Does your math rock now come packed with extra protein? The sheer concept of health is up for debate in 2026, but wellness isn’t. And neither is Wellness, a new screamo-adjacent group out of New York who put out their self-titled debut album today, September 18th. The group comes with pedigree, bringing together Morgan Brown (Heavenly Blue) on guitar, Leo Didkovsky (Liturgy, Kayo Dot) on drums, Morgan “Mo” Miller (Liturgy, Chepang) on bass, Cara Moses (Channel Vessel) on guitar, and Aeryn Jade “AJ” Santillan (forever, Massa Nera) on vocals. Longtime readers may know that Liturgy is a particular favorite of mine, so naturally I was intrigued by how that group’s black metal influence may extend to hardcore.
Math rock, for the arithmetically disinclined, has its roots in the complex and drawn-out structures of songs in bands like Rush and Yes. But over time, it has become a bit of a catch-all for unpredictable heavy bands as well. This is where Wellness fit in, who self-describe as “chaotic mathcore.” The seven songs on their debut stretch across screamo, emoviolence, math rock, black metal, and a few other subgenres that would give a normal person a headache. All seven songs are hyper-aggressive, with bleak and pained screaming vocals courtesy of Santillan. The opener “503” really sets the tone for the album, as the most straightforward screamo song on the record. The song acts as a mission statement of intensity before the band starts kicking off in other directions. The math rock and emo elements come through in the riffs and rhythms on “Possessions” and the closing song called, well, “Wellness.” These are among the more melodic tunes on the album – something that is not a guarantee across every song.
Black metal is a major influence here, which is surprisingly uncommon for screamo bands like this. “Tell Me How It Ends” has the bluntest black metal influence, with nary a central rhythm and consistent walls of noise. The follow-up, “Stained Glass,” feels like only a half-step towards brightness, as the song matches the walls of noise with more stereotypical rock drumming. “Glass” is the most ambitious song on Wellness, with a huge pause after a minute followed by a noise wall, and ending in a very skramz finale. It’s an odyssey through the various interests of each band member. There is a slight metalcore nudge at times, too – “Countering” sneaks a metalcore finish into what’s the grungiest song on the album, and “Wellness” tosses some influence into the mix too. On “Wellness,” the band manages to, somehow, end on the heaviest note on the record, sending listeners home with a cacophonous wall of guitars. Even though the album jumps to 10 from the opening beats and rarely lets up, it saves the biggest shove for the final few seconds.
Wellness describe their music as “made by and for the girls, the nerds, and the freaks.” While I am decidedly not a nerd, I definitely fall under freak category and, some days, girl. This is a deeply political release, reflective of the current oppressive state of American politics. Wellness is a melting pot of various extreme subgenres, just as the intended audience is any collective group of better-than-normal outcast. The album, in its brief runtime, tackles anticapitalism, transness, state violence and – most importantly – hope. The energy at which Wellness plays feels like pure catharsis, so much so that it trickles through to the listener. It’s alright to let the anger out, especially when some hope is splashed in. In case this isn’t clear, PGMR stands firmly and permanently with the dolls, and anyone under the thumb who chooses to make art, especially when it is something so proudly loud and aggressive.
The way that the songs on Wellness blend from one to the next makes it sound like the band jumped in the studio and did one long, singular take of the record, one act of cathartic meltdown. The individual members of Wellness have accrued a ton of experience already, but for a band that has only been jamming for a year, this is a breathtaking debut. The ferociousness of these songs might literally take your breath away. Wellness is only 16 minutes, but listeners might not be able to take much more of it, for their own, uh, wellness.
Wellness is available now on Bandcamp and streaming sites (but not Spotify).
Key Tracks: “Modernism,” “Baby, Are You Abstract?”
Over the past six years, I’ve been writing over at Allston Pudding, where I’ve become more and more entrenched in the local New England music scene. It’s been rewarding in many ways, one of which is finding artists and subsequently becoming friends with them. One of my favorite local artists is dance-punk group Perennial, who I’ve now had the pleasure of interviewingthreetimes. But I didn’t get a true chance to write about their phenomenal new album Modernism, and I’ve been trying to restart this blog, so hey what’s one more Perennial piece? I’m already covering them perennially as it is! Sorry. Sorry!
The music made by Perennial is often very simple, yet the influences are extremely difficult to nail down. The band (Chad Jewett on guitar and vocals, Chelsey Hahn on electric organ and vocals, Ceej Wolf on drums) channel dance-punk and cite The Hives and Be Your Own Pet as influences – that much is obvious. But underneath the walls of guitar and duo vocals, there’s mod, there’s R&B, there’s free jazz, there’s krautrock, there’s…etc. If it was left of the dial in the 60’s and 70’s, it’s in there. The band’s appreciation of things like old jazz don’t always come through in the tunes, especially on Modernism, but you can almost feel the inspiration instead of hear it.
The band’s first three albums were already super high-energy, but their fourth feels the most feral. The album is largely stripped of the quieter, experimental ditties that splice through the tracklists of their first three records. Instead, we get almost nothing but ten straight punk bruisers. The title track starts the album with a bang, as the most chaotic mod song you’re likely going to hear all year. There are some songs like “The Shadow” and “What’s New On The Beat Scene?” that I can only describe as classic Perennial – short, blistering dance-punk songs with rough vocals that are also far more magnetically fun than any of those words imply. The closing song, all 1:12 of “Emma Peel,” is the closest Perennial have gotten to hardcore. It’s a ferocious ending tune, to cap off an already chaotic record.
But it isn’t all pummeling guitars, either. “Granny Smith Apple” is a poppier and more experimental song that harkens back to the 60’s influence more than any other song on the album. The album also includes the previously released song “Baby, Are You Abstract?” which is more mod than anything else on the record, and also arguably the band’s best song to date. “Cloak & Dagger” also features a more left-field organ segment from Hahn that takes from the band’s krautrock sensibilities. And, there are a few songs that still feature audioclips or abstract outros that can serve as a breather in between the bangers. Trust me, you need the breathers. The album is only a second over 20 minutes, but they use practically every single moment.
Perennial is as infectiously fun as they are cacophonous and loud. Their music pulls from many different genres – and, crucially, film and physical art – while sounding mostly like a 00’s dance-punk heyday. It’s been a pleasure of mine to watch them expand onto an international stage on the basis of their explosive live shows, and hopefully Modernism can help continue that trend. At ten songs and only twenty minutes, it’s the most assaulting burst of fun you’ll have this year.
Modernism comes out this Friday, 9/18, and can be pre-ordered on Bandcamp.
Batten down the hatches, the kings are back. The first album from the Oklahoma City noise rock upstarts, God’s Country, is somewhat easily one of the best records of the decade so far. But I personally couldn’t really crack into their follow-up, 2024’s Cool World. I enjoyed it, but I just couldn’t quite click with it. So when I saw initial rave reviews for their third true album, Who Loves The Sun, I was a little apprehensive. No reason to be. This takes everything Chat Pile has done to date, and makes it 10x better.
Whether intentional or not, Chat Pile landed at the exact right moment. Heavy music is on the rise again, and the torchbearers are bands that are not settling themselves into one specific genre. Chat Pile often tour with metal bands, play metal festivals, and sell merch directly to metal fans – but they’re not a metal band. Noise rock is a bit of an “unclassifiable” fallback, and Chat Pile have always managed to just skirt around the metal moniker. Their music is very sludgy, often called straight sludge metal, which I understand but do not agree with.
So Chat Pile find themselves on a precipice of their own making. This album is their most diverse yet, which also makes it both their most ambitious and the outright best. Bands like Turnstile and even 100 Gecs are incorporating various genres of metal and hardcore into other influences, in an effort to make them more palatable to the masses. The end results are intentionally messy albums that can switch from thrash metal to pop on a whim. But Chat Pile aren’t a band like Turnstile, Chat Pile have found a specific lane that is all their own and so far haven’t strayed too far from it. On Sun, they do.
