Post-punk – Page 2 – 7th Level Music

Fat Dog pull no punches with their new single – “Go Fuck Urself.”

Fat Dog—the undefinable, raucous South London band—are back with a bang with their subtly named new single, “Go Fuck Urself.” With 80s-tinged, airy synths and dripping in melodica, “Go Fuck Urself” is three minutes of propulsive, jubilant electro-pop. It’s an irascible, exasperated rant wrapped in joyous hooks and Balearic grooves.

As frontman, songwriter and chief rabble rouser Joe Love coolly sings: “Some jokers play the same old game / No one to annoy / Find a mirror and the person to blame,” the song breaks out into a euphoric, technicolor anthem—an ode to escapism when the thing you are trying to escape is yourself.

Co-produced by Love with Oli Bayston (Kelly Lee Owens, Alexis Taylor), “Go Fuck Urself” follows Fat Dog’s standalone singles “Pray To That” and “Peace Song” and their “brilliant, dark, and downright batshit crazy” (DIY) debut album, WOOF., released in 2024.

The video, directed by Nine Screens (Dylan Coates and Travis Barton), sees the band take to a wrestling ring to convey the message they must share with the world. Watch the Video for Fat Dog’s “Go Fuck Urself.”

Stream “Go Fuck Urself”

“Go Fuck Urself” marks the first taste of music from the band—Love, Chris Hughes, Morgan Wallace, Ellis Dickson, Michael Dunlop, Dillon Harrison and Jed Bevington—in 2026 and sets the stage for new music to come. Alongside the single, Fat Dog have confirmed a mammoth UK and European headline tour including a hometown show at London’s Brixton Academy on October 24th. Before that, the band will play their largest ever shows supporting the Foo Fighters at three European arena dates, support Kneecap at their Crystal Palace show in London, and play a number of festivals including End of the Road, Dour, Reeperbahn, Bearded Theory and more. It looks like we’re set for another Year of the Dog.

Fat Dog Tour Dates
Sun. Jun 21 – Landgraaf, NL @ Pinkpop Festival
Mon. Jun 22 – Zagreb, HR @ In Music Festival
Sat. Jun 27 – London, UK @ Crystal Palace Park *
Wed. Jul 1 – Berlin, DE @ Olympiastadion +
Fri. Jul 3 – Vienna, AT @ Ernst-Happel-Stadion +
Sun. Jul 5 – Milan, IT @ Ippodromo Snai La Maura +
Fri. Jul 10 – Trenčín, SK @ Pohoda Festival
Sat. Jul 11 – Neuve-Église, FR @ Décibulles Festival
Sun. Jul 12 – Normandy, FR @ Chauffer Dans La Noirceur
Fri. Jul 17 – Herk-de-Stad, BE @ Rock Herk
Sat. Jul 18 – Dour, BE @ Dour Festival
Thu. Jul 23 – Brindisi, IT @ SEI Festival
Fri. Jul 24 – Siena, IT @ TV Spenta
Sat. Jul 25 – Topcliffe, UK @ Deer Shed Festival
Sat. Aug 8 – Brno, CZ @ Pop Messe
Sat. Aug 29 – Sheffield, UK @ Rock’n’Roll Circus
Sat. Sep 5 – Larmer Tree Gardens, UK @ End of the Road Festival
Thu. Sep 17 – Sat. Sep 19 – Hamburg, DE @ Reeperbahn Festival
Sat. Oct 24 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
Thu. Oct 29 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma
Fri. Oct 30 – Utrecht, NL @ Tivoli
Sat. Oct 31 – Paris, FR @ Élysée Montmartre
Mon. Nov 1 – Nantes, FR @ Stereolux
Tue. Nov 3 – Tourcoing, FR @ Le Grand Mix
Wed. Nov 4 – Cologne, DE @ Die Kantine
Fri. Nov 6 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
Sat. Nov 7 – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen
Sat. Nov 14 – Manchester, UK @ Victoria Warehouse
Wed. Nov 18 – Dublin, IE @ Whelans
Thu. Nov 19 – Dublin, IE @ Whelans
Tue. Nov 24 – Cardiff, UK @ Depot
Wed. Nov 25 – Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy
Thu. Nov 26 – Birmingham, UK @ O2 Institute
Fri. Nov 27 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy
Sat. Nov 28 – Glasgow, UK @ Old Fruitmarket
Thu. Dec 3 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City

* = supporting Kneecap
+ supporting Foo Fighters

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Matt at Pitch Perfect PR.]

