2025 Year End Top Tens, Part Two
And now, more 2025 Year End Top Tens!
Be sure to read PART 1!
Biff Bifaro
Biff Bifaro does monthly cassette reviews for MRR. For over twenty years, they’ve been playing in punk bands, driving bands on tour, and running labels. Currently the brain behind Feral Kid Records and Tetryon Tapes.
An excruciating year now behind us, thankfully punk has been as outstanding as ever through it. Keeping with the way I always do my lists, as a cassette-only reviewer here at Maximum Rocknroll, I will be focusing on cassettes and demos released this year. Tons of killer tapes came my way this year, from here and my other travels as an active band member and tour driver. Let’s dive right in and not waste anymore time with a silly intro. Keep your eyes peeled for a forthcoming installment of my sporadic Maximum Rocknroll radio show, First Glimpse From the Crowbar Hotel, where a number of these cassettes will surely get some airplay.
SILO KIDS – Silo Kids demo cassette (Earth Girl)
SILO KIDS – II cassette (Earth Girl)
2025 kicked off with an absolute bang! The debut demo cassette from SILO KIDS out of the now-infamous Hattiesburg, MS scene dropped on January 1st. An absolutely outstanding six-songs-in-six-minutes demo of no-nonsense hardcore punk the way only Hattiesburg seems to deliver anymore. And how are we possibly lucky enough that within the same calendar year, Earth Girl Tapes captures lightning in a bottle again, releasing the band’s second six-songs-in-six-minutes cassette? Absolutely fantastic
HAVANA SYNDROME – Demo 25 cassette (Swimming Faith)
HAVANA SYNDROME – Kill Your Brain cassette (Swimming Faith)
A more homegrown rendition of a similar experience, HAVANA SYNDROME from Buffalo, NY released not one, but two absolutely killer cassettes this calendar year, both on top-tier local powerhouse label Swimming Faith Records. Demo 25 set the table with its lo-fi drum machine nastiness, and Kill Your Brain jumps right through it, incorporating live drums and smashing the proverbial table setting to holy hell. Synth-soaked, disturbing hardcore punk solo-project-turned-live-band, HAVANA SYNDROME has quickly become hands-down my favorite band in town. Long have I waited for a band of this style here in my own backyard, and already they have begun hitting the road. Watch out world, HAVANA SYNDROME has been released, and they are taking no prisoners!
FUGUE STATE – In the Lurch cassette (Strange Mono)
As I’ve said in my reviews of their two cassettes, this Western Massachusetts act make some truly top-notch fuzzed-out psychedelic garage punk. This recording is absolutely outstanding and was also pressed on a small run of LPs this year by the band.
BETA MAXIMO – Último Asalto cassette (Knuckles on Stun)
Weirdly beautiful synth punk from Spain. A long running and prolific solo project that has been absolutely cranking out releases for the last handful of years. Absolutely worth a listen if you’re into any modern synth punk bands, anything of the lingering egg variety, or anything with high pop sensibility.
ZERO BARS – Life and Hell cassette (self-released)
Second cassette release by ZERO BARS from Toronto, ON. Six-song cassette, four songs of which are relentless hardcore punk with rock’n’roll infusion, one of which is a catchy-as-hell post-punk dirge, plus a CRUCIFUCKS cover. Killer.
EYE BALL – Gull Songs cassette (Knuckles on Stun / Noise Merchant)
Another Toronto-based release making the list! EYE BALL is quite possibly the poppiest project that I can imagine liking as much as I do. It’s almost sickeningly poppy at times, but it absolutely works. This is like the DILLINGER FOUR of egg-punk.
SMALL PORTIONS – Demonstrate cassette (Noise Merchant)
Sometimes the smallest portion leaves you wanting more the most. A three-song cassette from a UK-based solo recording project cut short due to a broken clavicle. I have listened to this five minutes of bonkers, lo-fi, spastic punk numerous times this year, and recommend you do the same. I’ll continue anxiously awaiting my second helping.
S.G.A.T.V. – Collected Recordings 2020–2023 cassette (Chrüsimüsi)
Swiss new wave solo project complete discography cassette. This tape is fucking awesome, and I wish I could have seen the reunion gigs that came along with the release of the discography cassette.
SCREAMING MAILBOXES OF DESTINY – Morgantown, WV 7/11/85 cassette (Gravelvoice)
A strange pick, being a single-song live cassette, but listening to this on repeat and writing the review for this cassette while enjoying the twenty-page zine about the history of a defunct Pittsburgh, PA band from 1984 was truly one of the most fun musical experiences this year. Even now, I dug out the zine, listened to the songs a few times, and I’m having to force myself to put the essay down and finish my list. I don’t think I can put it any better than I did in the review I wrote, so here ya go: “It is one of my favorite things about punk, that every single aspect of a release can be arguably shitty, yet the beauty of the project can shine through regardless.”
CORROSIVES – Wasteland cassette (Broken Skull)
Four-song debut cassette from Buffalo, NY and Welland, ON. A three-piece playing absolutely shredding, evil, crossover-metal-infused hardcore punk. A killer live band to boot.
Iron Lung Records
I’m Jensen. I play drums in IRON LUNG and do most of the shitwork for the record label with the same name. I purposely did not put any of our releases in this list because that sort of self-promotion is an ego-stroke. I got enough of that already! That being said, I do love all the stuff we put out, and people should listen to it. Here are eleven (’cause ten is boring and twelve is the police—no thank you) other things I liked this year and why I liked them.
