TOP 5O ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2025
- BOOT - - - MUSIC
- Dec 29, 2025
- 18 min read
The last 12 months months has produced some incredible albums, from scorching debuts announcing some of the best new acts to albums cementing artists as true greats. From Indie Rock to Post Punk to Folk Pop and more, here's our countdown of our 50 favourite albums of 2025.
Adult Leisure - The Things You Don't Know Yet
Bristol Alt-Rockers Adult Leisure burst back onto the scene with their jazz-tinged, nostalgia-ridden debut album, ‘The Things You Don’t Know Yet’. It’s an album that oozes with 80s pop influences on standout tracks like ‘The Rules’ - layered with staccato riffs, twinkling piano, and lyrics plucked from a soundtrack to a coming of age film. It has an emotional core encased within toe-tapping rhythms and serendipitous melodies.
Words by Michaela Roper
The Lathums - Matter Does Not Define
Wigan’s finest returned with their signature cinematic style, goosebump-inducing harmonies, and guitar that scratches the itch in your brain. Frontman Alex Moore’s laugh in the opening track breaks the line between character and storyteller, crafting an album that feels alive and personal. ‘Matter Does Not Define’ is an album with no skips, just soaring guitars, lyrics that make you feel and northern charm.
Words by Lucy Handley
Eades - Final Sirens Call
Energetic and spirited second album from Eades delivers sounds from a dream-like Alt-Rock world. The light rasp vocals alongside driving rhythms balance effectively to heighten the more lively and upbeat tracks, but then soften for the more ballad-like songs. It's a fun, worthwhile listen and a likely addition to our album library.
Words by Lula Ljamalari
Black Honey - SOAK
Black Honey have been a consistent presence in the Indie Rock scene since the early 2010s, and their fourth album ‘Soak’ shows no signs of slowing down. Following lead vocalist Izzy Bee Phillip’s recent sobriety and autism diagnosis, the album thrives off its vulnerability.
The no-skips tracklist ranges from Grunge-esque songs like ‘Dead’ to reflective songs like ‘Slow Dance’ and ‘Vampire in the Kitchen’ all laced with their trademark cinematic essence.
Words by Tabitha Rowland
hard life - onion
hard life returned this year with their first project under their enforced new moniker. Stylistically they are still at their best, delivering infectious Indie Hip Hop sounds but with a poignant depth. A later track in the album ‘p a n o r a m a’ brings the whole idea of the album together. A panorama being a large picture, allows the listener to sit and see the whole scale of what the band has gone through in the last three years.
Words by Oliver Watts
HONEYMOAN - Pink Hell
In their second full-length album, HONEYMOAN delivers a radiant mix of 2000’s nostalgia and modern Indie-Pop sensibilities. ‘Pink Hell’ shifts from punchy Pop-Punk to somber, stripped back acoustic tracks throughout the album, weaving familiar dreamy textures with experimental twists. This vibrant journey establishes HONEYMOAN as one of the most compelling new voices.
Words by Angel Cox
Sports Team - Boys These Days
Sports Team’s third album ‘Boys These Days’ swaps their chaotic, self-assured Indie style for a more reflective and considered approach. The album represents a transition period for the band.
Growing up is a key theme explored across this record and is at the forefront of album closer ‘Maybe When We’re Thirty’. Cinematic in its production, you can imagine this track accompanying the closing scenes of a Sally Rooney adaptation.
Words by Alex Nuttall
Cassia - everyone, outside
Cassia are known for their sun-soaked summer anthems, consistently nailing chilled Indie-Pop. Their third album ‘Everyone, Outside’ is confident and self-assured, a collection of blissed-out tracks that sunny days have been crying out for.
Closing track ‘reframe’ stands out as an album highlight, with a punchier sound and some transcendent guitars.
