Alternative-pop self-proclaimed demidevil Ashnikko welcomes fans into her little trinket emporium with her latest single and the announcement of her second LP Smoochies, which will debut on October 17. Pre-save Smoochies on streaming platforms here.
“Trinkets” is a fun, whimsical track exploring classic “just girly things,” such as collectible items, fascination with shiny souvenirs, and ironically (maybe… unironically) objectifying men: “Treat him like a trinket / Hang him off my keychain / I c...

Alternative rockstar grandson has released his third installment of his upcoming album INERTIA with his latest angst-ridden banger, “GOD IS AN ANIMAL.” 
The single is the lovechild of George Orwell’s works 1984 and Animal Farm in music form as grandson explores the concepts of questioning leadership, revolution, and censorship personified as farm animals learn how to evolve, adapt, and “hit the top of the food chain.”
grandson explained that the track is “an allegory about resistance, the underd...

The Happy Fits have done it again: The New Jersey natives spoil fans with another beautiful single off their forthcoming studio album, Lovesick, set to debut on September 19. 
Blending orchestral sounds and dramatic lyrics reminiscent of early Panic! At The Disco and The Brobecks, “Do You See Me?” surprises us as it does a complete 180 from the previous upbeat, 80s-sounding single, “Wild in Love.”
Starting on the much softer side, this song gracefully showcases vocalist/cellist Calvin Langman’s...

Twenty One Pilots reveal that “Drum Show” will be the second single off of BREACH, debuting on August 18 ahead of the album release on September 12.
This announcement comes two months following the release of their lead single “The Contract,” confirming that the band’s storyline from prior albums is not quite complete. 
The Ohio duo published a teaser video on Wednesday afternoon with a snippet of the upcoming third track of the album. 

Leaving fans with a cliffhanger to the Blurryface saga wit...

After a summer of teasing fans with hidden USB drives and kiwi keychains placed around New York City, the “Heat Waves” band officially debuted their latest single since their 2024 album, I Love You So F***ing Much.
“Vampire Bat” is a whimsical track that combines the usual sparkle of a Glass Animals song with marching band beats and cheerful synthesizer, with vocals much deeper than expected from the indie rock band. The tone contrasts from the more sinister narrative, which suggests a story of...

Morgan Cole Brown is a singer/songwriter from Boston, MA, who, after years of different projects and aliases’, is now performing as his true self!
Tune in to hear Morgan and music director Emily ‘Emol’ McCormack talk about his debut album “Watching Your Friends Get Famous,” his musical theatre inspiration, the importance of local music, and how he faired releasing his project on the same day as Taylor Swift’s latest album!

Keep up with Morgan through social media, @morgancolebrownmusic, or Spot...

Twenty One Pilots are back at it again – confusing and intriguing fans with vague, cryptic messages throughout the globe with their latest single, “Overcompensate.”
Alongside this new track, Twenty One Pilots announced their upcoming sixth studio album Clancy will be here on May 17, 2024!
The music video for the latest track premiered on Thursday, February 29 via the band’s official YouTube.

“Overcompensate” is the first release since the duo’s 2022 album Scaled and Icy, which received mixed fe...

Never let them know your next move – Palaye Royale yet again switches up the game with grace, and beauty. 
The three piece band of brothers have been making music under the title Palaye Royale since 2012. While they have certainly experimented with their sound and have grown as musicians, the fashion-art rock stars have returned to their roots in their latest EP, Songs For Sadness.
This drop came only about a month after their previous EP, S-xtape, released in December 2023. That EP features bot...

Kim Dracula said it first, and I’ll back them up – “This may end up being one of your favorite albums of all time.”
As music director, I would say it’s safe to say that I consume a lot (a lot) of music… despite living in an age where all music, past and present, is available at my fingertips, in June I somehow found myself in a strange rut of listening to the same few songs over and over again. The kind of music that I never thought I would get bored of grew stale… I was starving for something n...

Award winning international icons MÅNESKIN sat down with our very own music director Emily “Emol” McCormack and station manager Jared Tauber after their September 15, 2023 pop-up performance in New York City’s Time Square.
Announced just moments before the set began, the Italian Eurovision winners generated a large crowd, where they performed their hits, as well as their latest single, “HONEY (ARE U COMING?)” Listen in to hear more on their upcoming tour, including their sold out Madison Square...

