2025 Year End Top Tens, Part Three
And now, part three of the 2024 Year End Top Tens!
Here are parts one and two, if you missed those. The fourth and final part will be posted next week.
Ben Marshall
Ben Marshall is a rocker and a reviewer for MRR. A herbert with a heart of gold, a short-haired rock’n’roller, and part-time lager (top) lout.
I swear I’ve said this on repeat for the past couple of years, but bloody hell, that was a shit year mostly, wasn’t it? That being said, a small highlight for yours truly has been finally playing a handful of shows and even putting out a few tunes, and I simply cannot recommend highly enough getting in a practice room and messing about and having a daft laugh with your mates. Here are a few releases I’ve enjoyed this year, but truly the release I’d enjoy the most is the unconditional release of all of the Filton 24. Free Palestine, Free Ola.
PUFFER – Street Hassle LP (Roachleg / Static Shock)
One for the rockers, a truly electrifying slab of pure punk energy, with riffs coming out of their ears. Got me moving like the Baryshnikov of beers.
BÉTON ARMÉ – Renaissance LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
Like cheese curds, gravy, and chips, some things just go together. Montreal and high-quality punk rock is another. Another ironclad classic from La Métropole.
AN SLUA – Sure Look It LP (Distroy / Longshot)
Unashamedly political, incontrovertibly correct, and with grit and tunes for days. Into the pantheon of modern-day Oi! Greats.
THE MASSACRED – Nightmare Agitators LP (Active-8)
The soundtrack to the EXPLOITED having a scrap with KAAOS. Total rager of a record.
C-4 – Payback’s a Bitch LP (Triple B)
I genuinely feel like I’ve lost brain cells after listening to this album. I must have listened to it about 50 times this year.
DIRECT ORDER ’82 – Direct Order ’82 demo cassette (Crosshair)
Snotty and brash, an extremely fun demo that brings the spirit of ’82 into big 2025.
THE TUBS – Cotton Crown LP (Trouble In Mind)
(Mostly) Welsh wonders from South London hit factory Gob Nation produce one of the funniest and heartwrenchingly beautiful records of the year.
NO TIME – Comply or Die EP (Mendeku Diskak)
Pittsburgh bruisers return with a 7” brimming with vile and invective. Songs to kick a fascist’s head in to.
HERITAGE – Blood and Tears LP (Youth Attack)
Another one for the rockers, a fun street punk debut with a glammy swagger that’ll keep you grooving.
CLAIMED CHOICE – Genuinely Crafted Noise LP (Longshot / Une Vie Pour Rien Vinyles)
French ‘Erberts return with some of their finest work to date. Tres bien.
Ben Trogdon
Ben Trogs of Nuzzzzy Zine. Contact him at vegetablesgreen@gmail.com, P.O. Box 1959 NY, NY 10013, or on Instagram @VBDBCT.
Favorite live set of 2025:
SYSTEMA
The show was at a bar in the ancient part of Mexico City. It was full of punks slamming and sliding around on the wet tile floor. The whole place felt very medieval with wooden chandeliers and heavy wooden tables. Bands played in the corner under portraits of ’70s soccer player heroes. There were a ton of punks inside but many more were outside drinking and chilling on the street. When SYSTEMA started there was a crazy push by the outside punks to get in. For two very tense minutes, the bouncers strained and held their ground pushing back against huge wooden Spanish castle doors, until, inevitably, the defense collapsed and the triumphant punkers streamed in gleefully! There was a second of fear from us already inside, that real violence was gonna break out; someone was gonna get trampled or a fist was gonna get thrown. But when the outside punks broke through, they swam right in, jiggling and wiggling around like fish in a bucket of water. They slid up to and around the band, and then there was no separation between the band and crowd. The room of people became a squirm of feedback, studs, and sweat.
Other fave live sets from the past year:
YOUTH IN ASIA
PXMX (PUNKS DE LA MONTAÑA)
NECRON 9
Also, the last time I saw NO FUCKER, I thought voices were talking to me inside of the distortion.
Billiam
Billiam is a musician from Naarm (Melbourne), Australia who makes various autism sounds.
TY – We R TY cassette (Painters Tapes)
Coming out of the box fully-formed and fighting with a gusto not seen since the NWI explosion, TY is the band of the future, and they aren’t even trying. Pure demented riffs with an aura of fun. It sounds like three friends sharing one brain cell for pure good.
ARTIFICIAL GO – Musical Chairs LP (Feel It)
The greatest band that never got the chance to sign to Rough Trade in 1979! Musical Chairs takes everything Hopscotch Fever did and puts it into overdrive, much like their desired “Red Convertible.” Effortlessly cooler than you, but still nice enough to keep you around their party.
GHOULIES – Shafted by the Algorithm LP (Erste Theke Tonträger)
On January 1st, 2025, GHOULIES already had a spot on this list. The whizz fizz lords of sixteenth notes took an already perfect drink and added a little umbrella and a bunch of slime on top. Tight synth punk that doesn’t have any time to waste.