Words by Beth Turner
Blondshell - If You Asked For A Picture
Translating the trials and tribulations of being a twenty-something into a sonic scrapbook of fluttering lo-fi melodies is no mean feat. For Sabrina Teitelbaum on the other hand, it feels like second nature. Her sophomore album as the alt-rock inspired dream girl Blondshell serves as a love letter to introspective fog, clouded daydreams, and the weight of souring relationships; encompassed by an air of sensibility, but oozing with vulnerability.
Words by Michaela Roper
Red Rum Club - Buck
Last time we spoke to Red Rum Club they teased their new album ‘Buck’, an album bounding with energy. It is a display of the band's well-earned confidence, conveyed through its loud and explosive sound.
Building upon previous works stylistically but adding a new level of swagger and quality to the mix, this album is the top 10 hit the band have been chasing.
Words by Cormac O'Carroll
Lolye Carner - hopefully!
Loyle Carner dips into his softer side on his new record 'hopefully!'. Its slow, Jazzy instrumentals, often combined with faster (almost Jungle speed) acoustic drums, create the perfect atmosphere for Loyle to float over. Marrying this predominantly acoustic instrumentation with modern production techniques and samples throughout the album, he manages to construct a cohesive and consistent sound laced with his introspective poetry.
Words by Sam Horsfield
Low Girl - Is It Too Late To Freak Out?
‘Is It Too Late To Freak Out?’, Lowgirl’s greatly anticipated debut album, is almost too intimate to listen to. It holds the kind of material that Suzanne Vega would write about turning her head away from; yearning and hauntingly dark. At its root, it is pure indie, wandering around like a Laufey tune, stumbling into the gentle embrace of Adrianne Lenker. Yet there is something else that drives it, an electric pulse, a heartbeat that runs through it at 120bpm. It takes on the momentum of a Bloc Party tune at points, twirling the melancholy lyrics around, lifting them into something defiantly hopeful. Don’t let its vulnerability fool you, it is an album to dance to, to cry to, or to freak out to, and definitely one to enjoy.
Words by Esme Morgan-Jones
Rizzle Kicks - Competition is for Losers
Rizzle Kicks reclaimed their spot in the music scene this year, kicking off 2025 with their comeback album ‘Competition is for Losers’.
Their classic Hip-Hop, Funk sound has developed from the 2010s to show their growth as individuals and a duo, holding a mirror to the issues shaping the present. With their trademark tongue-in-cheek attitude and bounding energy, the album oozes with fun.
Words by Annalyse Slater-Jones
Astles - Soundtrack for the 21 Bus Home
Liverpool singer-songwriter Dan Astles delivers a deeply personal, heartfelt record exploring grief and the importance of family. Inspired by his late uncle’s mixtape of the same name, ‘Soundtrack for the 21 Bus Home’ takes us on a nostalgic Indie-Pop journey back home, revisiting the things that make us what we are.
Words by Angel Cox
The Murder Capital - Blindness
Irish post-punk five-piece The Murder Capital have never shied from unfiltered emotion and saying what's on their minds, and their highly anticipated third album ‘Blindness’ is no exception. A contrast from their polished and layered second album ‘Gigi’s Recovery’, ‘Blindness’ is a caustic explosion of angst, love, and turbulence. It feels like a return to The Murder Capital’s roots, with a sound closer to their debut album and their characteristic combination of storytelling lyrics and scuzzy sound.
Words by Beth Turner
The Clause - Victim of A Casual Thing
The Clause arrived with their debut album ‘Victim of A Casual Thing’ combining a loud Indie Rock'n'Roll atmosphere with their trademark cheek and flair that fans have come to love. It is an album that you should have blaring from speakers at all times packed full of a fiery Brummy intensity.
Words by Oliver Watts
HAIM - I Quit
As the title suggests, HAIM’s fourth full-length grapples with the many facets of letting go, from rebelliousness to dejection.
The LP’s polished Pop-Rock, baggy Hip-Hop Soul and Folk Pop is embellished by producer and Vampire Weekend alumnus Rostam, with the eye-rolling swagger of lead single ‘Relationships’ being an album highlight.