SCHIMMEL ÜBER BERLIN – Eisenmund LP (Static Age)
Thumping, X-MAL DEUTSCHLAND-style post-punk that squeezed in a scorcher just under the wire. The cold front has set in, and it’s swirling heavy.
THE NEW POOR – The New Poor demo cassette (C/Site Recordings)
Hearing this brings back that feeling of when you first discovered DEEP WOUND. So fast and wild and angry. Real outsider shit. And the band is purposely keeping it “low internet,” so you really have to get lucky and stumble upon it naturally. Full analog. A breath of fresh air in the over saturated everything-streaming-everywhere online world we live in. [Editor’s note: in the time between Jensen writing this and its publishing, the release has become available online.]
OUTGROW MADNESS – われらの狂気を生き延びる道 LP (625 Thrashcore)
Manic Japanese thrash of the highest order. Complex arrangements, catchy riffs, plenty of distortion, and fast as hell without losing any clarity. I had the pleasure of seeing them on a particularly scorching July evening in Osaka, and I enjoyed watching the singer spray leave-in hair conditioner on the back of her neck throughout their set. Play a couple ragers, spritz, repeat. Incredible. Reckon it was keeping her cool, and since it was a fancy hair product it smelled so fresh. The Japanese just do it different, and I love that. Great record. Great night. Great band.
PRAY TO BE SAVED – Pray to be Saved demo cassette (Sex Fiend Abomination)
Channeling EXTREME NOISE TERROR riffage and gruffness into the fastest D-beat music ever put to tape. Seriously ferocious, and really needs to be heard to be believed. No tricks, no flash, just pure speed and rage. Perfect!
RAPID DYE – Rapid Dye LP (11 PM / Cool Death)
Pummeling hardcore from the Harbour City with just the right amount of violence, noise, and sticky riffage. I was hoping to see this band live on our trip to Australia this summer, but had to settle for borrowing their drum kit. Sorry if I broke it. At any rate, this is the kind of hardcore I keep coming back to over and over again. Street music for thrashing.
NECRON 9 – People Die LP (Unlawful Assembly)
Hardcore record of the year for this humble listener. Totally cathartic live, too. Powerful and unique—and so fucking fast!—channeling the pure essence of what makes USHC the greatest genre of music to ever exist. Both times I got to see them, I was awestruck, and my beard was full of dirt from being stuck to the floor throughout the set. Truly special group. RIP.
LAME – Lo Que Extrañas Ya No Existe LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
Overall, this record has that loose fire that is responsible for so much mass destruction, and that is the sweet spot, but when you really zone in on a song like “El Palco Del Horror,” then the heat index goes up exponentially. Really, it’s about the atmosphere that all the combined sounds ignite within more than any one element at play. So simple, so incendiary. Plus, I could watch that drummer for 100 years straight and never get tired of his style.
IDENTITY SHOCK – Traces EP (Designated Mosher’s Unit)
One of my favorite things in punk is straightedge bands that do not sound like youth crew and do not wear big Xs on themselves. They just show up and rip. These guys deliver big time on that front. No pretense, no posturing. It’s clear they’ve considered what is important, and spent time focusing on those things. Respect.
SÖLEX – Shattered Mirror EP (Televised Suicide)
In the description for the record, Ben bottom-lines this simply and succinctly: “Frantic and raw chaos for the boneheads like me.” Nailed it.
CADAVER DOG – Bred To Fight LP (Youth Attack)
More than any other group in recent times, CADAVER DOG most effectively mixes the sound ideas of YDI and NEGATIVE APPROACH into a cocktail of ire that is molten enough to make the core of this Earth feel like a splash puddle for Antarctic children. Stand too close and you’ll surely go up in flames. Raging.
SIYAHKAL – روزای دود و خاکستر / Days of Smoke and Ash 12” (Static Shock)
Psychedelic noise squalls wash around an uprising of anthemic protest hardcore conjure the terrifying immensity of the garbage world we exist in. Big shit. SIYAHKAL is touted as “Toronto’s best-kept secret,” which really means they need to be heard more than most right now. I see you.
Mama Goblin
Mama Goblin lives in Istanbul, plays in GOBLIN DAYCARE and FØREIGNBØDY, occasionally makes noise “music,” and writes reviews for Maximum Rocknroll. Free Palestine.
Around this time last year, I received an email from Maximum Rocknroll, asking if I’d like to contribute to 2024’s Year-End Top Tens. I said yes in a heartbeat, of course. Who wouldn’t? A couple weeks after the article was published, I got another email with an offer to write regularly. Since then, the monthly review assignments have become my primary means of discovering music. That’s why half of my top ten consists of the releases I had the privilege of reviewing this year. I’m extremely grateful to MRR for having me on board, and introducing me to the coolest music I probably wouldn’t have heard otherwise. Without further ado, here are my picks for this year, in no particular order:
COOL SORCERY – PillzZz… EP (self-released)
Another year, another genre-bending COOL SORCERY record in my Year-End Top Ten. How many bangers can you pack inside a seven-minute EP? The answer is “all.” At this point, I’m completely convinced that Marcos is a genius.
EKGS – EKGs cassette (Kill Enemy)
Hands down one of my favorite releases that I’ve reviewed this year. Why? Because it sounds like there is no way I could survive their mosh pit. Peak pissed-off music for pissed-off people.
TRAUMA BOND – Summer Ends. Some Are Long Gone. LP (self-released)
I sense foul play. Could TRAUMA BOND have written, recorded, and released this album with the sole purpose of getting a spot in my personal Year-End Top Ten? Because I feel like I’m exactly the target audience for this beautiful bouquet of grindcore, metalcore, and sludge.
