Top New Tracks

5) Die Spitz – Something to Consume (2025)

Austin-based alternative rock band Die Spitz is here with their debut studio album, “Something to Consume”. The tightly bonded women-powered rock group originated in 2022 with their EP “The Revenge of Evangeline”. They released their second EP in 2023 entitled “Teeth”. Voicing their frustration with the political system, their lyrics ring with activism and raw passion. Die Spitz has opened for Sleater-Kinney, Amyl and The Sniffers, and Viagra Boys, pulling inspiration from earlier punk and rock acts like Black Sabbath and The Pixies.

This week’s selected track, “Red40” features raw, intense vocals with hard rock guitar tones.

4) Ganser – Animal Hospital (2025)

Chicago no-wave post-punk outfit Ganser has been on the scene since the release of their first LP “Just Look at That Sky” in 2020. The group consists of Alicia Gaines on vocals and bass, Nadia Garofalo on keys, drummer Brian Cundiff, and lead guitarist Charlie Landsman. The group originally was just Gaines and Garofalo, the two both being graduates of the School of Art Institute of Chicago. The group cites inspiration from the proudly bizarre style of The Residents, David Lynch, and John Waters. Ganser’s creative process consists of collaborative lyric writing and heavy rock instrumentation.

This week’s highlighted track, “stripe” is a groovy track with some slight cowbell, whistling, and an airy, carefree vibe.

3) PILE – Sunshine and Balance Beams (2025)

Heavy punk band Pile emerged from Boston’s DIY scene in the late-2000s and has been releasing albums and touring ever since. Considered a well-loved landmark in the community with diehard fans willing to take a bullet, Pile utilizes immersive guitar harmonies and just-delicate-enough vocals. Their newest release, Sunshine and Balance Beams is a hardcore LP positively oozing with expert instrumentation.

This week’s selected track, “Bouncing in Blue” is primarily instrumental, beginning with gentle repeating synthesizers and later evolving to a guitar-heavy and deeply moving conclusion.

2) Blood Orange – Essex Honey (2025)

Since 2008, English songwriter Devonté Hynes has been releasing music under the name Blood Orange. Exploring R&B and electronic music, Hynes has had his share of super-hits thus far, going viral with his fourth studio album “Negro Swan”. Apart from his personal work, he has toured with and produced music for his fair share of noteworthy artists such as Florence and the Machine, Connan Mockasin, Harry Styles, and Solange Knowles.

This week’s highlighted track, “Vivid Light” is calming with delicate vocals and a lilting flute that moves through the backing instrumentation to the foreground.

1) Ethel Cain – Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You (2025)

An artist who needs no introduction for music enjoyers globally, Ethel Cain is here with her second LP, “Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You”. Writing under the Cain name, Hayden Silas Anhedönia was born in Florida and began creating music in 2017 with more of a bedroom pop style. Her first release, “Preacher’s Daughter” was released in 2022 and was a Southern gothic concept album following the fictionalized life story of Ethel Cain. Her signature blend of Americana with dark ambient rock is influenced by her Southern Baptist upbringing.

This week’s chosen track, “Janie” is a deeply moving track with Cain’s emotive vocals, shoegaze-toned guitars, and sparse instrumentation.

Top Tracks of the Week

5) Curtis Harding – Departures & Arrivals: Adventures of Captain Curt (2025)

Raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Curtis Harding has been a prominent name in the soul music scene since the early 2000s. Originally entering the music world through singing and drumming in church with his mother in the gospel, his adult career began as a part of a small Atlanta hip-hop group. Harding then made his way to perform on CeeLo Green’s 2002 and 2010 albums as well as touring. Over the years he has worked with Outkast, The Growlers, Danger Mouse, Lauryn Hill, and countless other hip-hop and modern soul greats. By far his most successful album, his second release “Face Your Fear” in 2017 made it to the top of the Billboard Heatseeker charts. His most recent album “Departures & Arrivals” blends soul music with influences of psychedelic rock and baroque pop in a space-age environment.

This week’s selected track, “Time” rings with hopefulness and experience, with Harding’s vocals resonating across octaves as the chords shift.

4) Wednesday – Bleeds (2025)

Forming in 2017 in North Carolina, Wednesday has since been carefully honing their craft with a blend of country, alternative rock, and punk. The group began with guitarist Karly Hartzman’s solo project of the same name, adding both Daniel Gorham and MJ Lenderman and releasing their first EP “How Do You Let the Love Into the Heart That Isn’t Split Wide Open”. Wednesday pulls inspiration from bands like The Sundays and Hartzman’s own Southern upbringing. The current lineup now consists of Alan Miller, Xandy Chelmis, and Ethan Baechtold, with MJ Lenderman no longer touring but remaining a creative member behind the scenes

This week’s highlighted track, “Phish Pepsi” is upbeat and jammy, utilizing pedal steel and folksy guitar picking patterns.

3) James Brandon Lewis – Apple Cores (2025)

Tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis has spent the past 15 years putting out album after album of mind-bending jazz. “Apple Cores” is his 16th album, formulated by Lewis with the other two members of his trio, including percussionist Chad Taylor and Josh Werner on bass and guitar. Lewis’s exploration of signature jazz sounds with all the improvisational discoveries this entails creates a bright ecosystem within the album. Many songs include Taylor’s eclectic yet calculated drumming accompanying Lewis’s saxophone’s chaotic journey, all the while being held together by the bass’s patient tones.

This week’s highlighted track, “Remember Brooklyn & Moki” is groovy and thoughtful with easygoing percussion and a more downtempo saxophone melody.

2) Wisp – If Not Winter (2025)

San Francisco based shoegaze artist Wisp is back with her debut album. In 2023 her single “Your Face” gained immense popularity on Tiktok which got the artist a large fan base from the start of her career. She began touring and playing at festivals where her light and breathy vocals contrasting with her guitar’s wall of sound captivated audiences. Performing under the Wisp name, Californian Natalie Lu has cultivated a sound that blends her delicate vocals with crushing shoegaze/nu gaze instrumentation.

This week’s selected track, “Save me now” features Wisp’s gentle vocals with guitar tones that follow in the footsteps of shoegaze and alt-rock greats.

1) Getting Killed – Geese (2025)

This Brooklyn based rock band formed in 2016 and consists of Cameron Winter, Emily Green, Dominic DiGesu, and Max Bassin. The band’s 2023 release, “3D Country”, gained a lot of love from fans of the band and indie fans in general. After this album they released some live versions and unreleased tracks while fans eagerly awaited a new batch of tracks. This project features vivid and sentimental story telling, hypnotic drums, and beautiful lush production. The group’s inspiration comes from creative powerhouses such as Funkadelic, The Velvet Underground, Ween, and Animal Collective.

Our chosen Weekly Gem is “Taxes”, the perfect song for all you tax evaders out there, featuring a slow build with Winter’s pleading vocals.