John Garcia, Morning Show Host
Isaiah Rashad – “Happy Hour”
“Happy Hour” sounds exactly like the title feels; loose, reflective, a little faded around the edges. Over mellow production and his trademark laid-back flow, Isaiah Rashad drifts through thoughts on stress, escapism, and trying to find balance while life keeps moving fast. There is a real honesty to the track that makes it hit harder than it first appears, like overhearing someone vent at the end of a long night. Chattanooga-native Isaiah Rashad returns with his newest album in five years, “It’s Been Awful.” In my opinion, his best release to date. The entire album sounds like total acceptance and understanding; no more resistance to how it works and what makes it work. The project includes features from artists such as Dominic Fike and labelmate SZA.
Marlon Craft – “Together Sad”
Marlon Crafts “Together Sad” is brutally honest in such a quiet way. Over warm, soulful production and live instrumentation, Craft unpacks the tension of loving someone while still carrying your own fears, trauma, and uncertainty. The hook, “let us be sad together,” turns vulnerability into something strangely comforting. It makes the song feel like less of a breakup anthem and more like two people trying to survive life side by side. It is thoughtful, emotionally sharp writing that shows why New York-native Marlon Craft continues to be one of hip-hop’s most underrated storytellers. His new album “The Internet Killed the Neighborhood” is out now.
Evan Ballew, Music Director
American Football – “Bad Moons”
Midwest Emo pioneers American Football have built a reputation for heart-wrenching ballads on open-tuned telecasters and twinkly riffs in odd time signatures. “AMFO” rose to prominence back in 1999 with the release of their first and self titled album, fondly referred to as “LP1” and featuring the unmistakable guitar lick on “Never Meant.” Principal songwriter Mike Kinsella, cousin and bassist Nate Kinsella, guitarist Steve Holmes and drummer Steve Lamos embarked on a hiatus from 2000-2014 with members returning to their various side projects. They’ve since returned to the studio multiple times, releasing two more albums in the interim. On “LP4” the Urbana, IL quartet sounds more comfortable than ever, with collaborations from Turnstile’s Brendon Yates and newcomers Caithlin De Marrais and Wisp (Natalie Lu). Slow-burning lead single “Bad Moons” tells the story of transitioning out of blissful childhood into the complexities of adulthood. Out now on Polyvinyl Records.
This Is Lorelei – “My Boy Limbo – fantasy of a broken heart Version”
Allow me to introduce you to your favorite band’s favorite songwriter. Nearly two years after its original release, Nate Amos (Water From Your Eyes) has put together an album’s worth of covers from his breakthrough LP, “Box for Buddy, Box for Star.” Amos started This Is Lorelei as a way to conjure creativity while visiting his parents in Vermont over Christmas. Amos has a knack for crafting a signature sound, one defined by simple but catchy drum loops, a wide range of vocal production, poppy guitar hooks and melodies that hover over each song. Artists like MJ Lenderman, Hayley Williams and Waxahatchie have publicly shared their admiration for Amos’s under the radar work and contributed reimagined cover versions of This Is Lorelei’s 2024 album. A highlight is Jeff Tweedy’s version of “My Boy Limbo,” which features a Beatles-esque bass line, driving and Tweedy’s trademark airy vocals. Out now on Double Double Whammy.
You can catch both American Football and This Is Lorelei at Kilby Block Party in Salt Lake City on Sunday, May 17.
Zoe Curran, Digital Producer
Boy – “Birds on the Horizon”
First light. Released in April 2026, Manchester-based DJ Finn’s “Trax From the Bottom of the Well” is esoteric and fleeting and warm and golden. “Birds on the Horizon”’s runtime falls just short of three minutes, with a fuzzy vocal loop and bright chords sending you into a peaceful halo of dawn-bringing energy. And right as the beat kicks, it ends. It reminds me of the tired trek home after a late night, when you are alone with your mind, when you are greeted by the first birdsong, when neither of you slept. Last night’s antics stay alive inside this track.
Gay Felony – “Dearling (Spiritualist Mix)”
Chug. As trip-hop spring comes to an end, progressive-chug summer begins. A favorite chugger comes from the mind of Melody Scallion, aka Gay Felony. An inescapable member of Los Angeles’s underground music scene and a resident DJ at L.A. nonprofit radio station dublab, she brings us a five-track release, “2ProgTracks,” full of funk, breaks and ethereal rave fairy vibes. “Dearling (Spiritualist Mix)” is patient, executing transitions and breakdowns with consideration. If R.Boy’s “Birds on the Horizon” is the dawn, Felony’s ‘Dearling” is the dusk.