GUZOO – Compilado cassette (Junko)
Another absolute beast of a release that ended up in my review bin this year and became nothing short of an obsession. Powerviolence is alive and well and thriving in Chile, thanks to GUZOO.
FLIPPEUR – Élastique EP (Howlin Banana)
It’s a late entry to the list of 2025 releases, but it thoroughly captivated me the moment I heard it. It’s just so much fun, and heart-meltingly cute. Sounds like how a perfect French omelette tastes, if that makes any sense.
BLACK IRON PRISON – Black Iron Prison LP (Iron Lung)
“What do you even call this type of music?” is the question I find myself asking just before falling in love with an album. This was one of them. I haven’t been able to get over it since the day I reviewed it.
DRUMCORPS – For Everything LP (self-released)
When it comes to the very niche world of hardcore-infused breakcore, you know that DRUMCORPS is the best to ever do it. This time around, the hardcore elements feel more in-your-face than ever, which is why I could sneak it into a punk magazine.
HAVANA SYNDROME – Demo 25 cassette (Swimming Faith)
Yet another demo that the MRR editors blessed me with. It sits right at the intersection of egg-punk and hardcore punk, but delivers more than the sum of its parts. Filthy, fun and unrelenting.
VANTANA ROW – TXTS Ultimate LP (self-released)
To some, it could be a stretch to categorize this release as “punk,” but I think it ticks all the boxes, except the very obvious ones. No, I won’t elaborate. Just go listen to that “9 to 5” cover.
PAL – Under Your Radar cassette (self-released)
This lovely collection of seven eggy art-punk bangers has been living in my mind rent-free since the day I reviewed it. I still randomly go “Can I get uhhh / I’ll take uhhh” throughout the day. Absolute earworm of an EP.
Honorable Mention
V/A – Antipode Book Compilation cassette (A World Divided)
A great compilation album accompanying an amazing zine-book by Doğa Sultan called Antipode, which covers the punk scene of North Africa and Southwest Asia through the stories of the bands from those diasporas. It didn’t feel right to put it on my main list because I was somewhat involved with it. But it doesn’t take away anything from how much heat this compilation packs. Read more about Antipode here!
Rachel Courtney
Rachel Courtney was until recently in the DISSIDENTS and does the radio show Uneasy Listening on WPRB in Princeton. The last couple of years she’s been coordinating benefit comps for Gaza Soup Kitchen, which can be found on the DISSIDENTS’ Bandcamp. She also helps out with MRR a bit. She lives in Philly.
Fuck this year. Worst year of my life. The world is going to shit and my husband died. Here are some records that came out this year that I liked. I could only get it down to eleven. They are in alphabetical order. I probably didn’t write as much about them as I should.
COLD MEAT – Cake & Arse Party EP (Helta Skelta / Static Shock)
Furious and sardonic Aussie punk. The singer of this band is a goddamn treasure.
ERASER – Hideout 12” (Siltbreeze)
Local Philly sweethearts playing perfect weird synthy bleep bloop minimalist post-punk with politics and thoughts and feelings.
THE EX– If Your Mirror Breaks LP (Ex)
It’s the fuckin EX. Just one of the most brilliant and most consistent bands of all time. Their first record in six years and it rules as usual.
HEKÁTĒ – Μαύρη Τρύπα / Black Hole LP (Mascara Rocks)
This Greek band just keeps getting better. Their sound veers from the punker (but synth-based) side of post-punk to almost synth-pop/dance, with witty acerbic lyrics in Greek and English. “Service State” in particular is dance-y satire rarely achieved outside the annals of CHUMBAWAMBA.
LINEA MAGINOT – Linea Maginot cassette (Flexidiscos)
Absolutely brilliant minimalist synth-pop/post-punk from Spain. It’s been a very post-punk year for me for some reason. Is “Adicción Cruzada” a GANG OF FOUR cover? If not, why not?
MARAUDEUR – Flaschenträger LP (Feel It / Kakakids / Red Wig)
How many more ways can I say “post-punk”? This one’s really cool and from Switzerland. I’m always psyched to see any new music from Charlotte Mermoud ‘cause you know there’s going to be a lot of weird little clockwork songs with blasé vocals and the cleverest avant-garde yet hooky arrangements.
MUJERES PODRIDAS – Sangre y Sol LP (Beach Impediment)
I always liked MUJERES PODRIDAS’ records but I thought the experience of seeing them really blew the recordings away. This second LP is getting closer at least. Fantastic melodic but still hard-edged punk. Members of this band have been in a zillion cool bands, but this might be the coolest.
PLASMA – Mua Et Voi Omistaa LP (Little Jan’s Hammer / Hasiok / Nunchakupunk / Sorry State)
I had to get a little of the regular hardcore punk in this year. Absolutely furious, sped-up UK82/hc but more interesting than most. Catchy as hell, great songs, cool…breakdowns? Is that what they’re called in this context? I can imagine they are tons of fun live.
SHAKTI – Shakti LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
This just blew me away, it’s been a while since a record felt this special to me. If I ranked my list, this would be #1. Funky Bollywood disco rhythm section, a little bit like funky post-punk, but also furiously punk in the guitar and vocals. Every song a hit. The lyrics are almost all in Marathi, but from what I can tell from the one English part, the samples, and trying to translate the lyric sheet, there are some sophisticated and sassy diaspora thoughts going on here.