Words by Beau Waddell
The Royston Club - Songs For The Spine
‘Songs For The Spine’ almost feels like a love ballad, with songs being pleaded as poems, taking you on an emotional journey of a boy band that is not slowing their momentum any time soon, with powerful guitars, and meaningful vocal performances throughout. It's a powerfully emotional album by the Wrexham Indie outfit that talks of faltered relationships while strengthening the band's relationship with their listeners.
Words by Oliver Watts
Brooke Combe - Dancing At The Edge Of The World
Scottish Indie-Soul songwriter Brooke Combe’s debut album ‘Dancing At The Edge Of The World’ was hotly anticipated by fans and it did more than deliver! Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, every one of the ten tracks is well considered and brings something new to the album, without a wasted moment. The vocals are smooth yet powerful and ooze with groove-worthy soul.
Words by Beth Turner
Inhaler - Open Wide
Toeing the line between a new free-spirited synth-laden Indie soundscape, and the more retro grungy guitar efforts and moody vocals, 'Open Wide' marks a new chapter for Irish Indie Rock favourites Inhaler.
The album offers a sonic shift which flirts with elements of 70s Glam Rock but remains true to itself as anthemic lyrical work attempts to light up each track. It pays homage to a detailed palette of musical inspirations that have crafted their sonic display over the years; straying far from the confines of modernity to produce an ethereal insight into quarter-life crises and evolving stylistic choices.
Words by Michaela Roper
Sam Fender - People Watching
Sam Fender cemented his Indie legacy with the release of his third album ‘People Watching’. Across the 11 tracks, he covers societal ills, the music industry, romance and much more while delving into a softer sound compared to his previous records.
‘People Watching’ is a move away from the raw and gritty, rock and roll sound of and may lack in festival-ready anthems. However, it does showcase the tender side of his songwriting beautifully, allowing the poignancy of his songwriting to shine through.
Words by Michaela Roper
Home Counties - Humdrum
Home Counties want you to dance with discomfort. Their new album, ‘Humdrum’, is full of twitchy, body-shaking songs about the world-weary disillusion of Britain’s young. The songs do a phenomenal job of surprising you whilst being grounded in their own twisted logic. Agitated, groovy, and unpredictable without being incomprehensible. It is a welcome spotlight on the sombre state of Britain’s future - carrying on, but not exactly keeping calm.
Words by Jay Plent
Courting - Lust for Life, Or: 'How to Thread the Needle and Come Out the Other Side to Tell the Story'
Liverpool Post-Punk outfit Courting returned with their third album 'Lust For Life', a decidedly terse album that offers a level of trashy distortion that sets it apart from their prior discography.
There’s a confidence to this album's songwriting that is worthy of praise. Courting present a smorgasbord of variations on their grounded and distinctive style with reflective synth melodies. With all the twists and turns this album offers, it holds firm in its stylistic distinctness.
Words by Fred Roberts
Kae Tempest - Self Titled
'Self Titled', Kae Tempest’s latest album is a collection of placards, some fighting for trans rights, some for love, some for a fairer world for kids. He holds these high, never stumbling over the restless beats, driving forwards with a relentless anger. It is unpolished, it is poetry, it is protest.
Words by Esme Morgan Jones
Prima Queen - The Prize
'The Prize' is bold, bouncy and just slightly unhinged, the perfect album to jump around your room to; whether stamping out heartbreak or fizzing with the possibilities of a new crush. They flick between empowering tracks covered with warm washes of guitar and floating vocals, a folk-tinged fuzziness and more melancholic sounds with gothic undertones.
Words by Esme Morgan Jones
Brògeal - Tuesday Paper Club
Celtic heritage is once again in a renaissance in the industry with a string of Irish acts breaking into the zeitgeist in recent years. Move aside Ireland, Brògeal, an Alternative Folk band from Scotland are here singing shanties to feel-good tunes in their debut album ‘Tuesday Paper Club’.