THE CARP FACTORY – Catch and Kill LP (BDK)
“Boss makes a dollar, I make a dime, that’s why I shit my pants on company time.” It doesn’t matter quite what you think of CARP FACTORY, because they clearly had the time of their lives making this record. It’s fun and biting, and exists to serve itself and various St. Kilda players.
EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING – Shapes and Forms EP (Cool Death)
Goddamnit, if there was any year where I needed EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING to gift us with new music, it was this year. They delivered. A perfect three-song 7” with the sharpest riffs this side of kangaroo land. It’s so heartfelt you can’t help but dance.
OLIVIA’S WORLD – Greedy and Gorgeous LP (Little Lunch)
Canada via Canberra via Sydney, it’s a crazed timeline that birthed an ethereal record. Always coming sideways and slicing through the oxygen and hairspray, OLIVIA’S WORLD does with three chords what some struggle to say with twenty.
LOOSE LIPS – Last Laugh LP (Dig!)
Power pop is back, dumbass! Too many good, heart-fluttering records to mention, so take this one as my catch-all for the genre’s incredible year. It’s amazing these songs weren’t written until 2025, but fuck, man, I’m so glad they’re here to stay.
TEO WISE – Fermo o Sparo! LP (Turbo)
The wild cowboy stallion let his horses run free for the afternoon to put together one of the most charming and heartwarming records I’ve heard come out of these harsh, harsh desert winds. It’s a breezy and fun ride through a scary time in Teo’s life, a story about finding hope in a place where none exists.
ADDED DIMENSIONS – Jane from Preoccupied America LP (Domestic Departure)
I struggle to put into words the pathway this record unlocked in me; the droning organ enchanted me from the first second and left me spellbound after the spiral scratch ran out. It’s driving, haunting, and exciting at level eleven. An enchanting record for a disenchanted age.
RHYSICS – Great Barrier Rhys LP (self-released)
The time it took for Rhys to surface his ultimate masterpiece was enough to drive me insane, but it turns out if you beg someone enough, they’ll finally release one of the strongest debuts a Naarm band has ever put out. It’s a lot of fun that’s equal parts square, round, and the kiki-bouba shapes.
Eric Anderson
Eric Anderson is a Chicago-based music writer.
Every year I feel compelled to list out all of the bad shit that happened in the world before listing all of these excellent punk records. I don’t know where that comes from; maybe some sense of guilt for enjoying material things while people out there are facing such extreme hardship. We all know what’s going on, and I don’t think anyone needs another white guy on a soapbox. With that, here’s to a better year in 2026, and my favorite records from 2025.
- PUÑAL – Buscando La Muerte LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
La Vida Es Un Mus had another stellar year for releases, although one of my favorites seemed to slip a bit under the radar. PUÑAL’s Buscando La Muerte came along seven years after their initial demo and is the sound of a band who took that time to dial in their brand of evil Spanish UK82.
- DUST COLLECTOR – Decadent AA EP (General Speech)
General Speech dropped some real heat this year, and ended on a particularly gnarly note with DUST COLLECTOR’s debut. Noisy punk of the highest order, this is a pleasantly catchy and clean(-ish) take on the style, and one that became a fast favorite.
- NEGATIVE CHARGE – Negative Charge LP (Neon Taste)
Winnipeg’s punk scene is filled to the brim with good bands, with NEGATIVE CHARGE taking the lead this year with their self-titled debut. A total heater wrapped in excellent artwork by Joe B. NEGATIVE CHARGE left a big impression and probably a few bruises, too.
- ACID CASUALTIES – Flags Are False LP (Iron Lung)
Iron Lung also had a huge year, and choosing from their catalog proved to be tricky. That said, I loved ACID CASUALTIES’ gnarly Flags Are False, a record that’s grimy take on raw early ’80s USHC scratched the itch, sonically and lyrically alike.
- SUBVERSIVE RITE – Apocalypse Zone LP (Acute Noise Manufacture)
Recorded in 2022 but released properly this year, SUBVERSIVE RITE’s Apocalypse Zone is a picture-perfect display of metallic punk that sees every member of the band operating at full capacity. The guitars are shredding, and the drums are insane, but it’s the vocals that steal the show.
- THE MASSACRED – Nightmare Agitators LP (Active-8)
The first record released in 2025 that I picked up, and a hell of a way to start off the year. The MASSACRED’s Nightmare Agitators sounds particularly warm and burly, surely in part thanks to the production of Chris Corry. Blending the UK82 sound of bands like VARUKERS with Finnish hardcore like APPENDIX and KAAOS, the MASSACRED started the year off with a bang. - WICCANS – Phase IV LP (Unlawful Assembly)
I feel like WICCANS’ Phase IV popped up out of nowhere and fortunately, I waited to listen to it until I got my hands on a copy. A total beast of a record that fully carves out its own space in the world of punk music, I can’t even really think of another band to compare them to. Phase IV is full of energy, catchy as hell, and probably the most fun listen on this list.
