By WDCE Music Directors

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:: October 18, 2026

:: Dummy — do you love the color of the sky?

Genre: Alt. Pop

Release Type: Album

Release Date: October 16, 2026

Recommended Tracks: “April Limousine,” “Alluvial Fan,” “Full Spectrum Dominance”

“do you love the color of the sky,” the third studio album by the Los Angeles indie band Dummy, is a lo-fi, neo-psychedelic pop outing. The drum samples steal the show; the loops drill their way into your mind and keep you there. It feels down and slow — almost at odds with the constant and ever consistent drums. There’s a lowness, though not melancholy, that persists throughout. It’s a crisp trip. The cyclical, spinning feel of each track traps you, pulling you out of time. Don’t be a dummy and learn to love the color of the sky.

— Jonathan Sackett

Avery Laird — Sleepwalker

Genre: Alt. Folk

Release Type: Album

Release Date: October 13, 2026

Recommended Tracks: “Doomed,” “Hairpin,” “Lucky”

Toronto-based singer Avery Laird’s debut album channels a bit of that James Ivy indie style but infuses it with a grungier-edge and a bit more twang. Those influences bleed together, leaving behind a project that feels distinctly of this time. “Sleepwalker” kept me up. I hope to see where Laird’s next dream goes.

— Jonathan Sackett

saoirse dream — grimdark

Genre: Emotronica

Release Type: Album

Release Date: October 9, 2026

Recommended tracks: “onlooker”, “if someone like me will do,” “grimdark”

Saoirse dream’s latest hyperpop/emo/indietronica/otherwise unlabelable release answers the question, “What if we threw a hyperpop album into the dirt, let it roll around for a little bit before plugging it back in, and saw what kind of cool grittiness we might find?” The result is pretty good! While lyrically, saoirse dream is not afraid to lean into somewhat groan-worthy cliches of self-hatred, that staleness does not replace actual emotional weight. You can feel her anger and embitterment against a transphobic world most clearly in “killer bees,” a direction of expression that cuts into grief as the album progresses. The style of the tracklist works well within itself. Every song has its own sound while still feeling in place together. The album’s jumps back and forth between the sounds of bright chiptune hyperpop and emo abrasiveness are taken up a notch in “if someone like me will do,” my favorite track of the release. Screamo with a little bit of twinkle integrates well into the shimmery sound of her existing discography, and I much prefer these synthed-over into raw vocals compared with the flat speaking of the album’s first few songs. Saoirse dream is meant to scream!

— Sahara Williamson

Worldpeace DMT — Stick Around For Tea

Genre: Twee Pop

Release Type: Album

Release Date: October 16

Recommended Tracks: “Gabriel,” “Stick Around For Tea,” “Thank You”

Worldpeace DMT’s Stick Around For Tea is a sweet, charming slice of laptop twee. If you’re unfamiliar with the genre (like I was a week ago), it’s defined by endearingly simple vocal performances, sentimental lyrics and electronic influences. Stick Around For Tea sounds like the soundtrack to the internet before it became so evil. The two lead vocalists trade easy melodies over sweeping violins, jangly guitar and shimmering electronic instrumentals. It’s honestly a bit of an overwhelming sonic experience, but it gets a lot easier when you stop trying to define it. The highlight of the album is “Thank You,” a silly anthem that has nonsensical lyrics and is all the better for it. If I had one word to describe this project, it would be cute. Behind the electronic flourishes, Worldpeace DMT is a direct descendant of Moldy Peaches-esque 2000s anti-folk. It’s all alternating male and female voices, lovey-dovey lyrics, and innocence.

—Declan Devilbiss

Gotts Street Park — Somewhere Between

Genre: Neo Soul/Lo-Fi Jazz

Release Type: Album

Release Date: October 16

Recommended Tracks: “Wake Me Up,” “Easy,” “Don’t Give Up”

Somewhere Between is the kind of lo-fi R&B you’d expect to hear at an overpriced coffee shop in Brooklyn. It flows from retro-sounding soul to a bedroom pop sound that emulates Mac DeMarco’s music. Personally, Gotts Street Park sound a lot more interesting when they’re leaning into that soul sound. This is a big moment for old-school motown acts, and this album enlist an A-team of artists that are a part of that wave: Olive Jones, Pip Millett, Rosie Lowe and anaiis all have fantastic features. Gotts Street Park aren’t involved with the vocals, but their production is consistently excellent and never overdone. The groovy baselines, twinkling piano and soft drums are the perfect background for their lineup of featured artists. Somewhere Between loses its freshness, though, on a couple of tracks that fall into the category of trite bedroom pop. “Some Birds Don’t Fly,” featuring Matt Maltese, feels like a cheap imitation of Rex Orange County. Maltese has a great voice, but with lyrics like “Some stars don’t shine/Some birds don’t fly,” this track is clichéd and boring. Overall, Somewhere Between really scratched my itch for cool and smooth R&B goodness.

—Declan Devilbiss

The Avalanches — No Bad Memories

Genre: Dance-Pop

Release Type: Album

Release Date: October 16, 2026

Recommended Tracks: “Blue Shadows,” “Can’t Get Over Losing You,” “Highfield”

Don’t let the 31-song track count scare you away. This album is only 53 minutes long. Nearly half this album is made up of interludes, weaving in between each “real” song. The Avalanches are THE pioneers of plunderphonics and sample-centered electronic music, and each record they create is meticulously arranged. Their first album, “Since I Left You” is famous for containing over 3,500 samples! Now, six years after their last album, “No Bad Memories” serves as another great example of their insane technical expertise. Every second of this album catches you off guard, layering samples of TV advertisements, children’s shows, altered pop songs, and house beats. On top of these wild and diverse samples, The Avalanches work with an eclectic batch of other artists, including numerous electronic producers and some of my favorite vocalists, such as Panda Bear (Animal Collective), Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), and Rivers Cuomo (Weezer). “No Bad Memories” is a truly unique work, only achievable through the production mastery of The Avalanches. Though it’s not quite as groundbreaking or impressive as “Since I Left You,” this album is a one of a kind sonic experience that deserves to be listened to front-to-back.

— Jacob Bennett

Fontaines D.C. — Dopamine Chamber

Genre: Alternative Rock

Release Type: Album

Release Date: October 16, 2026

Recommended Tracks: “Marianne,” “Demolition,” “Where Is Gone?”

Fontaines D.C. have always stood out to me among the rest. It’s very easy to get fatigued over the sound of 2020s, pseudo-upbeat, alt-rock bands, who have their internet-driven heyday and gradually lose supporters after their first live tour. You know the type. All signs point to Fontaines D.C. being “just another alt-rock band,” with their mainstream popularity, low variation in musical tone, and relatively quick fame. However, they simply do it better than the rest. Take their hit song, “I Love You,” for example. Fontaines D.C. is able to produce a dreadful and ominous narrative amidst a song about loving someone. “Dopamine Chamber” has this very consistently melancholic mood, but its dreamy, echoing instrumentation also works as the baseline for ear-catching tone shifts throughout songs. “Happy For You” is a great example, where the depressive and atmospheric setting established by the first 2 minutes makes the subsequently crashing drums and heavy-electric guitars all the more jarring. I’ll never get tired of Grian Chatten’s delightful Irish accent, and it’s all over this album. I’m hypnotized by his oscillating chorus on “Marianne,” and the vocals on “Japan” are among his most romantic and soothing, giving you a nice breath of loving air.

— Jacob Bennett

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