The album knows how to have a good time with the high tracks to the slower numbers so if you're after a good old knees up then put ‘Tuesday Paper Club’ on and crack open a Buckfast.
Words by Oliver Watts
The Amazons - 21st Century Fiction
The Amazons have been leading the riff-driven charge at the front of the Indie Rock scene for a decade now and their latest record '21st Century Fiction' has delivered another truly cinematic experience. Everything on this album is big, bold and unforgiving. There's drama and suspense throughout with plenty of earworming choruses but 'Wake Me Up' is a clear highlight, offering one of the most anthemic Rock performances of the year.
Words by James Booton
The Wombats - Oh! The Ocean
Painted effortlessly with the dance-infused colours of The Wombats’ classic auditory panorama, the Indie Rock trio returned to champion their long-running discography with Oh! The Ocean - an exploration into diverse beachy sounds that propel toe-tapping waves within every melodic turn.
Packed with explosive rhythms, stratospheric vocals and oozing with confidence, Oh! The Ocean showcases fragile vulnerability at times, but maintains a non-conformist attitude reflected in every beat and strum.
Words by Michaela Roper
Squid - Cowards
Do you still see the monsters that you did when you were a kid? The ones that flit through your peripheral vision, prickling in the dimly lit corners? We reckon Squid do, we reckon that they sat in that in-between world and let the monsters strum out the opening chords of their new album ‘Cowards’. The album explores dark depths and glorious heights, inviting you into a strange world that you never want to leave.
Words by Esme Morgan-Jones
Lambrini Girls - Who Let The Dogs Out
The debut album from Lambrini Girls is a Punk-Rocking panacea to the world’s ills. They tackle a slew of social frustrations with brilliant sarcasm, mocking the perpetrators of these social woes. On a musical level, it perfectly captures the beautiful dissonance that the best of Punk Rock uses to showcase an unfiltered rage at a society that continues to disappoint. This album is consistently fast-paced and will have tapping your foot and nodding your head along wherever you may be.
Words by Sam Horsfield
Self Esteem - A Complicated Woman
Self Esteem's third album flourishes with a huge theatrical sound full of orchestras, gospel choirs, and danceable beats that contrasts the vulnerable lyrics.
It is a fun and exciting album, which shows that vulnerable lyrics do not need to be accompanied by slow and soft sounds to be cathartic. The album’s huge sound is sure to translate into incredible live performances too.
Words by Beth Turner
Youth Sector - Pop Couture
Brighton's Youth Sector bubble with a vibrant Indie sound, slick, danceable and full of undeniable melodies that beg to be sang back. After a string of infectious singles and EP's, we've been been craving an album from the quintet. It finally arrived this year and it did not disappoint. Although it may not have some of the nuanced emotion and variation of other albums in our top 20, it is pure fun-loving Indie Pop dialled up to the max. Every single track is laced with supersonic guitars, bright synths and the odd brass line to bring a colourful texture. This enhances the passionate singalongs that have angst and euphoria in equal measure.
Words by James Booton
Maruja - Pain To Power
Mancunian quartet Maruja’s sophomore album builds on the Jazz-inflected Post-Punk of their debut and EPs, foregrounding Harry Wilkinson’s splenetic Rap verses over an ever-noisier blend of mangled saxophone and guitar. The progressive sludge of 10-minute epic ‘Look Down On Us’ will get your blood pumping, no doubt about it.
Words by Beau Waddell
SPRINTS - All That Is Over
Dublin quartet wasted no time in following up their 2024 debut! Their sophomore record 'All That Is Over' shows their rapid growth and maturity by showcasing a more eery and dynamic sound. The album ebbs and flows between intimate gothic tones and explosive Punk Rock outbursts oozing with anger. Songs like 'Beg' also bring more of a Dance Punk feel, stirring you to dance your angst away while screaming at the top of your lungs.