TOXIC RITES – Voice Hunger EP (Symphony of Destruction)
I love Brittany’s TOXIC RITES’ take on the super sincere, melodic, and slightly folky side of anarcho-punk. It’s the kind of thing that makes me cry, not necessarily in a sad way but in a wistful way. I top-tenned their demo last year—on this record, they are moving more in a NEW MODEL ARMY direction, and this is a very good thing.
UZU – À Qui La Liberté? لمن الحرية ؟ LP (Symphony of Destruction)
Over the last few years, UZU has become one of my favorite bands. Just majestic and powerful music. I guess you could call it deathrock, it’s very dark but at the same time very punk and extremely political. Bands from the global south and its diaspora are really making some of the most important and best music right now.
Honorable mentions:
V/A – Under the Blade of a Zionist Nightmare digital/tape series (Plastic Wound)
Six (or seven, depending on how you count) volumes of comps featuring a who’s-who of current punk, from the brilliant Punks Against Apartheid international collective, benefiting various groups working on the ground in Gaza. I’ve found so many awesome bands from these comps and new songs from bands I love. There have been scores of benefits for Palestinian causes the last couple of years and you can find many of them on this exhaustive list. Full disclosure: I made that list, so if it’s missing anything, let me know.
PUÑAL – Buscando la Muerte LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
Honestly, I absolutely love this record, but I just think lots of other people will put it on their lists so I’m putting them here.
PIGGY BANK – Pattern Recognition cassette (Discos Peroquébien)
Made my three-year-old nephew frantically run around the record room yelling “I’m dancing crazy! I’m dancing crazy!”
V/A – Let the Tribute Increase: A Tribute to the Mob cassette (Banned in the UK / Quoique)
Great French MOB tribute comp with an unusually high rate of interesting takes on the songs. It’s a perfectly grim and melancholy soundtrack to this year. I especially love LE COEUR DES GARÇONS’ version of “Dance On (You Fool).” And it’s pay what you want for the tape, how punk is that? Worth mentioning that the MOB’s No Doves Fly Here single was also reissued as a 12” this year on Crass Records with the band’s proceeds going to PCRF.
Romain Basset
Award-winning blogger with Terminal Sound Nuisance, head of the local Department of Crust Studies since 2012, and proud Honorary Member of the International D-beat Society, Romain is proud to share a smashing top ten once again.
KNOTWORK – Knotwork demo cassette (Distorted Sedition / Sound of Chaos)
Emphatic debut from this new Detroit-based band, and a rather dramatic entry into the world crust library. This lot checks all the stenchcore boxes with taste and craft through a good variety of paces, some solid songwriting—from the all-out thrashing moments to the old school, filthy mid-tempo numbers—and appropriately harsh female vocals. Raw, apocalyptic crust at its most promising. Fans of traditional UK crust, ALEMENT, INSTINCT OF SURVIVAL, or ZYGOME should and probably will take note.
PSYCH-WAR – Psychotic Warmonger LP (Agipunk)
Philly punx do it again with this mammoth of a first album by PSYCH-WAR, clearly one of 2025’s hardest punches. This is about as subtle as a disgruntled charging rhino on the booze. Expect perfectly executed, punishing, dark, and mean käng hardcore like WOLFPACK, late ANTI-CIMEX, or DRILLER KILLER. Many bands try to do it this hard, very few succeed. Aggressive riffs, a heavy sound (but not a metal production), and the right hooks make all the difference here.
KHLORE – Khlore demo cassette (Dirty Slap / La Gueule du Ciel)
In France, rare is the opportunity to rejoice about mental, noisy, and fuzzy raw hardcore, so this demo tape from the Lille-based KHLORE can be seen as an anomaly or maybe a gift from the crasher crust gods. Four songs of wall-of-noise, Japanese-style crusty hardcore that will delight believers in the philosophy of ZYANOSE, D-CLONE, or FEROCIOUS X. Distort Hauts-de-France.
THE DISSIDENTS / D.O.V.E. – A Better World split LP (Grow Your Own)
This is quite possibly the anarcho-punk album of the year. On the first side, you will be offered powerful and catchy ’90s-flavoured political punk from Philadelphia’s DISSIDENTS, not unlike HARUM-SCARUM or the ASSASSINATORS, while California’s D.O.V.E. deliver heartfelt, old school anarcho-punk along the lines of the SEARS, INDIAN DREAM, or LOST CHERREES. A brilliant record demonstrating that tunes, politics, and anger can work perfectly together.
INDUSTRY – Industry LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
This Berlin-based band of international origins made quite an impression with their first LP last year. Their sophomore album sees them expanding their sound with the addition of a KILLING JOKE influence to their angry anarcho-punk style revolving around ICONS OF FILTH and especially EXIT-STANCE. Heavy tribal drumming with a darker martial vibe this time (not unlike VEX, maybe). Excellent stuff, and the adequate soundtrack for the class war. Rather bleak but with the fighting spirit intact.
AXE – Il Cimitero è Dappertutto cassette (Sistema Mortal)
Out of nowhere came this first recording from AXE, a band from the North of Italy, and it’s an absolute scorcher. Raw and aggressive metallic crust with full-throated dual vocals, reminiscent of the Greek school (yes, there is some keyboard) of ΧΕΙΜΕΡΙΑ ΝΑΡΚΗ or NAYTIA, and of furious and filthy Italian crust bands like CAMPUS STERMINII or WARPATH. Easily one of 2025’s best new bands in the genre. Only five songs, but let’s hope that this is just a beginning for them.
