitars are you playing nowadays? 

Cecilia: Two Fenders. I have a Fender Paramount up there and then a Fender Jazzmaster. A big Fender person, Fender Amp, everything’s Fender. They’ve been really nice to me and yeah, I like them a lot. 

Logan: Do you have like a dream guitar? 

Cecilia: Oh gosh, I’d really like an old 335 Gibson. Maybe someday. They’re a little out of the budget right now, but maybe someday I have a nice cherry, distressed red one. 

Logan: The old Chuck Berry vibes a little bit. When you’re writing, do you start on acoustic always or do you sometimes pick up an electric first? 

Cecilia: Oh gosh, both. It depends on the day. I don’t know, I never really have a rhyme or reason to it. It’s just normally whatever I pick first. Whatever’s in tune. 

Logan: Do you play with any open tunings or anything like that? Do you fool around with those? 

Cecilia: Yeah, I do it tonight. You’ll see me change tunings very fast. I love open, I’m in open D sharp, weirdly enough, a lot. 

Logan: I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone play an open D sharp before. 

Cecilia: Yeah, that’s my favorite. 

Logan: Do you write the lyrics first a lot of time for these songs, or do you start with strumming a riff or a few chords? 

Cecilia: Definitely, I start with like a definitely guitar bass chord kind of stuff. A lot of the time. 

Logan: Now you’re the headliner of the tour part of me. Molly Tuttle just released a cover of Fairytale of New York by The Pogues, which great Christmas song. Are you listening to Christmas music yet? Are you doing it after Thanksgiving? Is it after Halloween? 

Cecilia: Oh gosh. Probably after Thanksgiving. Yeah. I love Christmas. I don’t know, I like to save it for like the end of the year because it’s not Christmas yet. 

Logan: To make it really special. 

Cecilia: Yeah. 

Logan: What are some of your favorite Christmas songs? 

Cecilia: Oh gosh, probably “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” is mine are “Blue Christmas”. All those, the classics. 

Logan: The classics. A little Elvis there with Blue Christmas, do you listen to a lot, Elvis? 

Cecilia: I do, I love Elvis. But not too recently, but… he’s Elvis. 

Logan: What is going through your playlist nowadays. 

Cecilia: A lot of Sam Fender. 

Logan: I saw him cover Tom Petty in Chicago like a month ago. He was incredible. 

Cecilia: Yeah, he’s amazing. The 1975, I love Molly’s new record. It’s like the coolest thing. Watchhouse. I feel like since I’ve been on this tour, I’ve been getting back into, you know, the Barr Brothers and more acoustic sort of folky sounding stuff. But even when I’m driving in the car, I love listening to Molly. She’s so incredible. 

Logan: It’s a lot of different genres, but you’re kind of on the rise with all this great artists. You have Billy Strings selling out arenas. So you’ve got all these phenomenal, phenomenal artists like Molly and Sierra Farrell. How does it feel to be a part of that kind of movement?

Cecilia: Oh, gosh, I mean, it’s the coolest. All of them they work so hard and they’re such incredible just musicians, like Molly is like the most down to earth person I’ve ever met and  it’s an all-female band so seeing girls like Sierra Ferrell and even Sierra Hall and Molly, it’s really empowering to me and because it’s not an easy industry right now and music is changing in a lot of ways right now with everything, but seeing Molly has really inspired me every night to just get better at my craft and that’s the goal for me. But live shows are the best. I’m going to hate to get off this tour and go home. 

Logan: What’s your favorite gig you’ve ever played, and what’s your favorite gig you’ve ever seen? 

Cecilia: Favorite gig I’ve ever played? Oh goodness. 

Logan: You can give multiple. 

Cecilia: Sure. I opened for Marcus King in Jackson Hole, Wyoming which is crazy. I love it out west. We did a whole out west run, those were incredible. We played Bozeman at The Elm with Molly. That was amazing. I opened for Sheryl Crow in Seattle, which is fun. And then I opened for this band Inhaler, they’re cool. 