Words by James Booton
NewDad - Altar
Galway’s NewDad have truly found their place with the intricate Shoegaze soundscapes and beautiful vocals of their second album 'Altar'. With so much going on sonically, it’s easy to miss the lyrics, but there are some beautiful, poetic lines across the album.
Meanwhile Julie Dawson's vocals dip between a Lana-Del-Rey-esque airy delivery and angry, raw vocals that have a real bite.
Words by Beth Turner
Black Country, New Road - Forever Howlong
Cambridge-hailing Black Country, New Road released their first studio album since the departure of former frontman Isaac Wood, ‘Forever Howlong’. The album pursues the Baroque, Folk-Rock sound the band established in their 2023 live album at Bush Hall. It’s a stylistic, sonic shift that has divided fans across the often treacherous interwebs, some yearning for the raw, emotion-filled vocals of Isaac, which grounded their work in a more Post-Punk genre. Nevertheless, we are just as fond of the band's new direction; the artistic flair remains, now decorated with the undeniably talented vocals of members Georgia Ellery, May Kershaw, and Tyler Hyde.
Words by Sam Horsfield
Viagra Boys - viagr aboys
The new album from Sweden's Viagra Boys is packed with tongue-in-cheek lyricism that makes you want to shout the words aloud with a reckless abandon while the strange Punk tones whirl around you. It has tones of fellow countrymen The Hives while injecting a more disjointed, modern Post-Punk energy and lyrics that are playful, bold and oftentimes damn right crude, covering topics from Only Fans to the differences between swamps and bogs. The chugging grooves and raw vocal style combine to make the perfect sound for a sweaty basement moshpit.
Words by James Booton
Baxter Dury - Allbarone
Baxter Dury is back spinning is absurd lyrical stylings over slick, groove-laden beats. On this record he leans further than ever before into his love for Euro-Pop influences with tracks like 'Schadenfruede' and 'Kubla Khan' bringing a spaced out Dance energy with the lucid vocals of Madelaine Hart, Eska and Fabienne Débarre leading the melody.
Baxter's lyricism is always guaranteed to hypnotise you, drawing you into his strange grimey vision of the world. However, the album also features some of his most direct, catchy tracks, namely the punchy groove of 'Mockingjay' and the euphoric dance episode of the title track.
Words by James Booton
Dove Ellis - Blizzard
Ireland-born but now Manchester based, Dove Ellis has truly announced himself as one of the most enticing songwriters around with his debut album. Fans of Cameron Winter will love the blend between nostalgic tones, influenced by greats of the past yet filled with his own distinct emotion pouring through each track. Sonically, the tracks range from stripped back Folk ballads to expansive arrangements that breathe with a bittersweet emotion. Perfect for a bit of winter reflection, the album has a power and poignancy that will make you mull over every aspect of your life, daydreaming like you're in a moving movie montage.
Words by James Booton
Ethel Cain - Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You
Ethel Cain seems to have an otherworldly ability to absorb you in her sonic world on every song she writes and this has never been more true than on her new record 'Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You'. On the album she dips between mellow, lucid soundscapes that lull you into a Country-tinged dreamscapes and more expansive tracks that offer hypnotic Pop melodies and melancholic expression. Throughout, the album has a beautifully cinematic quality as silky string sections wash over dreamy guitars. Ethel's songwriting and delicate vocal delivery is mesmerizing throughout and cements her as one America's most intimate, heartfelt songwriters.
Words by James Booton
CMAT - Eurocountry
CMAT’s ‘Eurocountry’ arrived in August like a child at the bottom of a helter skelter, as if it had been spun through a cacophony of colours and sounds and been left laughing manically. Despite heavier themes, the album holds onto the wit CMAT is known for. It teeters constantly between an album of great tunes, and a page from Mary Wollstonecraft’s journal.
By the time the album comes to an end, she is left reeling, leaving its exit with bright blue eyeshadow smudged across her face and a dress that’s tangled itself in the strings of her guitar. She is held together by expansive choruses & rich string sections, but she’s smiling ear to ear.