The noise rock is strong across this record, of course. Early single “PEN I S MALL” hearkens back to the sludgy, noisy songs the band did across their first two records. Most of the songs on the album do – they’re laboriously heavy, keep a medium tempo, and feature vocals either talked or screamed from frontman Raygun Busch. But the creeping outside influences cannot be ignored. The hypnotic opening guitar riff from “Shrine” sounds akin to 1997 KoRn. Late-album cut “Influence” sounds similarly nu-metal inspired, with the bass-heavy soggy riffs and almost beat-inspired drumming. You’d be forgiven for hearing some subtle black metal influences here too, in an occasional wall of noise. And the largely acoustic finale “October All The Time”? That’s new entirely.
Chat Pile have always been a pessimistic, misanthropic band, and there are some songs here that are abrasive on the mind. Late album standout “Family Funeral” is the maybe the most emotionally intense song the band have ever done. Chat Pile are extremely political (on the good side), and always have been. This is a deadly serious record. Chat Pile are a serious band, but it was only a few years ago they were also releasing songs with titles like “grimace_smoking_weed.jpg.” Yes, even “PEN I S MALL” is a humorless tune. Gone are those little strings of satire among the misery – it’s just misery now. Come play along!
2026 is a year that demands a lot of visceral emotion. If an artist wants to combat everything morose and find joy – more power to them. But Chat Pile, more than maybe any other band, is expected to produce something loud and angry. They succeeded far beyond anyone’s lofty expectations. It’s an automatic contender for album of the year. It might be my favorite heavy album so far, though the sudden rebirth of The Saddest Landscape is pretty unimpeachable. It isn’t for the faint of heart, or the purists, but for people who are looking to live through someone venting their frustrations in a raw and unique way, Chat Pile have you covered.
Who Loves The Sun is available on streaming and Bandcamp now.
Boston has a long and rich history producing metal bands, including the likes of Converge and Hatebreed. But much of the New England scene was a mutation of the robust 80’s hardcore movement. Lately, there hasn’t been much of a metal scene beyond scattershot groups. Maidenhead are here to change that. The Massachusetts & Rhode Island-based group deftly blends metals death and thrash on their second album, Maximum Clonage. Guitarist and backing vocalist Zack Roberts founded Maidenhead back in 2013, but the line-up on Clonage is all relatively new. Drummer Andre Forero joined in 2017, guitarist Vance Simmons and singer Zeping “Bella” Song came aboard in 2024, and bassist Lawrence Lee is newly in the band as of this year. This updated unit is brutal and tight, and fresh energy allows Roberts to keep things energetic and original.
There are a million and one metal bands out there, because there are fans that are always plumbing the depths for the hot new shit. As metal festival lineups grow larger and even more illegible, bands have to find ways to stand out. Maidenhead do so in one of the most obvious ways – crossing the genre streams. Clonage hops effortlessly between thrash and death metal, in a way that probably makes the genre purists hold their noses. The band incorporates death metal snarls into songs like “Kill Or Be Killed” and “Burst Stream of Destruction,” while tunes like “False Masked Hero” deliver whiplash thrash riffs. “Death March” is maybe the most death metal-aligned song here, complete with an abrupt shift in tone halfway in. “Magia Obscura” even sneaks in some straight hardcore punk, with some street energy, hardcore drumming, and an intro that represents the heaviest bars on the record.
There is something lacking in modern music, even in a lot of newer metal: guitar solos. Don’t worry, Maidenhead have you covered. This is not just extreme metal, they’ve got throwback thrash in here too. “Hero” and “March” grace us with excellent solos, something I didn’t even realize I had been missing. Also, we’re consistently gifted with Song’s unbelievable vocals. She launches these songs into a different platform with her classic death metal snarls and screamed vocals. The title track might be her finest work on the record, just a full vocal assault over the crunching guitars. And the band has not come without some pedigree – Clonage has a number of guest spots, including appearances from former Megadeth guitarists Glen Drover and Chris Poland, and Annihilator bassist Rich Gray. In a sea of ever-spawning and mutating metal bands, getting some backup from some of the most famous guys to do it is a hell of a way to stand out.
Clonage doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. Counting an intro and an outro, it clocks in at only 8 songs and 30 minutes. In an era of album bloat, especially in metal, a quick assault can be a relief sometimes. The record is a refreshing burst of old-school energy and new-school experimentation, and could very set the ground for a regional metal revival. Maximum Clonage is out on streaming, and can be purchased through Bandcamp or the band’s website.
Another week, another blow to America’s cultural backbone. This week we, the crate-diggers of America, learned the devastating news that some company called Veeps emulsified the blog Brooklyn Vegan and the magazine Revolver and Alternative Press. Now, if you’re reading this little blog then you probably already know this, but these were not measly publications. AP and Revolver were respected and long-running magazines promoting up-and-coming artists and music a little off the beaten path. Brooklyn Vegan was, on a personal note, one of my favorite music blogs. They had a wide-ranging scope, from interviewing artists to covering any type of festival to being a hub for tour and new release info. Their weekly new music roundup was by far the most prolific of any blog I can find and was my source for new tunes every Friday.
These publications were purchased and gutted by Veeps, a company owned by LiveNation and the guys from Good Charlotte, a band who had two hits 23 years ago. Ironically, one of those hits was “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous,” a song that attempted to decry the celebrity narcissistic culture that the band was already starting to engage in. It’s a fairly logical progression from radio-friendly punk on a major label subsidiary to C-suite cultural butcher. Now, the Madden brothers aren’t actually responsible for any of these job cuts, but a band that capitalized off of teen angst and countercultural imagery should really know better.
But bigger than that, this is another notch in a wide degradation of culture. All fields are being affected, but none more so than music. Because music is so easily adopted and promoted by anyone, there is exponentially more music being released right now than ever before. And because anyone can make and promote music, the stakeholders have made it exponentially more difficult to actually find success in the music industry. And it is an attack on all fronts.
1) We’ve seen blue dot fever, a recent ‘trend’ of major artists unable to sell out shows because companies like TicketMaster and (cough) LiveNation have made tickets so expensive that fans have to be selective. Even artists like Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift have bemoaned how inaccessible their own concerts have become – although only The Cure have actually done something about it. Couple this with merchandise tables gutting artists at venues and streaming services effectively not paying anything at all, and music becomes a paying job for only a select few.
2) We’ve seen fewer and fewer artists actually scoring radio hits, as a few dozen artists have begun to monopolize the charts. To be clear – this is not on the artists. It is an attempt to keep the Top 40 at the level of sanitization that it has been at for 15 or so years (personal opinion: this one is beginning to backfire greatly).
3) We’ve seen the destruction in music discovery. It is cynical, and I believe incorrect, to blame a massive bloat of independent artists for the decline in music discovery. Discovery is an art form in itself, or at least an activity. There’s nothing better than crate-digging at a record shop and grabbing a couple cheap things you’ve never heard of. But now, so many people get their music from algorithms. I’ll admit I’ve found plenty of artists just through Related Artists features on streaming, and it can be effective, but it is not sustainable for art. Music is an art form that can be enjoyed passively, and the streaming services have fought harder than most people realize to make sure it is only passive enjoyment. Music made to be enjoyed passively can be done so for cheap and without all the hassle of, you know, trying to make a living off of it.
4) And to back to the primary point: We’ve seen the attacks on criticism. The gutting of BV, Revolver and Alternative Press aren’t budget cuts. It is another step in a cultural takeover by the wealthy. These are publications that made a name covering bands that were unique, edgier, rougher, ones that didn’t fit into a nice genre label. You would think the owners of a ticket company would want to promote as many artists as possible, but the money only lies in the biggest. And, logically, the biggest are often the safest. Not always, of course – bands like Deftones remain arena draws. But often the highest-selling are acts that are sterile like Benson Boone or Kacey Musgraves, even if the music is good (sorry Kacey, love you). These companies are, of course, conservative, and creativity is the enemy of conservatism. And when you can wipe out a whole generation of smaller touring acts, you can truly monopolize the ticket sales.
