88.7 station spins: August 2026

Graphics by Jack Iboshi

Going back to school can bring up lots of complicated emotions. For Loyola students and DJs, the best part about returning to campus is strolling down the lakefront listening to an aptly titled end-of-summer playlist. In August’s installment of Station Spins, WLUW DJs review the albums that got them through syllabus week. Happy spinning!

Brennan Wedl - Brennan Wedl

On her sophomore self-titled album, Brennan Wedl breaks through as a standout singer-songwriter in the “grungetry” genre. With punchy lyrics about heartache and desperation, Wedl blends Americana instrumentals into her raw grunge/punk vocals. Well-known indie rock musicians Katie Crutchfield and Brad Cook collaborate as Wedl settles into her sound, delivering a familiar yet fresh addition to the ever-growing alt-country scene.

RIYL: Waxahatchee, Hole, Lucinda Williams

Favorite track: “Tasmanian Devil”

by Sunny Greenberg

Weezer (Gold) - Weezer

On their seventh self-titled album, Weezer (Gold), the band brings back the sound that us Weezer Fan Club members have come to expect. After a string of sometimes confusing records, Weezer returned to their roots: making big, straightforward rock songs. The highlight is track four, “We Might as Well Be Strangers”, featuring Asheville, North Carolina’s resident “y’allternative” superstars Wednesday. Karly Hartzman takes over a verse and lends backing vocals throughout, giving the track a welcome contrast to Rivers Cuomo. Gold ultimately feels less like another Weezer experiment and more like the band remembering what they do best – a fitting direction for their 20th album.

RIYL: Ovven, Ozma, Blu

Favorite track: “We Might as Well Be Strangers”

by Nathan Hogg

Lost Weekend - Phoebe Bridgers

2026 has been a great music year for depressed, indie-loving, queer communities across the globe. Prayers were answered when Phoebe Bridgers ended her six-year long solo music hiatus in August with the release of her third studio album, Lost Weekend. The album takes listeners through Bridgers’ personal memories as she sits and copes with her grief. While still ringing true to her classic indie-folk sound, this album combines softer singing and melodies with mechanical, electronic elements that create an immersive listening experience. Her catchy lyrics have been in my head for weeks, and will continue to touch the hearts of listeners. In “Kill Me”, Bridgers’ vocals sound slightly far-away, as if she’s singing into a talk tube on a playground, and paired with the banjo and synthesizer, creates a beautifully eerie tone. This tone feels very accurate for the feeling she describes: the anxiety and fear that comes with falling in love. About a minute from the end of the song, intense guitars come in, that end the song on a passionate, yet fearful note. The song weaves feelings of hope, love, and dread together in a beautiful way that feels so Phoebe. 

RIYL: Searows, Lizzy McAlpine, Maya Hawke

Favorite track: “Kill Me”

by Fiona Hammond

Okay that’s a great idea because if I do that then - Melaina Kol

Melaina Kol’s seventh album is strange, inventive, and irresistibly catchy. Okay that’s a great idea balances house and electronic influences with classical harp compositions. Kol uses his and Olivia O of Lowertown’s vocals as a pliable instrument, distorting and layering them to create something wholly new. The star of the album is “Lifeheart”; Kol blends looping, airy vocals with strings to create a hypnotizing effect.

RIYL: @, Racecourse, ear

Favorite track: “Lifeheart”

by Melody Kpahn

Sunshine - Jungle

British band Jungle's fifth studio album, Sunshine,is full of groovy soul, perfect for reveling in the dog days of summer. This album is the first after Lydia Kitto officially joined the duo of Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland. Kitto’s light vocals complement the vintage-sounding instrumentals on the title track “Sunshine”. The albumfeatures bright, upbeat songs like “The Wave”, as well as subdued dreamy tracks like “Heavy on My Soul”. Sunshine provides a warm neo-soul sound in line with Jungle’s previous releases.

RIYL: RIO KOSTA, Jalen Ngonda, Leisure

Favorite track: “Carry On”

by Kayla Matheus

Bangs N Braces - iKeda

London singer iKeda’s sophomore EP, Bangs N Braces, is filled with genre-bending production, fusing electropop, UK club, and Jamaican dancehall for a unique spin on the golden age of electronic music of the 2010s. In 6 tracks, iKeda crafts a colorful sonic world with variety, featuring songs that range from bubbly and playful to raw, chaotic, and synth-driven. Every track carries an undeniable confidence that is totally infectious and seriously earworm-worthy. 

RIYL: M.I.A, Santigold, PinkPantheress

Favorite track: Go!

by Sophie Hodyl