Author & Punisher "Nocturnal Birding" (2025)

 

Contender for album of the year, Nocturnal Birding leaves me with a sense of guilt. As a renewed appreciation of brilliance settles in, I ask, how is it I don't return to their records? Once again, an uncompromising pursuit of crushing expression transfixes. A unique, dystopian breed of imposing brutality. A harsh design melding bleak aesthetics and rhythmic led musicality. Every aspect of this witchcraft serves its purpose, to burrow into the darkest recesses of ones mind and expose the suffering.

Achieved through dense industrial slabs of distortion guitar and bleeding synth, the battering drums perpetually bang and crash with such momentous force, a sluggish beast of enormity crushing all in its path. Most its pacing tends to be mid-tempo, feeling slower, with spurts of collapsing pulse like on the devastating end to Titmice.

Textural pleasures emerge as crashing walls of sound bend with malice, intermittent with quirky, unhinged melodies lurching in the spaces between. Overtop, siren synths cry out in pain, danger imminent. Through it all, ferocious screams and brooding shouts of anger shimmer in what little space this claustrophobic wall of sound offers.

Nocturnal Birding is a gripping experience, bleak visions exhaling demons brought to life in its unrelenting intensity. Author & Punisher continues on a predictable path yet finding the fruits of creative labor as the resulting songs bewitch once again. At thirty five minutes its a perfectly lean slice of mania served on a hot plate. Just stunning!

Rating: 8/10

Труп Колдуна "Melodies For Ghosts" (2025)

 

Competing with a slew of low effort bedroom producers, this stark cover art aesthetic suggested such presumptions, the phoned in part at least. I have no doubts about its home-brew production, this is "one man" synthesizer composition through and through. What struck me with awe, was a delightful enchantment emanating from these simplistic compositions. With musical charm before textural dressing, Melodies For Ghosts for ghosts achieves its esoteric suggestions, one with a whimsical stride.

Each track is a meditation on an idea, a premise laid out its in titling. These curious arrangements of dreamy synths play approachable yet mystic. Classic Dungeon Synth motifs, leaning towards a nostalgic fantasy realm. The Kazakhstan composer carves themselves a harmless niche of colorful magic into an otherwise darkly realm. I could hear no suggestions of Middle-Eastern cultural, or even musical influences. Had I not done my research, I would not of guessed this came from outside the western world.

Highlights include the opening Ghost Theme, a dense mystic of broody instruments, evoking the realms of beyond. Sanctuary Of Supernatural Cats perks ones ears with a classic 80s drum machine percussion boldly woven in. Phantom Tempest toys with bass and groove, taking us on a nightly stroll through this otherworldly plane. Melodies For Ghosts is a brief sub twenty minute record but a thoroughly enjoyable one!

Rating: 5/10

Old Sorcery "The Escapist" (2025)

 

One of the greatest artists to emerge from the bloated Dungeon Synth scene, Old Sorcery blazes a trail of excellence, transforming decrepit dusty nostalgia and esoteric ethereal fantasy beyond the bare bones bedroom composer of contemporaries alike. From the impressive Berlin School tinged origins of Realms Of Magickal Sorrow to a visionary Dragon Citadel Elegies, Old Sorcery has been a delight to venture with.

Highly anticipated yet a curiously slow burn, The Escapist arrives as another exploration of familiar realms whilst not trying to repeat oneself. Its a quality I admire, each new record feels like a transformative step to new territory, without shedding ones admittedly amorphous identity. Old Sorcery has a distinction learned through repetitious indulgence rather than overt aesthetics or musical particulars.

This "slow burn" comes fueled by its atmospheric beginnings. Dethrone Reason, Crown My Heart opens, setting lofty goals. A grand yet sluggish snare kick groove ushers in epic, alongside salient guitar leads and quirky esoteric synths. Proceeding, the next few tracks delve into various sculptures of immersive aura. Ambience reigns supreme, as sound design and aesthetic craft mesmerize with ambiguous intent.

Gem Hoarder Goblin shifts gears. Its toying melodies conjure mischief and mystique, befitting of its title. From Dungeon Synth to Orchestra, its second act switches up the instrumental pallet for a scenic painting of animated events. A dazzling set of classical instruments transmit the intentions of this cave dwelling beast. One can almost see a stage inhabited with actors performing a play. Its a wonderfully vivid moment.