An ironic lyric from Good Charlotte’s “Lifestyles”
The draining of these publications isn’t just a blow to the staff. It’s a blow to all up-and-coming artists. Brooklyn Vegan specialized in punk and interviews with artists that aren’t arena groups. For many of these bands, it’s a big break. Those breaks are increasingly had to come by. Few artists out there truly make it without the help of parents who are hyperlinked on Wikipedia. The ones that do, like Noah Kahan, get seen as inspirational success stories rather than something achievable. For bands that are playing small to midsize venues, these blogs are a lifeline for promotion. A big story can catapult a band. One of my favorite bands, Thursday, bemoaned the fall of Alternative Press, mentioning that they’d be without a career if it was not for the magazine. They’re one of an uncountable number of bands that this is true for.
I don’t think people fully realize how important the art of criticism is, and yes, I consider it an art. Obviously I’m biased here, as a music critic, but criticism is a complex form that is often neglected. To be a good critic is to have impeccable cultural literacy, which is itself an art. Good art criticism should be complex and constructive, educating a reader as to the context around art while highlighting strengths and flaws. I personally find as little value in contrarian hit pieces as I do in bland praise (with a few exceptions). A good critic can talk about their own experience with a piece of art without writing about themselves, making it relatable to a reader. I often read negative reviews of albums I like and vice versa, because the context can help me understand other points of view. My biggest early inspiration in writing was Roger Ebert, because he roped individual films into his thoughts on the world. He was always insightful while being critical, and wrote about himself without writing about himself. Music blogs and zines will never die, but for most people, music criticism might become only Rolling Stone and side columns in major papers. These only serve to congratulate major artists, and give no insight into their work beyond the obvious. It also gives little space to smaller artists except those who have gotten big without their help. I worry for a future without something like Brooklyn Vegan, where people who have even an inkling for finding something new on their own terms can turn to.
I’ve been doing a lot of absolving of artists here, but there are some to blame. With music becoming competitive and commodified, we have seen a worrying uptake in artists who feel they are deserved of good reviews. I don’t believe in negative criticism for the sake of contrarianism or anything, but no artist is above a bad review. Sometimes music is just bad. There is a distinct difference in celebrating music and what we’ve deemed “poptimism,” which is a trend where ‘music criticism’ is just saying vague, nice things about big artists. In 2025, the usually brilliant and unique indie singer Indigo de Souza released a tepid, generic album called “Precipice.” Pitchfork gave the album a 6.6/10 in a mixed review that was constructive and well-written (and one that was, in my opinion, very forgiving). De Souza responded by having a bizarre, embarrassing meltdown, flaming Pitchfork on social media and wearing merch during concerts making fun of the review. Halsey, one of our most inconsistent artists, took it a step further in 2020, when she tweeted out a physical threat to Pitchfork’s offices after a negative review (!). Comically, she didn’t realize that Pitchfork’s offices were located in WTC1. But the point is, artists have learned that they can weaponize their followers against critics, which only serves to demean both art forms further. It’s a spineless, cowardly thing to do, to use your art to attack other artists for valid criticism. And more importantly, it sets up an artist as a pawn for the big money movers trying to impoverish the critics outright.
Look no further than this season’s conservative meltdown of choice, The Odyssey. At the time of writing, I haven’t seen the film, so there’s no comment from me on it. But there has been a big, curious reaction to translator Emily Wilson’s critique of the film. As someone who has done a direct translation of the epic, she’s extremely qualified to do a criticism of the film – few people out there understand the text better than her. While her critique was sharp, it was professional and academic, keeping the element of pop culture in regards. It’s natural for people to defend artists they like, but the reactions were nothing short of toxic. People came running to the defense of Christopher Nolan and his IMAX sensory onslaught because they’ve been conditioned to. And of course, people defended Wilson for the same reasons. But the Nolan defenders often went on the attack because they didn’t want to see art they like get criticized by anyone, let alone an academic that isn’t well-known. There were valid criticisms of Wilson’s criticism, but more often it amounted to nothing more than seeing a negative ‘review’ and getting angry at it, and going after Wilson herself. It is this pop cultural weaponization of art that devalues the act of criticism and feeds into the sanitization of it entirely. There is a prevailing pop cultural ignorance that people are proud of, and it has to combat against criticism for it work. Only the snobs would talk so negatively about this thing that I, personally, enjoy.
So where do we go from here? Music criticism will never be squashed, even if the full-time jobs are. Regional publications – like the one I proudly write for, Allston Pudding – will never disappear, because the crate-diggers will never disappear. I remain hopeful that art criticism will make a comeback. The tides are turning, I believe. Younger people are pushing heavier bands like Turnstile and Knocked Loose to the forefront of culture. People in every part of the country are raging against data centers, Flock cameras and all sorts of surveillance tech made by these same fascistic corporate suits. There is a return to physical media ownership, which to me signals a return to the ‘traditional’ style of art discovery. But what do we until the equilibrium is reinstated? I have been brainstorming ways I can use this largely dormant blog as support for what these publications did. Do I start Boston Carnivore? Can I keep track of new releases, of tours? Probably not alongside an unrelated full-time job. But I may try. We cannot let word-of-mouth die, or criticism with personality, or music that challenges the senses. It is simply an unfair world where a band can tour midsize venues and still have to hold a full-time job.
I maintain that, despite what many people say, discovering new music is easier than ever right now. I often go to bandcamp.com and just search for artists in my area (Boston). I’ve found tons of artists that way. Not everything is good, but everything is worth listening to. The important thing to remember is: they make take the money, but they can never crush the spirit. I saw a clip from an interview from the recently deceased legend Glen Hansard where he talks about how his busking was only successful when he was feeling the music. Hansard, like Ebert, was incredibly inspirational for a young me (albeit for a different reason). His spirit was more palpable than that of almost any other musician, ever. The spirit of music is unkillable. For every studio plant, every squeaky-clean pop slop nepo baby, and every pop-punk corporate sellout, there are 50 hungry and ambitious young musicians ready to take their place. We will never stop doing what we can to get them there.
“When you walk alone, keep your keys between your fingers”
Dublin-based indie band Runway Lights are back with an exceptional new single, “Start A Flood.” It’s the second (potential) new taste off their forthcoming sophomore album, behind “Before the Storm.” The band consists of singer Louise O’Hanlon, guitarists and brothers Shane and Oisin O’Neill, bassist Ronan Parker and drummer Colm Keenan. Shane O’Neill also handled the engineering and production of “Flood,” and shared mixing duties with Peter Meighan.
The song is an urgent and important one, as it details the way that minorities across the world have to live in a state of vigilance against violence provoked by misogyny, transphobia, racism, or whatever mental evils plague the lesser individuals. The song was directly inspired by the murder of Ashling Murphy, a 23-year old teacher murdered in 2023 in a seemingly random attack in Tullamore, Ireland. The song also acts as a memorial to the young woman, who was passionate about her Irish culture that rallied around her after her passing.
Musically, the song hearkens back to 90’s guitar indie. It’s louder than most of the songs on their debut album, 2023’s Fracture and Fragment, with some cathartic guitar work coupling the song’s urgency. But it still feels pretty distinctly indie-pop as well, with O’Hanlon’s smooth vocals dominating the quiet intro to the song. She maintains catchy vocal rhythms throughout the song, carrying the chorus to keep it in the pop realm. Around a minute in, a wall of guitar and bass fuzz kick in loudly, and never really let up. “Fun” may not be the right word for a song that carries such a heavy message, but it is absolutely an earworm that I’ve listened to a few times now.
Runway Lights seem to be following the trend of indie bands looking back to the 90’s indie sound, with loud guitars and clean vocals. The song doesn’t feel out of place around Pixies, Built to Spill or – perhaps logically – the Cranberries. There might be a surplus of indie bands out there (not a bad problem to have), but make space for Runway Lights. Their second album will be out later this year, and I suspect I’ll be writing more about them.
