WKNC 88.1 FM - North Carolina State University Student Radio
Released in March of this year, “Shy at First” by Cootie Catcher is a nostalgic electronic twist on the indie pop formula. This delightful venture into indietronica is overflowing with earnestness. Starting from the name of the album alone, we are greeted with the idea of people figuring out how to be people. The album touches on unspoken things that bother us when trying to navigate our personal relationships and explores these themes with a joyful through line.
We all have our good and bad days. Some days, you feel like skipping down the street or singing in the shower while others make you feel like the whole world is against you.
Oftentimes when I’m feeling the former, I like to listen to happy and upbeat music. I like to be embraced and supported by similar energies. A good example of this would be “Walking On Sunshine” by Katrina & The Waves.
When it comes to feeling the latter, what should one listen to? If someone is sad and down in the dumps, should they listen to “Washing Machine Heart” by Mitski? Likewise if someone is upset or angry, should they listen to “Bleed the Freak” by Alice in Chains? Would it be better to listen to someone happy and upbeat to facilitate that emotion?
Whether English or Spanish or Swahili or Japanese, learning a new language is always going to be a challenge. One of the best ways to help with language learning is to immerse oneself in media content with that language being the primary.
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | KARDASHEV | Alunea | Metal Blade |
| 2 | IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT | Goldstar | Century Media |
| 3 | PHRENELITH | Ashen Womb | Dark Descent |
| 4 | CAVE SERMON | Fragile Wings | Self-Released |
| 5 | TEITANBLOOD | From the Visceral Abyss | Self-Released |
| 6 | SMIQRA | Rgyaġdźé! | Self-Released |
| 7 | GOD COMPLEX | He Watches in Silence [EP] | Sharp Tone |
| 8 | DEAFHEAVEN | Lonely People With Power | Roadrunner |
| 9 | DORMANT ORDEAL | Tooth and Nail | Self-Released |
| 10 | SCIMITAR | Scimitarium I | Crypt of the Wizard |
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | CALLOUS DAOBOYS, THE | I Don’t Want To See You In Heaven | MNRK Heavy |
| 2 | EMMA GOLDMAN | All You Are Is We | Zegema Beach |
| 3 | STRATFORD RISE | Gunshow | Self-Released |
| 4 | CAVE SERMON | Fragile Wings | Self-Released |
| 5 | DORMANT ORDEAL | Tooth and Nail | Self-Released |
| 6 | SCIMITAR | Scimitarium I | Crypt of the Wizard |
| 7 | KARDASHEV | Alunea | Metal Blade |
| 8 | BLOOD ABSCISSION | I I | Debemur Motri |
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | DREXGOD | self rehabilitation | Self-Released |
| 2 | MARUMARI | Hidden Tracks And Rarities 2001-2005 | Carpark |
| 3 | WAVETAPPER | Stardust | SVPACYBERIA |
| 4 | MISO EXTRA | Earcandy | Transgressive/PIAS |
| 5 | KATIE MCBRIDE | THE ANGELS ARE CALLING | Pyramid Blood |
| 6 | ALIGHTED | Willow’s Apothecary [EP] | Wandering Astray |
| 7 | MARC MELIA | Pieces Monophoniques | VLEK |
| 8 | NASANIERU | myfrequency [EP] | Self-Released |
| 9 | YEULE | Evangelic Girl Is A Gun | Ninja Tune |
| 10 | SALAMI ROSE JOE LOUIS | Lorings | Brainfeeder |
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | MARUMARI | Hidden Tracks And Rarities 2001-2005 | Carpark |
| 2 | ALIGHTED | Willow’s Apothecary [EP] | Wandering Astray |
| 3 | MARC MELIA | Pieces Monophoniques | VLEK |
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | MXNXSTXR AND DESTRUCTO | “What You Need” feat. Thundercat & Channel Tres [Single] | All My Friends |
| 2 | AESOP ROCK | Black Hole Superette | Rhymesayers |
| 3 | AJ TRACEY | “Crush” feat. Jorja Smith [Single] | Revenge |
| 4 | BUTCHER BROWN | Letters From The Atlantic | Concord Jazz |
| 5 | 9LIVES | “UP FREESTYLE” feat. Odetari [Single] | Pulse/Concord |
| 6 | DUCKWRTH | All American F*ckboy | Them Hellas |
| 7 | FLY ANAKIN | (The) Forever Dream | Lex |
| 8 | JOONY | “Dopa(MINE)” [Single] | Self-Released |
| 9 | LUKE TITUS | From What Was Will Grow A Flower | Sooper |
| 10 | BRIAN NASTY | Anywhere, But Here With You | Big Dada |
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | AESOP ROCK | Black Hole Superette | Rhymesayers |
| 2 | PAN AMSTERDAM | Confines | Heavenly/PIAS |
| 3 | KOKOROKO | “Closer To Me” [Single] | Brownswood |
| 4 | BAMBII | “Blue Sky” feat. LYZZA & SadBoi [Single] | Because |
