2024 kicks off with a diverse batch of jangle pop, art rock, garage noir, psych pop, space rock, heavy metal, doom, post-punk, Cosmic Americana and more.

Ducks Ltd. – Harm’s Way (Carpark)

Rickenbacker wasn’t the first 12 string electric guitar, but they were the first to think of gifting the Beatles with their early protoypes which can first be heard on “A Hard Day’s Night,” “I Should Have Known Better” and “I Call Your Name.” From there, and Roger McGuinn and The Byrds’ cover of Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man,” jangle pop took off, though it wouldn’t be called that for another couple decades in association with R.E.M., The Smiths, The Feelies and others. Yet arguably, no band has tackled the sound with such fervent focus as recent bands like Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, The Tubs and Ducks Ltd. After a great EP and debut album, it seemed like the Canadian duo were ramping up to something special when they released a series of covers in the tradition of The Feelies — “Head On” (The Jesus and Mary Chain), “In Between Days” (The Cure) and, appropriately, “Invitation” from The Feelies’ fourth album Time For A Witness (1991). And sure enough, while Harm’s Way may seem taken for granted in the weeks since it’s release, it ranks as one of the most perfect executions of the sound.

The Smile – Wall of Eyes (XL)

The eerie, folky psych prog of Radiohead’s A Moon Shaped Pool (2016) was right up my alley, and while I’d have loved to hear more in that direction, the lack of new material since then has not been disappointing. The Smile may not be Radiohead, but it is two key members, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, unfettered by the expectations of a brand so colossal it could crush the greatest talents into a writer’s block. They appeared to have so much fun with drummer Tom Skinner on A Light for Attracting Attention (2022), that they kept it going, and thank fuck. Their second album has them chasing inspirations down ever more diverse rabbit holes, but resulting in even more breathtaking highlights. The murky, subdued soundscapes of the first two tracks might lead one to assume they kept their ambitions modest, but then we get the corker of “Read the Room,” featuring a Greenwood riff that competes with some of his best, as is his synergy with Skinner’s progressively more complex rhythms toward the end. “Under Our Pillows” features some fabulously angular licks that recall Robert Fripp with mid-70s King Crimson. “Friend of a Friend” and “Bending Hectic” are two sides of a Beatlesque coin, both employing the London Contemporary Orchestra for dissonant “A Day in the Life” crescendoes. The former invokes Paul McCartney’s melodicism at it’s most bittersweet, and the latter is an eight minute epic that could be a companion to J.G. Ballard’s novel Crash, a disgraced public figure taking a glorious dive off an Italian mountainside. Those whingeing about the so-called death of rock need to simply shut up, take a leap of faith with closed eyes and just listen.

Meatbodies – Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom (In The Red)

There’s a group of musicians in the L.A. garage psych scene anchored around Ty Segal that have come out with an impressive body of work, including Osees and other bands on John Dwyer’s Castle Face label, WAND, Charles Mootheart, Fuzz, Together PANGEA and Meatbodies. The latter three all include Chad Ubovich, with him taking lead guitar, songwriting and vocal duties on Meatbodies. The fourth album is certainly not more of the same, but rather an expansive double album that relates an intense personal journey involving a self-described 90s comic book vampire lifestyle of drug-hazed socialite parties and unnamed trauma. Their sound has expanded to encompass shoegaze, noise pop via Smashing Pumpkins, space rock and other elements. The three previous albums are great, but Ubovich has really raised his game to match similarly ambitious opuses from …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead and The Black Angels, not to mention Quadrophenia!

The Blinders – Beholder (Universal)

I love that a garage noir band can still get radio play in the UK, and that getting signed to a major label is a thing that still happens. According to UK press, the band’s debut Columbia (2018) did quite well, but the momentum faltered with Fantasies of a Stay at Home Psychopath (2020) due to Covid. Lineup changes hasn’t impeded the band’s artistic progression as reflected on the two Electric Kool-Aid EPs in 2022, which showed the band’s raucous punk blues/garage psych sound get more brooding and menacing, like a mix of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds with the dark romance post-punk of Echo & the Bunnymen and late era Arctic Monkeys, but less loungey louche. At times Thomas Hayward brings to mind The Walkmen’s Hamilton Leithauser’ bruised soulfulness, while the band evokes some of the most evocatively cinematic crime noir atmospherics since Gallon Drunk and The Flaming Stars.