If the name Our Wits rings a far-off bell in the back of your head somewhere, then there’s a reason – the post-hardcore band just released their sophomore album Let Me Join You, a full nine years after their debut record The Manifesto. The band was initially started by singer Dean Scordilis as a solo spoken-word project (!) before Matt Billy, Nagee Diaz-Corpening and Mark Boulanger all came aboard. The length of time between records was both self-imposed, so the band could truly hone their sound, and world-imposed, with the COVID onslaught. The album explores grief and reckoning in broad terms, with a focus on the sheer passage of time and the people and memories we no longer hold close. It’s fitting, really, for such a lengthy absence before the record’s release.
As one might expect knowing the history of the band’s formation, Our Wits don’t comfortably fit into any one genre. Join You is, at its center, a post-hardcore record. We hear it the most in “Why Is It That Only You Were Saved?” and the title track. These are songs that have a pounding rhythm and a fairly relentless dose of heaviness, without sacrificing melody. Scordilis’s screaming throughout the record does the band favors. His voice is piercing and flat, and adds intensity to the tracks. It also helps put the band in the same league as someone like Actor|Observer, a post-hardcore group who use these similar vocals to edge towards – but never truly embrace – metal. This is the most evident on “See You Later,” which comes the closest to metal without bridging the gap.
But this isn’t just a post-hardcore album. There are healthy doses of emo and punk as well. “See You Later” gives way to “Truly, A Diminishing Return,” which immediately resets things with a classically Midwestern emo guitar riff. It also shows a lot more restraint and patience than the previous tune, showing the band’s full spectrum within two tracks. “Martyrs” might be the biggest outlier on the album, a song that embraces the punk side the most and feels the most coordinated. The call-and-response chorus is indicative of pop-punk, though it’s difficult to mistake the song as being pop-punk at all.
The biggest wrench in the adjective department, however, is the ambient element. I don’t mean true ambient music, but there are many moments of calmness peppered into the record. The opening track, “A Dream, Interrupted,” is a sour spoken-word tune that sets the album’s remorseful tone. “Why Is It That Only You Were Saved?” is the heaviest song on the album, but it does feature a long and somewhat peaceful bridge before it swings back into a big climax. “Haunt Me,” which acts as an interlude of sorts, is a sparkly and dreamy little cut that slices right through the middle of the record. And, “…Until Everything Fades” closes the record out with an extended and oddly soothing calmness to it. Many of these tracks seem to have some calm rhythms playing beyond the chaos.
Lyrically, Join You explores the pessimistic side of nostalgia, while acknowledging the person of the present (whatever that means for you, the listener). Many of these songs do touch upon death and the immediate grief, with “Return” even taking place at a funeral. But these songs are more conceptual, pondering on losing people who are still alive, and the anger you can feel at yourself for letting people drift away. The lyrics here are very poetic and come straight from the heart. There are a lot of difficult pills to swallow here, even in times where the lyrics are strictly personal. Besides some necessary jabs at politicians, there are a lot of melancholic and grief-ridden passages of loss that read like eulogies. It’s feel-bad, but it’s a mood we can all relate to.
This album crams a lot into a sub-40 minute runtime. We’ve got walls of guitars, peaceful bridges, rousing choruses, and imminently relatable lyrics that touch on the people we’ve lost and the memories we’re losing. What more could you ask for from a post-hardcore record? It’s a delectable blend of ideas and influences. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait nine years for the next album.
What better time to review an album from Summer Colds than the dead of winter? With multiple feet of snow still on the ground here in Boston, I’ve immersed myself into this subtle, pleasant sophomore album from Summer Colds that was released last Halloween. Though it may only be the second album under the Summer Colds moniker, Nic McNamara has been in the industry for a long while. The Oregon-by-way-of-Surrey-by-way-of-Johannesburg musician grew up with a studio producer father who worked alongside legendary Robert “Mutt” Lange. This evolved naturally into a love of music, and McNamara spent the early 2010’s releasing folk rock albums under the name Black Bears Fire. But a desire for a harder edge comes with a new name, and the power-pop project Summer Colds was born.
The fact that Missing Out was born because COVID canceled McNamara’s plans to tour his first Summer Colds album, Here Comes Nothing, is only fitting for the latter album’s melancholic vibe. It’s a perfect title, too, since McNamara was denied the chance to take a victory lap tour. The record is a product of the downtime, and the frustration at the state of the delayed world is palpable throughout. While the album’s strength is patient songwriting, there is a lot of pent-up annoyance present, which helps set the tone and separate it from other glitzy power-pop acts.
To be honest, power-pop is not a genre that I am predisposed to enjoying. There are plenty of power-pop bands I do enjoy, but they always need to have something enticing. Missing Out isn’t afraid to stretch into punk or indie territory. Some of the songs here edge into speedier territory, like “Shakeout,” which is is more power- than -pop, and the rollicking opener “Something’s Coming.” There is a distinct indie rock vibe throughout too, more present on the patient songs like “Say It Back” and “If You Know.” Even though I am personally always all in on bangers, these tracks are key to the subtlety. While all eight songs here are centered on crunchy guitar and sound at least punk-adjacent, there is a lot maturity present. The tunes are largely midtempo and feel more comfortable focusing on melodies and lyrical content than they do resting on pure energy.
There is another checked box here that is often ignored by bands, especially more modern bands. That’s vocal melodies. Setting aside the post-punk trend of talking bands (Cheekface, Dry Cleaning, etc), far too often do singers not put enough emphasis on vocal harmonies. It’s part of why I’m one of the biggest Dinosaur Jr. fans. Say what you will about J. Mascis’s vocals, he’s always got a new rhythm. What I find fascinating about this album is that many of the song’s choruses see McNamara singing a catchy vocal rhythm over a singular power chord wall. It’s a fun dynamic and makes for a unique listen. It isn’t because of technical inability; “All Time High” has a great guitar lick after the chorus, and “Dear Life” benefits from a musical bridge and comeback at the end of the song. Instead it sounds like something bright bursting through the cracks. Late album standout “The Moon” also puts more focus on the guitar, with a heavier and louder feel than any other track. It is an interesting little tactic that gives the album more texture and some earnestness.
Missing Out is an album that hides a lot under a blanket of guitar. On the surface, it’s standard power-pop/indie rock. But the dense guitar, vocal rhythms, melancholic lyrics and wavering genre influence make for a pretty unique listen. Summer Colds are a solid listen for a day where it’s, well, cold.
We did, the home stretch. Proud of everyone for getting through what was, well, yet another difficult year. Regardless where you’re reading this from, it’s probably been difficult there, and I empathize with you. Luckily, music always has our backs. I’m almost always drawn to the heavier, faster, darker bands, and that’s especially true in years like this. You’ll find a lot of that in my top 25 – but not exclusively. I’m jetlagged from a flight and you’re tired of reading top lists, so let’s just get on with it.
#25. PinkPantheress – Fancy That
Without intending to, I listened to a lot more electronic and dance music this year than normal. Sometimes, I need an album that’s just fast and fun. This seriously scratched that itch, a 9-song, 20-minute mini-album that drops big beats relentlessly, alongside PinkPantheress’s bouncy vocals. Whiplash pop music mixed with UK rave music. I don’t make a lot of concessions to “England” but they really got the electronic music scene on lock. This hearkens back to the 90s club scene but also sounds completely 2025. Good music to turn your brain off and dance to.
#24. Billy Woods – Golliwog
Another perennial favorite of mine, his presence on this list shouldn’t be surprising at all. It’s also one of the most acclaimed albums of the year in general. The indie rap hotshot has already released a number of great records both solo and as a member of Armand Hammer, but this is his magnum opus. A tough record about a tough life, an autobiography the artist’s fascinating life and his experiences in NYC. Sure, that album’s been done a million times, but if it’s earnest then it’s justifiable. This is not only earnest, it’s raw, nervous, and at times still redacted, as if Woods immediately regrets telling the listener something.
