I've been a music fan since my parents gave me a record player for Christmas when I was still in grade school. The first record I remember owning was "Sesame Street Disco." I've been a professional writer since 2004, but writing long before that. My first published work was in a middle school literary magazine and was a story about a zoo in which the animals could talk.
This is always a tough decision, although my number one album of each year tends to arrive early and not leave. This trend continued in 2025.
#5: Sextile – yes, please.
Thrilling electro, sexy bass, erotic lyrics, club bangers, provocative cover, you name it, this album has all of it. It shot up into my top ten of the year as soon as I heard it and was one of the hottest records of 2025.
#4: Lonnie Holley – Tonky
Beautiful, soulful, and powerful, Tonky has soul legend Lonnie Holley encouraging us to all come together in turbulent times, “protest with love,” and embrace our neighbors. This is an album that rings true in any year, but we needed it in 2025.
#3: No Joy – Bugland
I hadn’t heard anything from No Joy in a while, so it was great to hear from them again and with such a good record. It mixes shoegaze with psych and pays tribute to the healing properties of nature and presence. I didn’t realize how much I missed No Joy until hearing this.
#2: DITZ – Never Exhale
These fiery post-punk Brits seemed to come out of nowhere (to this Yank, at least) and unleashed one of the loudest, wildest records of the year. The album is about anxiety and panic, but it never goes completely off the rails. It keeps you on the edge of your seat or helps you burn off aggression, depending on which track you blast.
As soon as I saw that album cover, I knew Death Hilarious was going to be a monster of a record. My gut was right. This is another heavy stunner from Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs in a line of material that has yet to miss. The topics of loss (friends, creative energy, relationships) and satire are biting and empowering. You’ll growl, stomp, and roar along with this record. You’ll laugh at the absurdity of our times with it, and then dive into the mosh pit with glee.
There’s already a lot of good stuff lined up for 2026. Let me know what you’re looking forward to the most!
“The songs on this album were driven by the desire to come back from a complete mental breakdown.”
That’s a quote from Tombstones in Their Eyes‘ guitarist and vocalist John Treanor in the notes sent to me along with their newest album, Under Dark Skies. The opening riff of the title track blasts you with power and then Treanor’s lyrics like “Give me hope because I can’t find it. Give me truth so that I can deny it.” hit even harder.
“You Never Have to Love Me” is a plea for intimacy during a time when true connection is cast aside for digital, ephemeral feelings. “The Beginning” is a big, bold instrumental track with subtly groovy drumming by Stephen Striegel. “Sick So Sick” is a great title to sum up how tired everyone is of everything right now.
“Alive and Well,” on of the singles from Under Dark Skies, almost didn’t make the cut because one of the band’s guitarists, Paul Boutin, who played on it and other tracks, died from cancer in October 2025. TITE initially were not going to release it as a single, but remembered it was one of Boutin’s favorites and the lyrics about resiliency and moving forward instead of getting stuck carried even more meaning after his death. It’s a solid track, with Boutin’s guitar work shining throughout it.
The heavy psychedelic guitars on “I’m So Happy Today” and the slight eye-roll to the vocals add a bit of sarcastic dark humor to the record. You’re never quite sure if Treanor and co-vocalists Courtney Davies and Clea Cullen ever really mean it. “I See You Looking Out My Door” instantly reminded me of some of The Smithereens‘ heavier tracks. The guitar riffs are a nice blend of psych-rock and garage-rock.
“I’ve been avoiding myself for too long,” Treanor sings at the beginning of “You Can Run.” You can run from what’s bringing you grief, stress, misery, or even just exhaustion, but you won’t get far for long. You have to be present with it. It’s the only way to “find a way out,” as Treanor says.
“Better Somehow” is a twisting, winding track that feels like incense smoke coming from a sound booth at the back of a small rock venue while TITE blast you from the stage with waves of sound. The album ends with a heavy one – “Take Another Piece of Me.” Nic Nifoussi‘s bass growls and prowls around like a dangerous wolf as Paul Roessler‘s keyboards add almost a gothic-gospel sound to it.