Early Moods – A Sinner’s Past (RidingEasy)

Every time I start getting an itch for some good rock ‘n’ doom, a new band pops up to scratch it — Green & Wood (2009), Magic Circle (2013), High Reeper (2017), and  then L.A.’s Early Moods with their debut in 2022, carrying on the proto-metal era of early Sabbath and the more swinging, up tempo sides of Pentagram, Trouble and The Obsessed that you don’t often hear in modern doom metal. On their sophomore album, Early Moods includes some traditional doom along the lines of Candlemass, but the plodding rhythms are injected more often than not with a NWOBHM twin guitar gallop and Uli Roth era Scorpions. An excellent followup to a cracking debut and a hopeful sign of potential longevity, though it’ll be hard to match the likes of The Obsessed, who just released a new album 48 years into their career.

Elephant Stone – Back Into Dream (Elephants On Parade)

Montreal psych pop band Elephant Stone made Fester’s Lucky 13 for the first time with their fifth album, Hollow (2020), a brilliant psych prog sci fi concept album that was massively underrated by everyone else. On their sixth, they pull back from space operas and provide a masterclass on what they’ve done extremely well all along, catchy psych pop. There’s a bit more of a rocking power pop element that fits well with the band’s repertoire. “Going Underground” has a touch of garagey grime, but with more hooks than the likes of Sloan would know what to do with. “bae” and “Godstar” insert some mood and texture with gauzy dream pop and raga rock, respectively, leading up the the album’s big centerpiece, the 7:37 “The Imajinary, Nameless Everybody in the World,” the main track that calls back to the psych prog ambitions of Hollow. It crunches, soars and swirls. This is the band at the top of their game. “Pilgrimage” is floating ambient pop complimented by ethereal saxophone, and “On Our Own” swings back to power pop with Byrds-via-Big Star/Teenage Fanclub vocal harmonies. “Another Year Gone” is a melodic stunner, and incredibly brief at 1:44, ending the album, leaving us wanting more. Fortunately there’s a slew of EPs and singles available on their Bandcamp page to dig into.

Slift – Ilion (Sub Pop)

It’s gratifying to see Slift’s space rock cross over to relatively wide popularity. The psych band from Toulouse, France really connected on their second album, Ummon (2020), and after blowing people’s faces off on stages around the world, they noticed how the heaviest material really connected live. They followed the natural course of recording their heaviest album yet for their third full length, venturing into stoner metal territory, as well as psych prog, kosmische and avant-jazz elements that would appeal to fans of the heavier end of Motorpsycho and Elder. The Cthulhu style monsters on the cover, the 79 minute run time, a Homeric storyline about (of course) “the fall of humanity and the rebirth of all things in time and space,” this is maximalist all the way, with no risk of fans feeling unsatisfied. As others have suggested, a ten hour Hyperion (Dan Simons) series by Denis Villeneuve (Dune) soundtracked by Slift would be a fine thing indeed.

Lucifer – Lucifer V (Nuclear Blast)

While I’ve been a fan of both Maggot Heart and Lucifer after Linnéa Olsson and Joanna Sardonis parted ways after The Oath, a part of me felt that they were better together. In Joanna’s efforts to avoid leaning on any obvious influences, their brand of hard rock and psych noir could get a a little flat. However on their fifth album, the band is finally embracing some classic 80s heavy metal, as well as some AOR friendly hooks that make this feel like in some alternative post-70s timeline, this would be a chart-topping party album loaded with hits. Nicke Anderson sounds like he’s saving all his best riffs since The Hellacopters’ High Visibility (2000) for this album, and having some evil fun, whether on drum or guitar duties. There’s at least two guitarists at any given time, including Linus Björklund from VOJD. If there’s ever some triple guitar action, there’s certainly plenty of tasty licks for everyone.

Transit Method – Othervoid (Brutal Panda)

From the cover art you’d think the fifth album from Austin’s Transit Method was a progressive death metal album. The fact that they actually have roots in both grunge and prog (think Skin Yard, Love Battery, The Fluid and mid-period Die Kreuzen mixed with the proggy alt rock of locals …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead) appeals to me a lot because while I like 70s prog, I just can’t get past the slick production of most modern prog and prog metal. But bands that rough it up with a bit of greasy garage punk, and grunge, like The Fierce & the Dead, Crown Lands and Mondo Drag, and I’m all in. While the production has gotten incrementally cleaner and more accomplished on The Madness (2020) and this one, the prog metal retains just enough grungy flavor to keep them from sounding like hundreds of other stoner metal/heavy psych bands lumbering about the rock landscape.