MAQUINA. team up with Dame Area for hot new single – “dança.”

Following electric shows at The Great Escape & across the UK, Lisbon’s party-starters MAQUINA. have shared “dança (ft. Dame Area)” – a second cut from their forthcoming new album ‘BODY TRANSMISSION’, due out July 10th via Fuzz Club.

MAQUINA. embody all the sweaty togetherness and euphoria a collective music experience has to offer. The buzzy Lisbon trio have been getting punks to dance and club kids to pogo – “making the bubbles connect a little bit” – with such fervour they routinely pack out venues and inspire multiple waves of crowdsurfing at any given live show.

On their new LP they bottle that energy, and they don’t waste any time getting started. Today they share the album’s party-popping opener “dança”, a track pumped and primed to turn heads and get the blood flowing, featuring bratty punk vocals from Silvia Konstance and synths from Viktor L. Crux of Barcelona-based duo Dame Area. Inspired by the pair’s work, MAQUINA. invited them to collaborate on the track, with Konstance swapping her native Italian for Portuguese. The track sets up the heartbeat of the record, all relentlessly propulsive 4/4, feral shrieking, and a smoking guitar line that cuts through the three-note bass riff with searing focus.

Speaking on the track, MAQUINA. comment: “‘dança’ explores a moment of introspection: the importance of being with oneself, of making space for an intimate moment, even if through dance. When words fail, the body speaks. “I just want to dance” becomes a statement suspended between inward reflection and the need for release.”

Listen to “dança (ft. Dame Area)”:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJubkifWbzY
‘BODY TRANSMISSION’ album links:http://maquina.lnk.to/bodytransmission

With over 250 gigs and numerous festival appearances across Europe already under their belt MAQUINA. are on a high after their first tour of Brazil and KEXP performance. The three-piece ring in a new chapter with their second LP ‘BODY TRANSMISSION’: a head-banging trip through high-energy noise-rock, motorik metal, and industrial punk that doesn’t stop moving.

Bottling the raw power of their now-legendary live shows, ‘BODY TRANSMISSION’ – co-produced by the band alongside Hugo Valverde – arrives following MAQUINA.’s 2024 debut ‘PRATA’, also released on Fuzz Club and largely driven by improvisation, locking itself into the flow state of a live performance. For their new full-length, the band – Halison Peres (drums/vocals), José “Mendy” Rego (bass), and João Cavalheiro (guitar/effects) – opted for less jamming and more “editing”, taking time to mull over the direction of each track while also looking to condense 10-minute meanders into three or four-minute “bangers” that slap.

The result is a full-body rush geared towards the dance-floor with “no breaks”; a club-ready rock record steered by the trio’s guitar, drums, and bass combo. “It was the most challenging and fun we’ve ever had in the studio because we pushed ourselves to write songs rather than just capturing jams,” say the band. “We wanted it to feel heavy, focused, and relentless. We kept the tempo up and the energy peaking – it’s an ‘always-on’ record.”

MAQUINA. live dates:
20 June – Lucerne, Switzerland – B-Sides Festival
21 June – Martigny, Switzerland – Caves du Manoir
23 June – Bilbao, Spain – Kutxa Beltza
24 June – Madrid, Spain – Café Berlin
25 June – Santander, Spain – The New
26 June – Bergerac, France – La Claque Festival
27 June – Paimpol, France – Paimpol in Rock
28 June – Bourlon, France – Rock in Bourlon
4 July – Sintra, Portugal – Festival Aqui ao Lado
18 July – Lisbon, Portugal – Musa de Marvila (DJ Set)
31 July – Constância, Portugal – Rock ao Luar
6 August – Aveiro, Portugal – Novas Quintas, Teatro Aveirense
7 August – Nuremberg, Germany – Brückenfestival
9 August – Liège, Belgium – Micro Festival
16 August – Santiago de Compostela, Spain – Capitol*
10 September – Šibenik, Croatia – SHIP Festival
12 September – Orléans, France – Hop Pop Hop Festival
* supporting Amyl and the Sniffers

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Kate at Stereo Sanctity.]