- AYUCABA – Operación Masacre LP (Metadona)
A true masterclass in punk music, AYUCABA’s Operación Masacre leaves absolutely nothing to be desired. After some personnel shifts, it would seem the band struck gold with their new lineup, which includes my favorite vocals of the year and the perfect amount of metal riffing to put it over the top. Sometimes punk records can feel a little thrown together and haphazard, but this one is well-thought-out and intentional, demanding to be listened to in one sitting.
- HARAM – Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell / ليش الجنة بيتبلش في الجهنم؟ LP (Toxic State)
HARAM’s Why Does Paradise Begin In Hell was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and it certainly did not disappoint. Filled with banger after banger of uniquely groovy tunes and heaps of righteous anger, HARAM’s sound and message is as potent and powerful as any delivered this year. In such extreme and volatile times, this is exactly the kind of album that reaffirms what I love about punk music.
- NECRON 9 – People Die LP (Unlawful Assembly)
It was immediately apparent that NECRON 9’s debut was going to be an all-timer and appear on many year-end lists. I’ve lost track of the amount of people who told me it would be included on theirs, many in the number one spot. A pure, raw, and unfiltered expression, People Die managed to capture the band’s live energy on its ten tracks. While channeling some all-time hardcore favorites, NECRON 9 has created something uniquely original and entirely their own. Punk is alive and well, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Honorable Mentions:
V/A – Still No P.E.A.C.E. Still War LP (War Bad)
HOME FRONT – Watch It Die LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
RIGOROUS INSTITUTION – Tormentor LP (Roachleg)
TOTAL NADA – Aquí y Ahora 12” (11PM / Discos Enfermos)
CONTRAST ATTITUDE – Discharge Your Noise LP (Desolate / D-Takt & Råpunk)
ULTIMATE DISASTER – For Progress…12” (Grave Mistake / Kick Rock)
NISEMONO 偽者 – Nisemono 偽者 LP (Toxic State)
ELECTRIC CHAIR / PHYSIQUE – split LP (Iron Lung)
ALIENATOR – Meat Locker LP (Black Water)
STATICØ – Absurdity Of The World LP (Ayran Sounds / Onesnaževanje Uma / Out of the Darkness / Refuse)
Erin O’Hare
Erin O’Hare plays bass in RADON ABATEMENT, ADDED DIMENSIONS, and OUTER WORLD. She also books shows at Visible Records, a community arts and organizing space. She lives in so-called Charlottesville, Virginia, on unceded Monacan and Manahoac lands, where she works as a journalist in a local nonprofit newsroom.
All three of the bands I play in were extremely active writing, recording, and performing this year. As a result, I had very little time (not to mention headspace) for other people’s music. Still, these are the releases I couldn’t wait to hear, all from musicians I’ve admired for a while.
ARTIFICIAL GO – Musical Chairs LP (Feel It)
Songs with lyrics about the joy of walking your own freaky path through life and wanting to drive a red convertible (no other color will do!)—this is the record I listened to when the world was weighing me down and I needed a refresher course on how to have a little fun. ARTIFICIAL GO is like the B-52’S, in that it’s impossible not to smile and bounce around to their music. A party band for the present day, proven by their ecstatic performance at U4 Fest in Philadelphia in October.
HÉLÈNE BARBIER – Panorama LP (Bonsound)
This one might be a half-step too far into the avant-pop world for Maximum Rocknroll, but I’ll risk it for its undeniable YOUNG MARBLE GIANTS-esque art-punk DNA. It’s been four years since Barbier (MOSS LIME, PHERN) gave us Regulus, but Panorama is worth the wait. It’s soothing and familiar, like a soft sweater on a rainy day, and yet the interplay between Barbier’s bass and Joe Chamandy’s (RETAIL SIMPS, ITCHY SELF, PROTRUDERS) hooky guitar keeps it fresh. When I listen to it with my eyes closed, I see someone folding origami.
COLD MEAT – Cake and Arse Party EP (Static Shock)
Musically creative, fast and actually furious, COLD MEAT marry hardcore and post-punk once again in this stellar follow-up to their 2020 Hot and Flustered LP. Across all of her projects (KRIMI, AMEROL, etc.), Ash Gash is one of the lyricists I relate to most. Dealing with arrogant drunk guys at the bar? Been there. Feeling inhuman because my worth is constantly tied to my output thanks to late-stage capitalism? Every damn day. Thematically, it’s up there in my all-star league with Eve Libertine-era CRASS, POISON GIRLS, NOXEEMA, COLLATE, and ALL HITS.
