best of 2025 • Hallelujah The Hills

hallelujahthehills.com

best of 2025 • DOPE LEMON • JOHN BELUSHI

https://dopelemon.com/

I'm doped out, self-medicated at all times

I'm the undertaker's favourite song to dance to

We're all just pine boxes doing the tango

The music makes me move like a spooky boy

I put my lips to God's ear and said, "Now, listen"

I ain't hanging up the boots, is that clear

I'm the king ghost, I'm the spooky boy, you can't catch me

And I saw my reflection in her tears

Cowboy the fuck up, let's get moving

As I stumbled out the bordello store

Chain me up to the fridge and sell tickets

I'm a freakshow and I want more

I was there in the room when Belushi had his send-off

Man, that night the gods must've broke out their finest gear

I was there when the Roman Empire crumbled

How they must've partied upstairs, oh dear

Hey, I'm going to give you all my love

Hey, I'm going to give you all my love

Hey, you don't have to go it alone

Hey, I'm going to give you all my love

My love, my love, my love now

best of 2025 • Zack Keim

linktr.ee

best of 2025 • Golden Apples

Golden Apples is a prolific group of musicians formed and heralded by singer and songwriter Russell Edling. Shooting Star, their fourth album, is a sprawling new work packed to the brim with playful eccentricities and dynamism, one that owes as much of its inspiration to mid-century folkies like Michael Hurley and Karen Dalton as it does to alt rock of the nineties like Yo La Tengo and Stereolab. The album is a constellation of influences, experiences, and reckonings–with the state of the world, with others, with creativity, and with oneself.

best of 2025 • Avery Friedman • New Thing

 

“Her full-length debut, New Thing, is a work of raw singer/songwriter confessionalism, evoking the knotted melodies, homespun arrangements, and searing edges of musicians like Squirrel Flower, Babehoven, or Adrienne Lenker.“ – UNDER THE RADAR MAGAZINE

ifitbeyourwill S06 E21 • Highschool

HighSchool came together during Melbourne’s lockdowns, when time felt strange and options were limited. Instead of overthinking it, they focused on what they could control: making songs, working quickly, and trusting their taste. From the start, they weren’t chasing big arrangements or studio tricks. The songs came from a mood first — images, colours, a general feeling — and the music followed. Tempos stayed high. Parts stayed tight. If something didn’t serve the song, it didn’t stay. That approach runs through their self-titled debut.

A lot of that clarity comes from how the band works as a duo. Both are multi-instrumentalists, but roles matter. Lily, who began on drums before moving to synth, brings a strong sense of taste that keeps things from getting too clean or overworked. Sometimes the “right” part isn’t the most emotional one, and she’s often the voice pushing the song back toward feel instead of finish. When they moved to London, the process stayed the same. Writing became routine — like showing up to work — without forcing outcomes. They spent months in South Bermondsey, using a small studio as a shelter from the weather and the noise of the city. Melodies showed up when they were ready, sometimes half-asleep, sometimes all at once.

The album itself pulls from different moments. Some tracks took shape slowly. Others happened fast. Sony Ericsson is a good example — nearly scrapped, then rebuilt from scratch in a single day. That urgency is part of what makes it work. Mixed by Claudius Mittendorfer, the record keeps its rough edges while sounding focused. You can hear traces of shoegaze, post-punk, and dream-pop, but nothing feels overstated. It’s music that leaves space, but still moves.

Since release, the response has grown steadily. Radio support in Australia, the US, and the UK has brought new listeners back through the catalogue, song by song. There’s no big reset — just forward motion. The plan is simple: tour, write, release often, and don’t wait around for perfect.

HighSchool’s story isn’t about hype or reinvention. It’s about trusting your instincts, keeping the process lean, and letting the song do what it needs to do.

linktr.ee/High_School

direct link MP3

best of 2025 • The Beths • "Mother, Pray For Me"

“Mother, Pray For Me” is stripped-down and intensely personal. Over plaintive finger-picked guitar, Stokes’ voice is childlike in its wistful plea for connection. Here, Stokes grapples with the lives her parents have led, their mortality, and how to see them as people who did their best, even when it might not have felt like enough. “I cried the whole time writing it,” Stokes reflects. “It's not really about my mother, it's about me —what I hope our relationship is, what I think it is, what it maybe actually is, and what I can or can't expect out of it.” anti

best of 2025 • Bleeds by Wednesday

best of 2025 • Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band • “New Threats From The Soul”

“If you don’t know it yet, it’s my privilege to tell you that Ryan Davis is one of the greatest songwriters of his generation. Bold instinct immediately insists that I lose the qualifications: he’s the greatest of his generation, he’s one of the greatest ever. Whatever. Posterity—if there is a posterity—will sort it out. Happily, New Threats from the Soul has beaten the Doomsday Clock to the wire, and we appear to have a little while left to revel in it, receive its revelations, and be revealed by it.