#23. Smerz – Big city life
It’s rare in today’s music melting pot that you hear something that sounds totally new. This sounds totally new. The best I can surmise Smerz is that they are trip-hop indie, with a little extra -hop, and some jazz. Short, funky blasts that sound like the coolest thing this side of Jon Spencer. I’ve already deep-dived their previous albums – their two prior full-lengths are ones where they serve as a backing band for an indie-pop singer, and an avant-garde choir. This band is hitting originality on all fronts.
#22. Sudan Archives – THE BPM
I was already extremely partial to Sudan Archives, a one-woman showcase that blends indie, R&B and electro music into one. But for her third album, she roped in a significant amount of house influence, and it’s her best album to date. This is blistering and unapologetic dance music. It’s got the fast tempos and big beats that the title implies, and the heart and personality of her other albums. It’s one of the most outwardly fun albums on this list, best played after midnight.
#21. Paris Texas – They Left Me With A Gun
You may be noticing a trend in the rap that I like the most; intense but vibrant indie-rap is my go-to. Thankfully Denzel Curry didn’t release anything this year or it would’ve been overload. The new Paris Texas release is just an EP, and I’m always hesitant on ranking EP’s against LP’s, but when something is this good it’s worth it. A quick, nonstop collection of fast rhythms and big beats, and all without the boisterousness of top 40 rap.
#20. Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos
The biggest album in my top 100 by far. I pity the people who don’t listen to music in languages they don’t speak. I don’t understand a word of this album and, as a pasty white man in Boston, I’m not exactly the target audience. But Bad Bunny has such an inherent skill at taking reggaeton – a genre where the biggest critique is repetition – and making every song feel important and special. Reggaeton, rap, R&B, pop, there’s a touch of everything popular here. And even at 62 minutes, it doesn’t feel overstuffed or tedious. Put this on at a party – any party – and you’ll get everyone moving in no time. Can’t wait to once turn on the Super Bowl at halftime. Eat shit, Stephen Miller.
#19. Ela Minus – DIA
I went into this one totally blind, having heard one song from it many weeks prior. Obviously, I was floored. I was expecting some light-electro indie, and probably “just another indie album” like the influx I’ve already heard this year. It’s electro-indie, for sure, but it’s very experimental and not afraid to take risks. Pop songs are meshed with ambient drone, and enough dense electronica to make Dave Gahan smile. It’s a truly unpredictable album and had me clapping my hands like a seal.
#18. Songs By Jonas – The “Everything Is Wrong” Album
I know nothing about this artist, but this was a whirlwind of bedroom emo and experimental noise. Most songs are short and acoustic, and make clever use of double-tracking to make it sound like a full band instead of one person. But there’s plenty of fuzz and glitch, too – it’s wildly unpredictable. There’s a litany of songs here that worked more than I thought they would from the start. I can’t wait to dig into this catalog more. This one kind of slipped through the cracks – it just missed the cutoff for my mid-year post, and I never got a chance to go back to it. 2026 gives me a great chance to listen to the other songs by Jonas.
#17. Wednesday – Bleeds
I have to chalk this one up as a major disappointment. The Asheville Americana rockers are coming off their album Rat Saw God – my pick for #1 in 2023 and subsequently, my pick for Album of the Decade So Far. Truthfully, nothing would live up to that behemoth, but this is still damn good. We’ve got the most country the band has ever sounded in lead single “Elderberry Wine,” and we have some of their heaviest, grungiest songs to date as well, like the leadoff song posted below. It’s an expansion of their capabilities, and there are plenty of all-time gems here. It takes a few listens to get into, as it is not as immediately striking as Rat, but it’s still unstoppable. They’re the best band in America right now. Surely someone has shown Neil Young this album, right?
#16. Jehnny Beth – You Heartbreaker, You
I’ll be honest, I just tossed this on at work. I remain a diehard fan of the two Savages records, but Beth’s first solo album left me a tad lukewarm. This demolished my expectations. It’s a ripping rock record, not out of league of the post-hardcore/post-punk albums with Savages that put her on the map. Nearly every song grabs you by the throat with boundless energy and urgent emotions, often resembling a cry for help. It’s abrasive, but never uncomfortably so. It isn’t the most melodic album, opting instead more for pummeling songs that don’t sacrifice honesty. Beth has never been afraid to put her real self across her art, and this is real. This barely feels like art, more like raw human feelings on display.
#15. ameokama – i will be clouds in the morning and rain in the evening
The first a few regional Boston* discs to make the list, this is another entry in the “wildly unpredictable” canon. But instead of sticking in the world of electro-indie, this cements itself in black metal. ameokama, who also previously sang for the metal group A Constant Knowledge of Death and just last month joined Crippling Alcoholism, explores every boundary of black metal and pushes past them. She’s confrontational at points, atmospheric at others. The defining focus of this album is existing as something you can get lost in. You know how Deafheaven went from black metal to ambient? Imagine all of that across one album (ahem, more on them later). There’s still time for some doom and shoegaze elements too, because it simply can’t stay contained.
*- She dropped this album and promptly moved away, but it counts as a Boston album.
#14. Little Simz – Lotus
It’s always a safe assumption that Little Simz will make my lists whenever she releases something, but Lotus is excellent even on a grading curve. After the monumental, unexpected success of her album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, she stepped away a bit and released some cold, confrontational albums. But Lotus is plain old fun. The UK rapper sounds like she’s having a blast, with big beats and bouncy rhythms. It’s a different and somewhat relieving direction, as it sounds like Simz has learned to leverage her platform (a guest appearance on last year’s Coldplay album hinted at this too). As expected, there’s a lot of quick, flowing ideas and most of them work very well.
#13. mclusky – the world is still here and so are we
And thank your god for that. Often, I want artists to stretch their own boundaries and explore new territory, especially if they are coming back from a break. But would we want mclusky to give us anything they haven’t given us before? Hell no. The band’s first album in 21 years picks up exactly where they left off, and why shouldn’t it? The things they satirized so heavily in the early 2000’s have only gotten worse! This is full of short, heavy post-hardcore songs that could easily get mistaken as punk. And as expected, the lyrics range from corny and silly to deeply political and courageously specific. I was a huge fan of Future Of The Left, Andy Falkous’ band he formed after mclusky’s initial break-up, but this album scratches a slightly different itch. It’s loose, aggressive, and straight to the point.
I normally post studio versions here, but mclusky live > mclusky studio. Here’s how the song is really meant to sound:
#12. The Croaks – Menagerie
Another favorite Boston band, possibly my actual favorite. Self-described as “wench rock,” this is some Ren Faire indie. A 4-track EP of songs with full minstrel influence, even though some of them go off the rails into punk territory. There’s nothing like this out there anywhere, as far as I can tell. It’s a gimmick, maybe, but it is music that really hooks you in quickly, too. Longtime fans will recognize 2-3 of these songs from live sets, which are always a blast. As far as bassist/vocalist Alli Fuchs goes, more on her later.
#11. TAKAAT – Is Noise, Vol. 1 & Is Noise, Vol. 2
Remember when I said I always debate whether to include EP’s? This is the same boat. But let me say that this is the exact type of thing I’m into. These two 4-tracks represent the first music released by the band, but you may be familiar with them already – it’s African indie-rocker Mdou Moctar’s backing band, without Moctar himself. These songs mix African rhythms with dense, heavy noise production to make something wholly unique and separate from the artist they’re associated with. I saw these guys play a very early show and they managed to stretch the initial four songs into an hour-long set, it was face-melting stuff. I can’t wait for more.
#10. Agriculture – The Spiritual Sound
Agriculture were already promising themselves to be one of the most exciting and unique bands in all of metal. But their second record blows everything out of the water. The band’s black metalish music is riveting, intense, not for the faint of heart. Black metal is kind of tough to mess up – a wall of guitars and some screaming can do wonders if done well. But The Spiritual Sound is not a relentless nor repetitive record. There are a ton of fresh ideas and genre twists, all sewed into traditional black metal heaviness. This feels the same as Deafheaven did in 2013, unparalleled and exciting within a genre that has hardly evolved over three decades. This record has a maximum audience, but for those it appeals to, it is a stone-cold masterpiece. Challenge your senses.
