How the 10 songs that comprise Desolë are generally catchy is what makes this record a true marvel; it’s like watching a knuckleball thrown by a baseball pitcher circle about as if it’s lost its target, only to land smack-dab in the catcher’s glove. It takes mastery to make order out of chaos, and with Desolë, Umlaut earns that distinction. Read my Treble review.
The Coathangers’ Julia Kugel treats each note of her second solo album as a delicate item to be savored and appreciated from a state of mindfulness. Read my FLOOD review here.
UK rockers Shame don’t mince words on their fourth studio album, pairing their infectious proto-punk grooves with nakedly hedonistic lyrics. Read my FLOOD review.
Houston “dirtgaze” trio Shallowater ruminate on our intolerable times with some of the quietest and slowest music—as well as the most deafening, distortion-filled cacophony—you’ll hear in 2025. Read my FLOOD review.
Consisting of two 19-minute-plus songs that lumber, stomp, and trudge along from start to finish, Pharaoh Overlord’s Louhi is one of those rare records that makes you reflect, “How did someone come up with the idea to make music like this?” Check out my review of the record on Post-Trash.
Ganser’s Alicia Gaines (bass, vocals) Brian Cundiff (drums) and Sophie Sputnik (vocals, synth, guitar) tap into the artistic wisdom they’ve cultivated together for a decade – not gimmickry, not for a damn minute – to come up with sinister, seductive sounds that serve as the audio equivalent of a red light district or an opium den: irresistible, illicit temptations that even the strongest-willed among us aren’t strong enough to resist. Read my full review on Spectrum Culture.
Completing songs written during sessions with late bandmate Adam Schlesinger, this collection hearkens back to the airy spirit that made Ivy such a delight at a time when it was hip to be hopeless. Read my full review on FLOOD.
With its 11 catchy grunge-pop tunes each referencing pro-wrestling culture, Brooklyn band Jobber’s full-length debut, Jobber to the Stars, prioritizes fun in its escapist return to the slacker-rock charm of the ’90s. Read my FLOOD review here.
Reaching the pinnacle of his songwriting acuity, the vignettes Cass McCombs paints with his voice and guitar on his 13th album, Interior Live Oak, evoke a conversation between Thoreau and Nick Cave. Read my full review on FLOOD.
Slow Crush present the noisiest and more mature version of themselves yet on Thirst, which arrives today. The Belgian shoegazers’ third record takes the form of a hopeful manifesto that the human race still has the opportunity to reinvent itself. Read my full review on FLOOD.
The Bad Penny (beta) 