It’s another good record from TITE, and I’m intrigued by the second album in a row with a nautical-themed cover (Asylum Harbour being the first). The band went through rough seas in the last couple years to be certain and Under Dark Skies helps them, and us, navigate them.
So…many…concerts. They’re my favorite way to spend my paychecks, really. Which were among the top ten I saw last year? Read on, my friend.
#10: Frankie and The Witch Fingers – September 28, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX
FATW never disappoint live. This set at Levitation Austin felt like they were playing in a hurry in the best possible way. They wasted no time on the stage and had the whole place going bonkers the entire time.
#9: Kadavar – June 27, 2025 – Levitation France – Angers, France
I hadn’t seen Kadavar since they played at the first Austin Psych Fest I attended back in 2013. They even mentioned how they hadn’t played a Levitation festival since then. They sounded great and played a great showcase of their evolving sounds from doom metal to psych-rock.
#8: The Limiñanas – June 28, 2025 – Levitation France – Angers, France
Speaking of great shows in France, seeing The Limiñanas on their home turf was the top priority for me at Levitation France last year. It was a great set that even included a cover of The Cramps’ “TV Set.” I still don’t know why they didn’t close the night and the festival. That honor went to Boy Harsher, who did a fine job, but The Limiñanas were a tough act to follow.
#7: Castle Rat – September 26, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX
If you’re looking for a band to open your festival, you can’t do much better than Castle Rat because they set such a high bar on Day One of Levitation Austin that all the other bands that day were scrambling to catch up to them. The set included a swordfight with the Grim Reaper, a resurrection performed by a Plague Doctor (the bassist), and an eternal quest to keep a book of souls from an evil wizard. The line at their merch booth was at least twenty minutes long for several hours afterwards.
#6: Viagra Boys – September 17, 2025 – The Salt Shed – Chicago, IL
The last time I saw Viagra Boys at the Salt Shed, it was at a sold-out show inside the main building. This time it was a sold-out show on the exterior stage and it was just as bonkers. People in shrimp costumes, custom Shrimptech jackets, and wiener dog shirts were everywhere. They sounded wild and weird, which is exactly what you want from them.
Who’s in the top five? Two longtime favorites, a reunion tour I almost didn’t get to see, and two bands I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see live. Come back tomorrow!
Here we are at the top ten albums I reviewed last year. The choices get tougher as the numbers get lower. Let’s get to it.
#10: The Limiñanas – Faded
A salute to forgotten models, actresses, singers, and to lost friends, Faded is another solid album from the French psych-rock duo. It has all the elements you want from The Limiñanas – wild guitars, heartbeat drums, smoky vocals, and a sense that they’re re-creating something you’ve forgotten.
#9: Blackwater Holylight – If You Only Knew
It was great to get a new recording from Blackwater Holylight last year (and a new full-length album is already on the way), and If You Only Knew marked a turn toward shoegaze for them. I’m all for it. The heavy guitars and deep, often sad lyrics are still there. Perhaps doom-gaze is a better description of it. Then again, why bother describing it? Just let overwhelm you.
#8: Frankie and The Witch Fingers – Live at KEXP
I’ve been waiting for a live Frankie and The Witch Fingers album for a little while, and this recording of a raw, raucous show for KEXP didn’t disappoint. It’s difficult to capture their live show energy, but they did it. The fact that they open the show with “Brain Telephone” (an oldie) makes it even better.
#7: Roi Turbo – Bazooka EP
This, simply put, is the best house music record I heard all last year. It makes you crave a longer record. These guys are having a lot of fun and thankfully they invited us to the party.
#6: Joe Alterman & Mocean Worker – Keep the Line Open
This jazz-funk-trip-hop record is a delight from start to finish as pianist Joe Alterman and producer / DJ Mocean Worker pay tribute to funky legend Les McCann. Every song is highly danceable and will brighten any time of day.