Logan: I love Inhaler. 

Cecilia: They’re pretty good. And I opened for them a couple of times in Atlanta and in Nashville, but I’ve never had a bad show. I mean, you get tired, but I’ve been very grateful. I’m 24, I got such a long way to go, but I’ve been super grateful for everything that I’ve gotten so far. I don’t take any of it for granted. 

Logan: What’s your favorite gig you’ve attend as a fan? 

Cecilia: I just saw Paul McCartney at The Pinnacle in Nashville with my mom. 

Logan: At the Pinnacle? Okay. A, Paul. B, how’s the Pinnacle as a venue? 

Cecilia: It’s really nice, really new. It’s awesome and it sounds really good. But yeah, seeing Paul and like, obviously a more intimate setting than all the stadiums. But he was incredible. That’s probably my favorite. I saw Tom Petty. Gosh, they’re all good. 

Logan: Was that your first time seeing Paul? 

Cecilia: My first time seeing Paul.

Logan: Worth the wait? 

Cecilia: Oh, of course, yeah. 

Logan: I’m catching him next week for the first time and it’s been marked in my calendar for months. The Beatles, do you have a favorite Beatles record? 

Cecilia: Gosh, I don’t know. They’re all great. I’ve been like into all The Wings stuff, like the Venus and Mars and all that kind of stuff. 

Logan: Okay. With The Wings, it just made me think of “Wings Over America”, the live album. Are you a live album person? Or when you’re listening to stuff or do you like the studio recording? 

Cecilia: Gosh, I don’t know. I think it probably depends on the bands for me. I mean, I don’t know. I love a record version.

Logan: Do you collect a lot of records? 

Cecilia: Yeah, there’s a place in Nashville called Phonolux, they have like really affordable records and a really great selection, so I’m always there. 

Logan: Have you stopped by Third Man Records in Nashville yet? 

Cecilia: Yeah, I did my album release show at The Blue Room. 

Logan: How was that?  

Cecilia: It was really fun. So yeah, I did that. But yeah, Jack White is incredible. He has such a vision for how everything looks. 

Logan: His Rock and Roll of Fame speech, so beautiful. I loved it and to see him in red again just tickled me. The White Stripes are obviously a bit of a different sound than what you’re playing. Do you have any, you know, are you listening to metal on the side? Is there anything beyond kind of your sound that reaches your ears a lot? 

Cecilia: Sure, I love a little bit of everything. I mean, my sweet spot; I love like 60s, 70s rocks, you know, all the Eagle stuff and Cross, Stills, and Nash, like that’s what I love. But I also will definitely turn on the pop radio stations when I come back home. I think there’s a place, you can learn so much from all the different kinds of genres. I really love Britrock. My sound is a little bit softer, but I do. Not super heavy metal, but I like to jam, and I like to rock, and I love electric guitar and loud drums and all the things. 

Logan: Do you have a lot of distortion pedals back home? 

Cecilia: Not a ton. I like my blues driver, and I pretty much stick to that.

Logan: What does your pedal board look like? Is it just a blue driver? 

Cecilia: There isn’t one. It’s a pedal board and a tuner. 

Logan: That’s all you need though. 

Cecilia: That is all you need. 

Logan: Can you tune by ear?  

Cecilia: I’m not gonna try. 

Logan: Not there yet? 

Cecilia: Not there. 

Logan: When you’re on the road, do you write a lot or are you kind of just too busy playing all the time?

Cecilia: I have a lot of ideas on the road, surprisingly. You get a lot just seeing new things and everything. I definitely have ideas brewing, it’s just hard to finish them. 

Logan: Do you have any huge ideas where you’re like, I want to do an orchestrated album one day, I want to do some sort of concept story. Is there any big castle on the hill that you want to accomplish one day like that? 

