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Emeritus
Reviews 50
Approval 100%
Soundoffs 57
News Articles 2
Band Edits + Tags 32
Album Edits 143
Album Ratings 846
Objectivity 67%
Last Active 04-02-13 8:02 am
Joined 05-17-11
Review Comments 3,799
| a very artificial 2025
Well, here it is. Things are a bit different this year. Not only is there not a single metalcore record on this list (gasp!), but I have also cut the entries down to 20 albums because, honestly, I just didn’t listen to as much new music in 2025 as I did prior. But that isn’t such a bad thing. I kind of fell into a bad habit of seeking new music purely to write about it; I would binge an album, review it, then discard it like Andy tossing of Woody under the bed, and it wasn’t healthy (it resulted in some badly written reviews also, in retrospect). Over the past few months I’ve kind of just been replaying comfort albums and exploring a bit of jazz, and it’s been great.
But enough about me, here are my favourite albums of 2025: | | 20 |  | Snocaps
Snocaps
SOUNDS LIKE: ALABAMA SWEET TEA
Man, this album was such a pleasant surprise. P.S. Eliot, Swearin’, and Waxahatchee have all been instrumental companions to various moments of my youth and adulthood, so to see the Crutchfield sisters get back together made me ecstatic. Snocaps seamlessly builds off of the individual strengths that both sisters have developed over the past 20 odd years and emerges as a triumphant homecoming affair that is only further bolstered by the addition of MJ Lenderman and producer/multi-instrumentalist Brad Cook to round out the lineup. The chemistry between these four musicians feels as natural as sweet corn and sunshine, but this is very much a Crutchfield sisters album, combining Katie’s Americana imprint with Allison’s proclivity toward punk and indie pop, and with their voices harmonized, the result is a perfect cocktail.
https://snocaps.bandcamp.com/album/snocaps | | 19 |  | Rick White
Again
SOUNDS LIKE: YOUR RECLUSIVE STONER NEIGHBOUR ACTUALLY SHREDS
Again is a self-aware reiteration of the ideas that Rick White (of Eric’s Trip fame) has been fooling around with ever since he recorded his first high school punk band in ‘87. You see, despite White’s tools evolving from a 4-track cassette recorder to a computerized home studio and his ear for melody growing ever the wiser, Rick White hasn’t much altered his approach to songwriting; he still maintains an unwavering commitment to DIY simplicity by using the least amount of chords possible to craft psychedelic rock and grungy punk bangers, and somehow he pulls it off every damn time. His sound is timeless, brimming with his unique personality, and Again is another superb addition to a growing catalog that never grows old.
https://rickwhitearchive.bandcamp.com/album/rick-white-again-2025 | | 18 |  | Teethe
Magic Of The Sale
SOUNDS LIKE: AMERICANA INFUSED SLOWCORE
Ahh, Texas—natural habitat of cowboys, armadillos, wild horses, and, uh, one of the world’s most preeminent slowcore bands (Bedhead, duh). Teethe combines this rich cultural tapestry into a sophomore album that is both packed with panoramic landscapes and lush wildlife, as well as a pace that, depending on whether you prefer a gallop or a trot, may be too unhurried for its own good. This album is a slow burn indeed, but it is consistently beautiful, combining tactile arrangements of pedal steel, flutes, and piano with quietly jangled guitars and hushed vocals. I do selfishly yearn for more tracks like the titular one, with its gorgeous, sweeping chorus, or “Holy Water” with its Momma-esque pop appeal, but I digress. If you like calm, cool, pretty music, give this one a spin.