Levitation Room – Strange Weather (Reverberation Appreciation Society)

Los Angeles psych pop band Levitation Room released two exceptional albums and an EP from 2015-19, but didn’t quite get the attention they merited. Perhaps the familiar sounding psychedelic production made it a challenge to stand out, which is why, after a five year absence, their third album focuses more on the songwriting, aiming for laidback but sticky pop melodies with fairly simple, clean production. Along with the quality songwriting, their musicianship has become more notable, the rhythm section achieving Wrecking Crew levels of jazz-funk nimbleness. The riff on “Scene for an Exit” has been haunting me all month, as it reminds me of some 70s soul classic that I can’t put my finger on. Or maybe it just sounds like it should have been a classic. They bring to mind another underrated psych band, the Netherlands’ The Sonic Dawn. This sounds like what Kevin Parker was aiming for on Tame Impala’s The Slow Rush (2020) but got bogged down with synth oversaturation. Musicians should hear this and take note of how it’s done right.

The Galileo 7 – You, Me, and Reality (Damaged Goods)

One of the best 21st century British garage psych bands thankfully have remained busy since their fifth album of originals, There Is Only Now (2019). 2020 was a wash for a lot of bands, but The Galileo 7 served up a platter of comfort food in the form of the massively entertaining covers album, Decayed (2020). Along with the unsurprising but outstanding covers of The Who, Pink Floyd, Michael Nesmith/The Monkees, Paul Revere & the Raiders, they reveal more expansive tastes with a lesser known early Terry Reid song, L.A. power pop (The Nerves), feminist punk (X-Ray Spex) and Liverpool psychedelic post-punk (The Soft Boys, Julian Cope). Then they covered themselves, re-recording songs from Staring at the Sound (2012) on Listening to the Colours EP (2021), because why not, might as well fine tune great songs with even better performances while the band is dialed in. That remains the case with their sixth full-length of fresh originals which keeps up Allan Crockford’s songwriting chops. Not bad for a bloke who served time in the Medway garage scene for over a couple decades before becoming a full-blown bandleader. All four members (Allan, Viv Bonsels, Mole, Paul Moss) contribute vocals, and they really have the harmonies down, sounding effortless. Plenty of bands can attest that’s no easy feat. While the band have roots in psych pop, garage, punk and power pop from the sixties through eighties, don’t be too quick to dismiss them as throwbacks. I check out a vast chunk of new releases and the territory most of the currently fashionable singer-songwriters, folk, pop and country artists occupy is actually much, much older than the rock ‘n’ roll found here. It’s just that most are following current production trends of autotune and click tracks that are difficult to listen to more than a few songs at a time because they’re alienating. Thank the gods/alien overlords for bands like The Galileo 7 to keep me sane. | Buy

The Obsessed – Gilded Sorrow (Ripple)

There may no be a doll available yet, but eleven years after I wrote I Want a Wino Doll, Scott “Wino” Weinrich’s legacy as modern rock ‘n’ roll legend is secure. Despite about half of his best work being released in the 21st century (The Hidden Hand, A Place of Skulls, Shrinebuilder, Premonition 13, Saint Vitus, solo albums, the last two Obsessed albums), he is firmly a boomer, born in 1960. Which makes it all the more remarkable that his music has remained as fresh and vital as it is. Many have compared him to a certain Ian Fraser Kilmister, and if you look at where Lemmy was at with Motörhead at the same age, it was between Motörizer (2008) and The World is Yours (2010), representing a gradual decline from the late career peak of Inferno (2004). No decline is apparent here. Wino’s underrated ability to come up with choice riffs is unabated, and the album is masterfully sequenced with an engaging variety of pacing and textures, from pounding rockers with satisfyingly crunchy chugs (“Daughter of an Echo,”), a complex polyrhythmic showcase Soundgarden’s Matt Cameron would die for (“It’s Not OK,”), moody atmospherics, and flat out face-smashing doom (“Stoned Back to the Bomb Age”). “Wellspring – Dark Sunshine” is a highlight, evoking the feel of the band’s early days, while “Jailine” is a bit of an outlier with a nearly poppy chorus that may connect with newbies, while older fans give it the side-eye. “Yen Sleep” is just under five minutes but feels like an epic with a story to tell. It’ll take some time to determine where it fits in the Winography, but it’s worth mentioning that this is probably the best sounding Obsessed album so far.