COTGRAVE – Never Believe cassette (self-released)
When original ’90s Tokyo crusties involved in bands such as CROCODILESKINK or VOCO PROTESTA decide to start a new project, you know they are not here to arse around. Raw and distorted käng hardcore done the Japanese way. Beside the aforementioned classics, you can throw some FRIGÖRA or COLLAPSE SOCIETY in the blender. Ten songs, ten minutes, have a good night.
HEKATE – Μαύρη Τρύπα LP (Mascara Rocks)
Second LP from this feminist three-piece from Athens, and another crucial dark punk record done with Greek punk flair. Μαύρη Tρύπα is located halfway between ANTI…’s anarchist synth-punk or ΧΩΡΙΣ ΠΕΡΙΔΕΡΑΙΟ’s darkwave and 2010s post-punk. The album tells a great story full of twists and turns and includes a lot of atmospheric moments to create a dark, bellicose landscape. But you can still dance to it. A class release.
HELLSHOCK – XXV LP (Agipunk / Black Water)
PDX stenchcore heroes are back with what can be considered one of their best works. HELLSHOCK keep working on BOLT THROWER’s bulldozing sound, but the arrival of Todd (of TRAGEDY and HIS HERO IS GONE) on guitar has brought a new epic dimension to the songwriting, perhaps more melancholy or otherworldly. This is still a gloriously heavy and dark musical journey, with a growling bear at the helm. Who said crust couldn’t progress?
DISTURD – Vision 10’’ (Black Water)
Not exactly a rare occurrence as the band has become quite prolific, but Vision is the latest material from Kobe’s DISTURD and it includes six songs—new(!) and old—by the masters of the ANTISECT-meets-SDS school of darkness-crust. The collection focuses on the faster, thrashier side of the band and it takes no prisoners. Being a massive fan, I’d be excited if they released three records a month, and would celebrate each one like a masterpiece. In DISTURD there is no choice.
Dishonourable mentions:
BARAKA FACE JUNTA – Do Piekła LP (DIY Koło / Tranzophobia / Trująca Fala)
BLACK DOG – Sewn Into Confusion EP (Iron Lung)
TOXIC RITES – Voice Hunger EP (Symphony of Destruction)
ΡΕΥΜΑ 102 – Δάκρυα από τσιμέντο LP (Άσυλο Ονείρων)
ARSON – Burning Future EP (General Speech)
CONTRAST ATTITUDE – Discharge Your Noise LP (Desolate / D-Takt & Rapunk)
Ronni What
Ronni is a self-taught “musician” from the stolen land of “Louisiana.” They skronk in SPLLIT, FAKE LAST NAME, URQ AND THE DISMAL VILLAGERS, PATTERN FIG., and TEAM WORK.
This list is organized alphabetically:
ABI OOZE – Live at Lemp cassette (self-released)
What a truly incredible band to see in their element, and to my delight, here we are with a live tape! Heart-aching power pop from the mighty ABI and their OOZErs. Just try to get that chorus from “Appall Lodge Eyes” out of your head, I dare you. This tape is an absolute treat for those of us who can’t stop listening to Singles Going Steady, the RUNAWAYS, or JUDY AND THE JERKS. Can’t wait to hear what these freaks cook up next!
ATOL ATOL ATOL – Dron Dron Dron LP (Mangel / Red Wig)
Freaky, abrasive, urgent, both-feet-on-the-ground-and-searching. I remember listening to their first record and being blown away, and I’m glad to see a comeback that is just as mind-bending. Great music to comb your hair to. Some other things I think would be fun to do while listening are: quitting your job, finding a good and cheap meal, practicing slingshotting, running through a park with a friend—yes, yes all of these things.
ERASER – Hideout 12” (Siltbreeze)
It is hard to put my finger on it, but Hideout feels like so many things that I adore. I want to place it somewhere between AUNT SALLY and NEON (Zurich). An incredible zone of post-punk that feels like you’re inside of a bunch of wires glitching and transforming. It’s broken yet somehow absolutely perfect, poignant, pressurized, and magnetic.
LÁZ – Lassan Átajáró Zavar cassette (Pizza Days / Szégyen Kazetták / Urban Lurk)
This is a box of dark roses. The lyrics are poetic and beautifully intricate amongst these twisting, vining melodies between guitar and bass, forming something complex, dark, and fighting for life. I think of gems YFORY, BLUE DOLPHIN, and SACCHARINE TRUST. These are complicated songs with feeling, hard-fought truths, and rigor. Vast miniatures of a plane of experience that you can reach into and touch with tender fingers.
MARAUDEUR – Flaschenträger LP (Feel It / Kakakids / Red Wig)
With each album, the now-collective MARAUDEUR takes turns no one is likely to anticipate. The only sure thing to expect is iconoclastic ripping and tearing down of power. MARAUDEUR’S tools are not from the master’s house. They are foreign, unsettling, remarkable. Flascenträger is nothing short of magnificent. The parts shine and shimmer beneath a crashing wave. I think of MICACHU AND THE SHAPES, NOTS, and MALARIA!, but really, MARAUDEUR has carved out a sonic world that is undeniably their own.
NAPE NECK – The Shallowest End LP (Dot Dash Sounds / OCCII / Red Wig)
What a band! NAPE NECK brings total chaos and grit wrapped up in a perfectly fucked-up box full of voices in rotation/overlapping/colliding, drums wound up so tight they do explode at times, bass lines that grind their teeth open-mouthed in the sunlight, and the most spastic, abrasive guitar lines. They’re basically all mad scientists to me. Amongst their choices are a collection of urgent and knowing actions, forms, frameworks. Gnaw on the West’s ankles to this album.