Up next, the top five, which includes two welcome returns, another legend, electro upstarts, and brash post-punks!
Coming back with their first new music since 1999, Lowsunday bring you a lot of heavy shoegaze riffs, post-punk bass, and psychedelic reverb on their Low Sunday Ghost Machine – White EP.
“Nevver” (Or is it “Newer?”) has lead vocalist Shane Sahene musing over how apathy has overcome him (“I used to care too much. Now I can’t care less.”) while Bobby Spell‘s near-disco bass line rumbles around him. “Call Silence” is a slick track of gothic shoegaze about missing a loved one after a breakup or a death when you realize they’re no longer going to answer your call.
On “Soft Capture,” Sahene realizes he’s the problem with lyrics like “I wish I believed you and I weren’t sick of me.” The Joy Division influence on the track is evident with its thick bass, spacey guitars, and distant vocals. “You Lost Yourself” reminds me a bit of early stuff from A Place to Bury Strangers, and has sharp lyrics about games played in relationships like “Some pretend to love while others love to pretend.” The bass and drums work especially well together on this track, too.
The EP closes with the sharp yet heavy “Love Language.” It could be a new darkwave smash. The wall of sound it creates is impressive and a bit intimidating, and Sahene’s hope that learning to love someone will at least slow down the pain inside him resonates with anyone who’s been lonely (AKA all of us).
It’s a good return for these chaps, and an EP that will help you drift into a different headspace for a little while.
Keep your mind open.
[You’ll be speaking my love language if you subscribe.]
Kicking off the new year, Puscifer release “ImpetuoUs,” a third and final preview of the band’s highly-anticipated album, Normal Isn’t, arriving Feb. 6 via Puscifer Entertainment/Alchemy Recordings/BMG.
“I’m looking forward to hearing where this song takes people,” Maynard James Keenan says. “As the writers, we forget that in a way, we are carpenters and that we’ve been with this song since it was a pile of lumber. Our Perspective may differ from the final occupant of this space we’ve constructed. Shelter, Bridge or Gallows, Coffin? Curious to find out.”
The accompanying visualizer offers a first look at the Puscifer comic book series, “Tales From The Pusciverse.” The debut issue spotlights the character Bellendia Black, originally introduced in the “Pendulum” video. Additional details about the series, launching in tandem with Normal Isn’t, will be announced soon.
Puscifer has previously released two tracks from the 11-song album: “Self Evident,” a song that Stereogum called “gnarly” while noting Keenan and Carina Round “operatically growl” on the four-minute outing, and “Pendulum,”a nod to the post-punk underground of the 1980s that Consequence said sounds like the “lovechild of Bauhaus and Sisters of Mercy.”
Written and recorded across Arizona, Los Angeles, and on the road during last year’s Sessanta tour, the albumblends the dark electronics and sharp humor Puscifer is known for with a more spontaneous creative process. “From the outset, we had discussed an element of rawness and edge, which guitar brings,” shares Mat Mitchell, who co-produced the album. “We got rid of the guard rails and made the music more aggressive.”
“Normal Isn’t reflects this time we are living in,” Keenan adds. “As storytellers and artists, our job is to observe, interpret, and report. We take in our environment and share what we see, and what we see around us does not appear normal. Not by a long shot.”
Album guests include Greg Edwards (bass), Gunnar Olsen (drums), and Sarah Jones (drums) with guests Tony Levin (bass on “Normal Isn’t” and “Seven One”), Danny Carey (drums on “Seven One”) and Mr. Ian Ross (father of Atticus Ross, who narrates “Seven One”).
Normal Isn’t is available now for pre-order and pre-saves (https://Puscifer.lnk.to/NormalIsnt), including multiple limited-edition vinyl variants: standard black, indie retail orange swirl, a Zia Records tan smoke exclusive, and a Puscifer.com-only black ice and clear with black splatter. The album is also available on CD, cassette, and digitally.