I Am the Intimidator – I Am the Intimidator (Miserable Pyre)

This quirky concept focuses on a fantasy based on the final days of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt’s life. Barely album length at 30:42, it’s a fairly scruffy sounding heavy metal album created by one-man band, Portland’s Andrew Stromstad that draws from the “athletic rock” of NWOBHM era Raven, mid-80s speed metal and power metal via fellow northwest heroes Metal Church. What makes it so addictive is that it’s got riffs for days, or at least 200 laps.

And Also The Trees – Mother-of-Pearl Moon (Border)

Despite their self-titled debut in 1984 being produced by The Cure’s Lol Tolhurst, And Also The Trees have remained a cult band. Their post-punk/goth sound over the years evolved into a brooding, dark cabaret tinged pastoral folk and art rock, with Simon Huw Jones’ baritone high in the mix, a direction often shared with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, exemplified by (Listen For) The Rag and Bone Man (2007). The distinctions between the subsequent five albums released since then are subtle, with every album hitting it’s aesthetic mark. Their latest may be their most subdued outing in a while, but those with patience will be rewarded with some top notch grown ass mood music, infused with the ambient beauty of Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis or David Sylvian.

IDLES – TANGK (Partisan)

When Bristol based IDLES debuted with a bracingly fresh take on post-hardcore, post-punk and noise rock on their debut Brutalism (2017), they filled a niche that could have been a comfortable enough place to remain in. They weren’t satisfied to do so, and pushed themselves to experiment on their last two albums with varying results. Their fifth album continues with the eclectic experiments in art punk, even delving into some dance rhythms. But while it’s their most diverse sounding album, it feels more cohesive and complete than the previous two, perhaps thanks partially to producer Nigel Godrich. Joe Talbot’s songwriting is also coming along well, as he ages into a more well rounded storyteller, his outrage balanced by self-examination.

The Hanging Stars – On A Golden Shore (Loose)

Those looking for Cosmic Americana along the lines of The Jayhawks will find some in our backyard like Color Green, Gold Dust and Rose City Band, but interestingly will have just as much luck looking outside of America in Norway (Sugarfoot), Germany (Fooks Nihil) and the UK (The Hanging Stars). Like their last album Hollow Heart (2022), their fifth was recorded at Edwyn Collins‘ (Orange Juice) Clashnarrow Studios in Scotland. Assisted by Joe Harvey-Whyte on pedal steel, the band recorded it mostly live on first takes. The atmosphere is darker, with a less sunkissed summer vibe than the previous album. The band described it as a “baggy Balearic country album” which sounds tongue in cheek to me. The additional jangle brings to mind Teenage Fanclub to my ears, which goes down smooth and easy, but has enough variety to keep you engaged with close, detailed listens, including Easter eggs like a Tom Verlaine tribute, pan pipes from Circulus’s Will Summers and the Beatlesque horn-adorned “Heart in a Box.” If they can arrange something like that on the fly, the band seems capable of something even more ambitious in the future.

Sprints – Letter to Self (City Slang)
Dublin, Ireland’s Sprints had their sound nailed down within a year of forming in 2019 with their singles “The Cheek” and “Kissing Practice.” Lead vocalist Karla Chubb could belt out some tuneless yet involving chants over the band’s prickly hybrid of garage punk, noise rock and post-punk. A good punk vocalist who can rant and scream can certainly earn respect in the underground scene. But it would help to be able to sing. On “Ashley,” the closing track of the Manifesto EP (2021), she demonstrated that she can indeed spin a tune. She withholds that ability on A Modern Job EP (2022), opting for conversational chatting and shouting, only fleetingly brushing against melody in the chorus of “Little Fix,” but at least the songs were great. Their debut album summarizes their past strengths, and reveals a fleeting peek at what could be a brilliant future on “Literary Mind,” while subtly expanding sonic territories on tracks like “Shaking Their Hands.” A promising debut.

