By WDCE Music Directors

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:: The Music Directors show that they TRULY matter more than everyone else.  

:: November 8, 2026

:: untitled (halo) — untitled (halo)

Genre: Alt. Rock

Release Type: Album

Release Date: November 6, 2026

Recommended Tracks: “aimee lou wood freestyle,” “sex,” “kissimmee,” “easy rider”

From the first track, untitled (halo)’s self-titled debut album impresses. “aimee lou wood freestyle” begins with an aggressive hyperpop beat that perfectly blends into shoegaze-y guitars, psychedelic instrumentals, industrial production and angsty vocals. The Los Angeles based four-piece band shows a superb understanding of how to make a lot of different ideas flow together. I’m hooked on “sex.” It’s got that same hyper-aggressive beat that initially ensnared me in “aimee lou wood freestyle,” but it balances it with soft vulnerability and piercing messages. The penultimate track, “easy rider,” begins as an almost by-the-books alternative, indie song, but halfway through a dispassionate male voice cuts in. Familiarity is usurped. “untitled (halo)” evokes different emotions in the listener through the band’s masterful use of alternating vocals and narrators along with drastically different instrumental tones — especially on the guitars and drums. My ear never lacks a sound to grab onto.

— Jonathan Sackett

Sofia Wolfson — Thrown

Genre: Indie Rock

Release Type: Album

Release Date: November 6, 2026

Recommended Tracks: “Part By Part,” “Obviously,” “Waterbed”

Sofia Wolfson’s sophomore album is a lesson in integrity. “Thrown” is earnest and honest.  The Los Angeles based singer-songwriter writes in a manner that is poetic yet conversational; it’s personal and personable. Lyricism sets her apart. No better is this shown than in “Waterbed.” Her vocals are clear and — through little effort on my end — I am able to envision exactly what Wolfson describes. The delivery is almost conversational. And beneath the lyrics is lovely folksy instrumentation.

— Jonathan Sackett

Sylvie — New Season

Genre: Folk

Release Type: Album

Release Date: November 6, 2026

Recommended Tracks: “California Hills,” “Rina,” “New Season”

New Season is like if your grandma’s shag carpeting became an album. The album cover gives a preview of the sonic time machine you’re about to enter: it has the same font and color scheme as Neil Young’s Harvest Moon cover. The twangy acoustic guitar and warm baselines could be plucked straight from any early-70s folk album and I wouldn’t know it. But Sylvie’s project always feels like more of a faithful tribute than a cheap rip-off. Credit for that authenticity goes to the front-to-back excellent writing. Like the Carole King-powered folk of 50 years ago, it’s contemplative, wistful, and powerful enough to bring a smile to your face. “California Hills” is my favorite – its melancholy piano, fierce lyrics and dense harmonies are like a blanket for your ears. Albums like this are why I love my job.

— Declan Devilbiss

Ciarán — Róisín

Genre: R&B

Release Type: Album

Release Date: November 6, 2026

Recommended Tracks: “K-Bar,” “Houston,” “Dummy,” “Waterslide”

Can an Irish boy get a little soulful? Ex-Brockhampton member Ciarán, formerly known as Bearface, attempts to answer that question on his debut solo EP. As a part of Brockhampton, he was known for spacey R&B interludes on tracks like “BLEACH.” Four years after the band broke up, Ciarán has grown up a bit, but he’s operating in the same medium: atmospheric R&B with catchy hooks. Although it’s a bit strange to hear him without Kevin Abstract and the rest of the band, Ciarán’s voice sounds just as good as it did in 2017. He effortlessly switches from deep warmth to a piercing falsetto, always distorted enough that you can’t really hear what he’s saying. The time Ciarán took to perfect this project shines through in the production. On most tracks, he builds on acoustic guitar with pitched-up vocal samples and electronic instrumentals. It manages to sound warm and personal while still maintaining an experimental edge. “Waterslide” ends the album perfectly with airy, anthemic vocals over bagpipes (reminder that he’s Irish). More than anything, this album was a nostalgia trip for me. Half of this album would’ve immediately been added to my 2019 “vibey R&B” playlist alongside Frank Ocean, Brent Faiyaz, and Khalid. Ciarán took what he did best with Brockhampton and amplified it to make a hell of a debut.

