One Year of Staff Picks! - September 2026
The Marshmallow Kisses - "I Wonder Why My Favorite Boy Leaves Me An EP" (2004)
Entertainment Editor & Senior Staff Writer Megan Lorich - Around fall, I tend to start pulling out cozy tracks - typically twee adjacent tunes and depressing singer-songwriter tracks that'll feel like a warm cup of "insert beverage here." Canto-pop fans will definitely know of artists like Faye Wong, Anita Mui, Sandy Lam, and so on. But the indie-pop scene in Hong Kong in the early 2000's produced underground artists that are well worth your time, like my little airport and my top pick for September -- The Marshmallow Kisses. This indie pop project features influences from France and Spain, though their lyrics go back and forth between English and Cantonese. If you don't have the bandwidth to listen to the whole EP, I'd recommend starting with the first real track on it -- "My Dear Giant." It's a great Canto-pop gateway for fans of Belle and Sebastian, and my way of telling the universe that I'm ready to cozy up by the fire place with a good book. The Marshmallow Kisses unfortunately haven't released a project since 2011, but hopefully something new will be on the horizon!
Bowvee- Pumpkin Pie (2025)
Staff Photographer Arika Suits - Pumpkin Pie is a great album for fall, especially the title track. With the weather getting cooler and the season officially beginning, this album has been on loop for me. Be sure to give it a listen to set the perfect fall vibe, maybe even bake something with it playing.
Daft Punk - Discovery (2001)
Staff Writer Tony Lister - One of my two 10/10 albums. Discovery blew my mind the fist time I came across "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" from a 480p Youtube rip. The choppy sampling masterfully intercut with electro-synth sounds is the ur-example of French House, but to little me it was just the coolest thing I had ever seen. "One More Time" is the big hit off the album, but you can't go wrong if you just pick at random; "Aerodynamic" is mostly two melodies alternating, but the screaming guitar distortion is straight-up beautiful, "Digital Love" is an upbeat love song, still with Daft Punk's signiture low-tech digital overcoat of course, and "Face to Face" has some of the most impressively chained-together sample work I've ever seen. In my opinion this album reaches the zenith, there is no room for improvement, every intention is fulfilled to its fullest capacity, a perfect 10/10.
Adéla - PRIMA (2026)
Live Coverage Editor & Senior Staff Writer Rebecca Ackerman - PRIMA is one of those albums I listened to, and every song made me think, "Oh, she's taking it." Pressing play on "Nicole Kidman" for the first time felt like a descent into a pop fantasy. "Ain't in LA" is personally my song of the summer. I saw Adéla at Lollapalooza this summer, and her performance was one of my top sets of the weekend. Adéla is also an incredibly talented dancer and weaves that into her music and performance. She's so early in her career, and I'm looking forward to seeing how her artistry expands.
astrid - SUCKER (2026)
Live Coverage Editor & Senior Staff Writer Kaitlyn Serafin - Earlier this month, I was invited to go to the Emo vs Rave Girls Tour stop in Tampa. Amongst the four-act show was astrid, a name that had bounced around conversations and Spotify intermittently. If you know me though, I do my research before any show and I delved deep into astrid’s discography. Her newest album, SUCKER, stuck out to me. It’s tooth-achingly sweet, manically hopeful, and feminine to its very core. It wasn’t an immediate connection for me until I listened to “needy girl overdose” and “lucky star” in succession to each other. The first is a song about drowning yourself in a caricature or persona to please others while the latter touches on gratefulness in spite of struggle. The album presents a journey from insecurity into hope which could border on saccharine if it wasn’t so damn earnest and authentic. Others may cringe at it but it’s freeing to see something my younger self would have loved so much and accept it in her spirit.
After - Fell Asleep in the Sun (2004)
Staff Photographer - This was my personal pick because I think it’s the perfect album for the changing seasons! After has quickly become one of my favorite bands, and I’m so glad they finally have a full album now because I was already so hooked on their previous singles. My favorite song from the album at the moment is “Metal,” but I also really appreciate “Blind” and “Open Water” because they feel like such a step in a different direction from what we’ve heard from them before. I love how they’re able to capture these nostalgic feelings in their music while still creating a sound that feels fresh and completely authentic to them!
Lizzy - Angel (2026)
Music Review Editor & Senior Staff Writer Alyssa Bushman - I have been loving this album since its release. One of my favorites off of the album that I keep replaying is in “I have a friend”, “My mouth is just a straight line / without your lips to kiss it”. The depth on this album has made it so that I find something new on every listen.