Haunt – Dreamers (Church)
“Before thee Earthe expires, thou shalt create seven albums in seven years.” That’s what I imagine Trevor William Church’s dreams are like. Counting re-recordings of EPs and acoustic sets, this could be his tenth Haunt album, so he’s ahead of schedule. With that much material that doesn’t sound obviously different from one album to the next, it usually takes a few repeat listens for the standouts to emerge, like “Steel Mountains.” One exception is “Send Me an Angel,” which sounds like it could be a lost AOR hit from 1983. The simplicity of the chorus really drills into the brain, which, like much AOR, isn’t always a good thing. But the title track and closing two songs “One Chance” and “Visions” bring back some complexity while keeping the sticky hooks coming.

Charles Moothart – Black Holes Don’t Choke (In The Red)
This multi-instrumentalist has played bass, drums and guitar for Ty Segal’s band, Fuzz and GØGGS, and released three solo albums from 2016-19 as CFM. Switching to just his name on his fourth, he adds sequencers, but they hardly interfere with the grimy quality of his garage psych, which take the kind of otherworldly sci-fi quality of Chrome, suggesting cyborgs gone bananas. As they’re meant to be “love songs for the apocalypse,” I suppose it’s more enslavement to cyborgs for survival. It’s at least heartening to hear that despite the exaggerated claims of the death of rock, there’s still time for riffs and fuzz pedals in the apocalypse.

Smalltown Tigers – Crush On You (Area Pirata)
This garage punk band from Italy released their debut Five Things EP in 2020, and finally have a full length out four years later. While the sound is clearer and the band is tighter, it’s still satisfyingly rough and raw, with vocalist Monty sounding like an even raspier Joan Jett or Donita Sparks (L7). While a couple songs like “Maybe” and “In A Dream (With A Fool Like You)” are melodic bordering on power pop, others consist of terse bellows along the lines of Aussies Cosmic Psychos. The albums gives me the feeling they would still be a blast in a small bar, still with the giddy energy that a young band exudes when they just started getting good.

His Lordship – His Lordship (Psychonaut Sounds)
Despite the fact that this duo are experienced hired hand musicians, working with the likes of The Pogues and The Pretenders, their sound is more raw than the first White Stripes album. I’m talking the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Crypt Style (1992) level of grime and looseness. Their first record, His Lordship Play Rock’N’Roll: Volume One [EP], was live takes of rockabilly classics like “Red Hot” and “The Way I Walk.” Their debut album focuses on originals that show their punk influences along with 50’s rock ‘n’ roll, surf and even some noise rock. The opening riff of “Joyboy” quotes the classic riff from Suicide’s “Ghost Rider,” and most of the songs are quality rippers, especially “Buzzkill,” “Jackie Works For the NHS” and “I Live in the City.” At just over 30 minutes, it’s over before you want it to be. Are they allowed to call that length an album still?

Traveler – Prequel to Madness (No Remorse)
The third release from Canadian heavy/power metal band Traveler was an unexpected treat. I’ll be seeing them in a couple weeks at Hell’s Heroes VI in Houston, so it’ll be cool to hear this live when it’s fresh in my brain. After recording a great Diamond Head cover (“Am I Evil”) during the pandemic, they honed their speedy chops into something more than just a NWOBHM tribute, incorporating speed metal influences like Liege Lord and fellow Canadians Exciter.

Judas Priest – Invincible Shield (Epic)
Okay, Firepower (2018) was pretty great, but I kind of forgot about it, and sort of expected something like the quality of Nostradamus (2008) or Redeemer of Souls (2014). Well damn, this surprised me by being really great, chock full of riffs, barely any dud tracks, and Rob Halford, aka the Metal God, sounding as great as he ever has. How is that possible? The dude is 73, he couldn’t possibly hit those high notes without technological help. Perhaps he did have help, but to their credit, I can’t tell, unlike more obviously autotuned vocals from, for example, Ozzy.

Mean Mistreater – Razor Wire
Pretty amazing debut from local Austin heavy metal band, considering the fact that they just formed last year. Janiece Gonzalez has the kind of powerhouse vocals I dig, along the lines of Sarabeth Linden from Tower. They cite Chastain, Warlock and W.A.S.P. as influences, but have a more nimble, sharp energy than any of those bands. I look forward to seeing them live soon.