Cecilia: I’d like to do instrumental records. I’d love to do an acoustic instrumental record, I’d love to score indie films someday. That kind of stuff I think would be really interesting, but I do have a lot of songs that I want to get out into the world. 

Logan: How many instruments do you play? 

Cecilia: Oh gosh mainly just guitars and keys. I can fiddle my way around bass and stuff but guitar is definitely my main. 

Logan: Is there one instrument you really want to get good at like fiddle or you want to get really good at drums? 

Cecilia: Probably drums I would kill to be able to play drums, maybe someday. 

Logan: When you’re coming back home after the tour wraps up, are you taking a beat or are you hitting the ground running, trying to get more of these ideas off the ground? 

Cecilia: Oh gosh, probably. I mean, December, January, even through March, the music industry sort of shuts down. So I write a lot during that time because I’m not getting the emails or nobody’s needing me to post on Instagram. So I feel like that’s my creative time when everyone’s off and home. And I feel like I can settle down and sort of get out what I’m feeling. I think I’ll have a lot of ideas, hopefully after this tour, and hopefully they’ll be good enough. 

Logan: Thank you so much for taking chat with me. 

Cecilia: Thanks for having me, this was so fun. 

Logan: Anything you want to tell the people before you head on out. 

Cecilia: I just put out a deluxe of the record, and yeah, just chugging away. Hit me up on Instagram. 

Logan: Well thank you so much. 

Cecilia: Thank you so much. 

Cecilia opened the night playing “Waiting on You”, “Pick and Lose”, and more off her self titled debut album “Cecilia Castleman“. With her Jazzmaster and Paramount in hand, Cecilia welcomed in a sold out crowd to The Englert Theatre. Throwing in a cover of Tom Petty’s “Breakdown”, the audience was enamored, sparking clamorous applause that echoed as she finished her set with “It’s Alright”. I consider myself lucky to have caught Castleman so early in her career and I am eager to see the heights that she will reach. She will continue supporting Molly Tuttle until the 23rd of November on the Highway Knows Tour. The deluxe edition of her record just released in September with four new songs, and you can follow along for whats next on Cecilia’s Instagram.

The post Interview: Cecilia Castleman appeared first on KRUI Radio.

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.

The post Album Review: An exploration of nature, music, and technology with Björk’s “Cornucopia: Live” appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Logan Melia: Derek, how are we doing? 

Derek Sanders: Oh, doing very well. We’re halfway through this tour and having a pretty good time. 

Logan: That’s awesome. Now you’re on the road with All Time Low, The Cab, and The Paradox, a phenomenal combination. You’re kind of one of the pillars of the scene, bringing The Paradox along, getting The Cab back together. How is this combination of new and familiar faces? 

Derek: It’s been so cool. I mean we go way back with All Time Low. The first time we toured with them was in 2007 and we’ve toured with them many, many times in between. We love those guys to death and always appreciate them bringing us out on the road. The Cab, it’s been so sick to see them come back. We’ve also known those guys going back a pretty long ways. They actually just dropped off the tour and Four Year Strong hopped on. Their first show was in Toronto 2 days ago. And same, yeah, Four Year Strong. toured with those guys back in 2007 for the first time and just loved them to death. And we all are huge fans of their band. And I mean, The Paradox has been so cool because we had kind of seen and heard the buzz about them. They work with the same producers, Kenneth Mount and Zach Odom, that we work with. So, we’ve heard a lot about them from those guys and it’s been great to get to know them. And they’re just such a fun band. They have so much energy and it’s always refreshing to have younger guys. They’ve been a band for just a little over a year so everything was super new and exciting and it’s just it’s refreshing to see and it’s been really great. 

Logan: You have brought so many cool bands on tour with you. Earlier this year, you brought out such phenomenal opening acts for yourself. Grayscale, Like Roses, Microwave is an insane live act to see. How do you come across these bands that you choose to bring along on your tours? 