Top 25 concerts of 2021 – 2025: #’s 5 – 1

The final five on this list were, believe it or not, fairly easy to determine. This is probably because they were so good and also because they all hit some emotional note for me because I didn’t think I’d see any of them ever again (or, in one case, even once).

#5: Nine Inch Nails – United Center – Chicago – August 20, 2025

This surprise tour sold out in rapid time, but luckily Nine Inch Nails added a second Chicago show due to popular demand. I had tickets for my fiancé and I, and then learned that my future stepdaughter was a NIN fan. I managed to get a third ticket to what turned out to be a stunning show with three stages, excellent remixes, and an enthusiastic crowd who were roaring for every song.

#4: Underworld – Radius – Chicago – May 17, 2025

Here’s the band I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see. Underworld playing two full sets at this intimate venue was an immediate purchase. It was a brilliant time, and stunning to see these two gents who can fill stadiums play such a small show with full energy to keep us dancing until the late hours.

#3: Midnight Oil – Riviera / Chicago – June 10, 2022

Midnight Oil was one of my late wife’s favorite bands. We’d seen them two during college, then on their reunion tour in the 2010s, and then we were supposed to see this show, but she died barely eight months earlier. I felt the need to go to honor her and see friends. It was the right decision. The show helped lift some of the weight off me. Midnight Oil sounded great, and it was their final tour. They belted out classics and left us all ready to resist tyranny and love each other.

#2: Love and Rockets – Riviera – Chicago – June 06, 2023

Here is the band I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see. I missed them in their heyday, and the closest I’d come until this show was seeing David J play an acoustic set at Levitaiton Music Festival. Love and Rockets flattened the place, sounding as strong as ever and reminding all of us that they were and still are rock stars. I was on cloud nine for the whole show.

#1: Failure – Bottom Lounge / Chicago – July 01, 2022

Failure are one of my favorite bands of all time. I don’t joke when I tell people that their Fantastic Planet album can be life-changing. This reunion tour caught me off-guard. I stumbled upon the announcement and then word that they had a VIP package that included a meet-and-greet and attendance at their sound check. It was another emotional show for me, as I was still reeling from my wife’s death and hearing “Another Space Song” live brought me to tears. The show was powerful for a lot of us. I saw a lot of people beaming throughout it, and the band were all happy to chat with us, sign anything, and talk with us about everything from music to films, and, in my case, grief. Again, I don’t joke when I say this show was instrumental in my healing. I’ll always thank Failure for it.

There have been plenty of good shows already in 2026, so come back in early 2027 to see which of those make the list for the best of the year.

Keep your mind open.

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Top 25 concerts of 2021 – 2025: #’s 10 – 6

We’ve reached the top ten of concerts I saw over the last five years, and it includes more bands I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see. Starting with…

#10: Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade – Kemba Live!, Columbus, OH – May 31^st, 2022

Les Claypool’s side project, The Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, put out one album and a cool double-live album many years ago. I didn’t think he’d revive the project and knew I had to see this tour as soon as it was announced. Sure enough, it was a cool show full of weird psychedelic rock, Sean Lennon on lead guitar, and them covering Pink Floyd’s Animals in its entirety in the middle of the show.

#9: Viagra Boys – Salt Shed – Chicago – February 24, 2023

This was bonkers. It was, according to Viagra Boys’ lead singer Sebastian Murphy, their biggest show in the U.S. so far. It was packed, sweaty, loud, and crazy. The entire indoor stage at the Salt Shed felt like it was shaking and that a drug-fueled orgy might break out at any moment.

#8: TV on the Radio – September 27, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX

Here’s the next band I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see. TVOTR didn’t have a new album to promote, but they were touring and headlining one night of the Levitation Music Festival. I would have gone to the festival just to see them, and they didn’t disappoint. They brought everything I wanted: Energy, fury, power, and joy.

#7: Orbital – Radius – Chicago – March 23, 2024

Here’s the third band in this part of the list I wasn’t sure I’d ever see. Orbital’s tour was another surprise and it was great to see them in a reasonably small venue. They sounded excellent, and the show felt like being transported back in time to a 1993 rave. I hadn’t danced that much in a long while.

