New Release Album Cycle For 1-10-2025
List of albums out this week, my thoughts on some and a curated playlist of songs from those albums.
Here we go with the first new release list of 2025. There are already some interesting releases, and I need to put a little warning on the first couple of these this year. New music is like oxygen for me, and I have gone four weeks without any new albums. So, I always feel that I get a little overhyped on these first release schedules. Last year, though, the first album out was the Sprints album, and that ended up in my Top Ten of 2024. Speaking of that, if you are one of the many new people that have hopped on board with us this past month, you can check out my Top 200 of 2024 and check out the playlist for the year. HERE is that link.
So here is the first album list, my thoughts on some, and this week's playlist. If you follow the playlist, you will see that it updates every Sunday with new music. I pick out music on the playlist and give thoughts on albums I am into, but the actual list covers all genres.
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Zzzahara-Spiral Your Way Out-Zzzahara is formerly of a group called The Simps, which also brought us Eyedress. After I heard the song “It Didn’t Mean Nothing,” I spent an afternoon listening through The Simps, earlier work from Zzzahara, and giving Eydress another listen, as I always enjoyed them, but it never fully sunk in. I will go back through further, but nothing connected with me as much as that song. Now that I have the album, I have connected with the entire thing. It is breakup indie pop, rock with bedroom pop and shoegaze-adjacent elements to it. I think the songs are strong, the songwriting strong, and to me it is a fresh take, a fresh sound on classic indie music. There are many subtle hooks here that will creep in on repeated listens, and this album has held up well to many listens. I highly recommend digging into this one.
Lambrini Girls-Who Let The Dogs Out-I have been listening to the singles for this pretty much nonstop for the past couple of weeks, and I am on a half dozen runs through their debut album now. The punk duo from Brighton will draw comparisons to Amyl and the Sniffers (who they have toured with), and that is spot on. This duo is much more crass, and maybe on the surface this comes off a little novelty, but they really sell it with absolutely infectious songs like “No Homo,” “Big Dick Energy,” and “Cuntology 101.” Those look like silly songs, right? They are, but I believe everything they say is sincere (though they are obviously having fun with this also) and, again, SO infectious.
Franz Ferdinand-The Human Fear-I stopped listening to this band a long time ago. Lost interest, but I sure did like that debut album. I put on the singles from Human Fear the past couple of weeks out of need for new music and got hooked on the song “Audacious” and also liked “Night Of Day.” It really seemed like they got their swagger back (if they lost it, I really do not know). The album is pretty good, and there are other standout tracks like the electro “Hooked” and the fast and synthy “The Doctor.” There are plenty of less inspired songs on here, but for the most part, it’s a decent listen with more good songs than they probably should have on an FF album in 2024.
Ethel Cain-Perverts-Ethel Cain released an album in 2022 called Preachers Daughter that was just haunting, beautiful, gothic pop music. It found her a legion of obsessed fans. She didn’t even physically release it; it comes out in April of this year, and people are just freaking out trying to secure copies of it. Now we have Perverts, which I think they are trying to walk back as not a proper follow-up to Preachers Daughter. It is 90 minutes of mostly ambient drone guitar that is dark, challenging, but with many moments of beauty. There are a couple straightforward songs, like the somber and stunning “Punish,” but for the most part, it’s music that a lot of people might not enjoy. I personally do, but I listen to a lot of ambient and drone music, especially early in the morning, and this is a really cool addition to that rotation for me. I just wonder what all the kids that sold out Slowdown in a couple of minutes a couple of years back think. The massive Ethel Cain fan at my store loves it. So maybe they do also.
Moonchild Sanelly-Full Moon-Moonchild Sannelly has put out music for the past ten years, and this is her third album. I had never heard of the South African artist before, I do not think. I put on the singles “Scrambled Eggs” and “Big Booty” on a walk at the end of December, and while infectious, I felt like it was not for me. I kept listening to them, though, and they are not for me, but the songs are just such fun hook machines and actually put together very well and even innovative. The album is a lot of fun but also super interesting, and again, a lot of well-thought-out things are happening in the construction of these tunes. Kind of reminds me of when we first heard M.I.A. She calls her music ‘future ghetto funk”. These songs WILL get stuck in your head.
Early James-Medium Raw-I have had promos of this artist's first two albums floating around the store for years and maybe even have one at home, and I must have listened to him, but probably blew it off. Sometimes artists have such an authentic sound for old-time music that I write it off, as it’s stuff that has been done so many times that I just don’t invest a lot of time in it. I certainly was about to do that with this album. Then by the time the third song, “Tin Foil Hat,” came on, I found myself drumming on my steering wheel and totally invested in this. He is doing blues, Americana, and raw-ass folk music, and yes, it sounds authentic, but something here is fully selling it as also genuine and not just a facsimile. He also adds a lot of elements into his songs that keep them fresh, and the songs are engaging, and he mixes up styles seamlessly. This is recorded with Dan from the Black Keys, and I guess they went for a “field recordings” approach to this record and kept it raw like the title says. He’s a really good lyricist also and sometimes reminds me of Pokey LaFarge. Check this out. Now I need to go find those promos of the first two albums.
Here is the full album list
Ethel Cain-Perverts
Early James-Medium Raw
Maddie Jay-I Can Change Your Mind
The Halo Effect-March of the Unheard
Skinner-New Wave Vaudeville
Faithxtractor-Loathing & The Noose
Bridgeet Hayden and the Apparitions-Cold Blows The Rain
Rio Da Yung OG-Rio Free
Aren’t We Amphibians-Fourwaysplit
Haunted Horses-Dweller
Obscure Sphinx-Emovere
Franz Ferdinand – The Human Fear
Lambrini Girls – Who Let The Dogs Out
Miramar – Entre Tus Flores
Moonchild Sanelly – Full Moon
Ringo Starr – Look Up
Stick To Your Guns – Keep Planting Flowers
Tremonti – The End Will Show Us How
Wyatt E. – zamāru ultu qereb ziqquratu Part 1
zzzahara– Spiral Your Way Out