By: Music Journalism Club

Every week our Music Director, Allison, chooses new releases to add to our music library. Here are some recent highlights, presented to you by WSUM’s Music Journalism Club.

Yndling, Time Time Time (I’m in the Palm of Your Hand)

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “It’s Almost Like You’re Here”, “Before It Gets Dark”, “Time Time Time (I’m in the Palm of Your Hand)”

GENRE: Shoegaze, Dream/ Trip Pop

RIYL: Beach House, Portishead

Time Time Time (I’m in the Palm of Your Hand) is Norwegian artist Yndling’s amazing sophomore album. It starts out with such a fun sound, including whispery and dreamy vocals backed with a soft melody and stark elements. This continues to build throughout the album, each song bringing something uniquely new yet comfortable. The eccentric vocals and percussive production throughout make this album immediately captivating, and it’s sure to leave an impression on you! The album theme centers around a relationship shifting towards its end, and the complex feelings and situations that come along with that. You can feel it in the lyrics, and also the emotions that these songs gently evoke, they’re full of longing and somehow also freshness. This album will definitely keep you coming back to listen to it, and it’s a great addition to your shoegazey trip pop playlist!

— Julia Klima

Freak Slug, Loose Tooth and a Short Skirt

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “Miss June”, “Blue Eyes”

GENRE: Alternative/Indie, Bedroom Pop

RIYL: feeble little horse, Slow Pulp

Freak Slug’s latest release following her debut album released previously this year continues to explore unique sound and production techniques. Loose Tooth and a Short Skirt takes her dreamy bedroom-pop style and combines hazy guitar and vocal sounds, creating a stand-out project. Although on the shorter side, the EP is intimate and cozy, and continues to stick in listeners’ heads even after it ends. The tunes, especially highlight tracks “Miss June” and “Blue Eyes” feel conversational and comfortable, perfect for a relaxing walk or drive. The music tells a story – one that we wish we could hear more of. 

— Evie Swenson

Jordana, Jordanaland

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “Like That”, “Still Do”, “Hard Habit to Break”

GENRE: Soft Rock, Bedroom pop

RIYL: Hana Vu, Soccer Mommy

You may or may not know Jordana from her album with TV Girl, Summer’s Over. She’s back with Jordanaland and it’s a wonderfully done indie pop album. With her light and soft vocals,  Jordanaland comes to assuage the listener. Jordana’s songwriting ability is a highlight of the album, which deals with unrequited love, attachment issues, and more. The title track, “Jordanaland,” describes being in a one-sided relationship, where you’re the only one putting in effort, but not wanting to leave either. Overall, this album feels like a nice, warm hug that seeks to validate one’s feelings. If you’re looking for new soft rock, this is definitely a must listen-to.

— Gabriel Salgado

H. Pruz, Red sky at morning

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “Arrival”, “Your hands”, “If you cannot make it stop”

GENRE: Indie, Indie Folk

RIYL: Big Thief, Leith Ross

H. Pruz’s second studio album, Red sky at morning was released on November 7, 2025 and fits the season quite well. Mellow melodies mixed with acoustic instrumentation make for songs that feel like being outside on a cold November day. Fully instrumental songs “Siren song”, “Leaving a wound without a mark”, and “Whatever comes through” let you digest the lyrics of the previous songs while staying in the album. Overall this album is a great choice if you’re looking for music that’s mellow and intimate while still filled with emotion and energy.

— Christine VanDen Heuvel

 Helado Negro, The Last Sound on Earth

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “More,” “Protector,” “Don’t Give it Up Now”

GENRE: indietronica, alternative electronic, synthpop

RIYL: Tame Impala, George Clanton, LCD Soundsystem

Putting out music since 2009 with the album Awe Owe and earning awards from organizations like the Joyce Foundation and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Helado Negro is evidently seasoned in this field, yet he seems to carry an academic air more typical of practicing visual artists rather than those of most musicians, making his latest EP, The Last Sound on Earth, miss the radars of plenty of music listeners whose ears he would stun. The wondrous, sprawling electronic soundscapes that compose this project respond to a question Helado Negro posed to himself: “What is the last sound on earth?” It opens with bouncy, vivid percussion supporting the floating, echoing synths and echoing vocals that immediately untethers your mind from your body on the track, “More.” Driving percussion and mystical synths continue on “Protector,” but the mood grows more haunting and lightly melancholic, whispering right before it erupts into a drum and bass type breakdown in its final minute. “Sender Receiver” elevates synthwave sounds, using elongated notes it mimics the feeling of distant, both in the sense of space and emotion, communication. Lulled by meditative tides, the listener finds a respite in “Zenith” before the building of joyful hope on the closing track “Don’t Give it Up Now.” Helado Negro gives us a richly intimate, thoughtful, yet truly fun EP that depicts his answer to his guiding question: “The last sound is love…That’s the sound I hope to hear.”

– Dasha Berezhanskiy