Derek: It’s a whole process between our team of booking agents and management. There’s a lot of that is brought to us from these are the bands that have submitted, and then we kind of throw out our thoughts as well. Microwave is an example of a band that We toured with a couple of years ago and we are just big fans of. So whenever we were trying to put together that tour, we kind of reached out and said, hey, we’d love to see if Microwave wants to do the tour. And with Grayscale and Like Roses, they had submitted as potential opening acts and it’s kind of tough. It’s always difficult because you’ll get a lot of bands that submit and you’re trying to kind of curate the best experience possible. That one I think worked out really well. It feels like that was a really, really strong tour. 

Logan: The tour was a celebration of 20 years of the band. You guys have come a long way. I saw you guys, you played a sold out when we were a young crowd a few weeks ago and you started out in basements. Do you still get a little jittery at all? 

Derek: You know, I’ll tell you, if it’s like the first show that we’ve done in a while, like usually the first show of a tour, I’ll be a little nervous, but most of it’s kind of, for example, right now we’re on this tour. We do the same set every night. Once you kind of fall into the rhythm of it and the pocket of it, then it’s just like, I can do it without even thinking about it. But whenever it’s that first show or the first show in a while, it feels like I’m kind of in my head a little bit about making sure I don’t miss anything or forget any lyrics or cue points or whatever. So if it’s the first show in a bit, maybe I’ll have some nerves. But once you kind of get that one out, it’s like, okay, we got it. 

Logan: Yeah, you’re at home on stage. 

Derek: Yeah, honestly. Yeah and it doesn’t really matter whether it’s for, you know, 300 people or 50,000 people. It’s just kind of the sort of the same just getting up there and doing it, you know? 

Logan: Yeah, 100%. You’re home on stage and home in the studio recently. You’re releasing 3 albums this year. You released “Sweet” in April, “Sad” just last month. You’ve got so many songs, are these songs that just fall out of the sky for you? Or are you toiling over them for a while? Is it a laborious process for you? 

Derek: Yeah we’ve been between, I guess, basically since things kind of opened back up with touring and everything after COVID. We’ve been just kind of staying real busy and, it feels like there’s, kind of a moment happening right now with emo music or really just sort of, I don’t know, like sort of a resurgence of the nostalgia of the early to mid, late 2000s and everything that was going on then. And so I don’t know, it just kind of feels like it’s there. We always kind of joke about the fact that we don’t ever say no to anything and so the more these offers come in to do festivals and tours and just stay active and busy, it’s like, well, you know, it’s we’re we may as well do it while we can. And so, yeah, as far as the music that just kind of came together, the plan originally was to go record our eighth full length album. But we kind of realized as we were getting started with that process that this was last year, that the music we were recording was going to be coming out in 2025, which is our 20 year anniversary as a band. And we just kind of started thinking, what can we do to celebrate that? And after some brainstorming, figured a sort of a three-part release. It’s a hefty amount of music to put out over a longer period of time and just felt like a way to kind of keep the whole year impactful. And so yeah, it’s been it’s been really neat so far. I’ve really enjoyed the process. 

Logan: Yeah, you mentioned saying yes to pretty much, has that gotten you into playing any gigs in some weird places? Any out of the ordinary slots? 

Derek: For sure. I mean, not so much these days but early on, I feel like all the time. It was kind of a weird thing in the mid to, 2005, 2006, I feel like, where there were really heavy  fucking bands and then there were like emo bands. And a lot of times those shows would get lumped together. We did a short tour, a short run of shows with Maylene and The Sons of Disaster. And they’re sick, they’re amazing, but their fans, I don’t know how much patience or tolerance they had for our, whiny emo stuff. But so, I feel like that used to happen sometimes back early on, but not so much these days, I suppose. 

Logan: Now I did some digging through some set lists of some of your older gigs and I’ve seen “Fat Lip” and “Cute Without the E” and even “Don’t Look Back In Anger” by Oasis. Do you have any recollection of playing these and do you have any songs that you would want to cover? Any songs you want to bring into your setlist? 