FAKE LAST NAME – 2025 Practice Tape cassette (self-released)
I adored Ronni What’s (SPLLIT) Fake Persuasion Domain four-song 7” from last year, but for some reason, it didn’t make it onto my year-end list. Maybe I heard about it too late to include? In any case, I’ll do penance here by mentioning the practice tape. It’s no wave-y, post-punk-y, wiry, wiggly, and weird, one of my favorite musical worlds to drop into for the past few months.
KITCHENETTE – Kitchenette demo cassette (self-released)
Richmond’s WARM GIRLS called it quits before I could see them live, but thankfully, most of its members decided to carry on and form KITCHENETTE. None of the songs on their five-song demo tape go where you’d expect, with KLEENEX-esque start-stop vocal delivery that plays perfectly off the wiry guitar, bubblicious bass and reliable drums. “Piece of Glass” and “Lime” are the ones I can’t get out of my head. That’s okay, though—I’m happy to have them there.
MARAUDEUR – Flaschenträger LP (Feel It / Kakakids / Red Wig)
I’m obsessed with this band (two basses!) and when I tell you I squealed when I saw they had a new album, I mean it. I’ve played their previous record, Puissance 4, so many times I’m almost worried I’m wearing out the grooves (good thing my household has two copies). MARAUDEUR has a playfulness that reminds me of PYLON with a dusting of DEVO. It doesn’t get much better than that.
NAPE NECK – The Shallowest End LP (Dot Dash Sounds / OCCII / Red Wig)
Art-punkers/no wavers NAPE NECK are so damn exciting. They always sound a thread’s width away from falling apart, but no matter how taut they pull that thread, it holds. Brilliant.
OPTIC SINK – Lucky Number LP (Feel It)
Everything OPTIC SINK did well on their previous releases, they elevate here: ample synth partnered with bass-as-melodic-instrument, some guitar, and lyrics (in Natalie Hoffman’s singular delivery) conveying sometimes uncomfortable truths about human existence. The title track and the album closer, “Luxury of Honesty,” are highlights and would fit perfectly between TUBEWAY ARMY and THE SOUND on a mixtape.
PUPPET WIPES – Live Inside LP (Siltbreeze)
When I need to escape to an entirely different universe for an attitude adjustment and complete shift in perspective, I reach for PUPPET WIPES. To my ears, they’re Odyshape-era RAINCOATS meets KYRA’s “Doodlebug,” scratching a peculiar itch right next to the one XV soothes so well.
SELF IMPROVEMENT – Syndrome LP (Feel It)
This is what I put on when I didn’t know what else to listen to this year, and it was the right choice every time. I loved SELF IMPROVEMENT’s 2021 debut, Visible Damage, in large part because it was so SUBURBAN LAWNS-y. On Syndrome, the band avoids the dreaded sophomore slump by honing in on what worked so well the first time, further focusing a piercing gaze on the trials and tribulations of existing in this heavy and absurd society (see “Just Like Me” and “Scam Likely”). The record is all the more enjoyable for it.
Jeff Cost
Jeff was a long-time reader of the zine (yup, he’s old) and has been reviewing releases for Maximum Rocknroll since 2024. His day job is “photo stuff,” and he lives in New Jersey outside NYC with his husband and their rescue dog, Bailey.
2025 has been a year of cycling through horror, white-hot anger, and despondency at what’s going on around the world. It’s hard not to feel like evil is winning, but these ten releases, in no particular order, either provided a momentary escape or reminded me that it’s still worth pushing back against the kind of human garbage that takes pleasure in punching down.
SPLIT SYSTEM – No Cops in Heaven / Pull the Trigger 7″ (Legless / Static Shock)
Legless put out three SPLIT SYSTEM 7″s in 2025, and this one felt like the moment where everything clicked. The band wear their influences openly—’70s Australian proto-punk, ’77 punk, garage punk—but they never sound stuck in tribute mode. Instead, it feels like they’re picking up that lineage and carrying it forward with confidence and purpose. I hope they can bring that same focus and momentum into their next full-length.
FAN CLUB – Stimulation EP (Feel It)
Seattle’s FAN CLUB bottled lightning on Stimulation, moving between bursts of hardcore speed and slightly more measured moments without losing momentum. The EP stays tightly focused, with each song hitting hard and getting out before it dulls the impact. Even when the pace shifts, the sense of urgency never drops. It’s a concise, confident release that demands repeat listens and stood out for me this year.
THE SLOW DEATH – No Light to See LP (Don’t Sing)
I’ve followed Jesse Thorson and the SLOW DEATH since I first saw them with the SOVIETTES at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco in 2011. Their blend of garage-, Midwest-, and pop punk, shot through with a streak of country and THORSON’s deeply personal lyrics, hit in a way I hadn’t really experienced elsewhere. I didn’t love their last album, but this one introduces a new lineup, brings in organ lines, and trades some of the band’s earlier abrasiveness for more dynamic, expansive songwriting. The payoff is immediate: these songs stuck with me, and I kept coming back to them.