#9. UNIVERSITY – McCartney, It’ll Be OK & YES
Two-fer. Deal with it. At the time of writing, I don’t know anything about this band, nothing at all. The covers of their album and singles invoke the same artwork as Dinosaur Jr.’s You’re Living All Over Me, and my brain makes a false connection between the two bands. But not that false – this is probably what the Dino guys would sound like if they were young today. It’s alternative, but it takes frequent detours into straight noise. Obscenely loud, this is one of the boldest debut albums I’ve ever heard. So rarely does a band come out of the gate with a unique sound. These folks are not afraid to put a wall of guitars and screaming in the middle of an indie song, and not afraid to stretch a tune to 11 minutes as they do on their follow-up EP YES. The only thing that’s predictable here, besides the unpredictability, is that it will be chaotic. Not for the faint of heart.
#8. Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power
The kings reclaim the throne. Deafheaven’s Sunbather is arguably the best metal album of the last 20 years, whether you like it or not, and they’ve been on a tear ever since then. But where each subsequent album has explored a different facet of their sound, Lonely People With Power combines everything into one. It’s their best since Sunbather. Pulverizing black metal, blissful ambient, riffs, beautiful lyrics completely lost through guttural screaming, and occasionally just…rock music? Also these are shorter songs than normal, which gives the band more branches to show themselves off. It’s like a Greatest Hits of all new tracks. Bring earplugs.
#7. nurse joy – can i say something…?
Not the first nor the last Boston band to grace this section of the list. I caught nurse joy by chance at a festival last year when I had downtime, and their midday set in a cramped Rockwell was a damn party. Their debut and final full-length is a dance-punk whirlwind, a bunch of raucous loose anthems that transcend genre but never stray too far from being -punk. It’s fun as hell. In some ways it sounds like a record pulled from 2007 or so, but the basement sweatiness of it can only exist in 2025. Thankfully, I got to see nurse joy three more times before they split up in September.
#6. Backxwash – Only Dust Remains
Another shoo-in, every Backxwash album I’ve listened to has made my best-of lists. There was never any doubt here. The Zambian-Canadian rapper is freed from her now-concluded trilogy of dark, religious albums, but Dust isn’t a whole lot different. We do see some varied and more experimental sides of her, making this her most well-rounded album to date. But it’s also dark, heavy, conscious and sometimes just plain nasty. This isn’t something for everyone, it’s deliberately off-putting at points; but it’s yet another triumph in a catalog full of them.
#5. Deftones – private music
It seems that the kids these days have become nostalgic for the 2000s, a time they just missed out on. It’s bewildering – that era was worse in almost every way. But one thing the kids have gifted on us is a Deftones revival. I saw Deftones for the first (and so far only) time in 2022, at Agganis Arena, a midsize venue mostly housed by BU sports teams. This January, they played TD Garden. Other luminaries who play TD Garden? Kendrick Lamar, Charli XCX, the Boston Celtics. Now, in order to maintain this sudden second career, they had to stick the landing on their new album. They did so with room to spare – this is their best album since their original late-90s heyday. Blisteringly heavy, riff-filled, and equal parts melodic and noisy. It’s been obvious that the band members are starting to move in different directions, but this album captures them blending these differing ambitions beautifully. Deftones should’ve been a “legacy band.” Instead, they’re leaders of a whole new metal revolution.
#4. Laura Stevenson – Late Great
Laura Stevenson’s classic “Master Of Art” is my all-time favorite song. She’s got one of the best singing voice I’ve ever heard. It’s not necessarily a given that she shows up on these lists, but it’s likely – and Late Great is her best album in a long while. Touching, gorgeous indie songs that can stretch into “fun” or “haunting” territory real quick. Stevenson is excellent at making tunes that are drawn-out and dense, and following it up with something minimalistic and catchy. While her music is never exactly uplifting or optimistic, Late Great was spurned by divorce, which only adds extra gravity to the always emotional music. Everything is all under the guise of Stevenson’s beautiful vocals. She’s one of my favorite artists and she’s back even stronger than she has been in many years.
#3. Paper Lady – Idle Fate
The final local release on this list, this album is nuts. Another debut full-length, this one is somewhere in the realm of heavy alternative/shoegaze, even just rock music. These tunes are dense and unpredictable, sometimes putting everything upfront and other times opting for a slow-burning bruiser. Their live show is feral even as the songs are patient. If you’ve been missing some heavy alternative, then have no fear, Paper Lady is here. The band features Croaks bassist/vocalist Alli Fuchs as a frontwoman, and she puts everything forward. Without fact-checking, I believe billy woods is the only other person to make two separate appearances in my top 100. I hope you like guitars.
#2. Bartees Strange – Horror
I’ve been a fan of Bartees for a while, but I never predicted that he would put out a record this good. Horror does indeed dig into the macabre, adding yet another element to his already-stewing melting pot. The indie/rock/rapper delivers a chaotic album of high-speed rap, pretty R&B and catchy indie songs. It’s fun, wildly so, and delivers from start to finish. It’s easy to see an influence of TV On The Radio here, although the more macabre parts come from elsewhere darker. Some of these songs absolutely boom, but not all of them do, it’s a very well-rounded affair. Fun as hell. Pair with a follow-up EP he released in October, Shy Bairns Get Nowt, which sees Bartees dig deeper into specific genres like rap and blues.
#1. Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory – Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory
Time to get the tissues out. I mentioned my all-time favorite song already, but SVE’s “Seventeen” is close behind it, and the song guaranteed to make me to weep immediately. SVE’s first album crediting her backing band is her best in a long while. It’s apparent that the band were more involved in the songwriting, as these tunes are more complex and more instrumental. Guitars are largely ditched for synthesizers, itself a big change for her traditionally folk-inspired indie (and usually a kiss of death for me). But her gorgeous voice still prevails and makes these songs vulnerable, shakeable. Remarkably beautiful indie record. I wasn’t sure on this at #1, I had Bartees there most of the year. You’ll notice the two swapped spots from the midyear post. This isn’t necessarily an Earth-shattering #1, but I think it’s one that will have staying power. I can see myself coming back to this one ins forthcoming years.
And that’s a wrap. May we wish for a 2026 as plentiful musically as 2025 was. I’m sure it will be. As always, I hope these posts or even this top 25 can give you one new gem to discover. Or at least it validated your own personal opinions. This wraps up my year-end 2025 coverage, although I may post a little about films watched in 2025 too.
I always highlight some releases that didn’t quite make the cut, so here’s five more in no order: Liam Peroyea – Burn | Freckle – Freckle | Valerie June – Owls, Omens and Oracles | Golomb – The Beat Goes On | AFI – Silver Bleeds the Black Sun
What a year for music, just like every other year. Here at PGMR we (I) love to celebrate as many albums as I physically have time for, hence a top 100 list curated and written entirely by one person with little time. We’ll continue with the third quadrant of the list shortly, but I am a little bit of a hater, so let’s briefly discuss some of the disappointments and duds. Truthfully, I’m doing this to dispel anticipation about the placement of one big album – Turnstile’s Never Enough. I very much enjoy Turnstile, and I will champion them as the faces of a thrilling and necessary hardcore revival. But, the album itself was a sleeper, full of either template hardcore or experimentations that half-worked. It currently sits at #238 on the list of 315 albums I’ve ranked – which doesn’t include 66 albums I didn’t get around to ranking.
In dead last is Arcade Fire, who again proved that it was Will Butler providing the good songwriting, not Win. Sure, Win’s allegations played a role in the ranking too. Taylor Swift shit out a potentially AI-abetted album that even the Swifties didn’t like, finding herself in my bottom 5 for a second year in a row. I can wager it a disappointment – an artist at this peak should be brilliant, and I’m not a Taylor hater. Lorde promised an album better than Solar Power, which was only marginally true. Maybe the biggest disappointment was David Byrne, whose follow-up to his rebirth American Utopia was a base-level alternative album with lyrics that sounded like second grade poetry. Finally, Car Seat Headrest’s first album in five years was so focused on the concept that it didn’t really have songs – though they still scraped themselves into my Best Songs List, ironically.