“Eulogy” is the first solo work that grandson has released since his 2020 debut album, Death of an Optimist. The Canadian-American singer has released a string of outstanding collaborations, including works alongside the likes of K.Flay, X Ambassadors, Two Feet and Steve Aoki.
Best known for his 2017 single “Blood // Water” and The Suicide Squad’s “Rain” in 2021, grandson is a truly talented musician who is finally giving his grandkids something new if his own in 2023! 
So… “Eulogy” is finally h...

“Bottom Of The Deep Blue Sea” was the first single that introduced me to Missio in 2018. I decided to delve deeper into their discography and ever since then, the alternative/electronic duo have been part of my go-to pile of artists I reference as my favorite band.
Missio decided to spend their pre-Valentine’s Day with their fans on Monday, February 13, 2023, hanging out on a livestream via YouTube on “Valentine’s Date Night: w/ MISSIO.” I was disappointed when I realized I would be in class whe...

Pierce the Veil released their fifth studio album The Jaws of Life on February 10, 2023. This is the first album since their 2016 release of Misadvadventures, their last album before the departure of drummer Mike Fuentes. Since losing a band member, fans anxiously waited for seven years for the band to release new tunes. They delivered in November 2022 with their first single “Pass the Nirvana,” which quickly made its way on alternative rock radio airwaves.
This highly anticipated album has rece...

If you haven’t heard of Måneskin… where have you been?!
Måneskin is a four piece Italian rock band who won Eurovision 2021 with their hit single “ZITTI E BUOINI.” I first heard pieces of the song on social media and finally listened to it on my own… while I must admit I don’t know Italian whatsoever, I fell in love with this band. You might know them from their 2017 cover of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ “Beggin’” which took the world by storm. Regardless of how you heard of them (or if th...

Two years ago I wrote this article. Two years later, my work will see the light of day. This is The Death of an Optimist: Album and Movie Review.
By Emily McCormack
Since he started his musical career in 2014, alternative singer and activist grandson finally released his debut album, “Death Of An Optimist” on December 4, 2020. While fans have enjoyed his previous singles and EPs, including his trilogy, “A Modern Tragedy,” DOAO has long been anticipated.
What fans didn’t expect was his announceme...

Diamante spent her teenage years cutting her teeth at local gigs on the Sunset Strip to become the powerhouse performer she is today. Diamante capitalized on her newfound ultimate creative freedom and independence by being her own CEO throughout every facet of the album process. ‘American Dream’ shows exponential growth from ‘Coming In Hot’ sonically and in its raw authenticity, proving now more than ever that Diamante’s fearlessness to bare her soul in her music is what truly sets her apart....

Violet Blend is an Italian alternative metal band from Florence, Italy. The band is made up by Giada Celeste Chelli (vocals and piano), Daniele Cristellon (guitar), Ferruccio Baroni (bass) and Michel Agostini (drums). In 2018 Violet Blend released the debut album ‘White Mask’, the city of Florence (IT) was invaded by thousands of masks with a purple V on that created sensation, attracting the attention of citizens and of many national media, from Repubblica to Radio Freccia.
The second album ‘De...

Welcome to WMSC Music Picks, a collaborative collection of WMSC’s music recommendations and reviews. In this installment, members of our station share their favorite releases of 2024! 

“Your House” – Inhaler
Review by Emily Rabeno
Inhaler, the Dublin-based indie rock band, first caught my attention in early January. I started with just two or three of their tracks on repeat, but by the end of September, my interest had intensified, skyrocketing from a modest 150 listens to a shocking 2,200 in...

“Thoughts and Prayers” – grandson
Review by Emily “Emol” McCormack
When prompted to write anything relating to political music, my go-to is always a song by grandson. While I typically review his song “Blood // Water,” the song that started my love for him and his music, he has plenty of other politically motivated songs in his discography. Released the same year as the Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting, his 2018 single “Thoughts and Prayers” is just as applicable to our present political climate as it was six years ago...

“whatthehellishappening?” – Glass Animals*
Review by Emily McCormack
When a favorite artist of mine releases a new album, sometimes it takes me a little while to “get around” to listening to it. I want to fully absorb it… I didn’t quite get to listening to Glass Animals’ latest album I Love You So F**King Much in time for their concert at Madison Square Garden in NYC, and decided I rather listen to some of the new songs in person for the first time, rather than rush to listen to the studio recordings beforehand. This was an AMAZING DECISION. The UK band never disappoints with their upbeat energy, story-driven visuals, and making for an overall enjoyable experience from all ends of a concert venue. The set opened with “whatthehellishappening,” and upon first listen I LOVED this song. The song doesn’t skip a beat, and the audience was immediately brought into the space-themed story that is Glass Animals latest project through a space-ship journey – leaving the audience wondering what the heck is happening, but more than happy to go along for the ride![...]

