WRSU’s Favorite Albums of September 2026

School is back in session, which means students are back on WRSU airwaves, spinning our favorite recent releases. This month, we asked student DJs what their favorite album of the month was, and here’s what they had to say…

Second Song – Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts (Andrew Nussbaum)

Neil Young has always been sentimental. Give a listen to the early single, “Sugar Mountain,” and you’ll hear his bittersweet longing for childhood innocence. On Second Song, he echoes a similar theme through seven meditations on aging. At 80, Young is the old man he once sang about, and an awareness of his own mortality guides his work. “Day After Day” sees him looking back with wistful acceptance, “Casting Me Away from You” requires a patina that sparkles with every strum. On the album’s opus, “Soon I Might be Going,” Young crunches his way through the track’s dreamy expanse, each thundering note from Old Black turning prophetic, like the sky about to rain.

Mod Mayday 23 – Sharp Pins (Sam Cohen)

If jangle rock is the new it-genre in indie, Kai Slater of Sharp Pins is the face of the future. The digital reissue of his power pop cover compilation emulates the energy of indie’s forebearers, with a jolt of his mastered lo-fi twang. Slotted in the midst of two-minute tracks, “Live Without Her Love” is the punk standout every comp needs. Slater is living in a mod mod world, a land we all must embrace.

Anarchy – Pretty Sick (Naomi Strupinsky)

Raw, chaotic, and laced with heavy electronics, Pretty Sick’s sophomore album stays true to their underground beginnings. Packed with deafening energy and anarchic grit, standout tracks like “Hyper Independence,” “Black n Blue,” and “Star” channel the dark energy of an edgy Brooklyn club. Explosive and uncompromising, this album marks Pretty Sick as New York City’s next definitive sound.

Ride Lonesome – Beck (Ava Bandelli)

Has Beck’s Golden Age resumed? On his new record, Beck returns to his soft indie rock roots, emulating the sounds of his early 2000s album Sea Change and his Grammy-winning record Morning Phase. Ride Lonesome is one of the top albums of 2026, as well as the best album Beck has released in 12 years.

Melodie – Slow Pulp (Yaw Appiah)

Melodie is represented by a spectrum: one side represents a soft, calming sound, and the other conveys energetic indie rock. The bulk of the album exists somewhere in between, mixing lush vocals with distorted guitar and overpowering drums. It’s a perfect album to listen to as the leaves begin to descend.

Lightspheres on their Way – Lily Seabird (Jake Winchman)

In a genre filled with gems, Lily Seabird establishes herself as one of the prominent names in Alt-Country on her new LP. Drawing upon the triumphs of her previous LP, Trash Mountain, Lily effectively weaves the heaviness of electric guitar with her intricate lyrics to produce her classic, punishing sound.

The Gem – Julia Jacklin (Lina Taylor)

Exploring the same desires and anxieties we’ve come to know from Jacklin, on The Gem, she approaches those depths with greater emotional clarity. Her familiar, bright, jangly, effortlessly catchy sound, with its country twang, shines on songs like “Get Away From Me (I Think I’ll Love You Soon)” and “The Hardest Thing.” The Gem is not only an easy listen, but an essential one.

Enjoy Your Problems – Faker (Tanner Stein)

After a 15-year hiatus, Faker’s return is an energetic and vibrant album focused on inertia, love, and survival. Tracks “Frida” and “1TRK Mind” are lively and tackle strong themes of powering through hardship and pushing through stagnation. Over ten tracks, Faker proves they are a staple in the indie rock genre.

Pylon – beabadoobee (Nicki Trivisonno)

Although each song empties into a different direction, Pylon finds a cohesive emotion in every moment, with a kind of rawness and authenticity. Relatable to all, the record traces ideas of coming-of-age and difficult relationships. Overall, each pivot made on the album is very effective in making this one of her best.

For more of WRSU’s favorite tracks, tune into our student shows, live on wrsu.org and 88.7 FM