At The Wayfarer's Lantern shows off an impressive step into nostalgic rural Folk, eventually melding its pastoral antiques with otherworldly synths, orchestrating enchanted magics into the past. Starlit Belfry Tower comes with a touch of dreaminess through its bells and lullaby nature. Again the progressive touch never settles for repetition as the song broods through a quirky synth phase so distinctly Old Sorcery.

The we close with Immortal Passion. A gentle build to distant yet mighty adorning synths casts a spell. Like a timeless sunset, the last inches of light reach before an enteral night. The composition is wonderful, venturing us into dusk, building through familiar motifs. Then the sudden pivot, we are lunged into a soft Black Metal conjuring of dual tremolo guitar distortion tension that never finds the shift it suggests is coming.

Instead we fade out to a few audible moans and groans, suggestive of a characters perspective. Its a strange ending, not quite gratifying yet immense in its build up. It suggests a missing piece where Dragon Citadel Elegies hit every beat perfectly. Another brilliant record however, I will enjoy this for many moons to come.

Rating: 8/10

Slaughter To Prevail "Grizzly" (2025)

 

Despite the impressive talents of vocalist Alex Terrible, I've suffered the misfortune of writing off these masked menaces as another "race to the bottom" Post-Deathcore band. Their recent collaboration with BABYMETAL lured me in, Song 3 that appears again here, a fiery grind of brutality armed by slams of low end guitar and spurioys manic fretboard noises. On that track and throughout Grizzly, strong echo's of Slipknot characteristics, a total turn on when executed with class, as Slaughter To Prevail do.

Russian Grizzly In America drops in partially lifted lyrics from the iconic opener Sic. That motif and other inspirations occasionally rear an overt head. My linguistically challenged mind initially mistook Rodina for a cover of Rammstein's Mutter. So to does Behelit's massive slams of guitar melded with strings have an uncanny ring to it.

With a knack for decent song writing, this all works in their favor. A shared generation of influential bands rippling echo's through Slaughter's DNA, most notably aesthetics and rhythms Slipknot's Iowa album. Howling pinch harmonics, stomping grooves and a battering percussion to make the late Joey Jordison proud. Woven in between their own ideas, it bridges the gap into this "over the top" Post-Deathcore territory.

Thus Grizzly plays a romp, a wild blast of fun chaotic aggression with the sensibilities of a now classic era of 00s Metal reigning in the extreme impulses. The balance is ripe, ideas fresh. Plenty of headbanging goodness. At a meaty fifty minutes, it rarely tires to entertain. I'm left struggling to figure out my favorites from the bunch, a great sign of a record asking to be played front to back at each turn. A cracking introduction.

Rating: 7/10

IGORRR "Amen" (2025)

 

A clear contender for album of the year, French mastermind IGORRR returns with Amen, an unflinching committal to a bastardized union of Glitch, Breakbeat, Extreme and Death Metal, Opera and Baroque. An eclectic assemble, unsurprising to those indoctrinated yet intoxicating in its aesthetic excellence. Armed with familiar weapons, its devastating impact arrives through octane clarity reveling in the minute minutia of manic details and an overall sense of adoring care for its instrumentals. A corrupted orchestra of modern metallica, timeless traditionals and devilish electronic madness.

Amen ebbs and flows sublimely, delving into its diverse origins, shifting gears at any lull, unceasing with excitement. Stints of Death Metal roar between heavy, dramatic operas, pivoting into evocative Spanish guitars and menacing breakbeats with a natural authenticity. So to do its bizarre constructs jostle absurd obnoxious groove with graceful, transient esoteric ponderings. Its cultural tapestry has a distinct deserty sun soaked Middle-Eastern flavour. Its overtly pronounced on the piano demolishing Blastbeat Falafel. A joyful collaboration with the legendary Mr. Bungle among others.

One particular delight on this twisted journey is ADHD. A manic work of devotion to intricate sound design. It evokes groove whilst simultaneously subverting it, a rhythmic moving target, also a wild ride of audiophilic exhilaration as we are indulged in its glitched sampling. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Silence leans into Romantic era symphony, piano and opera, eventually melding its ends with surges of world bending, gravity defying percussion. My rather condensed words could elaborate further on this record but then we would be running through the genius' of each song one by one. Just go and experience this scintillating sin for yourself.