Derek: Oh, for sure yeah. We’ve definitely done a handful of the covers throughout the years. And what’s interesting is that there was a moment for me where that all changed because before that, I had always felt like playing coverss in the set was just not something I was very interested in doing and just wasn’t excited about the idea. And then I forget what year this was. This is going back probably at least 10 years ago, maybe further. We did A Day To Remember’s festival that they used to put, I think it’s Self-Help Festival. I think this was in the LA area. And Papa Roach played before Day to Remember. I remember watching them and they were so good. And then at one point they played Song 2 by Blur, the “woo-hoo”. And the crowd just goes bonkers, like everybody just loving it, jumping, having a great time. And I feel like that was like, I had kind of a shift in my viewpoint where I was like, if they can play this and everyone here just loses their minds having a great time, that’s beautiful. That’s amazing, you know? So I feel like since then, I was more sort of open-minded to it. But yeah, I love throwing in the covers every now and then. There’s, man, there’s a bunch that I’d love to, it’s kind of hard to, Think of like, you know, the one on the spot. I mean, I’m a huge, you know, for a lot of us, we grew up, you know, I was I was born in 1986. I grew up in the nineties and I loved, you know, all of the alternative rock stuff, all of Nirvana and Bush and Oasis and Red Hot Chili Peppers and, you know, Stone Temple Pilots, all that. So that’s the kind of stuff that like I think would be a lot of fun to play. for our sake. I don’t know that the audience would love it as much, but yeah. 

Logan: Creating like your set list and stuff like that. You throw in some great songs. I think not everyone would expect a kids in love peace of your heart. How do you kind of decide on more of these deep cut songs and which ones you want to bring live to the stage? 

Derek: Yeah, it’s tough. It’s a difficult process and it gets harder every year as we put out more new music. But at the same time, you know, we’ve done it long enough that we, have a pretty good understanding of, which songs are going to be the crowd favorites and which ones kind of work well live, which ones don’t work as well. So you kind of just take all that knowledge and just do your best to curate a set list. And it kind of, I feel like it’s a balance. it’s a balance between you’ve got the obvious sort of banger songs that you’re always going to play, Jamie Allover, Jersey, probably, oh well, oh well, you know. And then you kind of You want to round it out a little. You want to have a little bit of something, you know, deep cut in there or something that rotates where you’re not just doing the same set every tour and, you know, maybe a balance of a little bit of new and some old and in between. And you just kind of have to do your best to put it together. And I think we’ve come to a pretty good spot with it. 

Logan: Yeah, and you yourself, you’ve put out some music under your own name, some solo stuff. “The Heavy Box” in 2023, which I was a huge, huge fan of. How do you kind of decipher what songs maybe lean more towards yourself and your own sound versus the Mayday Parade sound? 

Derek: Yeah, that can be tricky. But basically, it’s mostly been songs that I had brought in, whenever we get together in the studio. We’ll all bring in a lot of songs and there’s a lot of songs that don’t get picked and don’t get recorded. So, for the most part, I think all the songs on that EP were songs that we just didn’t track with Mayday Parade. Obviously, it’s more acoustic based, not as full band so kind of the songs that lend themselves to that. And then just songs that I like that we never did anything with. 

Logan: When you’re writing songs, do you write on acoustic off the bat? 

Derek: It depends. I do a lot of writing on acoustic, but not always. Especially the further developed we all kind of have some level of home recording studio situation. And the more advanced that gets, I’m able to do more. But I guess going back before that, before I had really as many capabilities there, most of it was on acoustic. A lot of it’s on piano as well. That’s kind of the fun of that creative process is I might grab the acoustic and mess around for a little bit. If it doesn’t take me anywhere, I can sit at the piano a little bit. If that doesn’t take me anywhere, I can grab a bass and start messing around or grab an electric guitar or whatever and just kind of keep going until I find something that takes me somewhere. 