https://teethe.bandcamp.com/album/magic-of-the-sale | | 17 |  | Caroline (UK)
Caroline 2
SOUNDS LIKE: ART SCHOOL GRADUATES CLAMORING IN THE PANTRY
“Total euphoria” kicks off caroline’s sophomore record with two jangled electric guitars convulsing with no heed for uniformity. Yet, as the off-piste guitars combine with Jasper Llewellyn’s soothing voice, distracted drums, trombone, and bass clarinet, the cacophony never eschews a sense of welcome; that is, until a violin rears its head, triggering a white-hot mushroom cloud of distortion that sends a thousand acres of grassland into momentary limbo before the racket of post-country bliss bleeds back into life. It’s a bold flaunt of confidence to set such a high bar in the first song like that, but the band mostly makes good on their promise with their aptitude for crafting bittersweet entanglements. Not to miss if you dig experimental post-indie stuff.
https://caroline.bandcamp.com/album/caroline-2 | | 16 |  | Wednesday
Bleeds
SOUNDS LIKE: Y'ALLTERNATIVE GUMMO SOUNDTRACK
Wednesday continues their domination of the countrygaze craze with their fifth full-length, lifting the best parts of twangy rock 'n’ roll from the American Bible Belt and then blending it together with the lackadaisical swagger of Stephen Malkmus and the textured sonic assault of My Bloody Valentine. It’s a no-brainer combination that shouldn’t have taken this long to catch on. It’s possible that the streamlined formula of this record gave it a bit less staying power than Rat Saw God (less to chew on, ya know?), but this is still a fantastic record by all means. I especially loved hearing their foray into hardcore punk with the track “Wasp.” Check out Tombstone Poetry for another band from the Asheville area doing similarly good experiments with country roots.
https://wednesdayband.bandcamp.com/album/bleeds | | 15 |  | Raein
Forme Sommerse
SOUNDS LIKE: ITALIAN SCREAMO DUH
Forme Sommerse, at its core, is a practice in intuition. Instead of trying to recapitulate the past, Raein opted to utilize a fresh approach that would allow them to flow seamlessly from one idea to the next without any heed to the limitations of conventional structure. That sense of freedom is fully evident in these movements. These aren’t exactly post-rock songs with linear progressions after all; they are more akin to a collection of peaks and valleys, with kinetic rhythms that push and pull like a waltz through turbulent waters, and the result is nothing short of staggering. All the hallmarks that made Raein such an influential force in the first place are still front and center here—their perfect balance between bright guitar tones, sensitive melodies, passionately chanted vocals, and a vital rhythmic urgency—but the form of the album makes their music feel more alive than ever.
https://raeinband.bandcamp.com/album/forme-sommerse | | 14 |  | Earl Sweatshirt
Live Laugh Love
SOUNDS LIKE: ESOTERIC SOLILOQUIES
Post-Some Rap Songs, Kgositsile sounded like he was falling into a new comfort zone that, while ultimately resulting in a few golden gems, was beginning to yield diminishing returns, but something about Live Laugh Love feels different. Maybe it’s the surprise drop that gives it an aura of nonchalant mystique; maybe it’s the fact that its tongue-in-cheek title—a mantra often spouted ironically to mock the home décor taste of suburban boomers—feels unironically genuine. Now in his 30s with a wife and two kids in tow, the portrait of the artist is completely at ease in his own abode, and it shows. Sonically, Live Laugh Love still functions under the same umbrella of chopped-up sample loops and rhythmic obfuscation that was developed across Kgositsile’s previous four releases, but the energy is notably warmer here, and I can’t help but feel like this subtle shift is all the guy needed to revitalize his game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_nwxIIUVAw | | 13 |  | Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith
Defiant Life
SOUNDS LIKE: TRUMPET & KEYS DUO
Defiant Life, the newest collaboration between pianist Vijay Iyer and legendary trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, has a similarly somber tone as their last offering but is more direct in its political intent. It is, after all, the duo’s attempt to channel their frustrations of humanity’s current and past conflicts into sound—a portrayal of inhumane brutality and the unkillable spirit of perseverance. It’s a record that listens and observes as much as it speaks. It is tautly minimalistic, pensive, lonely, and the pause between phrases is deafening. It is an angry record, with the discontent being felt from the first dark rumble of keys and tortured squeal of the trumpet, but it recognizes the beauty of strength and resistance, and that shines through in the intrinsic beauty of every note. Iyer and Smith speak a thousand words in a wordless language, and I beg you to listen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYz-xf7hK_Q | | 12 |  | Jason Paul and the Know It Alls
I’m Absolutely Terrified
SOUNDS LIKE: PURE-HEARTED POP PUNK
This is a fun one, not only because of the nature of the music, but also because it is the only entry on this list that I discovered for the first time live. Jason Paul & The Know It Alls came all the way up the west coast from Los Angeles to Vancouver, BC, and my friend’s band opened for them, so I went to show some support despite not knowing the headlining act at all. I didn’t even intend to stay for the whole show, but the vibes were good, and by the time these guys started playing, I was totally enamored by their charm. Not only was their banter exceedingly humble, but their music felt so honest and heartfelt—so free of frills or pretense—that I couldn’t help but smile for their entire set. Simple melodies crafted for maximal impact and a killer voice to boot—what more could you want? This record perfectly captures the energy of that night, and I’m glad I get to relive it.