COMMITMENT – Commitment demo cassette (self-released)
COMMITMENT came out of nowhere for me this year, but this demo made an immediate impression. Featuring Pierce Jordan of SOUL GLO on drums, the band pairs explosive playing with Tati Salazar’s first turn at the mic in a hardcore context, and she sounds genuinely terrifying in the best possible way. The songs lean into powerviolence-inflected hardcore, all pressure and forward motion, built to propel bodies through space. It’s brief, brutal, and more than enough to make me impatient for whatever comes next.
DICK MOVE – Dream, Believe, Achieve LP (1:12)
Auckland’s DICK MOVE came out swinging again this year, using blunt-force punk to channel working-class frustration and sharp, unapologetic takes on women’s issues. Always a direct band, their third album feels more locked-in and deliberate than the first two. There’s no posturing here—just tightly wound punk that stays confrontational without losing its sense of fun. It grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go.
THE BROKEDOWNS – Let’s Tip the Landlord LP (Red Scare)
The BROKEDOWNS continue to be one of the most reliable bands working in that Midwestern, rhythm-section-driven punk tradition. Coming out of the Chicago suburbs, they share DILLINGER FOUR’s smart-ass sensibilities, but bring a looser energy that keeps things moving. There’s always been a tension in this band between sharp songwriting and dark humor, and that balance still works in their favor here. They make clever, hooky punk that never forgets to be fun, and their consistency continues to pay off.
SKULL CULT – Can’t You See What I Mean? EP (Under the Gun)
Indianapolis’s SKULL CULT deals out fast, unhinged, spasmodic punk, with keyboards bringing a kind of circus atmosphere to it all. The recording is blown-out to shit, but that distortion feels integral rather than careless. Beneath the noise and abrasion, there’s a pop sensibility that gives the songs shape and lets us know that the band’s constant line-crossing is intentional.
CLAIMED CHOICE – Genuinely Crafted Noise LP (Longshot / Une Vie Pour Rien Vinyles)
In his review of this album, MRR’s Eric Anderson summed up the appeal of the French Oi!/glam/street punkers CLAIMED CHOICE perfectly: “It’s all rock’n’roll to me and it rules, OK?” They don’t quite have the urgency of the CHISEL, and the approach here is fairly straightforward, but the band sounds locked-in to a solid groove. It’s familiar in the best way, music that gets your heart pumping without demanding much analysis. If you’re looking for a reliable soundtrack for knocking back a few beers, this does the job perfectly.
CITRIC DUMMIES – Split With Turnstile LP (Feel It)
CITRIC DUMMIES specialize in snotty, aggressive punk that hits like the BROKEDOWNS after too many energy drinks. The songs move fast but never lose their shape, balancing speed with actual hooks instead of blurring everything into noise. It’s sharp, bratty, and relentless, but it never forgets to be fun, which keeps this record in heavy rotation.
IMPLODERS – Targeted for Extermination LP (Neon Taste)
Toronto’s IMPLODERS keep things brutally efficient on their second full-length, ripping through twelve hardcore blasts that rarely stretch past ninety seconds. Rooted firmly in classic ’80s hardcore, the band doesn’t bother reinventing anything—they just play it fast, raw, and to-the-point. It’s a lean record that rewards repeat listens, the kind of release that sticks in your head precisely because it doesn’t waste any time.
Luke Henley
Luke is a writer and musician in Santa Fe. They perform in the horror-themed surf rock band the OUIJA CHORDS and front the garage pop act the PANCAKE HAUS.
MY WIFE’S AN ANGEL – Yeah, I Bet LP (Broken Cycle / GrimGrimGrim / Knife Hits)
My most listened to album this year. Meets the world where it’s at, in the dumpster on fire. This thing is mean and cathartic while full of punchlines that keep the whole affair above outright despair.
EMMETT O.C. – 9 From the Warped Mind LP (Low Ambition / Sweet Time)
This is melancholic and meditative as much as it is playful (in that sneering sort of way). Some of the biggest pop hooks in that timeless yesteryear style without being retro or corny.
TWISTED TEENS – Blame the Clown LP (Chain Smoking)
This band continues to grow, getting better and better with punk songs that sound like new folk traditions. This record is even more consistent than their first. The sound of confidence that will break and mend your heart until it’s the strongest muscle in the body.
ARTIFICIAL GO – Musical Chairs LP (Feel It)
This is one of the most nimble and ecstatic LPs of the year with a clowning spirit that celebrates its every whim at max volume. Another follow-up this year that proves the current crop of artful punkers are getting better and more confident.
CITRIC DUMMIES – Split With Turnstile LP (Feel It)
I’ve seen a lot of folks refer to this as hardcore, and I guess that is an ingredient in the pudding, but it’s not the whole story. This is punk rock played fast with abandon as well as an absurdist tome on life that obliterates any notion of taking yourself too seriously.
