WKNC 88.1 FM - North Carolina State University Student Radio
Artist Record Label
1 DENZEL CURRY Zuu Loma Vista/Concord
2 SK, THE NOVELIST Baggage Self-Released
3 NONAME Room 25 Self-Released
4 MIKE War in my Pen 10k, Lex
5 RICO NASTY Anger Management Atlantic
6 BONES LivingSucks Self-Released
7 TIERRA WHACK “Unemployed” [Single] Self-Released
8 BUDDY Harlan & Alondra Star Trak Entertainment, RCA, Interscope, I Am Other
9 BROCKHAMPTON Ginger Question Everything/RCA
10 BIG L The Big Picture Rawkus, Columbia, Sony Entertainment, Priority
Artist Record Label
1 KAYTRANADA Nothin Like U/Chances [EP] RCA
2 TORO Y MOI Soul Trash Carpark
3 KEDR LIVANSKIY Your Need 2MR
4 MALL GRAB How the Dogs Chill, Vol. 1 [EP] Looking For Trouble
5 ROBYN “Beach2k20 (Yaeji Remix)” [Single] Konichiwa
6 18 CARAT AFFAIR Spent Passions 2 Self-Released
7 CARIBOU “Home” [Single] Merge
8 GRACE IVES 2nd Dots Per Inch
9 SLAYYYTER Slayyyter Slayyyter
10 HUSH HUSH Thinkin Bout You [EP] Self-Released
Artist Record Label
1 DESPISED ICON Purgatory Nuclear Blast
2 I DECLARE WAR Downcast [EP] Self-Released
3 COUNTERPARTS Nothing Left To Love Pure Noise
4 CATTLE DECAPITATION “One Day Closer to the End of the World” [Single] Metal Blade
5 VAMACHARA Hereafter [EP] Closed Casket Activities
6 SHAME SPIRAL “A Remanufactured Fear” [Single] Self-Released
7 EDGE OF PARADISE Universe Frontiers
8 CREEPING DEATH Wretched Illusions e One
9 JINJER Macro Napalm
10 THY ART IS MURDER Human Target Nuclear Blast
This past Sunday I got to go to see the band Omni at Kings and it was a pretty amazing show. I (thought) I first heard the band a couple of weeks ago while I was at work. I’m the daytime music director here at WKNC so I get albums to listen to pretty frequently, but I definitely remember first getting their new album and listening to it. I immediately figured it would end up on air from the first listen because I really enjoyed it (and from what I saw online under their music video a lot of people feel that way too). The band is from Atlanta Georgia and they seem like really cool guys. After the show I spoke to the lead singer, just to tell him that I really liked his album, and he was super nice and chill about it all. Looking online they are categorized as ‘Alternative Indie’ and ‘Rock’. That’s pretty accurate, but there’s also a pretty classic and kind of old school style about them that really made them stand out to me. My favorite tracks off of the new record are ‘Sincerely Yours’ and ‘Skeleton Key’.
To get back to an earlier point, I thought this was my first time hearing the band but when listening to my Ultimate Indie playlist I realized I had their song ‘Wire’ in there. That track is amazing and I definitely recommend listening to it if you haven’t heard it yet. The show was also amazing and made me like the band and new album even more. The opening acts were Blacker Server and Moonland and they really helped set up the scene, it was quite the show the entire time and I’m really glad I was able to go.
– DJ Psyched
Another month is over and again some more real good music was released. This month I want to highlight three albums that I really enjoyed. In no particular order…
Networker by Omni
Networker is the third full length album by the band and it’s sound is very classical older-school indie rock. The thing that really made this album stand out to me was the guitar and bass work, the riffs are incredibly ear catching and the vocals just match so well that it feels like it was made for the genre. I would recommend Sincerely Yours, Courtesy Call and Skeleton Key first. These anthems have been on repeat since I first heard them.
Friends by Future Crib
Another album that really caught my attention for its guitar work. I think this album is exactly what I think when I hear ‘indie’ and I absolutely love it. I feel like this music would be so nice to listen to live. There isn’t much more to say then you should start with Astronaut, Pocket and Alone.
Heavy Lifter by Hovvdy
I was instantly hooked when I first heard the song Mr. Lee. I am a sucker for catchy intros, and the higher pitched vocals really fit the vibe this song has. I feel like I could sit outside and listen during the day or chilling in my bed at 3am and it would hit so different but so right both times. It’s hard to describe the sound this album has but it’s very indie and kind of dreamy feeling to me. I would also recommend So Brite and Cathedral.
– DJ Psyched
BEST TRACKS: I Believe you, Problems, Whatever I Want, Trimmer
FCC violations: Porch
Recommended if you like bands like Microwave, Culture Abuse, or Turnover.
This album is nothing short of cathartic. Big Blue is, without doubt, the best album that has come across my desk this year. Dead Soft is a three-piece grunge-punk band from Vancouver. They have been silently lurking in the shadows of Canadian underground music since 2011 but in recent years, a mist of excitement started to amass around Dead Soft. People started noticing Dead Soft for the energy and depth they brought to the table.
After three years of culminating and refining, Dead Soft has come out and seized the entire scene by its throat with their first full length debut.
Being the die-hard for fuzz that I am, I instantly fell in love with this album as soon as I heard the whiny feedback kick in at the beginning of track 1, I Believe You. The intoxicating, fuzz-drenched rise-and-fall intensity carries throughout the entire album. Vocals range from full-throated yelling to soft and flowing. Big Blue isn’t just all about loud noise. The choruses hit hard with bold, melodic hooks. No two songs on this album sound the same, which is the sign of hard work poured into an album. Surprise breakdowns and crashing of drums will keep you on your toes.
Dead Soft writes melancholic yet optimistic lyrics. From the deeply raw and emotional outpour that exudes from words so passionately sung, you can easily tell that these songs were written from the heart. The feral way vocalist Nathaniel Epp screams “into a black hole” on track 3, Step Out, will have the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end. Overall, this album is powerful, and I can’t get enough of it. I think I have a crush.
I will definitely be keeping an eye on this band. I hope to see them continue to make strides and I’m excitedly awaiting their next release.
-Safia
