1. “Debilitated” by Snag
JONATHAN JOSEPH, DIGITAL EDITOR
When my roommate isn’t home I like to turn the living room into my personal club and annoy the dog. I’ll blast some HUM to start my day and maybe throw in a little Minutemen if I want to get existential, but recently “Debilitated” by local hardcore heroes Snag has been my go to listen. This band has been at the forefront of the Milwaukee punk scene for years being known for very raw shows that utilize aggression as a mode for processing. “Debilitated” was the first tease off their newest record that dropped in July, All The Cages Holding Us Will One Day Turn To Dust and it’s some of their best work. Noisy, crunchy and heavy this track packs all the edge of basement screamo with a melodious throughline.
2. “brand new chanel$” by Slayyyter
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
I try very hard to cultivate an incredibly pretentious and somewhat off-putting image of myself as a brooding intellectual – all black coffee and disaffected ennui. But sometimes I just have to be honest about the guy I am … and that guy loves dance-pop. This new single by Slayyyter – whose 2026 album Worst Girl in America is an almost heart-attack inducing indie sleaze pop banger festival – is soaring, synthy adrenaline straight to the veins.
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3. “Ain’t In La” By Adéla
PIPER PORETTO-HARRIED, EDITORIAL INTERN
This synth-pop track, released a few weeks ago, has been on repeat for me since I first heard its absolutely infectious 2013 Miley Cyrus-inspired beat. I just love the message of the whole song: that cool and awesome people can be found everywhere, that you can be from a small backwater town or an overlooked county and still have beautiful ambitions that should not be confined. Not all of us creatives and dreamers can be in LA. Someone has to hold it down in good ole Milwaukee too!
4. “Blame Brett” by The Beaches
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
This banger is not new, but ever since I first heard it in early 2024, it’s been my song of every summer since. It’s a breakup song, but utterly infectious and upbeat, exploring the gray area between getting over an ex and discovering your own true self without them, and the bad decisions that often come with that. And the whole endeavor is bathed in the sonic equivalent of an 8 p.m. June sunset.
5. “Twiggy” by Remi Wolf
LIZZY PANTOGA-MONTOTO, EDITORIAL INTERN
I was just starting to get bored of my daily shuffle of tunes when Remi Wolf released “Twiggy.” If you know me you know that I’m a longtime Remi fan — I’ve been singing along since “I’m Allergic to Dogs!” — so I’m preconditioned to adore her work. Different from her usual dance-pop M.O., this single is stripped back, guitar-picky and emotional. “Twiggy” doesn’t lose the core Remi characteristics, though. You can still expect a headbangable beat and her distinctly vibrant lyricism: “Headlights sharper than a shark bite.” One of my favorite genres of music is melancholy songs that you can dance to and this fits right in.
6. “Metal Through Her Lips” by Oscar Lindsey
JANE PATTERSON, EDITORIAL INTERN
In my opinion, every season is a time to find new indie hits. My song of the summer is “Metal Through Her Lips” by Oscar Lindsey. It’s a super apt song for folks with piercings and tattoos, plus it’s perfect for the nostalgic at heart. While it’s chill, acoustic and mainly sung in one tone, it’s also totally packed with emotion and the feeling of reminiscing on summers past. Lindsey might not have necessarily made a summer hype-up song, but the emotional pull has been enough to keep it on repeat in my earbuds this season!