Black Bombers – Viva La Revolucion (Easy Action)
For a “newish” band (8 years since debut still qualifies a band as young because time is compressing, send help), Black Bombers are made up of a bunch of grizzled road dogs with roots in punk and garage bands like Nikki Sudden, The Prefects, UK Subs, The Godfathers and many more. For me they recall the somewhat menacing garage noir of early Godfathers, along with the thuggish choogle of Screaming Blue Messiahs. Stooges, New York Dolls, Stranglers, Radio Birdman, the influences lurk in each tune like ghosts (or corpses), but these are tickling my pleasure centers. The scruffy take on Bowie’s “Boys Keep Swinging” is a surprising treat too. Nine times out of ten, material from such a project is utterly forgettable, but this one has it’s hooks in me and is clawing it’s way up the list.

Real Estate – Daniel (Domino) 
After getting lost in the weeds a bit messing with modern production trends on The Main Thing (2020), Martin Courtney returns to what he does best on Real Estate’s sixth album – indie pop with lots of jangle and a bit of surf.

Amiture – Mother Engine (Dots Per Inch)
This NYC duo imagines a fusion of post-punk and trip hop, with post-industrial traces of noise rock circa 1994. Except there was nothing quite like this then. Better late than never.

Modern Stars – Termination (Little Cloud)
I just discovered this Italian kosmische psych band last year with Space Trips for the Masses (2022). Their fourth album shows continued progress toward a perfect constellation of celestial beauty.

Ty Segall – Three Bells (Drag City)
The danger of being as prolific as Ty Segall (this is around his 27th album, not counting all his side projects), is some of his audience might just give up on listening to new material. I haven’t returned to any of his albums since Freedom’s Goblin (2018), because they’re inessential. So it’s nice to hear him sounding more fresh and inspired in a while, touching on Queens of the Stone Age type stoner robo rock, and even even some Radiohead.