Alright, enough hating. Most music is good, so let’s talk about 25 great ones!
#50. Armand Hammer – Mercy
I mean, it’s Armand Hammer. Billy Woods and Elucid are unbelievable rappers when they’re working solo. Together, they’re unstoppable. Mercy is their second album done in full with production from The Alchemist, which isn’t just a name. He concocts some unique and gonzo backing beats for the two rappers. Their music is always experimental, without being too far out of the realm of conventionality. Their lyrics are always the strong suit: personal and political, more poetic than truly lyrical, and not without some fun too. It’s not a rap album for everyone, but for people who like things outside the norm, it’s a banger. In case you’re wondering, yes, more on Billy Woods later.
#49. Pile – Sunshine and Balance Beams
Pile! Pile! Pile! Boston’s best band is back, and they’re screaming again. Pile have always been great, but it’s been a while since they’ve been this energized. Their ninth album is dense and loud, some challenging rock music. They’ve mostly shed away the indie influences, opting for a sound I can only describe as cool dad. It hits, hard, and it’s super rewarding for the patient. This is just excellent songwriting, buried under guitars and Rick Maguire going nuts at the front and center. If someone tells you rock is dead, show them Pile.
#48. Deep Sea Diver – Billboard Heart
With no ceiling on the number of people who can make music in an online world, there’s a massive bloat of indie bands. It’s fine, I’d rather too many similar bands than not enough, but alternative radio has become somewhat sterile. I put this record on expecting “yet another” pleasant, digestible indie record – but this kicks ass. It has the makings of today’s template indie, with catchy hooks and pleasant vocals, but they dial the guitars up in particularly every song. This feels more reminiscent of 90’s indie-rock, while still maintaining a distance from it. Loud, fun, catchy rock and roll music – an unbreakable formula.
#47. MIKE/Tony Seltzer – Pinball II
Pinball, the first collaborative album between MIKE and Tony Seltzer, was a shoo-in on last year’s list. It’s one of the best rap albums in years, full stop. It’s natural for successful rap collabs to do a sequel, but I wasn’t expecting a follow-up this quickly. The magic is still there, this is almost as good as the tentpole. It’s an effortless, low-key rap album that’s a ton of fun even through relatively minimalist songs. MIKE is one of our best lyricists, and his excellent cadence doesn’t hurt. When most of the rap that I like is on the bombastic side, it’s nice to enjoy a low-stakes one occasionally.
#46. Deerhoof – Noble and Godlike in Ruin
Chances are, if you’re reading this, then you already know Deerhoof’s whole deal. They’re a legacy indie group by now, and one that’s never go to slip into any sort of complacent sound. I mean, this album is their 20th and it sees them making a concept record about Frankenstein that ropes noise and free jaz into their indie sound. They’ve always had their finger on the pulse, and I caught this unabashedly political album before they wiped all of their music off Spotify – among the first bands to do so in a growing wave. It’s one of the more challenging, and rewarding albums I listened to all year, a victory lap for a band already installed in the Indie Rock Hall Of Fame.
#45. Ty Segall – Possession
For a while, Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees were neck-and-neck in the race to see who could release the most albums. Then, COVID hit, and both Segall and John Dwyer lost their minds. Both used the isolation downtime to explore more experimental, head-scratching paths. But Segall also slowed down, way down. This album, which is I believe his 16th solo album (which does not include dozens of other releases), is pretty back-to-basics. He already came back down to Earth on 2024’s all-timer Three Bells, but he sounds the most at peace here. These are pleasant, easily digestible psych-rock songs. It’s a far cry from the instrumental percussion he was doing just last year – this is just a nice album! He’s done acoustic, pared-down albums before, but he’s never sounded this content. If it’s a victory lap for Segall, it’s well-earned; he’s spent two decades exploring the spectrum of bruising garage rock to experimental pop. He has a lot to be content about. And it proves that sometimes, joyous complacency actually doesn’t hurt your songwriting.
#44. Hayley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
Normally, when a frontperson releases a solo album, I want it to be something that’s a different direction from their primary band. But not every band is Paramore, who have probably a dozen skippable songs across their whole catalog. Williams’ solo career is taking off, separately, and this behemoth record is filled with both songs that sound like Paramore, and some new directions interspersed. It’s a daunting record for an artist so easy on the ears, but practically every song is brilliant or at least completely pleasurable. Hayley is quietly building one of the most solidified collections in American songwriting, and there are a lot of quiet surprises here.
#43. Ho9909 – Tomorrow We Escape
Something you’ll find out about me through this post is I generally prefer hip-hop that is loud and full, whether it’s abrasive shit like Death Grips or just big beats like Cardi B. Ho99o9 is the former, some kind of moderately unquantifiable punk, experimental, horrorcore mix. It’s very loud and heavy, often adapting punk rock music for a hip-hop landscape. This is probably music that a lot of people will write off – and some horrorcore can be written off – but it’s really genius stuff. It’s loud enough to thrash but there’s so much mental anguish too. It’s depressing, downbeat music, and endlessly fascinating.
#42. Black Country, New Road – Forever Howlong
There’s countless examples in music history of a key member leaving a group. What do you do next? Do you split up? Replace them? Use it as an opportunity to change your sound? Well, when singer Isaac Wood left the experimental indie group, the band tried something new: just have everyone else sing. The band’s pre-existing bassist, pianist and string player all sing lead on this album. Oh, and they mostly changed their sound, too. They largely ditched the heavier and more experimental elements in favor of melodic, baroque indie. At nearly an hour, it sounds like an exhausting concept, but it really never tires. It’s definitely more conventional than their previous albums – on a grading curve – and might not appeal to the same fans. It really isn’t similar to their excellent first two releases at all, but the songwriting juice is just as strong. Give it a chance!
#41. The Men – Buyer Beware
I’m a simple man; at the end of the day, I just love some whiplash garage rock. Doesn’t have to be good, just has to be fast and loud. Luckily, The Men are also good, and they’ve delivered another back-to-basics album after last year’s excellent New York. This is the band’s 100th or so album, incredible that they are still so locked-in. This band has done some more experimental or slower works, but they’re at their best with no-frills old-school rock.
#40. Beach Bunny – Tunnel Vision
It’s no secret that I’m a huge Beach Bunny fan. Their mix of fun, fuzzy punk and squeaky-clean vocals and lyrics makes for a super unique band, even if there are tons of similar acts out there. I don’t even really care for power-pop most of the time, I want to shake power-pop artists and tell them to either quiet down or make it louder. But Beach Bunny have a spunk that many others don’t. Their third album doesn’t change the formula, thankfully, it just locks in and delivers some whipping indie-punk tunes with a saccharine touch. Fun fact: my partner and I’s song is “Cloud 9.”
#39. The Armed – The Future Is Here And Everything Needs To Be Destroyed
This is the entry point to the upper echelon of this list, the all-time great albums. Every time I think I have a handle on the Armed, they do something new. The collective has neither a solidified line-up nor genre, and have in the past worked pop music into their explosive noise/post-hardcore/metal albums. Destroyed, however, is a cacophonous onslaught of sound, fiery guitar mixed in with horns mixed in with many various voices. They’ve never felt more like a collective, with seemingly every song having a different singer. Some tunes do resemble traditional post-hardcore songs, other songs delve far into untraceable noise. It reminds me of Liturgy and their efforts to make something as loud and confusing as possible. This isn’t for everyone, but it’s real damn exciting.