PUPPET WIPES – Live Inside LP (Siltbreeze)
This is perfectly freaky—right up my alley. I remember being so excited about the first PUPPET WIPES release; I’m glad to hear that their follow-up is equally weird and on-the-nose. Perfect outsider punk music! Imagine that you’re listening to the inner monologue of a Furby doll. It’s silly, freaky, menacing, and seems to somehow encompass the eternal space/time continuum of girlhood. Highlight, “The Unabomber Used to Come and Dance at Events.” At times I hear NERVOUS GENDER, TUXEDOMOON, and VIVIEN GOLDMAN.
ROBERT – Robert the Record LP reissue (Bukerpop)
I’m a big sucker for a record like this. Post-punk that’s so solid it’s basically a sculpture of metal. Impenetrable. A highlight for me is on the track “Remote Control”—“emotionally bonded to an airport / emotionally bonded to a bank / (…) state sponsored terrorism is a life boat of western democracy / (…) making the world ‘safe’ for democracy.” The whole record is a frenetic ride through a wild world. Acidic and sitting in the stomach like it’s been a truth for way too long, rotten and stinking.
SEGUNDO AUXILIOS – Sacontrafa digital (self-released)
My friend sent me this record and I was blown away! Incredibly bizarre music. It takes me back to the early days of NEW FRIES, maybe somewhere amongst the landscapes of BOREDOMS or DOUBLE JOB. Please come to New Orleans! In-your-face, abrasive, aggressive, way out there. It’s peculiar, it’s urgent. Landscapes so palpable you can feel the terrain under your teeth, maybe even get a taste of the dirt.
SILO KIDS – II cassette (Earth Girl Tapes)
Look, it’s perfect hardcore, yolk-splattering punk coming for all of our hearts. I don’t make the rules. This is music for forward movement only. It swings down the hammer. You gotta dig in. If you didn’t listen to their demo tape from earlier this year, you are in luck because there’s more SILO KIDS to be listened to! And it’s just as ripe with everything you could want. Let the Hattiesburg crew talk that talk and swagger that walk.
Honorable mentions:
BESTA QUADRADA – Besta Quadrada LP (Swimming Faith)
BLACK EYES – Hostile Design 12” (Dischord)
BLAMMO / RIBOFLAVIN – split LP (State Laughter)
DARK VAUGHN – Plagues on the Innocent digital (self-released)
DEN – Post Pink LP (Digital Regress / Lulu’s Sonic Disc Club)
KALEIDOSCOPE – Cities of Fear LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
LEOPARDO – Side A / Side B LP (Chrüsimüsi / Dot Dash Sounds)
MORWAN – Vse Po Kolu, Znovu LP (Feel It)
SCIENCE MAN – Monarch Joy LP (Swimming Faith)
THE SMOG – Speed of Life / New Game 7” (Going Underground)
Tim Janchar
Tim Janchar runs Hovercraft Records out of Astoria, Oregon and plays bass in the DUMPIES.
THE BROKEDOWNS – Let’s Tip the Landlord LP (Red Scare)
Straight-ahead midwestern punk in that heart-on-sleeve style reminiscent of fellow Chicagoans NO EMPATHY and the ARRIVALS. Witty self- and socially-conscious Paddy Costello-esque vocals front a solid backline and thrashing guitars.
CARNIVOROUS FLOWER – Carnivorous Flower LP (Dead Broke)
Ben Snakepit, Lou Hanman, and David Wutke are like a who’s-who’s of early ’00s punk having played in J CHURCH, PARTY GARBAGE, CAVES, FLAMINGO 50, AN UNEASY PEACE, and DRUNKEN BOAT, and one might expect this to be a “curmudgeonly elder rock from the back of the pit” album, but it bites and rips with a refreshingly new attitude. The opener “All the Time” is the type of rusty, alcohol-soaked anthem that the short-lived SALTEENS belted out on their only EP, Whisky & Records. “Ramonesing It” humorously queries repetition as a life model. The band was initially supposed to be a J CHURCH cover band and is named after one of their albums, but we are fortunate that they expanded with a solid stock of their own songs. The second-to-last track, “Song for Lance,” is a tribute to Lance Hahn, and then they close with a cover of his song “I Can’t Be Nice to You”. Ben Snakepit said in a recent comic strip that he’s making the best music of his life, and I’d have to agree.
DAUBER – Falling Down LP (Recess)
Awesome first release for this trio from Hudson, NY which distractingly could be labeled as ex-SCREMAING FEMALES, since vocalist Mike Abbate was the former bassist for said band. This band is absolutely on a different path with quirky hook-filled songs of angst and self-deprecation that range from midtempo to fast thrash in that unconstrained, almost out of control way that the first SWEARIN’ EP What a Dump did. They show no signs of slowing, as shortly after this album was put out, they released a seven-song CD of home recordings that is equally anthemic.
ERA BLEAK – Era Bleak II digital (self-released)
Candy and Justin from the TRIGGERS, SLEEPWALKERS RIP, and DARK/LIGHT, Zach from PISS TEST and RED DONS, and Spiz from HORSEY PONY combine for their second album of dark, driving, apocalyptic anthems that will actually give you hope for the present, or at least make you want to fight harder for it. Candy has always had a stage presence reminiscent of Poly Styrene, and brings it again with the piercing, poignant vocals on this album.
FAULTY COGNITIONS – They Promised Us Heaven LP (Dead Broke)
Chris Mason has the uncanny ability to craft the most beautiful pop riffs that would make Paul Westerberg jealous, but then wrap them in the most insightful biting and barbed lyrical critique of our current police state. Musically, this has a different feel than last year’s blistering Somehow Here We Are (which blew up everyone’s “best of” lists), now veering toward a sound like SUGAR or SMUDGE. But really, it’s the lyrics and attitude that will make you take note and piss you off more than you already are.