“John” – Jeris Johnson
Review by Emily “Emol” McCormack
Jeris Johnson is my favorite find of 2024 so far. Opening for Kim Dracula (my favorite find of 2023, haha) at Irving Plaza in March, I found myself in awe of his music. His stage presence was funny and real, and his voice has a power behind it that I wish I could find the words to properly describe. Throughout the set I came to realize I already knew tracks like “Battling My Demons” (2023) and “damn!” (2020), but fell in love with some of his latest tracks like “When The Darkness Comes” (2023). The medieval-esque vibe to his music and imagery is fun and new to me – And the flaming sword in his music video? Hardcore. (I have a better, non-FCC safe term in mind but alas) While I love his latest 2024 song “Here’s To The Years,” I chose his March single “John,” which was released just a few days before seeing him in person. The lyrics paint a beautiful, bittersweet image of what I come to find the song is about.

“Edge Of The Earth” – The Beaches
Review by Emily “Emol” McCormack
I cannot get enough of this song. It’s about someone who is so madly in love with another woman, nervous about if her feelings are reciprocated because she needs her more than life itself. The chorus includes the lyric “Spin me like a globe and drop your finger on me,” which I interpret as the longing to be somebody’s number one person. Of all the billions of people in the world, I want to be the one who is wanted by you – that sort of thing. While this can certainly be a universal experience regardless of gender or sexual orientation, there is an added nervousness to a potential wlw relationship, worrying if the other person is into the same gender at all… but desperately hoping she may be. The rest of the chorus sings: “You push me in circles / To the edge of the Earth / Where I can’t go any further / Till I start coming back to you.”

“A Question Of Time” – Depeche Mode (1986)
Review by Emily ‘Emol’ McCormack
I grew up listening to my parent’s favorite bands in the household. Since birth, I’ve been hearing bands like The Smiths, Tears For Fears, New Order, and The Talking Heads as a soundtrack to my growing up, but no band of theirs has stuck with me like Depeche Mode. When I think about my favorite band of the 80s, it is by far this band.
I have a playlist named after my parents for the days I am stuck on campus for weeks at a time and miss the music my mom plays in the car or the songs my dad plays in the kitchen after dinner. The majority of the playlist is, admittedly, Depeche Mode – Their 1986 album Black Celebration is my favorite go-to, start-to-finish album of the decade, and it’s hard to pick just one favorite. But, for the sake of only writing on music pick, I lean on my go-to favorite, standout song – “A Question of Time.”

“Los Ageless” – St. Vincent
Review by Emily “Emol” McCormack
A play on the famous (perhaps, infamous) city in California, “Los Ageless” by St. Vincent is a criticism of the warped atmosphere of L.A. In her album Masseduction (2017), St. Vincent sings of how people can chase their dreams of being famous to their breaking point, but it will never be enough to make it or for people to feel fulfilled – they are always chasing something they cannot grasp, forcing them to become a slave to Hollywood, or becoming a shell of their former self. Taking a look at the lyrics, there are so many unfortunate true-to-reality critiques of celebrity expectations...

“A Potion For Love” – AURORA
Review by Emily “Emol” McCormack
When you pair the most tragically realistic song about heartbreak with the beautifully graceful voice of Aurora, even just the first notes are enough to make you tear up. While a lot of other “heartbreak” songs I listen to lean towards the more aggressive side – hating an ex-partner for something they did or for how they made someone feel – this one explores the concept of accepting that a relationship is over, while still thinking fondly about how the relationship once was. She quite simply sings about something that is arguably harder than splitting up because of an incident or outside forces: the idea of falling out of love. As Aurora puts it, “Forgetting why we fell in love hurts me the most..."

I Love You, I’m Trying – grandson
Review by Emily McCormack
I don’t think there will ever be a day when I’m disappointed with a song by grandson. He has been teasing fans with singles since the release of his 2020 debut album Death of an Optimist – and while those songs (all collaborations!) were awesome, I nearly cried at the announcement of a new grandson album. The first hint of what I Love You I’m Trying had in store was the single “Eulogy,” which has a sound that I can only describe as the heart of his sound. With elements of electronic rock, hip-hop and political motivation, this single was certainly just a peak into what was to come...