https://jasonpaulmusic.bandcamp.com/album/im-absolutely-terrified-2 | | 11 |  | John Patrick Elliott
February Songs
SOUNDS LIKE: FROSTY ACOUSTIC MORNINGS
One of the first albums that I listened to in 2025, and one I still think about almost a full year later. John Patrick Elliott is a multi-instrumentalist and composer from the UK who does a lot of soundtrack work for plays, but this little album was written and released to commemorate the birth of his newborn son. Elliott takes a minimal approach to instrumentation, mostly centering his songs around a roulette of piano, finger-plucked acoustic guitars, and frosty synthesizers, but he succeeds in crafting a diverse array of memorable songs from this utilitarian tool belt. You can practically feel the joy radiating from these songs as Elliott paints us these quaint little celebrations of life’s small moments—fuzzy socks, coffee steam on the windowsill, everything you could need for a chilly February morning as the earth enters a new cycle of life. Pure understated beauty.
https://johnpatrickelliott.bandcamp.com/album/february-songs | | 10 |  | Addison Rae
Addison
SOUNDS LIKE: ESOTERIC ZOOMER MADONNA!?!?!?
There’s nothing I love more than a “prove you wrong” moment. I’m certainly not the only one who doubted Addison Rae when she revealed her shift from TikTok dancer to pop star, but I’ll be damned if I don’t go into every album with an open mind, and Addison ultimately won me over by delivering a debut that is firing on all cylinders, from the sparse retrofuturist production bathed in silk chiffon to Addison’s feathery voice and reverberated harmonies. There is almost something melancholic about it at times, which contrasts nicely with Addison’s opulent lyrics and creates this aura of dreary, intoxicating illusion. When you consider Addison’s rocket to fame through the internet as a young woman, the whole production begins to feel very intentional and cohesive. I am eager to see how her music career evolves from here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcBkCIW2M0w | | 9 |  | Pygmy Lush
Totem
SOUNDS LIKE: WEIRDO PUNK BY MEMBERS OF PG.99
TOTEM arrives like a curveball—flung out of purgatory nine years after it was originally recorded and mixed by Kurt Ballou at God City Studios, and fourteen years since the band’s last full-length, Real Friends, graced our ears. The arrival of TOTEM marks neither a complete return to the split-personality form of the group’s debut (Bitter River, clinging to the bloodied feathers of its pageninetynine lineage) nor a logical evolution of the moody folk rock sound they settled into on Mount Hope and Real Friends. TOTEM occupies its own realm in the Pygmy Lush pantheon—perhaps at times a more conscious melding of their influences, and at times something else entirely. It’s a bit of a Frankenstein record, reportedly written during a tumultuous period in the band’s history, but the result is an eclectic collection of songs that sees the band exploring new directions with intrepidity.