— Declan Devilbiss

Shygirl — Swallow!

Genre: Experimental pop/Electronic

Release Type: Album

Release Date: November 6, 2026

Recommended Tracks: “Alyse”, “Lucky[Hymn]”, “Eternal”

The start of Shygirl’s Swallow! sounds familiar.  Interestingly enough, “Alyse” starts with the sample of “The Cello Song” by Colleen. What might’ve been previously associated with the song playing in the background of a “30 hours peaceful playlist for focusing” on Youtube becomes an effervescent tune in the hands of Shygirl. The album as a whole is catchy in an intense way. Especially “Lucky[Hymn]” which falls in the category of what many pop musicians are calling their “manifestation songs” (i.e Olivia Rodrigo’s “Expectations”, Dua Lipa’s “Training Season”).  If you are looking to write an upbeat, sticky pop song, you just might have success with the manifestation song writing exercise. It is no coincidence that Shygirl’s previous single release was Mantra. Shygirl has undeniable vocals which she layers in fresh textures of sound. Her distinctive style appears in her feature in Charli xcx’s “365”.  For a shy girl, Shygirl’s new album makes its presence known with an undoubtedly jaunty release.

— Marcela Pizzato

PISS — you made me / skin on linen

Genre: Experimental Rock

Release Type: Album

Release Date: October 30, 2026

Recommended Tracks: “i keep trying to change the ending”

This release could hardly be referred to as an “album.” Itʻs a 30-minute auditory artwork, and not in the hyperbolic sense. The text alone, “skin on linen” isnʻt part of the album title. It’s the material description that you would see below the title of a museum piece, in the same way youʻd read “oil on canvas.” The lack of recommended tracks isnʻt because only a single track is worth listening to. The vast majority of songs on this record wouldnʻt make sense to listen to detached from all of the others. About half of the tracklist is dedicated to spoken interviews of women speaking about sexual violence. Interwoven between these interviews are brief musical segments, with spoken-word recounts of the vocalistʻs experiences with sexual violence followed by graphic vocals, sheilded only by the inaudibility of their screaming delivery. Taylor Zantingh even says on the first track, “I spent my whole life learning the right way to scream so people would listen.” Of course, this lineʻs self-awareness is used to express the senseless nature of victim-blaming and lack-of-belief towards legitimate accusations. The final interview, titled “vikki” speaks about the systematic effects of deeply-rooted misogyny and the complexity of effective activism. She says, “all of our suffering is connected, as is all our liberation,” illustrating that the path to liberation from a patriarchal society is through an equal restructuring of gendered hatred. This album is a true political artwork, balancing the raw reactions of outrage towards misogyny and sexual violence, versus the nessessary and deliberate activism that promotes genuine liberation.

— Jacob Bennett

Chastity Belt — All My Friends

Genre: Indie Pop/Pop Rock

Release Type: Album

Release Date: November 6, 2026

Recommended Tracks: “I Could Say Less”, “Designs”, “To Decide”

Yesterday when I first started listening to this album I was excited at the prospect of a larger theme about friendship. “All My Friends” is a phenomenal song by LCD Soundsystem with honest reflections and immersive sounds. Unfortunately, I did not find that to be the case with Chastity Belt’s All My Friends. The band’s genre is described as “noise pop” by Wikipedia, and that’s what some of the songs sound like: noise. The songs are sung without much variation in vocal tone from vocalist Julia Shapiro. The album’s rhythm feels flat through all songs. Although the band recorded the album across multiple spaces, from LA to Greece, it feels like the album could’ve been recorded in the same session. There is little to no variation in rhythm and tune between songs. Julia Shapiro says it best in “To Decide”, “this song is kind of a drag before the chorus.” I could barely pay attention to the lyricism, which is one of the album’s highlights because of the monotony. It felt like listening to a long presentation from a professor who speaks slowly and doesn’t change the tone of his voice the entire time. That being said, it could be an interesting album to listen to if you need background noise while you study.

— Marcela Pizzato

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