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Owen Kufta – BB02 (9 March 2025)

Owen Kufta is a Maryland-raised singer songwriter who made a handful of online EPs and records when he’s only a teenager. Now at the age of 18, BB02 is set on being one of his most ambitious projects to date. It’s an indie rock album for a start that mixes a lo-fi slacker production choice with influences from the nosier side of shoegaze and slowcore along with themes of sexual frustration and alienation. There is a level of commendability in the effort made although compared to other unknown Bandcamp artists like arthur and no one else, there is something about it that feels off. Most of the time, the album works as if it is reliant on carrying abroad the strokes of Low and Duster with relatively more muted lyricism and even mixing. It resides in its chamber of misery that’s all too one-dimensional in its grief; it needs an extra layer to highlight the extent of its pain. It’s a sign of a person who knows  what to do, but is struggling to land his feet on why it works. 2/5

Highlight Pick: ‘My Favorite Movie (Directors Cut)’

Danny Brown – Stardust (7 November 2025)

By the time Stardust is finally out, Danny Brown is no stranger to switching up his style as a rapper. Many know him best for his deconstructive take on drug addiction and mental illnesses in Atrocity Exhibition back in 2015 and his collaboration with JPEGMAFIA for Scaring the Hoes is among the most beloved of this decade so far for its sheer abrasiveness. This album marks his step into overt Gen-Z influence as he works with hyperpop names like Frost Children or ex-YouTubers like Quadeca for many of his tracks. It works better than expected in execution as the beats prove themselves lively and the rapping more fun. It’s the sign of a person who is free from his vices and is now spreading his wings for broader horizons. It might not reach up to the sky as the experimentation leads to many moments where the beat otherwise doesn’t work as well as it should have. Its best moments however come with the highlights which hybridise the party-going drive of pop rap with the sharp production of someone like underscores. Once the beat hits, it’s hard to leave the dancefloor. 3.9/5

Highlight Pick: ‘Copycats (feat. underscores’

Lady Gaga – MAYHEM (7 March 2025)

Stefani “Lady Gaga” Germanotta was once a superstar among superstars in the late 2000s & early 2010s with her flamboyant aesthetics & punchier influences for her electropop style. Now, she diversifies in her career to include acclaimed acting as shown on 2018’s A Star is Born along with more outside-the-box switcheroos in genre be it soft rock or jazz. Recent years see her return to her old roots which is at the right time given that names like Lil’ Nas X, Charli XCX, and Chappel Roan all stand out for their similarly flashy images. Mayhem will therefore mark her second solo studio album of the decade with featured names like Bruno Mars and Siouxsies and the Banshees to help with making the tracks. Gaga’s songwriting and production might have hit a hard ceiling already with its once-colourful flair not edging out as well as it could have. However, it is a fun pop record that would at least remind fans of the old days. 3.6/5

Ghais Guevara – Goyard Ibn Said (24 January 2025)

A firebrand in Black Nationalist hip hop, Ghais Guevara broke through a few years ago with There Will Be No Super Slave where his fiery lyrics draw to mind Dead Prez’s fervent socialism. Goyard Ibn Said is his de-jure debut album which chronicles the rise of his titular character. It doesn’t have the same chipmunk soul beats that make his previous mixtapes borderline-iconic among underground fans and it’s the albatross that hangs around his tracks as being on the duller end. That isn’t the same for his rapping however as he relies on his concept to critique and condemn the state of the entertainment industry that he’s increasingly becoming a part of. He snaps at the perceived “thugz lyfe” that many of his rivals brag about, calls out the scale of sexual exploitation as exemplified with the Harvey Weinstein case, and mocks the sheer materialism that so many celebrities sucked themselves into. The album might not be as thoughtful in its thinking as the heights of Yasiin Bey or Common, but its sharpness is steady and sharp when compared to Kendrick Lamar or McKinley Dixon. 4/5

Highlight Pick: ‘Leprosy’

Panda Bear – Sinister Grift (28 February 2025)

One of the quartet that makes up the beloved Animal Collective, the psychedelic aficionado puts his solo stake on this year with Sinister Grift. It has virtually all the characteristics you could expect from him like the Beach Boys-esque vocal harmonies, the flowing reverbs that put you in a dream-like state, and the seeming lushness of its synthesizers for surreality. It is one that could have worked out if not for the audacious turn of feet with the emphasis being on rock instrumentation rather than electronica. Animal Collective are no strangers to such by the way as is embodied by ‘Fireworks’ for instance. The issue is more so that the tempo here is slow to a painful extent as many of its tracks struggle to push themselves over coming off as being original rather than overproduced remixes of the decisive influence. It is one that is likely set on forgettability as its defining legacy no matter how shiny its production might look. 2.3/5

Highlight Pick: ‘Elegy for Noah Lou’

The Mountain Goats – Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan (7 November 2025)

John Darnielle’s main project and band are no strangers to concept albums; they have been breathing them since day 1. And Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan is their latest record to date which sought to eulogise the departure of their bassist Peter Hughes in a grander scale. The story, dealing with the tragic sinking of the ship and its impact, carries itself with Christian imagery and symbolism as the tale is spun to represent the confrontation with both your mortality and your ethics. The poetics which is expected of the Mountain Goats would have been potent if not for the painful dissonance of the mellow soft rock tone that is adopted with bits of horns and violins. It makes for a work that is a bit too full of itself, too immodest in its presentation, for its vision to take off completely. It is funny therefore that this would have been more impactful if the album is just Darnielle and his acoustic guitar singing as if to recall an urban myth a la All Hail West Texas. 3/5