#6: Elton John – Soldier Field – Chicago – August 05, 2022

It was a hot and humid night at Soldier Field when Sir Elton John played his final Chicago show on his final tour. It was a big, fun, and emotional show, and he and his band sounded great. In terms of sound quality, this probably is the best show I heard of the last five years. Every note was clear.

Up next, the top five, and they’re all bands I wasn’t sure I’d ever see.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Devo – Old National Centre – Indianapolis, IN – June 02, 2026

The area around the Old National Centre in Indianapolis was full of people in energy dome hats in anticipation for Devo’s first concert in the city for decades. One of the best parts was seeing the wide age range of fans. My friend, Bill, brought his two young boys, Lexington and Phoenix, with him and they were as hyped for the show as old timers who’d been catching Devo shows since the 1970s.

They came out with energy that men twenty years younger than them wish they had, opening with “Don’t Shoot” and “Peek a Boo.” The crowd barely stopped jumping and dancing the entire time.

“Going Under” was a nice surprise, and Mark Mothersbaugh almost lost his voice by the time they got to “Girl U Want” and “Whip It,” but he had time to recover during “Planet Earth” – a song I didn’t expect but was delighted to hear.

“Blockhead” was another fun deep cut, and “Jocko Homo” shredded the stage. My friend said, “It sounds even more punk live.”

“Smart Patrol / Mr. DNA” was another bonkers track (Bob Mothersbaugh breaking all of his guitar strings at one point), with the triple whammy of “Freedom of Choice” (“Use it or lose it, spuds. It’s going fast,” said Bob Casale), “Gut Feeling,” and then “Beautiful World” (sang by Booji Boy) to wrap up the show. It left everyone out of breath by the end.

Devo have still got it, and they were right all along. They saw all of everything you see today coming decades ago. They warned us. They still are.

Keep your mind open.

Thanks to the pro-photographer who let me snap a photo of this set list!

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[Thanks to Bill Wilkison.]

Top 25 concerts of 2021 – 2025: #’s 25 – 21

Just like my list of the top 25 albums I reviewed over the last five years, I decided to create a list of the top 25 concerts I attended in the same time. It was a harder list to make, although the top five were fairly easy to choose. Who put on the best shows? Let’s find out.

#25: The The – Salt Shed, Chicago, IL, October 25, 2024

There are many bands on this list that I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see live. The The is one of them. This show included two sets. The first had them playing their newest album, Ensoulment, in its entirety. The second was a “time traveler” set that included all older material, starting with “Infected” and ending with “This Is the Day.”

#24: Yin-Yin – September 27, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX

This was Yin-Yin’s first show ever in the United States, and they won over the entire crowd at Levitation last year. Their blend of funk, Euro-disco, and psych-rock was an instant hit. Everyone on and off the stage had a great time.

#23: Jon Spencer – Stockroom East, South Bend, IN, July 11, 2024

Jon Spencer and his backing band featuring two members of The Bobby Lees played about forty minutes from my house in a tiny venue and in front of maybe fifty people. They completely shredded the place, hitting it as hard as they would a big theatre and leaving many who’d never seen his live show slack-jawed by the end of it.

#22: A Place to Bury Strangers – Empty Bottle – Chicago – May 30, 2022

Any APTBS show is an experience, and this one in my favorite Chicago dive bar was especially wild. They were feeding off the crowd’s energy and crushing everyone and everything in sight. A friend of mine, a bassist for a Chicago death metal band (Aphixiator), was impressed by the power they generated. I think the walls shook for hours afterwards.

#21: Gang of Four – Far Out Lounge – Levitation Austin, November 01, 2024

Here’s another band I wasn’t sure I’d ever see live. Gang of Four showed that they were still powerful, relevant, and sharp. Seeing so many other GOF fans going bonkers with me was a highlight of the Levitation Music Festival that year.

Whew. It’s already heavy and loud. Who makes the top twenty? Come back tomorrow to find out!

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Viagra Boys – Viagr Aboys (Japanese deluxe edition) (2025)

Sebastian Murphy, lead singer and songwriter for Swedish post-punk giants Viagra Boys, said their latest album, Viagr Aboys, was an exploration of real life meeting high art and that the album is admittedly “a bit simple and stupid,” because he and his bandmates were exhausted by world politics and wanted to create something fun. Even the album art is goofy, as Murphy wanted the band’s name to be symmetrical on the cover and it ended up split in half.