Rating: 9/10

Esoterica "Ether Metal" (2025)

 

Its title may just suggest a new genre of metal but no such concept awaits. Conjuring a compliment to its balance gentle melodies, metallic punchiness and emotional tenderness, Ether certainly suits the resulting chemistry. Frontman Tobias Keast remains king, his vulnerable voice and dramatic range serves as a focal point, breathing life in any instance from casual, to shouting or sailing on smooth soaring inflections. Like always, he is the illumination that gives Esoterica their distinct identity.

Working on an Alternative Rock / Metal temperament, a slew of soft Djent grooves and downplayed stomps whirl in the backdrop between power chords. Alongside its main leads, grandiose strides of symphony, united choral group shouts, flashes of nightly electronics, airy synths and other sound design elements forge succinct visions. Moody, slightly downtrodden, in search of reprieve, its tone appeal to the hurt within.

Its not until the halfway point with Heathen that a dystopian, disinformation and antiauthoritarian themes emerge, giving this stretch some lyrical unification. A play on words, Track Dysutopia seems to miss the definition of dystopia as the opposite of utopia. A minor blemish leading to the excellent closers Paper Skull, a Mental Health stint referring to a mind of holes, and the dramatic, swelling, upheaval of Burn.

Despite its clear excellence of execution, Ether Metal didn't exactly suck me in. Always a fair, enjoyable listen without weak points but unlike there prior effort, nothing grabbed me hard, got stuck in the mind or lured me back in. Its a curious takeaway from a clearly inspired and passionate record but sometimes the whims and inconsistencies of the human experience leave us in such strange places.

Rating: 6/10

Oscillotron "Sniezna" (2025)

Seeking revival through experimentation, Oscillotron lands on a firm identity with succinct ties to its space horror ambience origins. Leaning on subtle wobbles of unsettled pitch shifting, disjointed pianos and old school synths evoke an eerie, uncomfortable setting. Accompanying them, ghoulish foggy synths in the backdrop conjure looming terror and sense of dread. The record toys with variations on this aesthetic arrangement, a feverish, unending, dreamy phantasmagoria. The resulting inspirations mainly birth three to four minute scenic stagnations on its initial idea.

The arrival of Natt always perks my ears, a proven promise of gradual evolution leaves a distinct impression. At thirteen minutes, it bucks the trend, leading us down nightmarish corridors of fright. The march of its synthetic pulse pulling us through macabre grown and howls, forever brooding in its cataclysm drum loop of distorted dissonance. Its an absurdly effective drone, a mediative trance of abysmal origins.

Lacking a fair amount of percussive force, Sniezna can feel understated with its ever transient presence. Familiarizing oneself with its craft, a brilliantly composed vision will emerge. An artistic, devoid of cheese, a soundtrack to the zombie apocalypse. Decimated wastelands of gravely atrocities, laid barren by its grim inhabitants, no longer fit for human survival. Somehow conjuring Halloween horrors with a serious foreboding tone. On recognition of this thoughts, I see how fitting the cover art is.

Rating: 7/10

Drudkh "Shadow Play" (2025)

 

As one of the finer Black Metal acts from decades gone by, Ukrainian outfit Drudkh's part natural, part mystic has always held my curiosity. Shadow Play marks a welcome return unmarred by the death of drummer Amorth, victim of the ongoing war. Somehow, life goes on and the band from the oblast continue with their earthly craft.

Released earlier this year, I held onto the record, knowing it would have its opportunity to strike a nerve. That moment has come hiking in the Austrian Alps. Stunning mountain ranges, blanketed in towering trees, mother natures beauty, entangled in the harsh reality of survival. Its all I see in this mighty conjuring of earthly Black Metal.

Opening with Scattering The Ashes, what I'd assumed was the sound of rustling leaves, arrives adorned by a lone morose synth note and depressive guitar chords. It sets a glum tone to be upturned as April drops us into a perpetual momentum driven by its galloping double pedal drum grooves. Tremolo guitars shred slow descending melodies alongside a brooding lonely synth to unite its esoteric, earthly tone.

Shrill screams cry out and haunting howls drop in at routine intervals, all the hallmarks of a now customary formula too familiar. Its in the back half of the record, Fallen Blossom, The Eve, The Thirst, that atypicality becomes exceptional. The balance of esoteric darkness, natures verdant muse and contemplative moods fines its stride.

Some combination of its elements bestowed one with an awe complimentary to my reverent surroundings. Perhaps it was the latter that let me connect with the music. Either way, I felt the ethereal earthly rumble of this primal music as its battering aesthetic droned away, letting the subtleties of its shifts take form on its lengthy songs. The union has created some wonderous memories of breath taking views, only to be relived though the music at a later date. Something felt but this time seen.