ROBBER – Bad Eggs LP (ProfitCorp)
This is a hardcore record by way of first-wave black metal that bites like it will give you a staph infection. It’s also a hell of a lot of fun. I only want to go to the types of parties where someone would put this record on.
TY – WE R TY cassette (Painters Tapes)
Pumps new energy into the wiry, synthy punk we’ve come to respect as en vogue for something like a decade now. But this is a bit more brash, has more hooks and reverberates with a more muscular sound than the countless hordes before that have tried and failed to find a new way to fry an egg.
ViIDEO DUCT – V.D. cassette (self-released)
A singular vision of hell in a basement bedroom that lashes out and gnashes its teeth. Echoes the out and out misanthropy and pain of NO TREND’s earliest output while still sounding fresh for the circuit-benders and drum-machiners. I didn’t hear anything else like this in 2025…nor in any of the years prior.
TENSION PETS – Expresso Plaza CD (self-released)
Fluorescent carnival punk that turns the up-and-down of a carousel ride into a demonstration of centrifugal force that pins you against the wall as it barks and squibbles its way into your brainstem. Fun and delightfully self-assured in being off-kilter, but with plenty of hooks. This is really smart stuff.
BIG BILL – Sick Myth LP (Todo)
This Austin crew’s latest is literate, lyrical, and brilliantly arranged. Some of these tracks dip their wing into prog’s choppy waters while others simply hang on a groove and go. Songs about the everyday workplace grind (in the morgue), how not to be a cop and other facets of the bizarre pressures of life buzzily land this record in the top ten.
Matt Casteel
AKA Mattistocracy, AKA Leo Delightful is a photographer, writer, and DJ based in Roanoke, VA. He’s co-owner of Culture Desert Records and does reviews for MRR. His current bands are EX PARENTS and SULTRY.
Ahhh, 2025…what a year. It’s hard to wrap one’s mind around the speed with which gluttonous feeding at the trough of fascism has accelerated. Society’s most vulnerable members are being villanized, brutalized, and whisked away by anonymous agents of a vicious state. Billionaires are building bunkers in an attempt to protect themselves from the impending collapse. May their corpses nourish the rats and roaches. Despite it all, hardcore still fuckin’ rules. Here are the releases that got me through the year, in no particular order.
NECRON 9 – People Die LP (Unlawful Assembly)
Proper Midwest-style USHC teeming with wild and frenetic energy. I’ve kept coming back to this beast since it dropped back in March, and I foresee it getting many rotations well into the future.
SCIENCE MAN – Monarch Joy LP (Swimming Faith)
The latest iteration of John Toohill’s multi-headed behemoth may be the most maniacal yet. Monarch Joy encompasses a vision that extends far beyond the 12” of punishing, art-damaged hardcore found here. There’s a three-part, twenty-minute film accompaniment in case your mind hasn’t been sufficiently blown apart by the record alone.
KALEIDOSCOPE – Cities of Fear LP (La Vide Es Un Mus)
I’m a total sucker for peace punk. KALEIDOSCOPE has made a veritable homage to the genre with Cities of Fear. They strike a masterful balance by embracing influences while adding their own register of voice. The result is an album that hews close to the classics while breathing new life into the formula at the same time.
THE HELL – Cut the Chord EP (Drunken Sailor / Sorry State)
Cleveland punk done right. Five rowdy, no-frills rippers that demand repeated listens. Snarling and packed to the gills with hooks. Music to get or give a GERMS burn to.
THE DAMAGE – The Damage demo cassette (self-released)
Philadelphia consistently produces top-tier acts, and the DAMAGE has grown out of some of the heaviest hitters. Featuring members of QUARANTINE, KINETIC ORBITAL STRIKE, and DARK THOUGHTS, this demo is firing on the expected cylinders and then some. Furious USHC, cranked well into the red.
AYUCABA – Operación Masacre LP (Metadona)
I had the pleasure of reviewing this record for MRR recently and I haven’t been able to shake it since. Operación Masacre gets the award for most notable vocal delivery of the year. Killer global punk that just oozes venomous charisma.
PSYCH-WAR – Psychotic Warmonger LP (Agipunk)
Absolut Country of Cheesesteak.
ULTIMATE DISASTER – For Progress… 12” (Grave Mistake / Kick Rock)
To my ears, this is the quintessential D-beat record of 2025. Precise and raw in equal measure, ULTIMATE DISASTER channels a similar force and momentum as Japanese legends DISCLOSE. Devastating and essential.
BIG TROUBLE – Pink Wrinkley LP (self-released)
Unhinged hardcore from Athens, Georgia that features former members of some of that city’s all-time greats, like AMERICAN CHEESEBURGER and SNUKI. Freaky weirdos playing psychotic “music” for the deranged and maladjusted.