Highlight Picks: ‘Armies of the Lord’

Niños Del Cerro – Alma Tadema (4 October 2025)

Niños Del Cerro is a Chilean band from the metropolitan area in Santiago whose decade-long career once stands out for its dreamy psychedelia. Lance in 2018 was the best possible sample piece through its ethereal reverbs which compliment the guitar distortions that crop up every now and then. For this year, Alma Tadema takes on a mellower approach with slower tempo and more chilled guitar ticks. To put it like this, it’s the kind of album that would come to mind Beach House where the rock instrumentation exchanges technical prowess in favour of the more emotive textures. It thus has a more romantic atmosphere attached to it which makes for a nice background music on the surface layer, but it’s one that is hampered by its seemingly inflexible song structures. 3.1/5

Highlight Pick: ‘Pieza Oscura (para Martin)’

Annahstasia – Tether (13 June 2025)

Annahstasia Enuke is a Wisconsin-born singer-songwriter currently living in California whose career began early this decade with a few EPs. Last year, she broke through with an acting performance for Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Luther’ music video as the love interest. Her debut Tether is made with the full intent of showcasing her talents as a singer-songwriter with lived experiences similar to someone like Tracy Chapman or even Nina Simone. It’s hard to say whether that is achieved given that while she does provide some potent muses, her commanding vocals stand out more sharply than her own lyricism. Her work is poetic in the sense that she’s capable of writing phrases that sound beautiful once you say it out loud or even read attentively in your head. It’s not poetic in the way that gets you to forever look at a certain subject matter with how eloquently it’s been represented. In other words, it’s the equivalent to looking at a pretty painted canvas. 3.4/5

Highlight Pick: ‘Waiting’

First Day Back – Forward (1 June 2025)

It’s not everyday that you get an emo band that has a female vocalist whose singing adds a whole new dimension to the work, let alone one who nails the strained everyman angst of Midwest Emo. This is First Day Back, whose lead singer is mononymously named Maggie, and their debut album in Forward feels like a snapshot into the recollections of a failed relationship as the voice sought to move on from the breakup. Barring a small tinge of violin and harmonica, the record keeps itself simple and humble in its instrumentation which works out in its favour. The result thus is one of stream-of-conscious longingness over the past that morphs into the palimpsest. You don’t need a singer who could hit the high notes like Whitney Houston. You need them to epitomise the focus of the songs and it’s hard to picture anyone who nails the foggy relatable pain quite like Maggie herself. 4.1/5

Highlight Pick: ‘Sure, Ok’

YHWH Nailgun – 45 Pounds (21 March 2025)

YHWH Nailgun is an experimental rock band originally from Philadelphia whose style includes post-industrial and math rock influences. 45 Pounds is their debut and it’s one that is best worth keeping an eye out for through its drumming. Throughout the record, it is the key that helps ensure that the tracks are as frantic or polyrhythmic or uptight as is demanded of it without coming off as being overbearing in its attempt. Much of the surrounding aspects, be it the singing or the synths, prove to be too all over the place to be able to encapsulate the chaos ironically enough. It’s burdened by its avant-garde aspirations to make something that feels remotely comprehensible. 1.4/5

Highlight Pick: ‘Tear Pusher’

Candelabro – Deseo, carne y voluntad (3 October 2025)

Almost a third of great rock bands nowadays would get hit with a Black Country, New Road comparison. Is it the vocals? The leading saxophone? The maximalist style? Candalebro is among one of those bands and they’re from Santiago, Chile. Although their direction shares a similar boat with Hesse Kassel in being alike with the For the First Time brand of post-punk, Candalebro diverges in its more Christian undertones. Deseo, carne y voluntad is their second album and it’s one which thematically deals with redemption and the line between the dead and the living. It is an ambitious, powerful record that does not fail to seize any opportunity to trumpet on with its wavy song structures and billowing melodies that aims to enrapt. If there are any bands that are worth your attention for their cohesion, Candalebro is easily among one of them. 4.3/5.

Highlight Pick: ‘Prisión de carne’

Dove Ellis – Blizzard (5 December 2025)

Dove Ellis is an Irish singer-songwriter specifically from Galway who is currently living in Britain. While he doesn’t have a band to call his own, some fans consider him to be a part of the Windmill Scene for his appearances in the pub while it’s becoming a focal point for many aspiring musicians. Blizzard is his debut and it’s one that has a lot of charm to its name. Self-produced, it contains angelic singing that would at least draw many to remember the gentler side of Jeff Buckley along with the stunning authenticity of its pastoral scenes. It’s the kind of solo debut that isn’t too soon in its arrival as the best of this year after Cameron Winter’s Heavy Metal just last year. Call it Nick Drake, proclaim it Chris Brain if you still remember him, Dove Ellis comes through with one of those stunning starts that you could not have asked for the better of. 4.4/5

Highlight Pick: ‘Love Is’