HAPPY DEATH MEN – Happy Death Men digital (self-released)
Debut album from a very young band that is ripping up the Portland DIY generator scene—under a bridge, side alley, backyard, whatever. They bring an intense live show with lead singer Cash Miranda (who reportedly dislocated his shoulder thrashing around stage and finished the set with his arm duct-taped to his side) delivering his vocals with the same distorted energy and imperativeness as Chris Shaw of GØGGS and EX-CULT.
OBEDIENT – Rastafarsi digital (self-released)
Fast, angry, political party-thrash/post-punk anthems. Imagine Wendy O. Williams kicking Mark E. Smith out of the FALL for being such a self-absorbed wanker. There are elements of funk, no wave, ZAPPA, and disco here, but with eleven songs in twenty-two minutes, it’s decidedly punk.
RADIOACTIVITY – Time Won’t Bring Me Down LP (Dirtnap / Wild Honey)
RADIOACTIVITY has always been the more emotive, broken-heart-on-sleeve, self-reflective side of Jeff Burke and Mark Ryan’s musical coin when compared to the frantic pace and energy of MARKED MEN. This album is even more stripped-down musically than previous releases, with raw and emotionally open lyrics.
SEXFACES – Bad Vibes OST LP (Slovenly)
Debut album from a group of DC punk scene veterans. There’s the rushed provisional style of CHEATER SLICKS with the weirdness of SWELL MAPS here. Also, some musical history references with “Just like Johnny and Morrissey” seem to lament self-loathing and bad friendships, while “Special / Lame” is a punked-out CARLY SIMON nod. “S.C.U.M.” is a homage to Valerie Solanas and a scathing critique of the deluge of modern misogyny, with an amazing video that is definitely worth checking out.
WORRIERS – Imaginary Life (10th Anniversary Edition) LP (Don Giovanni)
Lauren Denitzio has always been a benchmark for doing what is right and standing by your beliefs in the punk scene. WORRIERS called it quits this year, and we’re fortunate to have a reissue of this classic album with the tracks “Yes All Cops” and “They / Them / Theirs.”
Tracy Wilson
In service to independent new music from around the world for 35+ years, Turntable Report editor-in-chief in semi-retirement, DJ Lightning’s Girl, OUTER WORLD band member, and ’90s emo survivor (DAHLIA SEED).
The overarching theme of my top ten this year is elastic, frenetic energy that carved a new path in the post-punk and no wave universe while refusing to be weighted down by nostalgia. I don’t know how these folks managed to forge something ferociously new and thrilling in 2025, but they did it.
VORSICHT KINDER – Alkopop LP (Kitchen Leg)
ARTIFICIAL GO – Musical Chairs LP (Feel It)
CHIME OBLIVION – Chime Oblivion LP (Deathgod Corp)
THE PLAN – Mountain View LP (Divine Schism)
PINK LADY MONSTER – Ponk LP (self-released)
THE VULTURES – Liz Kershaw Sessions 10” (Precious Recordings from England)
EXO – Exo 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus)
NAPE NECK – The Shallowest End LP (Dot Dash Sounds / OCCII / Red Wig)
ALIBI – Alibi cassette (Flennen)
PIGGY BANK – Pattern Recognition cassette (Discos Peroquébien)
Tyler Roberts
Tyler has lived in Atlanta, Georgia for almost ten years now. He’s been in the bands MUTUAL JERK, BLAMMO, LOVERMAN, and RIBOFLAVIN. He also likes to make zines, bake bread, talk about movies, and collect records.
2025 wasn’t the same kind of musical year as 2024. In 2024, there were too many records I was deeply obsessed with. In 2025, I got tired of the twee revival. I wanted more punch than the ’77/power pop revival was giving me. On a personal note, this year has totally ruled. My bands got back together. We put out a record. I went back to making pizza. On a heavy note, the world is ending. I hate this administration. Stop ICE. Free Palestine. The best bands in Atlanta right now are CHAOS OK, ALLERGIC, IDENTITY SHOCK, GLITTERING INSECTS, NAG, and HOSPICE.
Sonically, the below list represents my year.
PUÑAL – Buscando La Muerte LP (La Vida Es Un Mus)
As soon as this came out, I said “this is the coolest record this year.” I hope I didn’t curse the year as much as recognizing greatness. Capitalized P-U-N-K. Fun and antagonistic. Mischievous and playful. I can’t get enough of the laughing on this record. The whole thing sounds like that little guy on the cover is cartoonishly chasing you around with that knife.
NAPE NECK – Shallowest End LP (Dot Dash Sounds / OCCII / Red Wig)
Could be called “BREAK NECK.” I recommended this to my friend. He said the time changes stressed him out. When I first heard it, I texted my 40-something friend that dance punk/art-punk was back. I’m sure I only said that because the hits on the wood block in the first song. The rest of the record is probably only danceable if you’re doing some modern interpretive dance where you’re leaning and falling and pushing over furniture.
LEOPARDO – Side A / Side B LP (Chrüsimüsi / Dot Dash Sounds)
Best band I saw play this year. Sounds like it belongs in the lineage of the FALL and PERFORMING FERRET BAND, but it’s somehow distinct in how Swiss it is.
