A chill stutter-house-adjacent EP that teases some big moments just to play it safe. Although demotapes has certainly done better, this is a pretty good entry for him.

Favorite: find u
Least Favorite: found

A straightforward rock album that does great with its theming around desperation and hopelessness—specifically, where we should turn in the midst of those feelings. The production is full, the vocal rhythms varied, and the subject matters thoughtful. Stephen Stanley rocks on this one!

Favorite: gonna have to trust you
Least Favorite: in my blood

This man gets an unfair rap. I’d guess it’s because of how overplayed his songs are in worship sets or on Christian radio. But he has several strengths that are largely overlooked, and all of them are evident in this album.

First, he’s a great songwriter. His rhyming is tight, his melodies are catchy, and the production of his songs are way more full and detailed than the vast majority of church worship teams do him justice for. Sure, sometimes his lyrics get a little too ... read more

Not a bad project, but certainly a step down from her great debut EP. Whereas the previous EP nailed the unsettling atmospheres of her darker side and the soothing sounds of her sweeter side, this EP overblows both of those sides. When she gets darker, she sounds whinier; when she sounds sweeter, it sounds forced. I see the vision with each song, but it just doesn't stick with me much even right after my listen. Hoping for a return to form in her next project.

Favorite: You
Least ... read more

Apart from two weaker tracks, this EP does a great job of capturing Claire Leslie's sound pallette with God-centered bops written from the perspective of a young adult, with the struggles and lessons that seem so unique to that stage of life. Fun project that opens up a world for this promising artist, the future of which I'm excited to see.

Favorite: Twenty Something
Least Favorite: Original

🔴 YAS!, Give Me Some Space, What Are You (Wow)
🟢 The other 11 tracks

When the tone is happier, this album puts the biggest smile on my face than any other 2025 album. When the tone is more downcast, it is deeply emotive, easily appealing to my introspective and deep-thinking side. Here we also see Fox Stevenson experiment with different *styles*, not just genres, as evidenced by the wide variety of instruments, synth inflections, and subject matters. Lyrically, this almost kicks off a ... read more

Musical stories that take more than one listen to catch the details and put the pieces together are some of my favorites. Breach puts a satisfying, but no less open-ended than you'd expect, bow on one of the greatest multi-album story series' ever put to music. Although I find these albums overshadowed every year by better bodies of musical work, I have not found anyone doing what TOP has done with this saga, especially not to as great a success.

On to the album, yet again a ... read more

🔴 Take Me Higher, CTRL
🟢 The other 3 tracks

It's so strange how I love every meme beat he makes but then he's so polarizing with the stuff he actually releases. 3 of the 5 tracks do a good job of keeping it both various and consistent, but the other 2 tracks sound very lost and internally disconnected. It's not just that he's trying to do too many different things but that he's trying to do them all separately, one right after the other. I love this guy's ... read more

🔴 Arrhythmia
🟢 The other 4 tracks

A nice dose of Dyatic's draggier dubstep style, which doesn't sit as well with me as his faster-paced and groovier styles normally. Pretty consistent bangers that have both weak points and strong points, landing it in an unmemorable but enjoyable spot.

Favorite: Poor Man's Rose
Least Favorite: Hansha

🔴 Bumposopher
🟢 The other 2 tracks

An unfortunately flat middle track sandwiched between two satisfying bangers, this EP is a fun ride with just one glaring flaw. They achieved the vibe they were going for, and it was fun to see their styles return for a little unserious project, even if the unseriousness occasionally came at the cost of enjoyment.

Favorite: MandelBrock
Least Favorite: Bumposopher

🔴 MAXED OUT
🟢 The other 10 tracks

This is the best INFEKT project I’ve heard yet, and I wish I wasn’t still disappointed by it. I keep returning to this artist’s projects because I see the potential. His sound design is occasionally sick, and I can tell he has the rhythmic and even melodic chops for a great project. As demonstrated in this project, he just routinely fights against that potential by defaulting to monotone quarter-note drops.

However, I at least see him ... read more

🔴 Penance, It’s War, Victory
🟢 The other 13 tracks

Puppet’s long-awaited third album doesn’t leave much of a splash for me, but it is undeniably Puppet in the same way his better projects are. There’s a palpable tension that gets steadily resolved throughout the album in a satisfying way, even with the last two tracks ending the album on a bit of a weird note. It also takes a while before progressions in his style take place; most of the tracklist simply falls ... read more

Headphone Activist rarely tops my rankings, but he always fulfills the purpose for which he makes music: to make someone's day better. It's a relaxing 10 minutes that delivers exactly what I'd expect from him to its success. Sure, it's not going to break any records. But dang does it sound nice!

Favorite: Clouds
Least Favorite: Pool Room 2

🔴 Jawbreaker, Jackpot, Fire Linking Curse
🟢 The other 4 tracks

If this EP is a rollercoaster in quality, it's more like one of those slow mini-coasters for kids at a carnival. Sprinkling moments of promise throughout, the project keeps swinging between pretty good and not great. It also seems unsure as to whether it wants to take itself seriously or lean into the memes. Didn't make much of an impression on me, but you know it's gotta go off live.

Favorite: Temper ... read more

🔴 LIGHTYEARS, PIECES, SPIDER, ONCE
🟢 The other 9 tracks

While not as impressive a narrative as his debut album, leaning into his hyperpop style more was a cool decision, and he pulls it off well! There are some fun bangers, even when they get into some territories with questionable mixing and bass design. Where this album really shines are the poppier tracks on the back end and the more emotional moments throughout. Jaron knows how to invoke emotion through sound better than most ... read more

🔴 Metalicious, Slide
🟢 The other 13 tracks

Although it plays more like a cash-grab film sequel than like the next evolution of the Dogma Resistance story, I can tell this is just RIOT having fun. It's not about the money, it's about the fun of making bass music and building a cool world. That being said, this installment has just as much of the cheese as its predecessor yet not as much of the charm. Now, while it takes a little while to really get going and falls apart a bit at ... read more

A wacky one with some questionable mixing and sound choices, along with a mix of nothing-is-happening and everything-is-happening moments. But it’s kinda fun at times, as is often the case with glitch hop! Still, surely not the best I’ll hear from TVDS.

Favorite: Rada
Least Favorite: Black Sky

🔴 Dance to It
🟢 The other 2 tracks

This EP is so much fun! With apt titles across the board, each song is a dancey, funky bass tune with infectious energy. While each track drags on a bit near the end, showing that TTC was having fun too, it's such a solid body of work, especially for its time on the label. I followed TTC's instructions here to the letter.

Favorite: Dragon Pirates
Least Favorite: Fat Cat Adventures

A cool collection of tracks that pack a punch and mix Tristam and Rogue’s styles well in a time when Tristam was growing as an artist and Rogue was consistently killing it. Sometimes it does sacrifice what makes a track great in the name of variety, but there are a lot of really solid ideas here executed to a level Monstercat was growing into at the time. Just a real fun headbanger/foot-tapper of an EP.

Favorite: Nocturne (Iyawa Yowe)
Least Favorite: One

🔴 743⁺Aether*✧ ˳ ⁎ ¹¹¹} ⁺ . ˳, [just out of reach*]
🟢 The other 9 tracks

I could talk about this album for a long time. It's a genre-bending, boundary-pushing, texture-rich, unpredictable journey that leaves the meaning open to the listener. Does it begin with heartbreak and end with love, or the other way around? Does it start with despair and end with hope, or the other way around? Either way seems like it could work, but the meat of the story is found in ... read more