Winter Rundown

1. Ducks Ltd. – Harm’s Way (Carpark) | Feb 09 | Canada | Bandcamp
2. The Narcotix – Dying (Narcotix) | Mar 01 | USA | Bandcamp
3. And Also The Trees – Mother-of-Pearl Moon (Border) | Feb 23 | UK | Bandcamp
4. The Blinders – Beholder (Universal) | Mar 01 | UK | Buy
5. Meatbodies – Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom (In The Red) | Mar 08 | USA | Bandcamp
6. Early Moods – A Sinner’s Past (RidingEasy) | Mar 08 | USA | Bandcamp
7. Slift – Ilion (Sub Pop) | Jan 19 | France | Bandcamp
8. The Smile – Wall of Eyes (XL) | Jan 26 | UK | Bandcamp
9. Transit Method – Othervoid (Brutal Panda) | Feb 02 | USA | Bandcamp
10. Levitation Room – Strange Weather (Reverberation Appreciation Society) | Feb 16 | USA | Buy
11. Lucifer – Lucifer V (Nuclear Blast) | Jan 26 | Sweden | Bandcamp
12. Elephant Stone – Back Into Dream (Elephants On Parade) | Feb 23 | Canada | Bandcamp
13. MOOON – III (Excelsior) | Feb 23 | Netherlands | Bandcamp
14. Judas Priest – Invincible Shield (Epic) | Mar 08 | UK | Bandcamp
15. Hands Of Goro – Hands of Goro (Nameless Grave) | Mar 01 | USA | Bandcamp
16. Sprints – Letter to Self (City Slang) | Jan 05 | Ireland | Bandcamp
17. Whitelands – Night-Bound Eyes Are Blind to the Day (Sonic Cathedral) | Feb 23 | UK | Bandcamp
18. Plantoid – Terrapath (Bella Union) | Feb 02 | UK | Bandcamp
19. Erotic Secrets of Pompeii – Mondo Maleficum (Deaf Endling Collective) | Jan 25 | UK | Bandcamp
20. The BV’s – Taking Pictures of Taking Pictures (Shelflife) | Feb 16 | UK | Bandcamp
21. The Galileo 7 – You, Me and Reality (Damaged Goods) | Mar 01 | UK | Bandcamp
22. Mr Bison – Echoes From the Universe (Heavy Psych) | Feb 16 | Italy | Bandcamp
23. Chelsea Wolfe – She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She (Gine) | Feb 09 | USA | Bandcamp
24. The Amazing – Piggies (Fashionpolice) | Feb 01 | Sweden | Bandcamp
25. The Obsessed – Gilded Sorrow (Ripple) | Feb 16 | USA | Bandcamp
26. Mean Mistreater – Razor Wire (Mean Mistreator) | Feb 02 | USA | Bandcamp
27. Writhen Hilt – Ancient Sword Cult EP (Jawbreaker) | Feb 23 | Germany | Bandcamp
28. Omni – Souvenir (Sub Pop) | Feb 16 | USA | Bandcamp
29. IDLES – Tangk (Partisan) | Feb 16 | UK | Bandcamp
30. The Maureens – Everyone Smiles (Meritorio) | Jan 19 | Netherlands | Bandcamp
31. Mary Timony – Untame the Tiger (Merge) | Feb 23 | USA | Bandcamp
32. J. Robbins – Basilisk (Dischord) | Feb 02 | USA | Bandcamp
33. Ty Segall – Three Bells (Drag City) | Jan 26 | USA | Bandcamp
34. Traveler – Prequel to Madness (No Remorse) | Feb 23 | Canada | Bandcamp
35. The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy (Universal) | Feb 02 | UK | Buy
36. JB Nelson – Body Bags Clapping (Cheap Wine) | Feb 19 | UK | Bandcamp
37. Kim Gordon – The Collective (Matador) | Mar 08 | USA | Bandcamp
38. His Lordship – His Lordship (Psychonaut Sounds) | Jan 26 | UK | Buy
39. Nadine Shah – Filthy Underneath (EMI North) | Feb 23 | UK | Buy
40. Shadow Show – Fantasy Now! (Stolen Body) | Feb 16 | USA | Bandcamp
41. Bingo Fury – Bats Feet for a Widow (The State51 Conspiracy) | Feb 16 | UK | Bandcamp
42. Glass Beach – Plastic Death (Run For Cover) | Jan 19 | USA | Bandcamp
43. Charles Moothart – Black Holes Don’t Choke (In The Red) | Mar 08 | USA | Bandcamp
44. Slimelord – Chytridiomycosis Relinquished (20 Buck Spin) | Mar 08 | UK | Bandcamp
45. Sovereign – Altered Realities (Dark Descent) | Jan 19 | Norway | Bandcamp
46. Dissimulator – Lower Form Resistance (20 Buck Spin) | Jan 26 | Canada | Bandcamp
47. Cave Sermon – Divine Laughter (Cave Sermon) | Jan 18 | Australia | Bandcamp
48. Job For A Cowboy – Moon Healer (Metal Blade) | Feb 23 | USA | Bandcamp
49. Sean Ono Lennon – Asterisms (Tzadik) | Feb 16 | USA
50. Brittany Howard – What Now (Island) | Feb 09 | USA | Bandcamp
51. Haunt – Dreamers (Church) | Mar 01 | USA | Bandcamp