DEDSTRANGE’S NEWEST ADDITION TO THE DEDSTRANGE FAMILY, MEXICO’S NOISE ROCK TRIO, SUNSET IMAGES
RELEASES THEIR SECOND SINGLE, “EL TIEMPO OSCILA Y MUEREAL INCIO (TOMMY)”,OFF OF THEIR UPCOMING ALBUM ‘OSCILADOR’AND IT’S OUT NOW EVERYWHERE!!!
Sunset Images‘ “El Tiempo Oscila y Muere Al Inicio (Tommy)” is a sprawling, motorik dirge that explores humanity’s self-destruction. A bruised and distorted bassline throbs like a wounded soul, as hypnotic guitars swirl & feedback in the distance, conjuring visions of a world ravaged by toxic masculinity and patriarchy. This is a song about the abyss that awaits, how we cannot escape the passage of time & how it will ultimately consume us.
‘Oscilador’ is a sound reflection of the perpetual cycle that rules our world’s history: birth, decay, chaos and resolution. Fueled by the collision of fractured synths, pulsating vocals, primitive drum beats and feedback-drenched guitars, creating an aural landscape that’s both disorienting and irresistible. Get ready to be consumed by Mexico City’s Sunset Images’ latest pursuit of sonic resistance. An album that’s brutal, raw and honest, yet accessible, chaotic and beautiful, like the world itself.
“Oscilador” will be out January 23rd 2026 on Dedstrange, record label owned by the visionary mind of the band “A Place to Bury Strangers” and FX pedal company “Death By Audio”
Pre-Order the Limited Edition Pink Vinyl now at your favorite local record store.
Blackwater Holylight have forged a heavy presence in the Los Angeles underground, following a move from Portland, Oregon. On January 30, 2026, the dreamy hard rock trio will share the full-length Not Here Not Gonevia Suicide Squeeze Records. On the second single, “Involuntary Haze,” menacing riffs provide the bedrock to beguiling melodies; dense walls of shoegaze guitars pair with lighter-than-air synths; and heavy subject matter is delivered by siren song vocals.
On the track, lead-guitarist Mikayla Mayhew shares:“This song holds up a mirror to empty promises. Pretending there’s room for someone when your heart’s already full. It’s the moment you realize you’ve been fooled, not by anyone else, but by your own excuses.”
When the women of Blackwater Holylight left their hometown of Portland, OR three years ago, their mission was to escape the gloom of the Pacific Northwest and the placating comfort of familiarity. Aiming for the sunnier climes of LA, the band found themselves not only in a warmer environment, but in a blank slate landscape—one without jobs, longtime friend groups, and the easy retreat of old habits. And it was here, unencumbered by the contentment of security, that Blackwater Holylight began diligently working on their fourth full-length album,Not Here Not Gone.
As with their previous work, Not Here Not Gone explores the duality of light and dark—menacing riffs provide the bedrock to beguiling melodies; dense walls of shoegaze guitars pair with lighter-than-air synths; and heavy subject matter is delivered by siren song vocals. Across their work, the listener gets a sense of empowerment at one turn, vulnerability the next. As drummer Eliese Dorsay describes it, “some songs we’re the predator, and some songs we’re the prey.” The juxtaposition of confidence and uncertainty is never in as such stark relief as when one makes a life changing decision, which may explain how the band’s relocation intensified their study in contrasts to intoxicating new heights on Not Here Not Gone.
The title is the perfect description of the band’s adjustment. “It’s one foot in, one foot out,” vocalist and guitarist/bassist Sunny Faris explains. “It’s about how you can lose people in your life but still have their presence and energy around you.” And indeed, listening to Not Here Not Gone, you get the distinct sense that Blackwater Holylight dragged some of the Northwest gloom down into Southern California. The opening chords of “How Will You Feel” are drenched in the muddy weight of perpetually overcast skies. But a Jacob’s Ladder of light shines through the scuzzy guitars in the form of Faris’ lilting vocals and Sarah McKenna’s blissed-out ambient synth work, guiding the listener out of the mire and into the garden.