Is life art or is art life? That’s the overall theme of the album. “Man Made of Meat” gets the album off to a fun start with call-and-response vocals about Internet culture and how it turns people into constant consumers and promoters (“I hope they see me in the drive-thru lane!” / “I don’t want to pay for anything. Clothes and food and drugs for free. If it was 1970, I’d have a job in a factory.” / “I’ve subscribed to your mom’s Only Fans.”). “The Bog Body” is based on a real museum exhibit of exhumed, preservered bodies found in bogs that Murphy’s girlfriend became somewhat obsessed with, which Murphy found fascinating. Again, life is art, and the reactions to it, often pompous ones, can be humorous (“Do you even know the difference between a swamp and an ancient bog?”).

“Uno II” is a goofy tale about Murphy’s dog and the constant veterinarian bills she produces. Elias Jungqvist’s synthesizers and Oskar Carls’ flute turn the story into a somewhat dreamy tune. “Pyramid of Health” has Murphy facing how his partying life is affecting his body and all the weird advice he’s received to fix it. “Dirty Boyz” is another witty takedown of bro-culture with killer beats from Tor Sjödén.

“Medicine for Horses” could be about ketamine, but it’s really about wanting to do something significant before one’s death and being remembered afterwards. Carls’ saxophone is as lonely as Murphy’s voice. “Waterboy” references dancing, singing raisins and aimlessly wandering through life without purpose (“Livin’ like this, you won’t live long.”). “Store Policy” is so angry and rough that it’s probably based on a true story that happened to Murphy. Henrik Höckert’s bass is, as always, thick and crushing. The grooves he creates are often jaw-dropping. The whole band hits hard on it. Carls’ flute notes stab at you, Linus Hillborg’s guitar sounds like a bandsaw breaking down, Jungqvist’s synths throb like Bruce Banner turning into the Hulk, Sjödén’s beats go full-cyborg, and Murphy snarls and growls the whole time.

“You N33d Me” gets you dancing (again, that bass by Höckert!) and is another spin on how many people have gleefully allowed their lives to become art / products to be consumed by others. “Best in Show Pt. IV” (another one about life being displayed as an exhibition) is the longest track on the album as Murphy seems to be speaking stream-of-consciousness lyrics about weird trips and how he’s losing his mind (“I need access to heaven, or ain’t none of this is gonna work out.”). “River King” is just Murphy’s voice, Jungqvist’s piano, and Carls’ saxophone spinning a tale of Murphy’s desire for a lost relationship.

You get four extra tracks if you pick up the Japanese deluxe edition of Viagr Aboys: “Therapy II” (a bit of a riff “The Bog Body” grooves with a definite Devo influence), “Middleage(d) Humanoid” (with Höckert’s bass as heavy as Thor’s hammer), “Watching You” (a cool showcase of Jungqvist’s skills and Sjödén’s programmed beats), and “Cumboy” (in which Hillborg demonstrates that he can play shoegaze anytime he wants).

Yes, art is life and life is art. There’s more to it than politics, Internet clicks, maxing, and fleeting fame. Viagra Boys have been reminding us about this (and warning us of the embrace of toxicity) for years, and Viagr Aboys is another important message from them.

And it’s silly, which is much needed in today’s world.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Pale Blue Eyes – This House (2023)

The cover of Pale Blue Eyes‘ This House features a photo of the house and parents of lead singer / guitarist Matt Board. Everything in that photo is gone now. Well, the house might still be there, and Board’s memories of it are still intact, but it has new inhabitants now. The lawn is probably different. The decorations in it are different, and the people now living in it are building their own lives while Board, after losing both his parents within five years of each other, is still building his. The album is about loss, but also embracing the change that comes with loss.

The album begins with “More” (as in there is more after loss, if you allow it) as Lucy Board‘s synths and programmed beats immediately bring light and hope, and Aubrey Simpson‘s bass groove gets your feet tapping. As if that wasn’t catchy enough, “Simmering” is even peppier and encourages us to examine the “before and after” when you’re faced with a life-changing event.