Rating: 7/10

Lorna Shore "I Feel The Everblack Festering In Me" (2025)

 
Current darlings of Extreme Metal, with a swiftly growing popularity, Lorna Shore seem poised to take off. This second incarnation with iconic vocalist Will Ramos serves as a monument to their craft. Laying in wait, over an hour of scorched earth fury blazoned by gleaming symphonic melodies. Trading blows between pelting drums and ever tuneful guitar leads, epic themes of rapturous adventure and embattled mythos collide in a theatric spectacle. Strangely reminiscent of Fantasy themes and Power Metal's melodic focus, Lorna Shore deliver on an engrossing darker Orchestral vision of extremity, the likes of which Dimmu Borgir once lit the path forward.

As a mood, this is an enthralling listen. The music swings and swells between varying intensities, ever led by this triumphant unison of symphony and lead guitar wail, a glorious expression that often feels like a singing voice given Ramos' roll as a gutteral screamer. Its a beautiful construct, gallant and uplifting, capable of traversing all terrain. Oddly, as the record endures, its nature starts feel repetitive, as if a single melody keeps re-emerging. This strips identity from its songs. Defining points and motifs become blurred by this reoccurring tone, which overpowers other ideas.

 In a similar counterproductive vein, over the top Post-Deathcore breakdowns conjure a similar lack of identity. Spurious eruptions of groove less, shuffling monotone guitar barrage and gravity blast beats make potent housing for impressive feats of utterly foul, deathly gutteral howls. Ramos has made a name for himself with this new level of ridiculous texture wrenched from his throat. Sadly, there aesthetic might lacks a bite as the breakdowns mostly amount to differing configurations of the same ideas.

I Feel The Everblack Festering In Me passes one by as a wildly captivating listen, yet lacks the hallmarks of good song writing to nail an identity in ones mind. The aesthetic lavish of its extremities and symphonic offering are a delight but it only extends so far. War Machine is a lone track that feels distinguishable purely because it pulls back from the aforementioned lead guitars. In its absence, some rhythmic assault and toned down symphony gives it much needed distinction in the runtime. No doubt many will love this but for me a vital component among their chemistry is still missing.

Rating: 7/10 

Ho99o9 "Tomorrow We Escape" (2025)

Where once a clear vision of anarchic rebellion stood fulled by societal frustrations and obligatory anger, Ho99o9 have descended into an exploratory realm of their own identity. No longer a rattling urgency pervades these abrasive constructs as tangents diverted from rage lack a chemistry to invigorate like their prior anger anthems do.

 

Half the songs, like Target Practice, OK, I'm Reloaded, Tapeworm, LA Riots and Godflesh, conjure the best of this duo, uniting dirty Punk power chord abuse with snappy mosh rhythms and gritty electronic noise abuse. So to do there attention grabbing lyrics and social-political themes echo the bands better material.

 

In deviating from their sharpest formulae, some ideas clearly echo others. Escape captures somewhat of the in vogue Turnstile soaring spirit. Psychic Jumper's jittered rhythm, quirky synths and feverish singing reeks of Tyler The Creator. Immortal's collaboration with Chelsea Wolfe sounds like two separate songs mashed together.

An improvement on Skin, Tomorrow We Escape is all listenable, enjoyable even. A fair record full of variety, mood shifts and interesting compositions. Whats lacking is that shock value, a hit of adrenaline, the spurious venom of urgency that defined previous albums and EPs. Their ideas were once fresh and original. Now feeling worn in and lacking suprise. The new efforts between those familiar grooves simply mediocre.

Rating: 5/10

Sabrina Carpenter "Man's Best Friend" (2025)

Striking while the iron is hot, Sabrina swiftly turns around another record. Leaning further into Country vibes with a competent arrangement of tracks, its the subject matter that dominates the albums tone. To a lesser extent, the cover art also provokes similar questions as to whats going on here. The devilishly flirtatious, mildly edgy nature of Short N' Sweet has its charms, elevated by fun instrumentals and joyous hooks. Man's Best Friend skews away from this chemistry. The Country roots less to my liking and its lyrical content slipping from cute and cheeky to crude and cringy.