Even in their heaviest moments, like the sludgy psychedelia of “Bodies” and “Spades,” Blackwater Holylight masterfully sculpt the thunder and grime into something that feels transcendental. Lead single “Heavy, Why?” is perhaps the apex of the band’s masterful duality and an appropriately titled examination of the ensemble’s methods. Mikayla Mayhew’s low, dirge-like riff and Dorsay’s propulsive drums could easily find a home in the catalog of an amp-worshipping Roadburn act, but Faris’ fragile vocals transform the composition into a question, a pointed and probing examination that uses beauty and grace to offset the threatening instrumentation.
In one of the biggest stylistic shifts of the album, the instrumental track “Giraffe” churns out a hallucinatory blend of woozy keyboards and pulsating bass over a beat provided by David Andrew Sitek (TV on the Radio, Run the Jewels, Solange). The song serves as a dividing line of sorts, as Not Here Not Gone shifts gears into even more nuanced territories. The band asserts that the primary change to their music has been the addition of time. On previous albums, youthful urgency yielded material that felt immediate and direct. But on Not Here Not Gone, Blackwater Holylight deliberately slowed their creative pace. “If there were to be a theme to the album, it would be patience,” says Faris. “Some of these songs we’ve been working on for three years, just giving the songs time to breath and develop while we were exploring a new place and new lives.” It’s especially evident on the latter half of the album, where tracks like “Void to Be,” “Fade,” and “Mourning After” deliberately eschew the big riff in favor of fever dream melodies and layered instrumentation. But forever savoring the paradox, the album’s final track was composed just days before the band entered the studio. “Poppyfields” is a harrowing account of a friend losing their home in an LA wildfire, set against a backdrop of blast beats, double kick drum, symphonic synths, and black metal-inspired guitars. In what feels like a counterweight to the album’s general tilt towards less tormented territories, “Poppyfields” serves as a stark reminder that no paradise is permanent, and everything will be reborn through ashes.
Not Here Not Gone was recorded at Sonic Ranch outside of El Paso TX by Sonny Diperri (Narrow Head, DIIV, Emma Ruth Rundle), allowing the band to once again step outside of their comfort zone and isolate themselves in a place where they could focus exclusively on their art. The result is the crown jewel of Blackwater Holylight’s catalog—a rich and immersive study in tonal chiaroscuro, where light finds its way out of the shadows. Suicide Squeeze Records is proud to release Blackwater Holylight’s Not Here Not Gone to the world on Limited Edition Deluxe LP, standard LP, and CD on January 30, 2026.
UPCOMING 2026 LIVE DATES
2/13 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah 2/14 – Phoenix, AZ @ Last Exit 2/15 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister 2/17- Austin, TX @ Radio/East 2/18 – Houston, TX @ White Oak 2/19- New Orleans, LA @ No Dice 2/20 – Pensacola, FL @ Handlebar 2/21 – Atlanta, GA @ Siberia 2/22 – Asheville, NC @ Eulogy 2/24- Charlottesville, VA @ Southern Cafe 2/25 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro 2/26 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s 2/27 – Brooklyn, NY @ Meadows 2/28 – Braintree, MA @ Widowmaker Brewing 3/02 – Youngstown, OH @ Westside Bowl 3/03 – Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle 3/04 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village 3/06- Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive 3/07 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive 3/08 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Aces High 3/10 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos 3/11 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater 3/12 – Sacremento, CA @ Starlet 3/13 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel 3/14 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Moe’s Alley 3/21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Pacific Electric 4/18 – Tilburg, NL @ Roadburn Fest 5/06 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique 5/07 – Hamburdg, DE @ MS Stubnitz 5/08 – Copenhagen, DK @ A Colossal Weekend Fest 5/09 – Oslo, NO @ Desertfest 5/10 – Gothenburg, SE @ Monument 5/12 – Poznań, PL @ Pod Minoga 5/13 – Leipzig, DE @ UT Connewitz 5/14 – Berlin, DE @ Desertfest 5/15 – Nuenkirchen, DE @ Stummsche Reithalle 5/16 – Brussel, BE @ Obsidian Dust Fest 5/17 – London, UK @ Desertfest 5/18 – Newcastle, UK @ The Cluny 5/19 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo 5/20 – Manchester, UK @ The Deaf Institute 5/22 – Helsinki, FIN @ Sonic Rites Fest
More great live shows for you from last year! Who’s in the top half of the list?
