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Album Review: “The Sounds of Delco, Vol 1” Transported Me Spiritually to MacDade Boulevard

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: May 1st, 2026 · 1:06 PM EDT

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As you know, vinyl is enjoying a big-time resurgence. And one of the best records I’ve listened to this year is the brand-new release from Media’s Greatest Hits Records and Books, titled The Sounds of Delco, Vol 1.

This is a 92-track masterpiece described as “a love letter to Delaware County.” It’s made up of short audio clips, like spoken-word conversation and hyperlocal ambience. It is… oddly relatable even to non-Delco residents because there is common ground and crossover found in tracks like “exiting the Wawa parking lot” and “Delco mom yelling at her kid during a little league game.”

The record just went on sale and you can buy your copy online at the Greatest Hits website. Additionally, there will be a “Sounds of Delco” listening party at the shop on Saturday, May 16th at 2 p.m., in which you’ll be able to experience the following in a live setting:

I listened on Friday afternoon to the entire thing, which begins with someone’s aunt or grandmother talking in a thick Delco accent (Patti – Introduction). Then it segues into a guy sitting in his car eating Wawa and complaining about the Phillies while a blue route traffic report airs on the radio in the background (Sizzli in Traffic).

Proceeding from there, here are my top 10 tracks, in no particular order:

1. Delco Woman Orders Bagel – I think the way she pronounces “beggle” is what made this track stand out. My body was cleaved in half, the spiritual separated from the physical, and my non-corporeal side was transported to somewhere along MacDade Boulevard when I listened to this.
2. Eagles Fan Realizing Cris Collinsworth is the Commentator – “I don’t need three hours of dickriding Patrick Mahomes” – This one really felt relatable; it spoke to me.
3. Two Women Realize They Have a Mutual Friend from the Same Parish – This one doesn’t really need explanation. It sounds exactly how you’d think it sounds.
4. Patti – Hair Salon Complaint – This is the woman from the opening track leaving a voicemail for the salon, explaining that the cut she received is uneven.
5. Delco Woman Leaves a Drunk Voicemail for Her Ex from the Casey’s Parking Lot – “…the band played Lips of an Angel by Hinder and now I’m smoking a cigarette, anyway can you come pick me up? I really want to get a cheeseburger. I miss you.”
6. Wawa Parking Lot Trash Can Lunch – Great ambience in this one. You hear the sound of a hoagie wrapper, the crunch of potato chips, and then a guy shuffles over to panhandle for cash.
7. Directions to Charlie’s Hamburgers – This one is about a woman who is going to meet up with a guy who has “a marine biology degree from West Chester.”
8. Delco Moms at the Nail Salon – “What’s the point of getting them done if they only last through one Eagles game?“
9. Delco Woman Cannot Find Her Pocketbook – Somehow triggering but soothing at the same time? It shouldn’t be possible, but it is.
10. Chester Night Ambience – gunshots or fireworks – A series of loud bangs with a woman cheering towards the end. This reminded me a bit of the Adam Sandler track “Sex or Weightlifting,” though in this case you’re trying to discern between firearms and pyrotechnics.

Look, it’s a solid album. It’s very Delco. I think Patti’s performance in particular stood out, and while I would have liked to hear more unhinged cussing, I feel like this is an accessible album and a comprehensive tour de Delco over the 92 tracks. I only lived in Delco for 6 months (in a shitty Secane apartment complex) and it resonated with me, so I think it will resonate with you. You don’t HAVE to be from Delco for this to make sense.

I think what we need now is a “Sounds of Montco” and “Sounds of Lower Bucks” to create a series of sorts. I’ll help curate the Montco album with tracks like “buying hard candy from the Mennonites at Zern’s” and “I lost my phone on the hayride at Merrymead Farm.” Maybe there’s a collaboration in the works here.

Once again, here’s the purchase link for Sounds of Delco Vol 1 – Greatest Hits Records and Books (Media). The in-shop listening party is Saturday, May 16th at 2 p.m.