https://pygmylush.bandcamp.com/album/totem | | 8 |  | Steve Von Till
Alone In A World Of Wounds
SOUNDS LIKE: DYING OF THIRST IN THE DESERT
There is no longer anything traditional about Von Till’s music as far as the conventions of Americana are concerned. Piano, synthesizer, and cello have come to dominate the space where acoustic guitars once grazed, but nothing has exactly been lost; every tool that Von Till has picked up along the way still has a seat at the table, and it’s important to note how humble his approach has remained in spite of his rapidly expanding repertoire. Alone in a World of Wounds may be Von Till’s most expansive record yet, but there is still a shocking lack of excess; only a few tools are ever used at once, and each layered arrangement is both meticulously and sparingly composed as to never betray the sense of isolation the album’s concept suggests. A devastatingly sad and gorgeous record.
https://stevevontill.bandcamp.com/album/alone-in-a-world-of-wounds | | 7 |  | Far Caspian
Autofiction
SOUNDS LIKE: NAVEL GAZING DAY DREAMS
Far Caspian scratches a certain nostalgic itch for me by blending together the muted tones of Duster with the sappiness of Rocketship and transporting me back to rose-coloured days. The drum beats are snappy and utilitarian like a vintage Casiotone, the guitars are often downstroked in tight mechanical rhythms, but there is a lot of feeling to be found in the undergrowth of Autofiction—little splashes of life like the banjo in “Ditch” and “Window”, the flute in “Whim”, collaborator Megan Lama’s wonderful backing vocals that really shine on “Here Is Now” and “Autofiction”, not to mention the caterpillar synths that inch their way around “A Drawing of the Sun” like tiny proclamations of nature’s goodness. There is little in the way of giant hooks or emotional upheavals here; rather, the act of simply thrumming along through life’s hardships becomes the point of meditation. Perfect album for an overcast day.
https://farcaspian.bandcamp.com/album/auto | | 6 |  | Anxious
Bambi
SOUNDS LIKE: SAD VARSITY BOYS
Bambi is the best emo leaning pop punk record I’ve heard since Title Fight’s 'Floral Green’ or The Story So Far’s 'Proper Dose’. What else do I need to say? The band’s energetic blend of stage-dive riffs and emotional tenderness on Little Green House gave birth to some seriously cathartic highs that have been permanently etched into my temporal lobe, and Bambi is only bigger and better—huge, alt-gazing riffs combined with urgent rhythms and catchy vocal melodies; it’s a simple recipe, but one that is hard to execute with this much energy and passion. The record lags a bit in its back half, but the opening five-song run from the opening anthem of “Never Said” to the gorgeous ballad of “Audrey Go Again" is legendary. ALMOST perfect.
https://anxious18.bandcamp.com/album/bambi | | 5 |  | Hayley Williams
Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party
SOUNDS LIKE: CEREAL MILK ALT-POP
The initial rollout of Ego Death was a little messy, with each song being published as individual singles to be arranged into personal playlists (Hayley did this as a mini social experiment to "crowd-source" a track list—a cool idea, but one that ultimately resulted in a few poorly sequenced listens), but once the “official” track list was set in stone, then I could finally get into the flow of the record and start to appreciate the individual charms of each song. Williams covers a lot of ground here. Twenty songs ranging from bedroom pop to alt-rock to R&B and soul. It does still feel like more of a treasure box of singles than a cohesive album, but I kind of like it that way. I feel like every time I put this on, a new song becomes my favourite, which is a wonderful asset for the longevity of a record. Nothing can beat “Glum,” though. That one might be my favourite song of the whole year.
