WKNC 88.1 FM - North Carolina State University Student Radio
Sunscreen, cicadas, tan lines, and watermelon slices.
Summer at a quick glance is supposed to be a wonderful time filled with laughter and fun. School is out for most and this is the time when we go home to our hometowns and spend time with our old friends and family. Some of us get jobs too and some of us keep pushing through classes.
Caroline Rose performing in the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh, NC, 2015, by Colakovicsrdjan CC SA-4.0
…the Slug Life chose Caroline Rose. Through their, sluggish persona, today’s Caroline Rose understands what folk music is. In an unexpected move, the genre-bending artist leaked their newest album last month several days before release. This, alongside a series of tour dates in “independent, intimate venues” and a release strategy that avoids traditional streaming, Rose hopes to put their music in the hands of fans first.
Horror’s linkage to experimentation is bonded through the bending of expectations and possibilities, fear of the unknown underpinning both of these ideas .
Community collaboration and vision execution lends well to playing with aesthetics and genre bleeding, such is the case with Opal 99, a local film production working in the ecosystem of vision creation and execution.
A while ago, I found out I would have the chance to see Metallica live. I know I’m not the only one who feels that seeing Metallica live is on the bucket list. One of my closest friends’ mom works for the ticket office at Lane Stadium at Virginia Tech. She was able to score some tickets for me and some friends.Obviously, first impressions were along the lines of “OMG I’m actually going to see them.”
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | DEAFHEAVEN | Lonely People With Power | Roadrunner |
| 2 | THOU | Umbilical | Sacred Bones |
| 3 | SIDEREAN | Spilling the Astral Chalice | Edged Circle |
| 4 | COFFIN CURSE | The Continuous Nothing | Memento Mori |
| 5 | DEFEATED SANITY | Chronicles of Lunacy | Season of Mist |
| 6 | DEMON BITCH | Master of the Games | Cruz del Sur |
| 7 | HIGH ON FIRE | Cometh The Storm | MNRK |
| 8 | MITOCHONDRION | Vitriseptome | Profound Lore |
| 9 | CANUT DE BON | no esperan por nadie | Sello Cototo |
| 10 | BLOOD INCANTATION | Absolute Elsewhere | Century Media |
Album cover for Gaze by Mitsumeru
Gaze was a Canadian indie pop band with shoegaze and twee leanings. Their drummer, Rose Melberg, was part of a number of other musical groups within the genre such as The Softies and Tiger Trap. The band only released two albums before disbanding but I think that both are worth a listen. While often criticized for lack of musical variety between songs, each song feels emotionally sincere. They may not be the most musically complex band, but their frank lyrics describing everyday frustrations and arguments endear them to me. A friend of a friend you can’t stand, a break up that leaves you bitter and an argument where insults are thrown back and forth are all stories explored within the album “Mitsumeru”.
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | MAGITECH | Rootkit Vultures | Gimmedanger |
| 2 | MOUSETRAPPING | I’VE ALWAYS HATED THE INTERNET | Self-Released |
| 3 | SHENEVERHEXDMEBACK | Light_leavingmybody [EP] | Vapor Scape |
| 4 | GWENNYLOL | Blurry Sky | Vapor Scape |
| 5 | S4DUNICORN | system//selene [EP] | Vapor Scape |
| 6 | HARMFUL LOGIC | SOULGEMCOLLECTION (Deluxe) | MAD BREAKS |
| 7 | FULL BODY 2 | infinity signature [EP] | Year0001 |
| 8 | TAPEWORMS | Grand Voyage | Music_Website |
| 9 | DJ BEETLEBITCH | Acidtape2024 [EP] | Dirtbag |
| 10 | OUT THE BLUE | Acid Fog [EP] | Self-Released |
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | SHENEVERHEXDMEBACK | Light_leavingmybody [EP] | Vapor Scape |
| 2 | GWENNYLOL | Blurry Sky | Vapor Scape |
| 3 | S4DUNICORN | system//selene [EP] | Vapor Scape |
| 4 | HARMFUL LOGIC | SOULGEMCOLLECTION (Deluxe) | MAD BREAKS |
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | DUCKWRTH | All American F*ckboy | Them Hellas |
| 2 | AJ TRACEY | “Crush” feat. Jorja Smith [Single] | Revenge |