Artistry is a curious interaction of intention and interpretation. In an attempt to be charitable, one could suggest a lack of context is available, however these things should make themselves self evident in the performance. I'm not sensing substance behind the provocative. No philosophy, food for thought or reflection thrust upon the listener to challenge perspectives. Sabrina's lyrics simply come off as shallow and childish, saying that which crosses the line simply to cross it. I'm all for artists challenging norms but there needs to be an actual reason behind it.

Thus Man's Best Friend tests once tolerance as mediocre Country music rubs up against a care free Sabrina dialing up her overtly sexual persona. Her words drift from cheeky to questionable. At times, this reach for shock value paints an unfavorable image of her values when it comes to relationships. If there is a point being made here, It went right over my head. Tears is the one track I'll come back for. Its Disco groove and comedic hook is crude but mostly plays as harmless fun. 

Rating: 4/10

Skepta & Fred Again.. "Skepta .. Fred" (2025)

The title along says all it needs too, advertising an enticing collaboration between two big UK artists. Dance/House producer Fred Again.. and veteran Grime MC Skepta, a voice I've not heard in some time. I was hyped but to be frank, this mostly feels like padding for the killer track Victory Lap. Hard hitting and obnoxious, its gritty groove rocks off the bold synth baseline and tight drums. Kicking off with a wild monotone hook, the fast vocals chop and change with Skepta filling in a pair of atypical verses.

 

With a sense of adventure, Fred transitions through the first four tracks. Starting with a dirty Grime beat, steadily blending in his signature vocal snippet tunes and touches of House atmosphere. These are tricksy, intricate instrumentals, layered with intimate textures. By Last 1s Left we are fully submerged into the club vibes, holding onto a mysterious urban darkness. 21 Years sheds that Grime hangover, while his partner in crime leans into the sound harder than ever. Its as if their ideas don't quite align.

For me, Skepta is the weak link here. His confident persona an entertaining one, yet his cutting flow and slang laden rhymes feel predictable and aged, lacking a spark of freshness or urgency. Its acknowledged on the aforementioned track, referencing the unchanged nature of this now classic London rhyme style. Aesthetically, the two have chemistry but the overall mood feel somewhat off bar the powerful Victory Lap.

 

Rating: 4/10 

Deftones "Private Music" (2025)

 
Now over thirty years deep, the Deftones' tenth record packs little novelty for old heads, yet will enthrall the recent surge of new TikTok fans. Private Music's carefully measured cuts of revelry delve into the many fractions of their motifs established over the past two decades. Handled with love and care, the band's production alongside Nick Raskulinecz delivers a gorgeous indulgent guitar tone. Dense and crooning, a chromatic aesthetic resonates full of expression. Its a foundation fit for Moreno to swoon in with his range of sensitive softness to shrill screams. Drums and bass fall into place around the duo, who in tandem make up a majority of the musical magic.

In peculiarity, its clearest reminiscent tracks seem to hit hardest. Cut Hands echo's Goon Squad pivoting act between meat head brutality and Moreno led emotive obscurity. Ecdysis' tight and choppy metal guitar riffs echo's moments on Ohms. The opening rhythmic spasm and atmospheric lunging riffs of My Mind Is A Mountain has that distinct familiarity too. Milk Of The Madonna strikes me as the standout track, sustaining tensions of its speedy tempo through transitions of bouncy grooves and power chord shoe gazing. It too is a welcome yet accustomed temperament.

Where the lines muddy, the band don't exactly encroach on new territory bar a few minutes of indifferent synth noodling. Enjoyable but not quite as memorable, they do emphasize how good this records texture is. Flicking back through the catalog, comparison highlights how each record felt like a step forward in aesthetic evolution. This time, the distance feels like a leap into an ocean of clarity. A dense and rich sound, including plenty of acoustic guitars. So to do the synth play a subtle yet pivotal role, weaving their grain into the mix, yet brilliantly breaking into the light on occasion.

Private Music feels like the bands yet classiest effort to date but fails to conquer fresh ground in terms of songwriting. Its the perfect record to satisfy fans old and new yet may loose it potency with time as a record like Gore did. I'm doubtful, my gut says this one will stick. I'm still really enjoying each and every spin!

Rating: 8/10 

Mudi Sama "Will I Make It Out Alive?" (2025)

Following up on a passonate live performance at Reading Festival, Mudi's tuneful appeal translates well to record. Although labelled as an album, its nineteen minute runtime and rough around the edges production feels much like a demo. With seven two to three minute tracks, we breeze through colorful songs built on conventional pop song structures, always illuminating its main hook between bright uplifting melodies.

