I was admittedly late for the Wye Oak train. When the Baltimore duo came out with their indie-folk opus Civilian (2011), I was a teenager listening almost exclusively to pop-punk, hardcore, and ska, the antithesis of the lamestream folk-pop that made superstars out of Mumford & Sons and the Lumineers. Whether it was because of my teenage angst or toxic masculinity (probably a little of both), I thought if you couldn't run around in a circle to something it wasn't worth listening to. It wasn't until listening to Titus Andronicus' The Monitor that I learned to love Wye Oak, though without knowing it. When Jenn Wasner's vocals come in on the second verse of the slow-burning ragtime piano track "To Old Friends and New," it's nothing short of chilling. Wye Oak has since released two more albums, including this year's Tween, a record full of tenderly written songs with undeniably catchy melodies that can soothe the most jaded soul. CAMERON CROWELL