52. The Hanging Stars – On A Golden Shore (Loose) | Mar 08 | UK | Bandcamp
53. MesaVerde – All is Well (Apollon) | Jan 19 | Norway | Bandcamp
54. Amiture – Mother Engine (Dots Per Inch) | Feb 09 | USA | Bandcamp
55. Modern Stars – Termination (Little Cloud) | Mar 01 | Italy | Bandcamp
56. Suldusk – Anthesis (Napalm) | Mar 01 | Australia | Bandcamp
57. Black Bombers – Vive La Revolution (Easy Action) | Jan 19 | UK | Buy
58. Smalltown Tigers – Crush On You (Area Pirata) | Feb 09 | Italy | Bandcamp
59. I Am the Intimidator – I Am the Intimidator (Miserable Pyre) | Mar 08 | USA | Bandcamp
60. TTSSFU – Me, Jed and Andy EP (Fear of Missing Out) | Feb 23 | UK | Bandcamp
61. Borknagar – Fall (Century Media) | Feb 23 | Norway | Bandcamp
62. Chapel Of Disease – Echoes of Light (Van) | Feb 09 | Germany | Bandcamp
63. Crippling Alcoholism – With Love From a Padded Room (Fisher King) | Feb 21 | USA | Bandcamp
64. Caligula’s Horse – Charcoal Grace (InsideOut) | Jan 26 | Australia | Bandcamp
65. Twin Tribes – Pendulum (BDM) | Jan 26 | USA | Bandcamp
66. Ghost Funk Orchestra – A Trip to the Moon (Karma Chief) | Feb 23 | USA | Bandcamp
67. Spectral Voice – Sparagmos (Dark Descent) | Feb 09 | USA | Bandcamp
68. Counting Hours – The Wishing Tomb (Ardue) | Feb 23 | Finland | Bandcamp
69. Split System – Vol. 2 (Drunken Sailor) | Feb 09 | Australia | Bandcamp
70. Rick N The Sickos – RNTS (Bargain Bin) | Jan 26 | Australia | Bandcamp
71. Sentry – Sentry (High Roller) | Mar 01 | USA | Bandcamp
72. The Chisel – What a Fucking Nightmare (Pure Noise) | Feb 09 | UK | Bandcamp
73. Yard Act – Where’s My Utopia? (Republic) | Mar 01 | UK | Buy
74. Real Estate – Daniel (Domino) | Feb 23 | USA | Bandcamp
75. Slope – Freak Dreams (Century Media) | Feb 02 | Germany | Bandcamp
76. William Doyle – Springs Eternal (Tough Love) | Feb 12 | UK | Bandcamp
77. Rafael Toral – Spectral Evolution (Drag City) | Feb 23 | Portugal | Bandcamp
78. J Mascis – What Do We Do Now (Sub Pop) | Feb 02 | USA | Bandcamp
79. NewDad – Madra (Fair Youth) | Jan 26 | Ireland
80. Topographies – Interior Spring (Dark Entries) | Feb 02 | USA | Bandcamp
81. Saxon – Hell, Fire and Damnation (Silver Lining) | Jan 19 | Germany
82. Grey Delisle – Driftless Girl (Hummingbird) | Feb 27 | USA
83. Liam Bailey – Zero Grace (Big Crown) | Feb 23 | UK | Bandcamp
84. Caroline Rose – Year of the Slug (Carolina Rose) | Feb 07 | USA | Bandcamp
85. Bill Ryder-Jones – Iechyd da (Domino) | Jan 12 | UK | Bandcamp
86. Anja Huwe – Codes (Sacred Bones) | Mar 08 | Germany | Bandcamp
87. Sea Dramas – Escape Scenes (Royal Oakie) | Feb 02 | USA | Bandcamp
88. Misty Lanes – Colourless Green Ideas (Third Eye Stimuli) | Mar 08 | Australia | Bandcamp
89. Læticia Sadier – Rooting for Love (Drag City) | Feb 23 | France | Bandcamp
90. Royel Otis – Pratts & Pain (Ourness Pty) | Feb 16 | Australia | Bandcamp
91. Spirit Adrift – Hot & Heavy: Live in Tejas (Century Media) | Feb 02 | USA | Bandcamp
92. Horse Lords – As It Happened: Horse Lords Live (RVNG) | Mar 01 | USA | Bandcamp
93. Drunk Mums – Beer Baby (Drunk Mums) | Mar 07 | Australia | Bandcamp
94. Iron Curtain – Savage Dawn (Dying Victims) | Feb 23 | Spain | Bandcamp
95. Grande Mahogany – As Grande As (Laundry) | Feb 09 | Finland | Bandcamp
96. samirc – A Lovely Sinner (Starrcade) | Mar 08 | Brazil | Bandcamp
97. Hurray For The Riff Raff – The Past is Still Alive (Nonesuch) | Feb 23 | USA | Bandcamp
98. Ihsahn – Ihsahn (Candlelight) | Feb 16 | Norway
99. Pylon Reenactment Society – Magnet Factory (Strolling Bones) | Feb 09 | USA | Bandcamp
100. Hulder – Verses in Oath (20 Buck Spin) | Feb 09 | USA | Bandcamp

Other

Stuff

April 13, 2026

Spirit Adrift – Infinite Illumination (20 Buck Spin)

Truckfighters – Masterflow (Fuzzorama)

April 6, 2026

The Big Wave: Brigitte Calls Me Baby, Cardinals, The Twilight Sad, Bad//Dreems