 

Although his lyrics have a darker undercurrent of emotional struggle, the whole expression is felt as a sunny resolution to such turmoil. Each song works out its premise through this gorgeous assemble of warm empowering baselines, dreamy shoegazing leads and thick distortion guitar fuzz. Held together with tight percussive grooves akin to a drum machine, the experience takes on a soft wall of sound quality.

Mudi's voice acts as the glue, pulling this winning chemistry together around his lyrics. Each song is well written with Jealous Type, Let Go and End Of The World standing out to me. The latter highlights some of that rough production with its gritty baselines and lack of balance compared to other tracks. Maybe its part of the concept to sound a touch more Punk on this one, after all, its a downtrodden reprieval anthem.

 

Throughout it all tho, I got the impression that in the hands of a more experienced producer, the compositional ideas could be elevated to another level. There is a undercurrent of punchy pop appeal in his songs that would love a touch of shiny gloss. Either way, this record is a cracking start. Mudi is a bright talent with tones of potential. One to keep an eye on for sure!

Rating: 6/10

BABYMETAL "Metal Forth" (2025)

Round five and were back on form with the triumphant Metal Forth! Not their fourth, unless your counting "metal" in the record title. Anyways, this latest installment is a lean thirty five minute, ten track blitz focused on creative collaboration. The likes of Poppy, Slaughter To Prevail, Polyphia and Spiritbox appear among other big names, lending their characteristic for a true crossover experience, something Metal has sorely lacked for decades. There's only three solo tracks Babymetal and one could be forgiven for thinking the closing White Flame featured Sabaton. Its a blazing roar of Power Metal might, executing all the tropes, practically a tribute to the sub-genre.

Interestingly, the remaining two solo tracks feel flat, recycling ideas the band have burned through before. That's why Metal Forth's merits rest on the synergy of its alliances. The creative partnerships genuinely cross a divide between sounds and birth a unique middle ground. Of course this all boils down to banging riffs and stomping grooves. The record fires on all cylinders in its stride but the point remains just how much freshness these uncommon unions provide. This is no "featured artist" but a firm commitment to integrating each others identities and it works so well.

Highlights include My Queen as the two bands jostle their heaviest aesthetics back and forth. Song 3 is another banger where the exchange yields a curious callback to Slipknot with its unhinged pinch harmonics and brutal riffage. RATATATA will likely stand out as a fan favorite. Electric Callboy's brand of tongue in cheek party meme metal a fun fit for the J-Pop influences. In a way it summarizes the overall mood, just a fun record about pumping out animated compositions embraces obnoxious grooves and lively melodies. Cracking record, falling just shy of something truly great.

Rating: 7/10

State Azure "Paradise Star EP" (2025)

EP by name but double LP by duration, Paradise Star drops four lengthy serine mood pieces alternating between Berlin School inspired synth jostling and brooding ethereal percussion-less soundscapes. Its opening piece, the twenty minute title track, a clear favorite. Its lively, animated cycling melody a curious engagement. Seeming more mechanical than expressive, its burgeoning bustles and gradual unwindings guide the song through phases over top dreamy synths. Together, they paint a rich atmosphere.

 White Lake and We Sleep Beneath A Dying Moon act as layered tone setting drones, great for focus and meditative moods. Pathfinder feels like a mastery of texture, guiding its various sequenced instruments through gradual shifts as sharp attack-decay keys and drums exchange over soft elongated synth chords. Its a textural treat but in its lengthy incarnation, this aesthetic class becomes secondary to the musics lengthy trajectory. All in all, an impressive set of songs befitting of my taste right now.

Rating: 7/10 

$uicideboy$ "Thy Kingdom Come" (2025)

 

Its a smash! Returning swiftly from New World Depression, cousins Ruby and Scrim spin the wheels recycling their distinct but well refined formula. Now accustom with their gritty aesthetic, I found this thirty minute record to offer little fresh or exiting. Second track Napoleon leans into some classic 90s Southern Hip Hop themes, mustering a momentary flair as the records tone quickly resettles. Later on Grey+Grey+Grey ushers in scary movie soundtrack vibes with a Horrorcore style banger. The following Carried Away caught my ear too. A moody number, leaning on the hazy vibes of its depressing Ethereal atmosphere.