Logan: Yeah. Do you remember the first guitar you got? 

Derek: Yeah, I don’t know specific. I know it was a Samick acoustic guitar. I don’t know the model or anything. It was probably a pretty cheap acoustic guitar, but I mean, yeah, as a ten year old, I loved it. 

Logan: That’s the coolest thing in the world is getting a guitar. Was this always kind of the plan for you when you first got that guitar where you were like, okay, this is it? 

Derek: I mean, honestly, it really was. Ever since I was 10, it was all I really wanted to do. And, I feel like I put so much time and effort into it, even as a 10 year old, far more than school or anything. I used to play guitar with my brother and one of my cousins. And we would have family get togethers where we’d set up on my grandparents pool table and perform songs, cover songs, and some originals for our family members. And then when I met Brooks once I got into middle school and I was desperately looking for friends that played music as well and wanted to start a real band. I met Brooks when I was 12 and I don’t think I would be here today if I hadn’t met him. He really is a really talented dude. I feel like he has a drive where, even as 12 year olds, it was like, okay, well, let’s be proactive, let’s call around different venues and see if we can get added to shows. Let’s try to raise some money, let’s get paid to play birthday parties and raise some money to buy some recording equipment and let’s get some merch press and all this stuff that I just think I never would have been able to figure out. But once I met Brooks, we kind of clicked on all that. And then all through middle school and high school, the focus was on the bands that we were in and music we were making. And we started touring immediately after we graduated high school and eventually found our way into this band. 

Logan: Do you remember like the first paid gig that you had? 

Derek: Not 100%, but I could tell you in 7th grade, there were a couple that we did. There was a school event that was like a, like an ice cream social, like an honor roll, after school event thing that we got paid to do. I probably got paid 100 bucks to play. And then there were a handful of our friends’ birthday parties where their parents would pay us 100 bucks to play. So, I forget which of those kind of came in there first, but there would have been in 7th grade the first time any of that happened. 

Logan: That’s a nice way to start right there. A good, you’re building the community fan base. 

Derek: Absolutely. Yes. You got to do it. 

Logan: Going to my friends different basements and backyards to see their shows. I saw a Halloween cover set where a band was entirely Mayday Parade. Do you feel the impact you’ve had on the kids coming up here? Are people knocking on your door, thanking you for what you’ve done for the scene? 

Derek: Obviously when we’re out on the road, we meet a lot of people and see a lot of fans. And it’s, I mean, it’s like the coolest thing. Especially since we’ve been doing this for 20 years, there’s a lot of people that have been with us for a real long time and now either have kids of their own that they bring to shows or whatever. It’s just, it’s incredibly humbling to meet people and hear stories of how we’ve been able to help them or affect them or whatever. I mean, it’s one of the greatest parts of doing this. 

Logan: Do you remember the first time you signed an autograph for someone? 

Derek: I do remember the first time I signed an autograph for someone; I was in high school. I would have been probably about 15 years old and had just started a new band with some friends that we started honestly, almost as a joke. There was a high school battle of the bands and a buddy of mine was like, let’s start a band just to play the battle of the bands. And then, because we were in other serious bands at the time, and I was like, yeah whatever. And this was right when I was kind of first getting into emo music so it was kind of the first, like, let’s do like an emo band. I think we wrote one song and then we were at this party and two of my friends were there that were in the band. We were like, let’s play this song we wrote for everybody, and so we played. I sat at the piano and played piano and they had the acoustic guitar, played the song. The people there like loved it and were asking for autographs. I remember I couldn’t wait till the next day to see Brooks, because Brooks wasn’t in this, every other band I’d been in, Brooks had been in. And I was like, dude we got to get you in this band. Like we played last night and people were asking for autographs. Like this could be like a real thing, you know. So we made-up a position. Brooks didn’t even play piano or keyboard at all, but we added him to the band as the keyboardist just because it was like, if this is going to be a real thing, Brooks has to be a part of it. 