| 5 | CHEW | “Horseheads” feat. Day Tripper [Single] | CorpoRAT |
| 6 | MURS | “This Aint That” [Single] | Mello |
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | GOTTS STREET PARK | On The Inside | Blue Flowers |
| 2 | DANYA STEPHENS | Hopium | Contagious |
| 3 | EMPRESS, THE | Square One | Cellar |
| 4 | RICHARD BARATTA | Looking Back | Savant |
| 5 | SHARADA SHASHIDHAR | Soft Echoes | Leaving |
| 6 | STAN HARRISON | Some Poor Soul Has A Fire | Adhyaropa |
| 7 | CLARK TERRY QUARTET | In Orbit (Reissue) | Craft / Concord |
| 8 | CNY JAZZ ORCHESTRA, THE | If A White Horse From Jerusalem | CNY Jazz Arts Foundation |
| 9 | BEN MARKLEY | Tell The Truth | OA2 |
| 10 | RODNEY WHITAKER | Mosaic: The Music Of Gregg Hill | Origin |
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | JACKIE MYERS | What About The Butterfly | 577 |
| 2 | SPIKE POLITE AND MICHELLE SHOCKED | “Your Robot Took My Job” [Single] | Solid Bass |
| 3 | KANDACE SPRINGS | Lady In Satin | SRP |
| 4 | JAMIE SHEW | Spicy, Classy (and a little) Sassy | Self-Released |
| 5 | PETE MCGUINNESS JAZZ ORCHESTRA, THE | Mixed Bag | Summit |
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | FRANKIE COSMOS | “Vanity” [Single] | Sub Pop |
| 2 | JADE THE MOON | “Dirty John Type” [Single] | Self-Released |
| 3 | MEI SEMONES | Animaru | Bayonet |
| 4 | BUG CRUSH | Somehow I Go In Circles All The Time [EP] | Self-Released |
| 5 | CLEOPATRICK | Fake Moon | Nowhere Special/Thirty Tigers |
| 6 | DAISY THE GREAT | “Ballerina” [Single] | S-Curve |
| 7 | DISCUS | To Relate To | Sun-Rom |
| 8 | FEEBLE LITTLE HORSE | “This Is Real” [Single] | Saddle Creek |
| 9 | FLORRY | Sounds Like | Dear Life |
| 10 | FOXWARREN | 2 (Two) | Anti- |
| 11 | GREER | Big Smile | Epitaph |
| 12 | JAPANESE BREAKFAST | For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) | Dead Oceans |
| 13 | LAEL NEALE | Altogether Stranger | Sub Pop |
| 14 | MAMALARKY | Hex Key | Epitaph |
| 15 | PANCHIKO | Ginkgo | Nettwerk |
| 16 | PHOEBE RINGS | “Fading Star” [Single] | Carpark |
| 17 | SAMANTHA CRAIN | Gumshoe | Real Kind |
| 18 | STEREOLAB | Instant Holograms On Metal Film | Warp/Duophonic |
| 19 | SUNBATHE | Myself To You | Time Release |
| 20 | 9LIVES | “UP FREESTYLE” feat. Odetari [Single] | Pulse/Concord |
| 21 | ALCEST | Les Chants De L’Aurore | Nuclear Blast |
| 22 | ALLIE KENNY | “Soft Crash” [Single] | Self-Released |
| 23 | APRIL MARCH | “Surfing Castafiore” [Single] | Bong Load |
| 24 | AZZECCA | “Who’s That Girl?” [Single] | DGTL |
| 25 | BEATOX | Been A Long Time | Moonlite |
| 26 | BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD | Forever Howlong | Ninja Tune |
| 27 | BLAZING TOMB | Singles From The Tomb [EP] | Creator-Destructor |
| 28 | BLOOD | Loving You Backwards | Ramp Local |
| 29 | BROOKLISH | LOLA.FM | BT Worldwide |
| 30 | CASINO HEARTS | A Walk In The Grass [EP] | Self-Released |
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | SEA LEMON | Diving For A Prize | Luminelle |
| 2 | COLIN MILLER | Losin’ | Mtn Laurel |
| 3 | FIND MY FRIENDS | Find My Friends [EP] | Bloody Knuckles |
| 4 | MOONDADDY | “Bystander” [Single] | Silver Girl |
| 5 | CASH LANGDON | “Lilac Whiskey Nose” [Single] | Seasick/We |
On May 13th, 2025, The Crane Wives played at The Ritz, Raleigh, as part of their “Beyond, Beyond, Beyond” tour. The tour is named for the band’s latest album, which was released in September of last year. “Beyond, Beyond, Beyond” is the band’s fifth studio album. The Crane Wives have been releasing music since 2011, during the heyday of indie folk.
Nostalgia for the past is by no means a new thing. It isn’t just kids these days who believe they were born in the wrong generation, because culture has always been cyclical to a degree. The style of the 00s making a comeback with the “Y2K aesthetic” craze is no surprise at all. Many fashion scholars reference the idea of a 20 year cycle. The 50s heavily borrowed from the style of the 1930s, which borrowed in turn from the 1900s. Despite this, nostalgia today feels different somehow.
Walking into clothing stores is jarring, with the most chic decade changing from rack to rack. 60s style babydoll dresses hang right next to a bedazzled tank top right out of an early 2000s pop music video. Right next to that rack is a shelf of neatly folded sweaters with orange and brown stripes, which makes my mom cringe. “I haven’t seen that color combo since the 70s,” She says.