Dutch Interior • Play the Song • 2025

What perhaps hits hardest is the acoustic guitar pattern – dreamy, hypnotic, effortlessly emotive – a progression that lights a fire in your heart without ever raising its voice. It’s delicate, yes, but it carries weight; it holds space. It becomes the perfect vessel for Noah Kurtz to pour his heart out, weaving sentiment and melody into something quietly transcendent. Every strum feels like a step forward, every shift like a pulse, every phrase like a hand reaching out in the dark. atwood

ifitbeyourwill S06E20 • Eades

A granddad blasting Pink Floyd at school pick-up and a six-year-old jealous of a guitar lesson—hardly the makings of a band, yet that spark lit the path for Eades. We sit down with Harry Jordan and Tom O’Reilly to trace how a bedroom project became a songwriting engine that churned out 50-plus tracks during lockdown and led to Final Sirens Call, an album that swaps warehouse aggression for patient, song-driven craft.

We rewind through the DIY years—four mics on drums, Decapitator on everything, compressors barely compressing—happy accidents that gave their early work its raw honesty. From Gang of Four-style interlocking guitars to later sessions where Wurlitzer and organ opened new space, Harry and Tom unpack how they divide roles, welcome vetoes without ego, and build the trust that fuels creative risk. Influences like Dylan, Lou Reed, and Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot pushed them to write songs that stand alone on acoustic or piano before layering in texture—space echoes, tape grit, ghost harmonies—to deepen the mood without losing the core.

We also get real about the hard stuff: sequencing a layered album where one track shift changes the story, adapting dense arrangements for a five-piece stage, and promoting ambitious music in a noisy world. But the momentum’s real—a hometown night at the Brudenell Social Club, an Independent Venue Week run, Europe ahead, and a third record tracked mostly live to capture the spark.

If you’re drawn to indie rock that balances DIY grit with evolving craft—post-punk pulse, garage roots, and rich arrangements—this one’s for you. Hear how Eades build songs that hold up on a single guitar, then bloom in the studio, and why their next chapter leans back into the raw joy of playing live. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves Wilco-era ambition, and tell us: which Eades track hits you hardest?

linktr.ee/eadesmsuc

Despite an overarching influence from American indie-rock artists like Wilco and Richard Swift, Eades’ second album is a playful experiment of sound, with the echoes of many genres being heard throughout the tracklist; indie-rock, post-punk, Americana, 60’s, Britpop – you name it, they’ve dabbled. Experimentation being at the core of this album is no doubt due to the inevitable growth and self-exploration that comes with time passing, but also down to their new studio space, Bam Bam Studios, owned and operated by Eades’ frontman, Harry Jordan. With plenty of new equipment and a private, comfortable environment, the quartet had the freedom to really get creative and go in any direction they wanted – so they went in all directions. clunk

best of 2025 • Carson McHone • Pentimento

http://www.carsonmchonemusic.com/

Within seconds of Carson McHone’s Pentimento, one hears how the album organizes itself around this idea. Thrillingly alive in the music are exquisite articulations of pastoral folk with snatches of spoken word. Occasional riffs that call back to her roots in Texas build towards moments of organic and tactile rock. WRUV

ifitbeyourwill S06E19 • Ada Lea

A shy kid singing Christina Aguilera behind a bedroom door.

A bass in the school band.

A choir class where matching pitch felt impossible—and the sting of being told not to sing.

Fast-forward a few years: New York, tendonitis, and a hard pivot to voice lessons that changed everything. That’s the winding, very human path that led Alexandra Levy (you might know her as Ada Lea) to a sound that feels wholly her own—one built on stubborn curiosity, kind mentors, and the courage to start again. We caught up with Alexandra back home in Montréal, the city that raised her musically and still keeps her orbit steady. She talked about When I Paint My Masterpiece, an album that didn’t even start as an album. The idea was simple: trade perfectionism for momentum. Write a song every three days, share it with friends, move on. No endless revisions, no preciousness. Some sketches fell flat; others lit up instantly. Over time, the pile of demos turned into a record—less planned, more discovered.

Between recording sessions, she returned to school for literature, painting, and drawing—creative cross-training that sharpened her eye for detail and her sense of structure. That cross-pollination shows up everywhere: in the visual precision of her lyrics, in the cinematic pacing of her songs.

Teaching at Concordia University adds another layer. Watching her students take risks reminded her what real vulnerability sounds like. “They go to places I used to protect,” she says. That mirror helped her unlock something she didn’t know she’d lost.

We also talk touring—the logistics, the limits, the life part of the life. Levy has learned to keep the stage joyful by designing tours that feel human: shorter drives, earlier nights, and room to breathe. The goal isn’t just survival; it’s longevity. Through it all runs a quiet theme: mentorship, boundaries, and community practice as fuel. Art doesn’t survive on inspiration alone—it needs structure, kindness, and people who remind you why you started. If you’ve ever been told you can’t sing, that it’s “too late,” or that you’re doing it wrong, Alexandra’s story offers a better script. Skill is learnable. Art can be rebuilt. And a voice gets stronger every time you use it with intention.