Logan: Do you remember what the song was? 

Derek: I do. It was a song called “Voice in the Darkness”. It was an old the band Defining Moment. It was one of the bands that split to form Mayday Parade. That was the very beginning of that band, Defining Moment. 

Logan: That’s so, cool. I want to thank you so much for sitting down and taking the time to talk with me. I really appreciate it. 

Derek: Yeah, of course. Thanks for having me. 

Mayday Parade is currently on the road with the “Everyone’s Talking” tour supporting All Time Low. Sporting color coordinated outfits under the glow of stage lights that have been home for almost two decades, All Time Low played selections from their brand new album “Everyone’s Talking” that cracked the Billboard Top 200 and hit 28 on Billboards Top Independent Albums. Split in to two acts, with an encore as a cherry on top, ATL gave us 6 tracks off their latest album and tracks touching 7 other albums in their discography. Mayday Parade played new tracks off of “Sad“, “Sweet“, and hit the fans with 4 tunes from their debut LP “A Lesson in Romantics“. An unstoppable night from the scenes pillars at Vibrant Music Hall, you can find tickets for the rest of the “Everyone’s Talking Tour” here.

The post KRUI Interview: Derek Sanders of Mayday Parade appeared first on KRUI Radio.

All Time Low

These Warped-Tour era icons have been releasing albums consistently since 2006, their newest project “Everyone’s Talking,” released just a couple weeks ago on Oct. 17, diving straight into an immediate tour for the band starting out with When We Were Young Festival. I recently learned their name derives from the song Head On Collision by New Found Glory, so I have a new found trust in their dedication to the craft. Throughout the decades, fans have been loyal to this Baltimore pop-punk boyband for a reason, they’ve been putting out consistently exciting music backed up by their playful humor and personalities, they’ve maintained their popularity and have stood out in the genre for decades. All Time Low has collaborated with artists like Demi Lovato, Blackbear, and Vic Fuentes, while this new album features JoJo and Ruston Kelly. They maintain their hold on the pop-punk scene, and are sure to put on a great show in Waukee. They’ll likely play a good chunk of their newest album this time, with a few select tracks featuring from across their greatest hits.

Mayday Parade

Another pop punk legendary act, Mayday Parade returns with their album Sad in 2025, following a seven year break since their last album. The band formed in Tallahassee in 2005, and celebrates their 20 year anniversary as a band this year with Sad, amazingly with nearly all of their founding members still together. They have upcoming plans to release 2 more parts of the Sad album in the upcoming months, much to look forward to from them. I’m anticipating a pretty even mix of their classic hits and tracks off their newly released album tomorrow evening, drawing into a classic pop punk experience.

The Cab

Best known to me for having a song in Rockband 2, this Las Vegas-based band returned in 2025 with a reuniting following a decade long hiatus. This year, they released their long-awaited EP, Road to Reign: A Prelude. It’s a catchy pop EP, supported by a bit of their grittier punk background seeping through into something that could’ve been featured in a early 2000s romcom movie. It’s a strong, and characteristic follow up after 11 years of a break, they’ve managed to come back still sounding like The Cab that we remember. Expect to relive their biggest hit tracks at the show, with a new song or two in between.

The Paradox

This up-and-coming pop punk band out of Atlanta might be young, but are putting out music that sounds like a skatepark in 2005. Their recent and rapid rise to popularity has them opening for icons like Green Day and Jack White, and recently also performed at When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas. They’ll play at this show with high energy, and bring fun to pop punk at Vibrant Music Hall tomorrow. They have multiple singles out now, and are currently in the works getting together their first EP released.

Tickets for the event are for sale from First Fleet Concerts here.

The post Concert Preview: All Time Low, Mayday Parade, The Cab, & The Paradox at Vibrant Music Hall on Oct. 29 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

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

The post Magdalena Bay at an Artistic Peak, Live in the Flesh appeared first on KRUI Radio.