PUFFER – Street Hassle LP (Roachleg / Static Shock)
This one hit me like a ton of bricks. By sheer numbers, I’ve listened to this record more than any other this year. Perfect boot punk anthems with huge infectious riffs. Street Hassle was hands-down the soundtrack of my summer.
Nevada Nieves-Quiñones
Nevada Nieves is a midwest-based Boricua Terror, a born road warrior, who plays guitar in ABI OOZE.
What a year (derogatory), and what a year (celebratory)! I was lucky enough this year to go on four tours and attend a few fests, having the blessed opportunity to connect with old friends, make new ones, and to affirm that despite living in an evil world, despite endless heartbreak, that we are still here and still taking care of each other, that what we do is not really a secret after all. Until all are free! In the meantime…
AMERETAT – Ameretat LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
Furious and powerful hardcore that fuses epic crust and anarcho-punk with traditional Iranian music. Besides the immaculate use of samples and/or field recordings, the raging dual vocals (in Farsi, Kurdish, and English) as well as the drums/percussion command the mix throughout the entire record, driving each song forward like a bludgeon.
BLACK EYES – Hostile Design 12” (Dischord Records)
DC’s best band is back after twenty years to show us the roadmap to what punk can truly become. Hostile Design is the group’s long-awaited third installation in their dubbed-out, trip-hop no wave manifesto, what a friend calls “the Twin Peaks Season Three of hardcore.” As ferocious and incisive as anything from their early ’00s releases, lyrics in Greek, Arabic, English, and more describe the fascist hell of our world, and how to resist and destroy it. “How long til we open the gate?” Not long!
NAPE NECK – The Shallowest End LP (Dot Dash Sounds / OCCII / Red Wig)
Queer no wave and anxious post-punk from these Leeds veterans. Weird time signatures but not in a bro-y way, scratchy guitar, three singers, interlocking rhythms. Makes you want to start a band. How punk should sound in the next century.
GENRE – Genre cassette (self-released)
Somewhere between indie pop and post-punk, these KC rockers pump out catchy jams with endearing vocal harmonies, beep-booping synth and ripping melodic guitar work. I can hear traces of Diyana’s old band BLUE HEALER in the longing vibe and bittersweet melodies of her playing, and drummer Aoife absolutely shreds the kit in their singular and inspiring style. Moments remind me equally of the RENTALS but also FAMILY FODDER.
CUCUY – People Talking cassette (Earth Girl)
D. Boon and DIE KREUZEN vibes. Members of the BUG and DEODORANT slam out fiery hardcore punk that jumps back-and-forth between off-kilter, melodic, discordant, and groovy. There’s even a power electronics intro to the penultimate song. Hope to see more from them in 2026!
ERASER – Hideout 12″ (Siltbreeze)
Post-punk how it should be: anxiety-ridden, off-kilter, and full of nerves! I especially love the busted, almost out-of-tune synth. Others have namechecked KLEENEX and MANIA D. as influences, but they really remind me of MJ Regalado’s L.A./Providence no wave-y angle factory NEONATES.
ACTUAL FEAR – Actual Fear cassette (self-released)
Crushing fastcore/powerviolence in the classic style from these young Southern punks (a.k.a. real punks), reportedly written and recorded in one day! The blood-curdling vocals from singer Sophia cut a path like a machete straight to your dome. Here’s hoping they lean into the jazz prog/noise side of the genre when they put together a set that’s longer than four minutes.
GUMBY’S JUNK – Business & Pleasure LP (self-released)
Prog-punk for the girls, gays, and theys! If you dig CARDIACS, SPLLIT, or maybe even CHEER-ACCIDENT, run your ass to the record shop and pick this up! Perfectly twisted and erratic, and adept and catchy all at once. On first listen, I said “Damn, this is mixed like a DEERHOOF record,” and then I saw that Greg Saunier indeed had his hands on the faders! That’s Oakland, baby! If you wished ARTIFICIAL GO played in 11/8, or that MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA had more thrash beats, this is for you.
THE EX – If Your Mirror Breaks LP (Ex)
The true anarchs of punk return with their 38th(!) record and proof that punk has always been whatever we want it to be. Vocalist Arnold de Boer’s swinging sprechtspiel rolls confidently in step with Katherina’s drums and over the dual guitars-as-giant-thumb-pianos slung with abandon by Terrie and Andy (formerly of Scotland’s DOG FACED HERMANS). Contemplative, aggressive, and playful all at the same time. The James Baldwin quote in “The Evidence” is icing on the cake.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
SPLLIT’s demos for their upcoming On the Land LP
Lucky enough to have these shared with me this summer, and I think it’s gonna be their best thing yet. Prog-punk that recalls Chris Cohen-era DEERHOOF, the EX, and DC’s BEAUTY PILL at times.