EXO – Exo 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus)
Sits along several fences. It’s in and out of many yards. Hard to pin down. Why would I want to? Sounds anarchic. A little bit of an ethereal gothic quality. Garage hooks. Doesn’t quite sound like these, but I would put EXO on a mix CD with the likes of HAGAR THE WOMB, RUBELLA BALLET, and maybe LOST CHERREES or the FATES. The vocals help set it apart because it’s sung/spoken instead of shouted or screamed, providing a disarming contrast to drums that are reflecting a very modern cocktail-of-influence punk sound. The lyrics are all about bugs, which is a blessing because I’m kinda exhausted with almost any other topic right now. More please!
ONYON – Pale Horses LP (Mangel / Swish Swash)
Sometimes she says words and it reminds me of the MO-DETTES, if they were only “Dark Park Creeping”—that is the only relative comparison I’ve got (in the best way). Otherwise, it’s on its own. I need more bands to sound like a new band. This band sounds like itself, and it matters that they exist.
DESTRUXION AMERICA – Gritos Norteño LP (Unlawful Assembly)
Favorite bass sound all year. Perfect vocals—breathless but controlled and purposeful. A record for the times yet also the ages. I love the trick of having a surprise or one-off gang vocal to jolt the listener.
SOGA – Corrosión LP (Iron Lung)
Solid garage-y, roots rock’n’roll funneled through modern-sounding full-speed hardcore. The songs are hooky, catchy, blasting, and urgent all at once. Dynamic with solos and vocals that rip through it all. Everything is in its right place. I wish it never ended.
MOTHER NATURE – Loving, Joyful and Free 12” (Static Shock)
Vocals that bite your head off. Sounds like he’s spitting while talking with his mouth full. Guitars that sound like something weird happened in a haunted house. “Haemorrhaging Hope” is spot-on in its humor, and brings levity. Punk is fun. “Everyone Wants Something” could be a hit pop single. Makes me wanna drop it low.
RAPID DYE – Rapid Dye LP (11 PM / Cool Death)
The kind of Aussie rock record that I crave. It has guitars that wash over me like waves. The vocals sound like a barking dog with an Australian accent. It’s a little unfair of me to give the crown to a returning queen, but this LP is like an overdue consummation—I’ve basically been waiting at a table for them with candles and roses since their 7” came out. This one is only ten minutes long, so I recommend listening three times in a row.
SCIENCE MAN – Monarch Joy LP (Swimming Faith)
That horn opening is so strong, I keep returning. Is there a new genre that could emerge from that one section? I’m fascinated by the evolution of this band. I just wanna acknowledge the great nod to the RUDIMENTARY PENI riff at the beginning of “Funeral for an Arm.” Sometimes I think of a less noisy CULT RITUAL. Sometimes I think of a heavier, less funny PISSED JEANS. The essence of “My War” but weirder. On its own, an amazing LP. Paired with its visual component, it is conceptually an astounding achievement.
Willis Schenk
Willis Schenk lives in the central mountains of Vermont, plays music with old friends, and writes reviews for MRR.
I’m not really sure how to frame global turmoil, local uncertainties and stresses, and some personal victories all in one backward looking picture. But there it was: 2025. I got engaged, formed a new band, had our bassist from my old group move back, got to play some local shows, and listened to a lot of great music. The following albums include ones that I reviewed, heard on radio shows, from friends, and a selfish plug at the end. Happy New Year, and thanks.
BODY MAINTENANCE – Far From Here LP (Drunken Sailor)
Post-punk pick of the year. So fucking good.
LO AND BEHOLD – Onward Journey cassette (Gob Nation / Inscrutable)
Melancholic, feel-good tunes for an uncertain time.
MASK APPEAL – Slice & Slice EP (Slouch)
Noise-ish, industrial, howling—late-night chaos music.
MORWAN – Vse Po Kolu, Znovu LP (Feel It)
Ukrainian-born solo project, now in Berlin as a full band. Downcast, driving, and ice-cold.
SELF IMPROVEMENT – Syndrome LP (Feel It)
This reminds me of MARCEL WAVE in its skewed pleasantness. From start to finish, a beautiful album.
SEXFACES – Bad Vibes OST LP (Slovenly)
Favorite debut of the year. A loud, squawking dark comedy, accompanied by an electric viola.
STUPID WORLD – Dead Language EP (Protective Style)
I heard this one on Jennifer’s MRR Radio show, and while I’m not usually keen on the melodic hardcore thing, the vocalist really stood out to me.
TENSIÓN – Nuevo Movimiento cassette (Jit Jot / Chaina / Discos Asalto)
I reviewed TENSIÓN’s Los Besos Nunca Dados 7” and was excited to see this full-length that followed. Did I say BODY MAINTENANCE was my post-punk pick of the year? Nuevo Movimiento can tie for that pick.
UZU – À Qui La Liberté? لمن الحرية ؟ LP (Symphony of Destruction)
Anarcho pick of the year. Fresh music of the resistance.
Warren Skatepark Shred Fest 4, August 2nd
Sharing a rec field with the elementary school I attended many years ago, the Warren Skatepark has been an ongoing effort of friends and the community for at least three decades. It’s transformed from a simple blacktop with found and homemade features to a concrete paradise, piece by piece, as funds were raised, designed and built by skaters. For the fourth year in a row, those at the creative helm have hosted a skate jam and fundraiser, with donated food, live music, and skaters from all over. This year, I joined a band with the sole purpose of playing the shred fest, and they let us open! Playing on top of one of the new bowl pockets, with people slashing below us, was, to say the least, pretty dreamy. While I got dragged away to work in the afternoon and didn’t get to see all of the seven other bands, the day remains one of my favorites of the summer. Long live the Warren park.