After all, there’s “no turning back” after such a thing. You just want to “Hang Out” and let it drift by you “because I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” Sometimes you have to be still…although this track is tailor-made to get you to dance. Put it on at the party you throw to alleviate your sadness. It’s perfect. Mrs. Board’s synths and programming on “Spaces” sounds like transmissions from outer space.

Simpson’s bass on “Heating’s On” sounds like something from a lost Go-Gos track. Mr. Board’s guitar goes all shoegaze on “Our History,” and it’s a gorgeous wash of sound crashing over you. “Million Times Over” slows things down just a bit, but the dance beats (and spooky synths) return with “Illuminated.” “Sister” is another shimmering shoegaze stunner. Looking for motorik? Don’t worry. Pale Blue Eyes have you covered with the snappy “Takes Me Over.”

The record ends with the lush “Underwater,” as if you plunged into a backyard pool at the end of a long day or late at night when the party is winding down and it’s just you and a couple close friends. You know things will be okay. You can embrace the shock, the cold, and you can embrace the support and the warmth. It’s all okay.

Keep your mind open.

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Top 25 albums of 2021 – 2025: #’s 5 – 1

Here we are. The top five albums I reviewed in the last five years. I revised this list of all twenty-five records several times. It wasn’t easy to get here, but here we go.

#5: The Black Angels – Wilderness of Mirrors (2022)

This was a great return for my favorite band. The Black Angels came back in 2022 with anger about the past and hope for the future. It was a psychedelic, heavy reflection on the current times, what came before, and what was looming.

#4: Shame – Drunk Tank Pink (2021)

The album’s name refers to a color that’s often painted in jail cells to calm rowdy people. This post-punk album blends rowdy rage with punk riffs and cutting lyrics about how bonkers the world was back then…and still is.

#3: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Land of Sleeper (2023)

Good heavens, this thing is massive. Pigsx7 unleashed an album that was designed to shake us out of our doldrums and also explore the weird world of dreams and how they merge with reality. It rocketed into my “best of” list for 2023 upon my first listen, and their tour for this was solid.

#2: A Place to Bury Strangers – Synthesizer (2024)

Speaking of albums that landed in my “best of” lists for a particular year and then never moved out of it, how could I not include an album by APTBS that, no joke, you can turn into an actual synthesizer. The album cover is a circuit board. You can create music with this thing. Plus, the whole album shreds. It’s a stunning work that I think only they could imagine and then execute so well.

#1: Matthew Halsall – An Ever Changing View (2023)

I almost didn’t hear this album or discover Halsall’s work. It got buried in a big stack of unread e-mails and press releases and I didn’t open the file until late fall of 2023, not long before I was about to make my “Best of 2023” list. Lo and behold, it was the most beautiful album I’d heard all year. “Ambient jazz” doesn’t describe it well enough. It’s an album that instantly changes the atmosphere around you for the better.

There you have it. Up next, my top twenty-five concerts of the last five years…which was more difficult to determine than this list.

Keep your mind open.

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Top 25 albums of 2021 – 2025: #’s 10 – 6

We’ve reach the top ten albums I reviewed in the last five years. It gets more difficult to make these lists as the numbers grow smaller, but here goes.

#10: Yard Act – The Overload (2022)

These post-punkers seemed to come out of nowhere and hit us with multiple sharp singles from their debut. The whole album was witty, biting, and wicked.

#9: King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – PostDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation (2023)

Part-thrash metal, part-environmental activism record, all great. The title and cover image alone let you know you’re in for a wild time, and King Gizz pull no punches on it.

#8: DITZ – Never Exhale (2025)

A whole post-punk album about tension – a topic that post-punk does very well, as do these Brits. The cover image conveys the sense of the record and, like the music, puts you on edge and keeps you there.

#7: Aaron Frazer – Introducing… (2021)

Stepping out from his main gig with Durand Jones and The Indications, Frazer dropped one of the best soul records of recent memory and probably got a thousand date offers just from the first couple tracks.

#6: Gum / Kenny Ambrose-Smith – Ill Times (2024)

This dynamic Australian duo created a cool, electro / dance-rock record that tackled grief and uncertainty. It made you want another one from them right away. I still do.

Who made the top five? Come back tomorrow. It was a tough call, but I made it.

Keep your mind open.

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