These where a couple of highlights among a lack of novelty. One of my biggest takeaways was noticing how many beats use the exact same drum kit, often with the same hi-hat rhythm. That lack of variety essentially parallels a very casual approach to songwriting. Hastily produced beats, flexing lyrics that feel expressive of the moment but lack a broader scope. Hooks are sorely missed too. Not a single track lands something truly memorable. Although their sincerity is endearing, that power wears off when the creative process feels routine and dialed in. Overall, a disappointment.

Rating: 4/10 

Scowl "Are We All Angels" (2025)

Catching my ear with their easy sways between scruffy Grunge chorus riffs and melodic Shoegaze tinged verses, Fantasy served as an intriguing song to pull me in. Sadly, Scowl currently stand as a band with plenty of potential. Are We All Angels' production out paces the bands depth of ideas. Brimming with a fiery aesthetic, their fusion of Pop Punk, Grunge, Hardcore Punk, Alt Rock, even touches of Metal - feels so fitting of this era. The ability to look back a couple of decades and revise such ideas has yielded magic with fresh faced bands like Turnstile.

 

Unlike their contemporaries, Scowl's riffs and motifs lack a spark of imagination. Arrangements and music ideas feel relatively basic, leaning on that stunning aesthetic to get by. Front loaded, the first string of songs will et pumped up but as the record draws on the songs dull into a mediocrity. Singer Kat Moss is the bands brightest light, her voice adds a smooth veneer of color to the crunchy aggression her band mates assemble. Her occasional unhinged shouts froth with an apt angst, anchoring her in this energized setting as she more often plays the counterpart.

 

Their chemistry is strong, the auditory experience is spot on but as stated the songwriting suffers. The record ends up muddling its way through half baked ideas, feeling like either record filler or I'm missing the point. Potential is the word, one to keep an eye on. At this incarnation they are still finding their voice and you hear it on occasion with songs like Special, Fantasy and Not Hell, Not Heaven.

 

 Rating: 5/10

Kae Tempest "Self Titled" (2025)

 The weight of depressive expressions heavies with age, my appetite for hearing such struggles continually diminishing. Self Titled acts as a firm reminder of this personal trend, a brutally unfurled delve into this latest chapter of mental health and gender identity issues. Its tone plays a smothering suffocation, as burdensome lyricism and downtrodden beats unite to paint an artistic doom and gloom matching the pains of this spoken word, rhyme rap poet.

 

 Breaking from the drudgery, Sunshine On Catford acts like a fleeting peak of sun between dreary rain clouds. An inflection of warmth, still lingering on the melancholy of minor chords, tinged by 90s Dance piano melodies in its chorus. A strange sullen lover letter of sorts that finds a similar tonality again on Prayers To Whisper. Otherwise, Self Titled's instrumentals are casually dark, hardly adventurous but competent at assembling percussive grooves with flashes classy instrumentation.

 

Diagnoses stands apart as anthem for self inflicted mental health saturation. Along with another track, a theme of contrast upon these internal obsessions and the world at large emerges. A strange blame game of victim hood that feels confusing as to its purpose. Otherwise the record is pretty coherent, a walk through the current woes of a struggling artist. The expression is powerful but as already stated, this broody temperament has been hard for me to endure these days.

 

Rating: 6/10 

Tyler The Creator "Don't Tap The Glass" (2025)

Arriving swiftly off the back of a remarkable Chromakopia, Tyler suddenly drops this fun fast and loose record. A surprise release, Don't Tap The Glass clocks in as one of his shortest albums under the thirty minute mark. Consequently, this pays without a dull moment, perfect for its restless energy, expressed through quirky tone and playful mood, something familiar of Tyler yet spun again, lively, renewed and fresh.

 

Working with layers of punchy instrumentation, rhythms and melodies overlap in a subtly dizzying frenzy of crunchy sounds, orchestrated with a stroke of class. Jolting grooves rumble with snappy and sporadically off kilter percussion. Plenty of instruments jive in with stabs, strikes and momentary contributions that stack up. It can be quite fun to pay attention and see how many sounds you can single out.

 

Too my ears, the big influences at play are 80s Hip Hop drum machines and 90s Southern Hip Hop melodies, often piano led. Not exclusive, but struck me as part of the approach to many of these tracks, the last three taking on Soul and R&B colors in its temperament. Of course its no surprise, central to it all, written in his name, a ceaseless thirst of creativity flows again. Fresh off a deep, introspective record, Tyler marvelously pivots into a playful avenue with this lively record I'll be enjoying for weeks to come.

 

Rating: 7/10