Ripe Fruit Rots and Falls moves in a similar sonic space as many contemporary shoegaze and alternative rock releases, but Chokecherry manage to keep things more varied and imaginative. The duo’s sound feels dynamic and thoughtfully constructed, weaving together shoegaze haze, alternative rock structures, and melodic ideas into something that carries its own identity.

While not every moment is groundbreaking, the album consistently offers strong ideas and subtle shifts that keep it ... read more

If Not Winter delivers solid shoegaze built on familiar textures, and while parts of it can feel somewhat generic, the album consistently injects enough energy and momentum to stand apart from the endless wave of similar releases. The songs carry a sense of drive and immediacy that keeps them from sounding flat or overly derivative, making the record an engaging listen despite its well-worn foundations.

Choke Enough feels effortless and deeply affecting, built on beautiful melodies that linger long after the songs end. Oklou blends alternative pop with electronic textures in a way that feels intimate and emotionally open, never overproduced or forced. The songwriting shines through its subtlety, with lyrics that are gentle, reflective, and quietly resonant, allowing space for vulnerability without drifting into cliché.

What makes the album stand out is its balance between softness and ... read more

Creature In The Black Night is one of the most uninspired releases of 2025. Dayseeker’s metal-pop-alternative formula feels endlessly recycled, offering nothing that hasn’t already been done better countless times before. Slick, predictable, and completely lacking urgency, the album comes across as hollow and creatively exhausted.

Afterglow feels somewhat out of step with its time. The blend of R&B, metal, pop, and alternative elements isn’t especially bold or forward-thinking, leaning instead on ideas that have already been explored many times before. While competently produced, the album struggles to establish a distinct identity, often falling back on familiar tropes without much tension or surprise.

Lyrically, it sticks to well-worn themes and phrases that feel safe and largely interchangeable, rarely ... read more

Flesh Stays Together hit me with the same overwhelming force as Tsunami Sea. Much like Spiritbox, Dying Wish elevate their sound through the sheer strength of the vocal performance, with Emma Boster’s delivery feeling more commanding, controlled, and emotionally charged than ever before. Her vocal range and intensity push the album to another level, giving both the aggression and the more vulnerable moments real impact.

What truly sets this record apart, though, is its lyrical range. The ... read more

Tsunami Sea is, for me, one of the defining metalcore albums of the year. Spiritbox strike a rare balance between intensity and melody, delivering songs that feel massive, emotional, and deeply affecting. The lyrical themes dive into vulnerability, grief, self-reflection, and inner conflict, carried by Courtney LaPlante’s powerful and nuanced vocal performance, which gives the words real weight and urgency.

Beyond its emotional depth, the album hits with an extra dose of brutality, ... read more

Romance feels like the moment Fontaines D.C. fully transcend themselves. I love how the band draw from decades of music history and still manage to shape it into something completely their own. Grunge textures, post-punk urgency, alternative rock dynamics, and shoegaze atmospheres are woven into a rich, cohesive sound that never tips into kitsch or excess. Everything feels deliberate, confident, and emotionally charged, yet remarkably restrained.

Their previous album already stood as a ... read more

Tranquilizer feels like the moment where Oneohtrix Point Never’s vision finally comes together for me. I’ve always been convinced by Daniel Lopatin’s concepts, from the ghostly nostalgia of Replica to the fractured aggression of Garden of Delete and the meta commentary of Magic Oneohtrix Point Never, but his albums often felt more fascinating in parts than as complete journeys. Here, that changes.

The record unfolds like the soundtrack to a digital apocalypse, meticulously ... read more

Are We All Angels shows Scowl pushing further into a wild mix of hardcore, alternative rock, and pop-leaning hooks, but the result doesn’t fully come together. While the lyrics are strong, often addressing vulnerability, identity, and feminist themes of self-determination and resistance, the music itself feels unfocused and uneven. For all its ambition, the sound never quite clicks, making it hard for the emotional weight of the writing to fully land. A record with important ideas and ... read more

Open Close is a subtle and deeply meditative record, unfolding in small, deliberate movements rather than grand statements. Sam Prekop focuses on texture, repetition, and restraint, letting minimal electronic patterns breathe and slowly shift over time. It’s an album that rewards patience, creating a calm, introspective space that feels intimate and quietly profound.

The Light Will Never Find Me is a haunting and deeply immersive drum and bass and jungle record that leans into themes of isolation, anxiety, and inner collapse. Its more melodic tracks are where the album truly shines, creating emotionally rich soundscapes and beautifully layered atmospheres that feel intimate and affecting. In contrast, the darker, more technical cuts are more demanding and at times feel slightly disconnected from the album’s otherwise cohesive emotional flow. Still, ... read more

Cowards feels like Squid at their most focused and unsettling. Where Bright Green Field was all nervous energy and sharp social snapshots, and O Monolith pushed their sound into sprawling, experimental territory, this album brings everything together with a darker, more deliberate tone. The lyrics read like distorted short stories about fear, moral failure, and human weakness, while the music moves restlessly between tension, elegance, and controlled chaos. A demanding but deeply rewarding ... read more

Superheaven deliver one of the scene’s most meaningful comebacks of 2025. The new album is deeply emotional and beautifully instrumented, moving effortlessly between grunge, shoegaze, and alternative rock. It never feels like a band returning after absence but like artists who simply took their time, carefully crafting a mature, lyrically rich record. Building on the foundation of Ours Is Chrome, this album feels grown, honest, and profoundly human, and stands as one of the strongest ... read more

Only One Mode is hardcore in its purest form, fast, confrontational, and uncompromising, but beneath the aggression lies a deeply personal core. Speed’s lyrics revolve around identity, loyalty, and lived experience, grounding the violence of the music in real emotion and conviction. It’s a record driven by belief and community, where raw energy meets sincerity without ever losing focus.

rivate Music finds Deftones at a creative peak, delivering their strongest album in over a decade. The band weave crushing melancholy with fleeting surges of hope, balancing immense weight and fragile beauty with effortless grace. Chino Moreno’s lyrics cut deep — intimate, abstract, and painfully human — turning isolation, desire, and longing into something strangely uplifting. A masterwork that feels both devastating and life-affirming.

Red Sky Mourning is a deeply emotional and immersive record, balancing crushing heaviness with fragile introspection. Soul Blind weave grief, longing, and quiet beauty into massive, slow-burning songs that linger long after they fade. A haunting and cathartic album — and one that feels profoundly personal.

Celebrity Therapist is a chaotic, exhilarating record that thrives on fragmentation and excess. Fueled by manic energy and razor-sharp riffs, it captures the Callous Daoboys at their most unhinged — abrasive, unpredictable, and emotionally raw. A relentless and fearless album that turns chaos into catharsis.

After Celebrity Therapist, this album feels like a deliberate and fully realized continuation, trading some of the raw chaos and unfiltered aggression of the previous record for clarity, intention, and depth. While it may be less wild and free on the surface, it is far more focused in what it wants to express. As a concept-driven work, the album unfolds as a bleak and unflinching journey into the darker corners of human existence, examining violence, belief, self-destruction, and the uneasy ... read more

Murals round off 2025 with a genuinely interesting and emotionally grounded post-hardcore album. Across its runtime, the record revolves around themes of emotional dislocation, self-doubt, resilience, and connection, often capturing the feeling of being caught between frustration and quiet hope. Songs like they’re there and b side lean into introspection and atmosphere, while tracks such as tough and for the rejects channel urgency and solidarity with a more direct, driven ... read more