Stream When I Paint My Masterpiece, wander the Mile End streets that echo through her melodies, and let the music remind you: the best art often begins where you almost gave up.

https://www.adaleamusic.com/2025

best of 2025 • Wet Leg • mangetout

Isolated in a remote house in the countryside, moisturizer was written in a creative frenzy, diving into themes of obsession and all-consuming love. While their 2022 debut earned Grammy wins and chart-topping success, moisturizer brings the bite: brash guitars, heavy beats, and a fearless devotion to feeling everything—all at once. Dom

https://wetlegband.com/

You think I'm pretty, you think I'm pretty cool

You say I scare you, I know most people do

This is the real world, honey, bienvenue

In spite of everything, I guess there's just no getting through

Nice try, now get out of the way

Good job, just take a fucking hint

I said I'll see ya, wouldn't wanna be ya

Wouldn't wanna be ya, eh-ya-eh-ya, ah-ah

Nice try, get out the way

You're in our way, get lost forever

best of 2025 • Case Oats • Last Missouri Exit

https://caseoats.com/

A spectacular record release show for Case Oats’ debut LP “Last Missouri Exit” at The Hideout, with lots of love, family and friends in the room. Casey Gomez Walker and her crew delivered an amazing set featuring the full album, a handful of new songs and a great cover of The Clash’s “Lost in the Supermarket.” TV Buddha opened the show with a killer set of originals and an intense version of “Roadrunner” by The Modern Lovers. It was a perfect summer in the city night!

best of 2025 • Blondshell • If You Asked for a Picture

Consider If You Asked for a Picture as the second chapter in an ongoing novel chronicling the trials and tribulations of life in your 20s. On Sabrina Teitelbaum’s second album as Blondshell, which arrives two years after her eponymous debut, Teitelbaum is still haunted by the past and stumbling into the kinds of bad decisions that fueled Blondshell. Her head may be clouded by contradictions, yet here, she conveys these conflicted feelings in an increasingly confident, self-assured musical language. PF

https://www.blondshellmusic.com/

best of 2025 • Alan Sparhawk With Trampled by Turtles • Not Broken

Grief doesn’t always sound loud. Sometimes it hums quietly in songs like “Not Broken,” from With Trampled by Turtles. Alan Sparhawk’s voice, joined by the band’s warm strings carries both pain and peace. It’s not a song about falling apart — it’s about holding on, finding calm in loss, and remembering love without anger. “Not Broken” feels like a moment of healing — simple, tender, and deeply human.

ifitbeyourwill S06E18 • sundayclub

A happy mistake at a concert.

A guitar rediscovered in the back of a closet.

Two students on totally different paths who somehow found the same sound.

That’s the origin story of sundayclub, a rural Manitoba duo whose music feels like it was pulled from an ’80s Polaroid—warm, hazy, and quietly intentional. Their new EP, Bannatyne, captures that balance perfectly: pop instincts wrapped in dream-pop atmosphere, four tracks that melt into one continuous mood.

When you talk to Courtney Carmichael and Nikki St. Pierre, you get the sense that their process is equal parts chaos and craft. Courtney writes with a diarist’s honesty, often chasing the feeling a moment left behind. Nick builds the sonic world around those words, leaning on production chops and an obsession with tone. A simple tuning shift to open C cracked something open—suddenly, new harmonies and melodies started falling out of the guitar.

They work fast to capture the spark, then slow down for the final stretch, refusing to rush a lyric or sand off a rough edge just to be “done.” That patience shows. Banatine isn’t a playlist of singles—it’s a short film in sound, one that breathes and unfolds with intention.

Their path to Paper Bag Records came with its own lucky breaks—a well-timed mastering grant, a few key community ties, and a lot of persistence. Listeners have already gravitated toward Nuclear Fallout, a track that wasn’t meant to be the standout but hit something unexpected. Courtney and Nick say that kind of connection means more than any genre label could.

Looking ahead, they’re teasing a reimagined “Last Christmas”, a run of Canadian shows, and new singles that stretch their sound without losing its heart.

If you’re into indie pop, dream pop, odd guitar tunings, and the craft behind a cohesive EP, this one’s for you. Stream the episode, spin Banatine front to back, and see which moment sticks. And if you love what you hear, share it with a friend—because that’s how good music travels.

 

https://www.sundayclub.band/

54•40 • "Virgil” • 2025

Legendary Canadian rock band 54-40 return with their highly anticipated new album 'PORTO', set for release on January 23, 2026. The announcement follows the debut of four powerful new singles, "Running for the Fence," "Die To Heaven," "Time Will Tell," and "Virgil," released today, marking the beginning of a bold new chapter for one of Canada's most celebrated bands.

https://www.5440.com/

Cylindre • Ingénue • 2025

Cylindre is a New York City–based duo weaving together indie rock, post-punk DIY, and dirty dream-pop into something both atmospheric and immediate. Formed by Tim and Riley, the band’s debut album Ingénue, out now on Clearly Records, captures the spark of two artists discovering their shared sound through instinct and experimentation.

clearlyrecords.com