SUPERSONIC PISS reunion show
In a nasty Iowa City basement like it was 2009 again. Blowing black snot for days after.
JUDY AND THE JERKS/ABI OOZE tour
I can’t think of a greater and kinder group of people to be on the road with or a more killer band to see night after night. Day one, the bass exploded during the breakdown to “Nothing To Prove;” without missing a beat, Hampton grabbed the mic, imitating the riff with just mouth sounds, and the slam increased tenfold. The tour only went up from there!
Jumping in the Pacific Ocean
My whole life, I have lived near a bay, or gulf, or ocean. I never thought much of it until moving to the Midwest. It’s my first time being completely landlocked, and my Caribbean spirit does indeed suffer. After plans to take a dip in the Yuba River on our August West Coast tour fell through, my bandmate Mikey found time for us in our crazy schedule to submerge ourselves before leaving L.A. We were all healed.
Nick Odorizzi
Nick Odorizzi is a writer, teacher, and dad from Charlotte.
2025 was a hard year, y’all. Great for punk music, bad for pretty much everything else. I hope you are doing well and staying safe out there. Here is what I listened to the most (not including the “K-pop Demon Hunters” soundtrack ad nauseum). Thanks for reading and keep doing rad punk shit.
ARTIFICIAL GO – Musical Chairs LP (Feel It)
Jangly pop swirl of KLEENEX/LILIPUT and SUBURBAN LAWNS with the sweetness of CUB that will put a smile on your face (unless you have a bad attitude). “Circles” is a confection of a song with lyrics like, “Uh-oh, where do I go? / Chasing my tail in circles” and “I’m shaking in my boots like a Chihuahua!” Maximum DIY charm.
BLACK EYES – Hostile Design 12” (Dischord)
Return of the best experimental/go-go/post-hardcore revolutionary dance party around. Shrieked poetry cuts through no wave sax backed by the crispiest rhythm section on the East Coast. This EP is so full of ideas that it vibrates with frenzied energy.
CHEMICAL – Chemical CD (self-released)
Indie-fluent punk pulled apart by just enough droning dissonance and looping vocal intonations that its no wave skeleton is revealed. Shimmering strummed chords get punctuated by feedback squalls, creating a rare thing: a record too beautiful for a No New York comparison, yet grating enough for art-punk satisfaction.
CRUELSTER – Make Them Wonder Why LP (Convulse)
Classically informed Midwest hardcore with sneaky hooks and blunt, anti-humor lyrics that are so clever and so dumb. Sing-along choruses and gang vocals ride a razor-thin edge between self-aware satire and genuine, earnest fun. I probably listened to this record the most out of everything on the list this year.
IRON LUNG – Adapting // Crawling 12” (Iron Lung)
The long-awaited fourth album from IRON LUNG is a jaw-dropping exercise in relentless, pulverizing powerviolence. Industrial clanging bleeds into the edges, but maximum drum/guitar/vocal economy is still the operating model. Crank it and take your brain to the dry cleaners.
LIQUID CROSS – Don’t Think cassette (Strange Mono)
No-bullshit garage punk that sounds like a Pacific Northwest forest meetup between the SPITS and the WIPERS. Big grunge fuzz with vocal melodies and hooky songwriting that got play after play from me this year.
NAPE NECK – The Shallowest End LP (Dot Dash Sounds / OCCII / Red Wig)
I was planning to write about the compilation record that NAPE NECK released earlier this year and just saw that a new LP dropped! Urgent, stabbing no wave where churning bass grooves collide against guitar shards under dueling vocals. Sometimes there is beautifully fractured harmony, often there is bleeding noisy chaos. It’s so good that it feels historically significant.
PARIS 1942 – Paris 1942 LP (Superior Viaduct)
Compilation of tracks from the short-lived, otherworldly band composed of the SUN CITY GIRLS’ Bishop brothers and the VELVET UNDERGROUND’s Moe Tucker. I can’t even imagine how these two worlds collided in 1982 Arizona, but it is a gift for fans of difficult listening. Primitive garage rock stretches and oozes into jammy experimentation; a relay baton passing from “I’m Waiting for My Man” to “Torch of the Mystics.”
RATTLE – Encircle LP (Upset the Rhythm)
Minimal drum and vocal compositions that build hypnotic tribal explorations that sonically inhabit worlds both ancient and futuristic. Overlapping voices lift wordless hymns to collaboration, introspection, and beauty.
SHAKTI – Shakti LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
Massive punk howl from the post-colonial Indian experience by way of Barcelona expats. Raw vocals burn through disco floor bass grooves, while staticky Bollywood films flicker on a dying TV. Vibrant and essential, the record confronts the voice repeating the venomous question, “Where are you really from?”
Best Live Shows
DEVO, the DISGUSTING, GANG OF FOUR, HOLOGRAM, POISON RUIN, TENUE, YOUONCEWERE.