#38. Obongjayar – Paradise Now
Obongjayar is Nigerian, grew up in England, and raised himself on American hip-hop. His music was bound to be a melting pot even if he didn’t want it to be, but he so clearly does. Paradise Now, the singer’s sophomore record, is just completely unpredictable, bouncing wildly between rap, indie, soul, spoken word and electronic, and never goes a beat that feels forced. It’s largely very fun, if only because you’re listening to an artist absolutely cook for 42 minutes, but also because some of these songs are big and boisterous. You should understand by now that I tend to prefer music that keeps one on their feet, and this does just that for 15 songs. There’s exactly one guest feature on the song “Talk Olympics,” which features British rapper Little Simz – more on her later.
Triple threat! Ada Rook had a busy 2025, releasing two full-length albums and one EP. The noise artist is generally a shoo-in for my list, her music really hits me hard. It’s abrasive and intense, but usually manages to stay within the confines of traditional songwriting. Rook’s music is filled with genuine anguish, mixed with a desire to entertain. I don’t know how to classify it – industrial, or maybe hardcore punk, or maybe just noise – but it’s music I come back to regularly. Nights might be the achievement here, but all three are pretty equally great. If you like to upset your ears, go with Ada Rook.
#36. Water From Your Eyes – It’s a Beautiful Place
Only a few days before writing this blurb, I learned that I didn’t know as much about this band as I thought. The blog I write for, Allston Pudding, hosted the experimental indie group’s show in Boston, and I kept telling people “I didn’t really like their first album, but I love this one!” Only to learn that “their first” and “this one” were in fact their sixth and seventh records. They’re starting to become more established, and they’re tapping into the zeitgeist. This record is littered with loud guitar and hypnotic rhythms, and the music is dense and unpredictable. It’s part of a growing trend in rock to make music as chaotic as this, look at heavier groups like Knocked Loose and Callous Daoboys. It finds the center between melody and experiment. It’s suave and fresh. It’s just big, loud, raucous fun.
#35. Porridge Radio – The Machine Starts To Sing
2025 kicked off with some bummer news. I got to see Porridge Radio play their first and last ever Boston show, as they announced an impending break-up just as it seemed they were gathering steam. I have historically been a big fan and supporter, so it was melancholic to see that their final offering was just as good as the albums before it. This is only four songs and 15 minutes, but they left us with a final piece of brilliance. The moody, jangly indie has never been better and Dana Margolin’s vocals sound as hypnotic as ever. This is the closest to The Cranberries they ever sounded, which is a compliment. Best to go out on top.
#34. Greg Freeman – Burnover
Tell your dads that there’s a new musician they might like. Freeman is what I imagine The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle would sound like it if it were made today. Freeman is officially listed as an alt-country musician, but he’s got a bluesy, lounge vibe to him, backed by a full band with a vibrant energy. He’s a raconteur at heart, these songs are full of characters and personal oddities. He’s got Neil Young lyrics in a 2016 Sturgill Simpson sound. It’s fun music that’s easy to listen to, but has a million little things going on at the same time. If he doesn’t blow up, the world isn’t just.
#33. Big Thief – Double Infinity
The best band in the country are back. The indie band’s sixth album is scaled down in comparison to the gigantic Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You and the double-dip of albums we got in 2019. This album feels smaller in scale and scope, but the band balances it out by being bigger in sound. These are the closest to….rock? songs that the band has done to date. While quiet rhythms and holes in the sound have always been prominent in their music, these songs feel fuller and bigger. Might the good folks in Big Thief actually be happy? The lyrics aren’t as emotionally destitute as normal, and the music is livelier. It’s no complacency though, as these are still just perfectly-written tunes.
#32. Model/Actriz – Pirouette
Coming in at #32, the second Model/Actriz album is a bit of a step down from their debut. It’s still one of the best albums I heard all year. The band’s first album was a mix of staccato dance music and existential industrial. It was somehow heavy and funky all at once. Pirouette sees the band embracing the poppier side more, shaving away some of the heaviness in favor of clearer vocals and more fluid rhythms. To level the weights though, the lyrics get crazily personal. There’s a section in “Cinderella” – my favorite song of the year – where singer Cole Haden sums up years of therapy sessions in one verse, and you absolutely cannot avoid it as the instrumentation dips away. This album challenges you to face your biggest regrets while dancing involuntarily. Feels bad man. I can see this one climbing up this list on further listens, even now I feel this is too low.
#31. Lambrini Girls – Who Let The Dogs Out
A riotous, raucous debut from England that was set to be the punk breakthrough of 2025 before Bob Vylan got censored for truth. Dogs hearkens back to riot grrrl in spirit, blending it with the punk of 2025. It’s a load of fun, and also viciously satirical and angry. Songs like “Company Culture” and “Filthy Rich Nepo Baby” have specific targets behind them. Some of it feels a little like 2010’s-era Tumblr feminism, but when the songs are this good, that doesn’t matter. 2025 saw a lot of punk upstarts and breakthroughs, which has to be a sign of a global vibe shift.
#30. SPELLLING – Portrait of My Heart
Spellling is one of those artists that’s been on my radar for years, but I had never really checked out. Glad I finally amended that! I had Spellling pegged as an indie-R&B singer in my head, and while that’s accurate, she’s very rock too. The songs on Heart pull from equally from Motown and Subpop, diving headfirst into sultry R&B or double-bass drums on a whim. The only constant factor is energy, the rest is entirely unpredictable. Really had fun listening to this. Three L’s in the name but none to be found on the record.
#29. clipping. – Dead Channel Sky
On the flipside of Spellling is artists I’ve loved for years. The experimental rap group clipping. are a personal favorite, and their fifth album delivers on all fronts. The band’s abrasive music mixed with Daveed Diggs’ lightspeed rapping make for consistently thrilling tunes. There isn’t necessarily anything new here, but the formula still works – heavy, fast rap songs that very rhythmic but still shun any radio-friendly elements. Second-straight present-tense verb artist, which is a huge coincidence.
I found myself surprisingly disappointed with Pigsx7’s previous album, 2023’s Land of Sleeper. They remained one of my favorite metal bands, but I was worried that their continued trajectory from doom metal into psychedelic rock would render them boring. Alas! Their fifth album is just as good as albums 1-3. Heavy riffs and dense songs abound. There’s classic, doom-y Pigs (“The Wyrm”) and there’s entirely new ideas (“Glib Tongued” which features El-P of all people). This band is about as much fun as you can have in metal. Plus, it’s fun to tell people what band you’re listening to. I saw these guys over the summer, and it was a hell of a live show.
#27. Baths – Gut
I hadn’t kept up with Baths after his first two records, both electro-indie albums that presented two sides of a coin; the debut was fun and bubbly, the sophomore record much gloomier. I wasn’t sure what to expect with Gut, but I really wasn’t expecting a Perfume Genius record. This is a set of vulnerable, pretty, shaken and queer indie songs, written in the same manner as Michael Hadreas does. You can make the argument that the album’s front half is too similar, but there’s a lot of open space for this kind of thing. It’s gorgeous, I was floored. Grab the tissues. And surprisingly, this was necessary, as Perfume Genius himself released his first ho-hum record since his earliest days and missed the cut here.
#26. DARKSIDE – Nothing
This one caught me way off-guard. I only really knew on Darkside song prior to this, “Liberty Bell,” and I really love it. But the band’s atmospheric, electro-indie is akin to a handful of other bands that I appreciate but don’t really like. The same goes for Nicholas Jaar’s solo music. But this album is just a blast. These songs are light and vibe-y, but they’re still funky and fun. I listened to this on a morning commute and it really set my brain in a righted mood for a workday. Definitely an album I’d revisit, and I rarely do that. Summer music!
My favorite part of the year is writing these, my least favorite is compiling everything into blog form. Thanks for reading! The grand conclusion is tomorrow, and promises some Welsh punk, some jazz-indie, two punishingly heavy black metal albums, African rock, and four regional Boston releases.
Five more albums I regret having to cut off the list: Lonnie Holley – Tonky | Preoccupations – Ill At Ease | Gelli Haha – Switcheroo | Pulp – More | Fleshwater – 2000: In Search Of The Endless Sky
Post-Grad Music Reviews 