Single: Bucket – No Guitars 
Single: Human Barbie x Beauty Queen – Spaced 
Album: Wills Van Doorn – Enduro 
Single: Bucket – No Guitars
Nobody can fill Pavement’s shoes, but these Massachusetts basement rockers come as close as anyone can, wielding powerful guitars, a concise arrangement, and caustic-yet-insightful lyrics.
Album: Wills Van Doorn – Enduro
Van Doorn’s new record blends power pop, blues, and jazz to give live energy and stress the importance of keeping a steady pace on the road and in life.
Album: moodlighting – Party School
With more of dark New Wave jangle pop sound than “house banger”, the LA duo’s third album teaches that life – even the more menial moments – is the party.
Album: The Skariginals – Get Out of Your Head
On their new full-length album, the LA ska band bursts forth with a wake up call for anyone who needs to wake up and experience joy.
Single: The Guilty Parties – (In)Famous
One of the Riverside, CA ska punk band’s first singles in two years, “(In)Famous” features prog rock and new wave influences to re-establish their unique sound.
Single: PSYCH METS – In My Arms
This Bruce Springsteen meets The Brian Jones Massacre track is perfect for fans of their sound.
Single: Libby Ember – Pool Life
Libby remains an artist defined by emotional precision, introspection, and the quiet power of vulnerability.
Single: Good Time Mystery Vision – FMU
A rollicking studio spin on a live favorite, “FMU” is a jam on lasting mental health effects from a relationship gone sour.
Single: Big Trouble – Mel
Inspired by Shel Silverstein’s book, The Giving Tree, “Mel” is about getting into activist movements, and the personal stakes involved.
Single: Modern Olympia – Mid Eternal Life Crisis
Song of the summer vibes bleed through this testament to restlessness, as Modern Olympia continue the slow rollout of songs from their upcoming debut album.
Single: Ancient Channels – Hex Beat
This Brisbane quintet have combined shoegaze textures with post-punk urgency and agitation and undeniable, unequivocal pop sensibilities to craft something compelling and refreshing.
Single: Against The Voices – Sweet Tooth
Turning toxic partners into metaphors about cavities, dentists, and toothaches, Against The Voices mix sour and sweet for a solid new indie rock single.
Single: dilute_calico98 – gravelord
The little synth twinkles added a nice touch to the wall of shoegaze guitars, and the great melodic shifts made the song so enjoyable.
Single: ok jolson – sooner or later
sooner or later drips with a sly, playful swagger, and has melodic ideas you can really sink your teeth into.
Single: Delilah Wood – of the pines
To me, “of the pines” explores attachment and blame with a tenderness that never tips into self-pity. Lines like “you must treat me kinder than other men, the ones who followed me into the wood” are vivid and specific, pulled from somewhere personal.
Single: RED RED SUN – Paper Swan
“Paper Swan” is a pretty, hazy track that opens gently before building into something emotional. West’s voice is soft on the track, and the atmospheric guitars sit behind her vocals well and add character to it.
Single: Levi Taschuk – Closed I’s
The lyricism on “Closed I’s” is special. Taschuk has a way of asking questions that carries a weight that many articles struggle to do
Single: running empty x i talk about you all the time – we don’t belong
This song combines retro synths, cassette recordings, and buried vocals to manufacture a pitch-perfect slow core anthem.
Single: eli’s ladder – Summer 3000
Lyrically, “Summer 3000” explores the fleeting nature of childhood and the desire to hold onto the imagination that once made everything feel possible.