“Tangerine” — Glass Animals
Review by Emily “Emol” McCormack
This song takes me back to the middle of 2020 when Glass Animals released their album Dreamland after several COVID-19 pandemic and other related delays. I became increasingly obsessed with their discography during that year, and cite this album as what carried me though such an isolated period. Even before the album release, singles “Your Love (Déjà Vu)” and “Tokyo Drifting” took over my daily playlists, and I had no doubt the rest of the album would be just as delicious – what I didn’t anticipate, however, was how juicy this track would be. “Tangerine,” which became a post-album-release single in October 2020, made its way onto the radio and my personal daily playlist, and I simply could not get enough of this song the latter half of the year...

“Halloweenie IV: Innards” — Ashnikko
Review by Emily “Emol” McCormack
Ashnikko released “Halloweenie” in October 2018, and has continued her holiday tradition ever since. This year, she released “Halloweenie V: The Moss King,” and while I love all five songs in the series, I find myself gravitating towards her 2021 release, “Halloweenie IV: Innards.” To the tune of Edvard Grieg’s “In The Hall of the Mountain King,” I find myself naturally humming this tune and thinking of her voice around this time of year. The lyrics provide creepy, Halloween-like imagery with mention of her having a zipper face, a “ten-foot tongue,” spider eggs in her brain, and many other terrifying things I don’t want to dwell on for too long or I may pass out. They also make reference to horror films, such as “Drag you to the bottom of a lake” to refer to the film “Friday the 13th,” (1980) “Crimson swimmin’ in the drain” in reference to classic thriller “Psycho” (1960), and “Three times, say my name” in reference to horror-comedy “Beetlejuice” (1988). Overall, a lovely spooky song to add to the Halloween playlist (or, better yet, your year-round playlist)!

“GOSSIP” — Måneskin feat. Tom Morello*
Review by Emily McCormack
Måneskin’s album RUSH! debuted in January of this year, and the majority of the album has made it into my daily music rotation. If you don’t believe me, you can ask my roommates who are probably unknowingly very familiar with this LP, considering I’ve played it in the bathroom for the entirety of the spring semester. You may know this italian rock-band as the winners of Eurovision 2021, with their worldwide hit “ZITTI E BUONI” or their iconic cover of “Beggin’.”
Though I love the whole LP, “GOSSIP” is certainly a standout track in my mind. Released just ahead of the album, I cannot get enough of this earworm of a single. It’s a criticism of the “American Dream,” specifically the (and the obsession with the) celebrity lifestyle. They’re pointing out that a lot of what we see on social media is fake, and those in charge of it constantly throw it at us so that we’re meant to believe in their altered reality.
The music video is certainly interesting as well… it takes place in what looks like an office waiting room, where the band does… very unusual things for such a space. But don’t worry, they’re being watched over by Tom Morello, who greatly enhanced the track with his iconic guitar solo. It will likely be a while before another Måneskin project is released, but I’ll wait forever if it means more outstanding music from such talented musicians.

“Do You Still Love Me Like You Used To?” — MISSIO* ❤️
Review by Emily McCormack
This song perfectly encapsulates the idea that love isn’t always an easy thing. Every couple is going to experience their ups and downs, but what matters most at the end of the day is getting past the hardship and loving one another. MISSIO released their documentary Love Me Whole in 2020 which explored the process of making their album 2019 The Darker The Weather // The Better The Man. David Butler explains that “Do You Still Love Me Like You Used To?” is a love song dedicated to his wife and the struggles they go through in their relationship with him constantly on and off of touring, and wondering if their relationship can prosper through their differing lifestyles. Butler explains “Life changes, your circumstances change and your responses to certain things change and and we’ve definitely both grown and changed a lot this year and that song ‘Do You’ is about overcoming that bit of separation and that feeling of being lost, even lost with someone you know.”

“Do Your Worst” — The Happy Fits
Review by Emily “Emol” McCormack
This song was among the first singles from The Happy Fits third album Under the Shade of Green which came out in August. The repeated cello solo is one that my family and I have sung around our house at the most random of times. Seriously, we could be sitting across the table from each other in silence and we randomly start singing this song… I was really into this song during the height of my Happy Fits obsession that began earlier this year, and around this time was when I found out that the band would be coming to the station for an episode of WMSC Unplugged. Our music director Jared Tauber called me while I was leaving work and I literally stopped in my tracks as my jaw dropped… and so this song is the one I most associate with that moment— Needless to say, this song always puts a smile on my face!