Words by Sarah Doyle
Billie Marten - Dog Eared
Billie Marten’s new record ‘Dog Eared’ creates an absorbing sense of nostalgia and homeliness, like rereading the margin notes of a favourite book, portraying memories filtered through soothing vocals and guitar chords.
Blending Folk, Country, Indie and a soulful sentiment, the record breathes with otherworldly harmonic arrangements and a poet's romanticism. It’s rare to find an album that feels this personal yet universally comforting but Billie Marten was always going to be the artist that could pull it off!
Words by Lucy Handley
Wet Leg - Moisturizer
Wet Leg’s sophomore album ‘moisturizer’ packs an unforgiving punch and delivers the chaotic energy we never doubted it would provide. From the opening track ‘CPR’ the band set the tone with its daring lyricism displaying they aren’t afraid to go bolder. Alongside punchy tracks, the tone manoeuvres into love-sick sincerity with ‘davina mccall’ and ‘pond song’ conveying the feeling of being smitten.
Wet Leg’s confidence soars throughout the album with personal anecdotes woven into their hypnotic instrumentation, keeping their distinctive sound whilst not straying from vulnerability.
Words by Bella Moore
Jade Bird - Who Wants To Talk About Love?
Jade Bird’s third album ‘Who Wants to Talk About Love’ is laid out like a break-up speech, one of longing and aching. You can’t tell if you want to replay it over and over at 2am, or keep it in the back of your mind; too painfully beautiful to listen to again.
The album is a short 30 minutes and yet by the final songs, you are left feeling lifeless, like the ending of a monumental crying session where the only option is to go to bed and sleep off its intensity. The album closer ‘Wish You Well’ is exactly this, admitting that she is left “on the floor” and fading out with a final cry of “I wish you well”. The end of the album feels exactly like a breakup, but one that will forever haunt you at 2am.
Words by Esme Morgan-Jones
Wolf Alice - The Clearing
'The Clearing' finds Wolf Alice with a newfound sense of total assurance and clarity. The scatterbrained vignettes synonymous with Wolf Alice’s infant oeuvre have been exchanged with Folk-laden grandeur, not to the detriment of Ellie's signature penchant for vivid, intimate storytelling. Although the track list lacks many ear-drum scorching anthems, the listener’s attention is garnered subtly yet masterfully while drummer Joel Amey takes lead vocal responsibilities on one of the album’s most infectious and energetic tracks 'White Horses'.
'The Clearing' encompasses a variety of sub-genres whilst staying commendably faithful to its centrifugal folk congruity. Opener 'Thorns' takes a gorgeously gothic piano-driven lead, swelling with scorn. Conversely, 'Midnight Song' ripples with Joff Odie’s finger picked guitar, culminating in a galloping rhythm befitting of a Hollywood score. 'The Clearing' is Wolf Alice at their most vital and refined, revisiting inspirations whilst providing renewed perspectives.
Words by Bella Moore
The Last Dinner Party - From The Pyre
The Last Dinner Party’s sophomore album ‘From the Pyre’ has solidified their status as future Glastonbury headlines. The latest work is a continuation of their unique sound and storytelling; self-described as ‘baroque and roll’, TLDP have evolved into something bold and mesmerising on this record.
Their raw talent and musicality is evident throughout and borrows the fierce poignancy of their live performances. From the Sparks inspired track ‘Second Best’ to heartbreaking ballad ‘The Scythe’, the album is an almost timeless experience, full of surprises, classic riffs, and just pure joy. You can always tell when a band has poured their hearts and souls into their work, and TLDP's second album is exactly that.
Words by Tabitha Rowland
Shame - Cutthroat
Ian Curtis, Mark. E. Smith and Joe Strummer walk into a bar. There’s no punchline to that, they just probably sat and wrote Shame’s new album 'Cutthroat'. From boisterous, Post-Punk hedonism to grimey dance sounds, reflective storytelling and joyous Indie singalong Shame sit and observe, muttering at the masses who walk by, attempting to create a Frankenstein- like identity from the bits they despise the least.