https://on.soundcloud.com/aE4uYcR9WqHs99XOfi | | 4 |  | By A Thread
Mirrored Life
SOUNDS LIKE: MOODY & RHYTMIC POST-HARDCORE
26 years after their 1999 debut on Revelation Records, By A Thread has returned with Mirrored Life—the group’s third full-length and follow-up to 2011’s self-titled record. While the group’s earlier material takes clear nods from the likes of Sunny Day Real Estate, Mirrored Life marks a magnificent and graceful evolution into a heavier sound that feels entirely their own, with more of a fine-tuned sensitivity to mood and melody. Opening track “Void” kicks the album off with a burst of rock 'n’ roll energy, but you’ll quickly find that Mirrored Life isn’t in a rush to go anywhere fast. These songs are longer and slower than most of their prior material, but every extra minute feels vital, with a deep well of tension bubbling between every sustained chord and melancholic lyric. By A Thread has aged like fine wine, and Mirrored Life may just be their best record yet.
https://byathread.bandcamp.com/album/mirrored-life | | 3 |  | Emma Goldman
all you are is we
SOUNDS LIKE: SKRAMZ AOTY
all you are is we, the debut full-length from Vancouver-based screamo band Emma Goldman, revels in the absurdity of life under late capitalism. It’s angry, it’s critical, but it’s also humorous in its stark representation of our collective fatigue and the vices we use to cope. Emma Goldman plays loose with genre boundaries and has managed to chisel out a distinct sonic identity for themselves by evoking the scrappy melodicism of bands like Portraits of Past and Saetia while adding a splash of white belt sass and a modern heaviness. It also sounds fantastic from a production standpoint, with absolutely hair-raising guitar and bass tones that bite high without compromising on bottom end, one of the tastiest snare tones I’ve heard this side of 96’, and vicious dual vocals with carefully mapped out patterns. Emma Goldman’s debut has arrived in nothing short of full bloom.
https://emma-goldman.bandcamp.com/album/all-you-are-is-we | | 2 |  | Julia Wolf
PRESSURE
SOUNDS LIKE: ZOOMER AMY LEE??
It’s honestly a bit of a crapshoot between these next two. Both could be my AOTY on any given day. The thing I love the most about this Julia Wolf record is just how diverse it is while also feeling extremely consistent in the quality of its songwriting from the first track to the last. PRESSURE packs a shotgun blast of energy, blending together a mix of hip-hop, alt-metal, and pop-rock production into a brain-scrambling ADHD simulation, but Wolf’s vocal performance is serene and keeps the whole project feeling incredibly down-to-earth, whether she’s flipping the bird to haters on the high-octane “Pearl” or singing of ubiquitous love in the sickly sweet ballad of “Sunshine State.” Wolf has tapped into a new generational sensibility like no other—an unfettered dopamine rush with a real emotional hook to it. The type of album that is impossible for me to listen to only once.
https://soundcloud.com/juliawolfnyc/sets/pressure-896005629 | | 1 |  | Oklou
Choke Enough
SOUNDS LIKE: AN UNDERWATER RAVE FANTASY
While Julia Wolf’s PRESSURE is endlessly addicting and very much “of the moment”, I think choke enough deserves the top spot because of its more reserved subtlety and a certain air of timelessness. Opalescent synths, midi flutes, and Oklou’s faerie-like vocals may evoke the low-polygon nostalgia of picking up rupees in Kokiri Village but the sometimes folksy, sometimes feverish underwater rave fantasy that Marylou Mayniel has created is so immersive and forward-thinking that I believe this record will still feel fresh for years to come. Truly an album I can (and often do) loop for hours without getting sick of, and with the excellent four-song ‘expansion pack’ added to the deluxe edition of this album, its longevity has only been enhanced. Maybe I should have more to say about my AOTY, but if that doesn’t make you want to check it out, I don’t know what will.
https://oklou.bandcamp.com/album/choke-enough | |
artificialbox
01.16.26 | my goal for 2026 is to listen MORE to LESS. | cylinder
01.16.26 | Very nice list and write-ups, 1 sounds interesting for sure
I dig the ‘sounds like’ approach a lot | artificialbox
01.16.26 | thanks bro, I think you'll really dig 1 | Veldin
01.16.26 | Very cool list! Love the write ups. Honestly I haven’t listened to a single one of these albums lol |
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