“Sweater Weather” – The Neighbourhood
Review by Emily McCormack
This song is one that I have always been drawn to ever since I first heard it back in 2013 (I can’t believe it’s been nearly ten years since this song was released…). I think the title speaks for itself when I explain why I chose this track for our “Autumn Vibes” edition of Music Picks – on the surface, the lyrics are talking about the weather growing colder, the coziness of warmth found indoors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to wear a nice, comfortable sweater (even if it has some holes in it)...

“Goodnight Socialite” – The Brobecks
Review by Emily McCormack
Violent Things is one of the most underrated albums that I know and love. There are very few albums that I can honestly say I will never skip a song when listening to it in full… and when asked for my favorite of all time, this is always a go-to answer. One of the first Brobecks songs that I discovered, “Goodnight Socialite” has a sinister, eerie vibe about it. The opening lines are as follows: “In the darkest corner of the house, I found her body there / Cold and stuff, spine in a twist. / She left a note, it read like so, / My dearest one, here’s what you’ve done.” I don’t know about you, but there are few things that I think would fit the Halloween vibe more than a song that starts with… the singer admitting to a murder of their ex-lover. Hehe. Though this song was released over a decade ago, this track always manages to sneak its way into rotation, and there will never be a day I don’t welcome the voice of Dallon Weekes into my routine.

“On My Knees” – RÜFÜS DU SOL
Review by Emily ‘Emol’ McCormack
I recognized RÜFÜS DU SOL from their song “Treat You Better” off their 2018 album “SOLACE,” and was super excited to see that the band released a new single in 2021! Though this song has been out for about a year (I can hardly believe it’s been this long!), “On My Knees” has been front and center of my playlist rotation, even more so since the end of the spring semester. This song is unlike a lot of the other songs I’ve been listening to recently… Not appearing in this list, I’ve been listening to a good amount of metal/rock, so going from metalcore Ice Nine Kills to dance/electric RÜFÜS DU SOL is an interesting change of pace that I welcome every time I hit shuffle on some music. It’s one of those songs you can listen to while lying down with headphones and feel the beat swim from ear to ear, becoming transported to another reality… I love vocalist Tyrone Lindqvist’s calm, soothing voice juxtaposed with the darker lyrics that sound like they’re pleading for help… I loved playing this “dancey” song on my daily commute to work, and it quickly became one of my favorite go-to driving songs.

“If You Ever Leave I’m Coming With You” – The Wombats
Review By Emily ‘Emol’ McCormack
This song is one that I became obsessed with very quickly… I have yet to hear a song by The Wombats that I don’t absolutely love, but for some reason this one was different. I appreciate that there’s no music introduction to the song- you press play and you’re immediately hit with the vocals. Since I first heard it, I decided to make up a stories for myself and decide what the song was truly about, and from there I started planning a project using the song (I refused to watch their music video because I wanted to make something of my own… but you can watch it if you would like lol). I thought I would be making a music video, but I actually ended up using this song as inspiration for my first project for my filmmaking class! I changed up my interpretation of the song quite a few times while working on a script… I’m still in the process of making it the version I want without my course deadline, but I certainly do hope I make The Wombats proud with my interpretation of their story. Basically, this song is one that carried me through this entire semester, and I’m glad that it guided me through making a cool project of mine! I hope to see this band live one day… currently adding them to the list.

““Kakee” – SOFI TUKKER
Review By Emily ‘Emol’ McCormack
Hearing Sophie and Tucker’s vocals always brings a smile to my face. The duo began doing daily live streams from day one of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they quickly became household names. Though not the happiest of times, their music reminds me of getting through the start of remote learning and trying to make the best out of a bad time. I must admit that I don’t know Portuguese at all… but that didn’t stop me from loving their hit “Swing,” so based on vibes alone I’m loving this new single as well. I found out later that “Swing” is actually a song about guavas, and thanks to Google translate I discovered that “Kakee” is about persimmons (actually spelled caqui). They love fruit and I love that for them. SOFI TUKKER’s next album WET TENNIS (When Everyone Tries To Evolve, Nothing Negative Is Safe) will be released on April 29, and their US/Canadian tour begins in May! I’m looking forward to new songs and good vibes from these two beautiful humans.

Howdy! It’s Emol (also known as Emily McCormack) Lots of amazing music has been released in the past few weeks, and I’m so excited to highlight some of my favorite picks! 
 
Say Something – MISSIO
MISSIO is an alternative-rock duo from Austin, Texas. I’ve been listening to Matt and David since 2017, immediately being hooked by their single “Bottom Of The Deep Blue Sea” from their album Loner. Their latest album Can You Feel The Sun released in October 2020, and though the album is amazing, I am...