What The Music Box Staff is Loving This Month - February 2026 Staff Picks
Henry Morris - “Drugs & Money" (2026):
Senior Photographer Trev- My pick of the month in none other than the male version of Lana del Rey- Henry Morris (I just so happen to be his touring photographer/videographer on the upcoming artemas tour starting later this month) now drugs & money definitely gives you that nostalgic Lana del Rey vibe off born to die.
Olivia Dean - The Art of Loving (2025)
Staff Photographer Mari S. - The false spring in the midwest & the coming and going of Valentine’s day fills me with so much love and joy, and Olivia Dean has written what I consider one of the most thorough analyses of love in album form, as the title “The Art of Loving” indicates. “Self love (Lady Lady, Baby Steps)”: situationship, “Infatuation (Nice to Each Other): heartbreak, “Let Alone the One You Love”: old love revisited, “A Couple Minutes” and the most beautiful way to close off the album - platonic love “I’ve Seen It”. Olivia Dean covers every facet of the types of love in the human experience - “I understand [love] less and less, I guess I’m not supposed to know at all…the more you look, the more you find, it’s all around you, all the time…I guess it’s been inside me all along” (I’ve Seen It).
Mitski - “I'll Change For You" ( 2026 Single)”
Senior Writer Megan Lorich - As of writing, Mitski's next album "Nothing's About to Happen to Me" has yet to release. I'm eagerly awaiting its drop on 2/27, not just because I'm quite possibly the biggest Mitski fan alive, but because the single's that have released for this album have been impeccable so far. We've done a write up on the album's first single, "Where's My Phone?" but have yet to discuss the single's followup, "I'll Change For You." While "Where's My Phone?" allowed Mitski to return to the angsty rockstar feel of albums like Bury Me at Makeout Creek and Puberty 2, "I'll Change For You" definitely feels like a continuation of the melancholy she expertly weaved throughout her last album, "The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We." When asked about the track, Mitski explained that "I'll Change For You" is a song for pathetic people. Sad girls, we are so fucking back.
Djo- The Crux Deluxe (2025)
Staff Photographer Amanda Drobnak - I chose The Crux Deluxe by Djo as my February pick because it feels dreamy and thoughtful, but still really catchy. The sound is so different but tells a story, which makes the whole album feel easy to get lost in. My favorite song is “Purgatory SilverStar”, I just love the vibe of it and how it captures that feeling of being stuck in between places or emotions. It’s the kind of song that stays in your head after you listen.
The Smiths - The Smiths (1984):
Staff Photographer Deanna Garza - I just visited Nashville at the beginning of this month and The Smiths were my anthem while I was there. Favorite song from the album is “What Difference Does It Make?” Some musicians I met for the event I was there for were also huge fans of The Smiths and we bonded over that.
Wallows - Nothing Happens (2019):
Playlist Editor Phoebe Ringler - I saw this album live for the first time in February of 2020 and it always circles back to me around this time of year! It’s one of my all time favorites, it flows together so perfectly, and it’s incredibly nostalgic. “I’m Full” and “Do Not Wait” are my favorite tracks on the album!
Keshi - Requiem (2024):
Live Coverage Editor Rebecca Ackerman - I feel incredibly late to the Keshi party. This month, Spotify started pushing "Soft Spot" to me at the end of every playlist, and after playing that song nonstop for days, I finally gave the whole album a listen. This album has such a great mix of slow and fast songs, so there really is a song for everyone on there.
The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past (2012):
Senior Photographer Christine Nickie - I chose OTIP because there is not a bad song (or album) from The Menzingers, and this one features my favorite of theirs - The Obituaries. I’ve always loved the song, but my favorite memory I have of it is when I was able to photograph a show of theirs a couple years back, hoped I’d hear it, and found out they opened with it (cue me crying in the photo pit). Another reason for my choice is the new single, Nobody’s Heroes, that they released yesterday! I think I had it playing more time than not, and I had to revisit all of my favorites with it. The Menzingers are one of the best out there and I don’t know anyone who dislikes them, regardless of their music taste.
