Staff Picks

AOTW- From The Pyre by The Last Dinner Party

Thursday, November 6th, 2025 by Sophia Thornberg

Review written by Jordan Sheckells ’28

AOTW– From The Pyre by The Last Dinner Party

Release Date: October 17th, 2025

Rating: 8/10

RIYL: Florence + The Machine, Lana Del Ray, Kate Bush, and The Last Shadow Puppets

Review:

The Last Dinner Party, an alternative pop group originating from London and composed of Abigail Morris (vocals), Lizzie Mayland (vocals, guitar), Emily Roberts (lead guitar), Georgia Davies (bass), and Aurora Nishevci (keyboards, vocals), released their debut single “Nothing Matters,” kicking off their stellar career in 2023. Since their first release, the group has captivated audiences with their dramatic vocals and cinematic sound. After releasing their critically acclaimed debut album, Prelude to Ecstasy (2024), as well as multiple singles within that time. Their new album, From the Pyre, is receiving amazing reviews from some of the largest music critics within the industry, including a rating of 9/10 from blog Northern Transmissions.

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SOTW- “Under The Moon” by Ari Lennox

Tuesday, November 4th, 2025 by Sophia Thornberg

Review Written By Marley Lehmann ’28

SOTW- “Under the Moon” by Ari Lennox

Release Date: October 23rd, 2025

Rating: 9.5/10

RIYL: Solange, Janelle Monae, Erykah Badu, Jungle

Review:

Ari Lennox is an R&B/neo-soul artist who’s been making music since around 2012. She’s known for her smooth vocals and honest lyrics. After being part of Dreamville Records label for years, Ari is now working on her own with Interscope Records, and it shows – her sound is evolving in a very interesting way. “Under The Moon” is the second single from her recent album Vacancy, and it’s got a mysterious, romantic twist that dropped right in time for fall.

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SOTW- “Swoon” by Fickle Friends

Tuesday, October 28th, 2025 by Ellie Walsh

Trick or treat yourself to some great music… It’s week two of Song of the Week!

Review by: Jordan Sheckells ’28

SOTW: “Swoon” by Fickle Friends

Released: February 28, 2025

Rating: 10/10

RIYL: The Japanese house, CHVRCHES, The Aces

Review: Fickle Friends, the indie-pop group originating from Brighton, East Sussex, England and made up of members Natassja Shiner (vocals, keyboard), Harry Herrington (bass, backing vocals), Sam Morris (drums) and Jack Wilson (keyboards) began their music careers as a group in 2014 with their single Swim. Since their first release in 2014 the group has released two albums You Are Someone Else (2018) and Are We Gonna Be Alright (2022), as well as multiple singles within that time. Their upcoming album which Swoon will be on is being released this year on November 7th, 2025.

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SOTW- “nah” by Khalid

Tuesday, October 21st, 2025 by Ellie Walsh

Kicking off the week strong with our first SOTW of the semester!

Review by: Marley Lehmann ’28

SOTW: “nah” by Khalid

Released: October 10th, 2025

Rating: 9/10

RIYL: Giveon, Miguel

Review: Khalid began his music career around 2016, blending RnB and pop with a more soulful style. His single entitled “Location” dropped before his high school graduation and became one of the top songs of the year. Khalid now has 4 studio albums, with his latest titled After the Sun Goes Down, which was released October of this year. He explores themes of self-acceptance, love, and freedom, especially in his song “nah”.

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ATOW – Bleeds by Wednesday

Thursday, October 16th, 2025 by Sophia Thornberg

It’s time for our first fall 2025 Album of the Week!

by Jordan Sheckells ’28

ATOW: Bleeds by Wednesday

Released: September 19, 2025

Rating: 9/10

RIYL: Pinegrove, Big Thief, and Soccer Mommy

Review: Wednesday, originating from North Carolina and composed of members MJ Lenderman, Karly Hartzman, Alan Miller, Xandy Chelmis, and Ethan Baechtold, released their 6th studio album, Bleeds on September 19th, 2025. Member MJ Lenderman, who has an astounding solo career aside from the band with multiple solo projects has been confirmed to be departing from the group. The sudden departure was announced previously on their socials before the album was released in September and is more than likely related to the recent break up between him and lead singer Karly Hartzman. (more…)

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Staff Picks: Liz’s Top 5

Wednesday, April 16th, 2025 by Liz Kosik

Hi, I’m Liz, the Public Relations Director at WLOY, and here are my top 5 songs of the week!

5. “Enter Sandman” – Metallica: One of the best intros in music, no question. It also opens Zombieland, one of my favorite movies.

4. “As Good As I Once Was” – Toby Keith: An easy-going and funny country song that never gets old. It’s got that classic Toby Keith humor, and honestly, it’s just a good time every time it comes on.

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Staff Picks: Liz’s Top 5

Wednesday, April 9th, 2025 by Liz Kosik

Hi, I’m Liz, the Public Relations Director at WLOY, and here are my top 5 songs of the week!

5. “Amazing” – Rex Orange County: As my senior year concludes, many of these tracks remind me of my earlier college years. “Amazing” was released in March 2022 during the spring of my first year, and it brings me back to those spring days spent with my best friends.

4. “Looking at You” – Two Friends, Sam Vesso: One of my favorite tracks from my first year at Loyola is by Two Friends, who played at our Loyolapalooza—I fell in love with their music after that.

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Staff Picks: Ethan’s Top 5

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025 by Liz Kosik

Hi, I’m Ethan, the Events Coordinator at WLOY, and here are my top 5 songs of the week!

5. “Stacy’s mom”– Fountains of Wayne: Do I even need to describe why this song is here? I think we all can agree this song is amazing from start to finish. The chorus is just such a classic and most people who hear it just have to sing along.

4. “House of the Rising Sun” – The Animals: I have family from Louisiana so whenever I hear this song I think of them. I called them this week and not even an hour later Spotify suggested this song. The song brings a familiar feeling when listening and it’s hard not to enjoy hearing that organ play!

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Staff Picks: Max’s Top 5

Wednesday, March 26th, 2025 by Liz Kosik

Hi, I’m Max, the Production Director at WLOY, and here are my top 5 songs of the week!

5. “Rebel Yell” – Billy Idol. Inspired by Jim Morrison, Mick Jagger, and so many more music legends, Idol’s work truly encapsulates punk and new wave all while having a unique flair. I absolutely love how bad*ss the song sounds and the overall punk and rock and roll vibe to it. It’s one of my favorite shower songs as well!

4. “Digital Love” – Daft Punk. As a huge fan of both music and music production, I absolutely ADORE Daft Punk. Their ability to effortlessly sample and repurpose timeless classics is unmatched. Sampling the 1979 song, “I Love You More”, the French Duo created an absolute masterpiece that I can’t stop listening to. I absolutely love the sound of synths and electronics and it’s currently #3 in my “On Repeat” Spotify playlist!

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Staff Picks: Margaret’s Top 5

Wednesday, March 19th, 2025 by Liz Kosik

Hi, I’m Margaret, a music librarian at WLOY, and here are my top 5 songs of the week!

5. “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”– Paul Simon: For my last pick I’m going with something from my Sunday morning clean up playlists. My mom believes that cleaning is done best on mornings and mornings mean classics for my household so thank you to Paul Simon for being the only reason my bed got made this week.

4. “Why Is Everyone A DJ?” – Laundry Day: I’m a simple girl. You give me a song that sounds like an early 2000s Disney boyband and I’m going to eat it up every time. Sometimes music is just fun! If you see me head-banging on the humanities porch this is what is BLASTING in my headphones

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