#15: Johnny Jewel – September 25, 2025 – Levitation Austin, Austin, TX
Mr. Jewel opened for his own band, Desire, and, for my money, put on the best show of the night at the first day of Levitation Austin last year. It was a showcase of his film scores and covers of other film music ranging from his score to Drive to a David Lynch tribute and giallo-horror tracks.
#14: The Black Angels – September 28, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX
The Black Angels always play Levitation. It’s their festival, after all. They help curate it. It was another fine set from them that included many tracks they don’t play often – one of the advantages of not having to promote a new album.
These Dutch funk-rockers played their first gig in the U.S. ever at Levitation Austin last year and had the entire place jumping by the end of it. This was easily the grooviest show of the entire weekend, and everyone was buzzing the rest of the day afterwards.
#12: DITZ – June 27, 2025 – Levitation France – Angers, FR
This was blistering post-punk in a heat wave that had gripped almost the entire county. You can see the dust being kicked up from the mosh pit in that photo due to the arid conditions of the park in Angers where Levitation France took place last year. The lead singer had run off-stage, into the nearby lake, and returned covered in seaweed by the end.
#11: A Place to Bury Strangers – September 28, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX
The Palmer Event Center in downtown Austin, where Levitation Austin took place last year, is a big venue…and it still wasn’t big enough to keep the volume of APTBS from flattening you as soon as you entered the place. Lead singer and guitarist Oliver Ackermann used the high ceiling to his delight by tossing his now-famous “half-guitar” sky high multiple times. Two friends who’d never seen them until now were left stunned by the end. “That’s like an assault,” my friend Wes said, wide-eyed and not knowing how else to describe it.
We’re now halfway through my list of favorite albums from last year. Who’s here? Read on!
#15: Lammping – Never Never
Take a trip-hop duo (Lammping) and combine them with a Canadian rockabilly one-man-band who was described by John Waters as “Roy Orbison with a head injury” (Bloodshot Bill), and you get the neat Never Never EP. It sounds like something you’d find in a dusty record bin among “2000s Music – Misc.”, and is well-worth seeking out. It’s the first of four EPs from Lammping, so they’re off to a good start.
#14: King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – Phantom Island
Would it be a “best of” year list without a King Gizz album by now, since they release at least one album a year? Phantom Island combines the Aussie psych-rock / thrash metal / rave music giants with an orchestra because…why not? It’s a lush album with as much mystery as its cover.
#13: pôt-pot – Warsaw 480km
Here’s a post-punk band that emerged from seemingly nowhere to knock me back into my chair. “Damn, that’s good,” was my first thought after hearing it. I’m delighted that so many good post-punk bands are still appearing, and this is one of them.
#12: John Also Bennett – Ston Elaióna
This is a lovely ambient record mostly made of synths and field recordings John Also Bennett made around Greece. One song is inspired by the oldest known written song found on a stone pillar.
#11: Paddang – Lost in Lizardland
It’s a French psych-rock concept album about a future world dominated by evil lizard people and a lone heroine in the wasteland trying to defeat them. What more do you need to know?