The sound of the album is no different, taking the synth of Jockstrap or Adult DVD, layering it below the grit of Beastie Boys or Squid and adding the yearning of Billy Bragg or Daniel Johnston. It is the smudged off stamp that got you into a gig the night before, it is sitting in the passenger seat of a car going too fast, it is nostalgic and yet frighteningly modern, frazzled yet brilliantly constructed. And it was probably written on a whirlwind night, in a dingy bar, with some of the greats.
Words by Esme Morgan-Jones
BIG SPECIAL - NATIONAL AVERAGE
BIG SPECIAL’s sophomore long-play ‘NATIONAL AVERAGE’ arrived completely unannounced, infused with true Black Country grit and an array of sharply-produced electronic instrumentals, in a brain-challenging, hypnotic commentary on the darkness of the modern age. Any album released out of the blue, purely under the guise of a pixelated projected picture of egg and chips, is destined to turn heads, that’s without question.
The blueprint that offered up the formula for their debut release ‘POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES’ has been manipulated into wavy lines carrying funky bass rhythms, sleazy keyboard drives, and chuckle-worthy digs lyrical from frontman Joe Hicklin. In classic BIG SPECIAL fashion, the record is punchy, in-your-face, and laden with spoken word that plants thoughtful seeds.
Words by Michaela Roper
Divorce - Drive To Goldenhammer
Divorce have been one of our favourite newcomers for a while, in fact we named them as one of our top Ones To Watch this year and well... they didn’t disappoint. As soon as they released their debut album ‘Drive to Goldenhammer’ back in May we knew it’d be one of our favourites of the year.
It’s earthy Folk tones give it a cosy, organic feel while the quirky textural choices and soaring vocal harmonies inject a magical spirit in keeping with the album’s namesake. The vocal pairing of Tiger Cohen-Towell and Felix Mackenzie-Barrow is mesmerising and produces some of the best singalong moments we’ve heard this year. Meanwhile, the intimate, inventive lyricism is simply beautiful, dancing between romance, fear, vulnerability and otherworld fantasy.
Words by James Booton
Geese - Getting Killed
"There’s a bomb in my car” Geese frontman Cameron Winter warns on the opening ‘Getting Killed’ track ‘Trinidad’. And Geese’s third LP explodes with a similarly electric vibrancy rarely found in rock music today. With a cover referencing the warped psychedelia of Boredoms’ ‘Visions Creation Newsun’, the album’s influences also span Can’s lysergic grooves, the dripping menace of Miles Davis’ ‘70s fusion and even a touch of Rolling Stones grit. It takes the warbling power of Winter’s vocals alongside the octopus-shaming skill Max Bassin unleashes behind the kit to knit it all together. Producer Kenny Beats (credited here under his real name Kenneth Blume) casts a sympathetic hand over the whole affair.
He opens up the lowdown funk of ‘100 Horses’ to showcase Emily Green and Dominic DiGesu’s cheek-suckingly tart guitar and bass interplay and foreground Winter’s deteriorating howls on ‘Au Pays Du Cocaine’: a wracked reckoning with a likewise disintegrating relationship. The importance of dynamics is one of the band’s many unifying characteristics, their ramshackle chemistry forcing the resulting jammy capabilities kicking and screaming into an edited enclosure. Harnessing claustrophobia gives way to much of the album’s catharsis: closer ‘Long Island City Here I Come’ flagellates itself with a typhoon of mangled Biblical references under the weight of a punishing punk cacophony. Winter assumes the voice of the Holy Mother, pleading with him to “stop playing that cowbell with your gun”: we’re not sure, however, that even divine intervention would derail that glorious noise – and we’re not sure we’d want it to. This album seems to have taken the world by storm and we can see why; it’s not simply everything we’ve been crying out for, it’s everything we didn’t even know we needed!