| 3 | 9LIVES | “UP FREESTYLE” feat. Odetari [Single] | Pulse/Concord |
| 4 | EDDIE CHACON | Lay Low | Stones Throw |
| 5 | FLY ANAKIN | (The) Forever Dream | Lex |
| 6 | JACOB BANKS | Yonder: Book I | Nobody |
| 7 | KUNA MAZE | Layers | Tru Thoughts |
| 8 | MICHI | Dirty Talk | Stones Throw |
| 9 | SAM AKPRO | Evenfall | Anti- |
| 10 | JESHI | Airbag Woke Me Up | Because Because |
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | MXNXSTXR AND DESTRUCTO | “What You Need” feat. Thundercat & Channel Tres [Single] | All My Friends |
| 2 | LORD SKO | PIFF | Stimulated |
| 3 | SILAS SHORT | LUSHLAND | Stones Throw |
| 4 | TRY | TRY | Spectrophonic Sound |
| 5 | BUTCHER BROWN | Letters From The Atlantic | Concord Jazz |
| 6 | LUKE TITUS | From What Was Will Grow A Flower | Sooper |
| 7 | BOLDY JAMES AND REAL BAD MAN | Conversation Pieces | Real Bad Man |
| 8 | FLY ANAKIN | (The) Forever Dream | Lex |
| 9 | AJ TRACEY | “Friday Prayer” feat. Headie One & Aitch [Single] | Revenge |
| 10 | MCKINLEY DIXON | “Could’ve Been Different” [Single] | City Slang |
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | BRANFORD MARSALIS QUARTET | Belonging | Blue Note |
| 2 | RACHEL THERRIEN | Mi Hogar II | Lulaworld |
| 3 | MAVIS PAN | Rising | Self-Released |
| 4 | CLARK TERRY QUARTET | In Orbit (Reissue) | Craft / Concord |
| 5 | FIEVEL IS GLAUQUE | Rong Weicknes | Fat Possum |
| 6 | IMMANUEL WILKINS | Blues Blood | Blue Note |
| 7 | TAKUYA KURODA | Everyday | PPK |
| 8 | RICHARD BARATTA | Looking Back | Savant |
| 9 | NALA SINEPHRO | Endlessness | Warp |
| 10 | NANAMI HARUTA | The Vibe | Origin |
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | SILVANO MONASTERIOS | The River | Self-Released |
| 2 | IGMAR THOMAS’ REVIVE BIG BAND | Like A Tree It Grows | Soulspazam |
| 3 | SHAREL CASSITY | Gratitude | Sunnyside |
| 4 | SEAN NELSON NEW LONDON BIG BAND | Don’t Stop Now | All In |
| 5 | SHELLEY YOELIN, SAM ROBINSON, GABRIEL DATCU, RICK SHANDLING | Rojo | Self-Released |
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | CASINO HEARTS | A Walk In The Grass [EP] | Self-Released |
| 2 | FOXWARREN | “Listen2me” [Single] | Anti- |
| 3 | MAE MARTIN | I’m A TV | Casablanca/Republic |
| 4 | MEI SEMONES | Animaru | Bayonet |
| 5 | PINK MUST | Pink Must | 15 love |
| 6 | SAMANTHA CRAIN | Gumshoe | Real Kind |
| 7 | SCOWL | Are We All Angels | Dead Oceans |
| 8 | SUNBATHE | Myself To You | Time Release |
| 9 | APRIL MARCH | “Surfing Castafiore” [Single] | Bong Load |
| 10 | DAISY THE GREAT | “Ballerina” [Single] | S-Curve |
| 11 | FEEBLE LITTLE HORSE | “This Is Real” [Single] | Saddle Creek |
| 12 | GLARE | Sunset Funeral | Deathwish |
| 13 | GREAT GRANDPA | Patience, Moonbeam | Run For Cover |
| 14 | GREER | Big Smile | Epitaph |
| 15 | JADE THE MOON | “Dirty John Type” [Single] | Self-Released |
| 16 | JAPANESE BREAKFAST | For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) | Dead Oceans |
| 17 | LAEL NEALE | Altogether Stranger | Sub Pop |
| 18 | PANCHIKO | Ginkgo | Nettwerk |
| 19 | PICTORIA VARK | Nothing Sticks | Get Better |
| 20 | SBTRKT | “Turn Your Heart Around” [Single] | Save Yourself |
| 21 | KICKBACK, THE | Hit Piece | Big Lie |
| 22 | WET | Two Lives | 30SF |
| 23 | ADRIAN QUESADA | “Ojos Secos” feat. Cuco [Single] | ATO |
| 24 | ALEXANDRA SAVIOR | “Unforgivable” [Single] | RCA |
| 25 | ALLIE KENNY | “Soft Crash” [Single] | Self-Released |
| 26 | ART D’ECCO | Serene Demon | Paper Bag |
| 27 | BLOOD INCANTATION | Absolute Elsewhere | Century Media |
| 28 | BYE2 | My Wife Is Drink Paint | Kitty On Fire |
| 29 | CANUT DE BON | no esperan por nadie | Sello Cototo |
| 30 | CARLITA | Sentimental | Counter |
| Artist | Record | Label | |
| 1 | PHOEBE RINGS | “Fading Star” [Single] | Carpark |
| 2 | FULL BODY 2 | infinity signature [EP] | Year0001 |
| 3 | FULL BODY 2 | 2020initialsequence2022 | Year0001 |
| 4 | THE VON TRAPPS | “Go With Me” [Single] | Self-Released |
| 5 | WISHY | Planet Popstar [EP] | Winspear |
| 6 | ARCY DRIVE | The Pit | AWAL |
| 7 | BLACK POLISH | “Be With You” [Single] | BMG |
| 8 | MONTCLAIR | Heart Is Alive! | NBD |
| 9 | FELICITY | You Take Me To Dinner But You’ll Never Feed My Soul [EP] | Self-Released |