Keep it Hot with July’s Staff Picks

Alfie Jukes - Sitting Pretty (2024)

Staff Photographer & Writer Lena Bainschab - Alfie is currently on repeat on my Spotify, and the songs just really remind me of summer and a good time. my favourite of this EP are “Eyes Wide” and “Orange Juice”, they remind me of when he was on tour and I went there with my best friends.

Linkin Park - Meteora (2003)

Staff Writer Tony Lister - For my first staff pick, I have to go with my favorite album of all time, and one of only two albums I consider to be perfect 10/10s. Meteora hits the sweet spot for me between the more rap-influenced Hybrid Theory and the more rock and electronic-influenced Minutes to Midnight. Linkin Park has been one of my favorites since I was young, and having dealt with depression and suicidality, the tragedy of Chester Bennington's suicide hits me even harder than normal. From the catchy mega-hit of “Somewhere I Belong” to the auditory punch in the mouth that is “Faint”, every song hits its mark exactly as it was intended to. “Numb” helped little me process my rocky relationship with me dad (now repaired). “Breaking the Habit” is a brutally honest and brutally brutal depiction of suicidality that gets me to tear up even to this day, and there's even a waltz of all things with “From the Inside”, in case things were getting too formulaic. Every part of this album is exactly what I want it to be and more, and it hits my personal music taste so perfectly on the head that I would describe my taste in terms of this album, not the other way around.

The Cars - Heartbeat City (1984)

Staff Photographer Glenna VK - Loving this album a lot recently especially for the summer! Lots of super great hits like “Magic”, “Heartbeat City”, “Drive” and “You Might Think”. Kind of makes me feel nostalgic although I wasn’t around back in 1984 lol!! My personal favorite at the moment is “Heartbeat City”, which in my opinion is a perfect ending track for this album. :)

Benny Bellson - Posters [Deluxe] (2025)

Staff Writer Virche Galloway - This whole project has just been a vibe for me this month. How this EP sounds is exactly how I’ve been feeling this month. “i wonder” is definitely my favorite song from the project, this song hits my soul. I’ve had this EP on blast in my car jamming out for the past two weeks. Benny truly has a cool and smooth vibe in the project that I love!

Noah Kahan - The Great Divide: The Last of The Bugs (2026)

Staff Writer Ellie Kim - I just moved back from Thailand to America and am starting college. This album has been carrying me through because it deals with a lot of themes that could easily tie back to moving away from family, home.

The Lost Boys (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2026)

Staff Writer Molly - I listened to this for the first time after it came out in late July and I'm OBSESSED with it! I also watched the movie and it was SOOO good!! My favorite song is “Belong to Someone”!

Wallows - Nothing Happens (2019)

Staff Photographer Arika Suits - This is my favorite album of all time, and my favorite band. Listening to Wallows and involving myself with other fans has made me so many friends and inspired me to get into working in the music industry, so I thought it would be fitting to have this as my first pick. “Do Not Wait” is probably my favorite song on the album right now, but it changes all the time. I love the flow of this album, I would recommend listening to it front to back if it’s your first time.

Olivia O'Brien - PIXIE (2026)

Live Coverage Editor & Writer Rebecca Ackerman - Olivia O'Brien is so back! While she has been releasing music, this is her first full album since 2019. I first discovered her back in college and hyper-fixated on her music hard, so this has been a long awaited moment for me. PIXIE delivers on the heartbreak and the emotionally devastating lyrics that always stick with me when it comes to her music. My favorite track, and the one I have been playing the most from the album, is "Imaginary." The line that sticks with me the most from the song is, "Now the only version of myself that he will ever know is a frail and fragile shell of me that I've long since outgrown."

Gigi Perez - At The Beach, In Every Life (2025)

Staff Photographer Mari Garcia - I got to see Gigi open for Hozier last summer, not knowing much of her music besides the iconic "Sailor Song". However, as it goes after watching a new artist perform live, I fell in love with this album soon after the show and have loved it ever since. I got to see Gigi again this summer opening for Noah Kahan, this time singing along with every line of her setlist. She brought out her sister and co-writer Bella to sing "Sugar Water", making the song's reflective lyrics from their childhood a little more special. The title track "At the Beach, in Every Life" has been in my rotation for over a year, and there's something about the chorus of "Chemistry" that wraps me into the song til it fades into the next track.

Hozier -Unreal Unearth: Unending (2024)

Live Coverage Editor & Senior Writer Kaitlyn Serafin -I freaking love this album. If I were dragged through the rings of hell, an iPod with Unreal Unearth on it and a pair of earbuds would have to be wrenched from my cold, dead hands. This version is expanded, adding ten new songs which includes the radio hit “Too Sweet”. I often return to this album because in spite of it loosely adapting the story of Dante’s Inferno, it is so calming and so smartly written. I already loved the original album and this expanded version added two of my favorite songs to listen to when the weather gets hot. Those two would be “Wildflower & Barley (feat. Allison Russell)” and ironically, “July”. My recommendation if you haven’t listened to this album is to grab a warm mug of chamomile, light a candle, and start from the top with “De Selby (Part 1)”.

Staff Photographer Beth Evans’s Pick

Daughter From Hell (2026)

Gracie Abrams

Cherub - “Doses & Mimosas” off Mom and Dad (2012)

Entertainment Editor & Senior Writer Megan Lorich - Look. To all the bitch ass hoes who hate me the most, man, I hate you too. To all the punk ass fucks that just want to talk shit, I hate you too. To all the high class ass that's too hard to pass, oh yeah? I hate you too. And what gets me through all of this is "Doses and Mimosas" as in the song, not actually elicit illegal substances like champagne and cocaine. The most hype song to say fuck the haters. Sometimes, you just need a reminder (as catchy as this!) that shit isn't that deep, man.

Olivia Rodrigo - you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love (2026)

Staff Photographer Stella- I’ve been listening to it every day for over a month now since the release! For me it’s a great mix of sad and uplifting songs, full of emotions and catchy melodies. Favorite tracks at the moment: “Begged” and “My way”