2025 ALBUMS L-Z + MORE (Pt. 2/2)

Hey! Bet you didn’t think I’d finish this, huh? Neither did I! In fact, as I write this introductory paragraph I’m giving this email a 50/50 chance of rotting eternally in the drafts. I’ve probably got at least 40 other tabs open in different browser windows. With a simple command+~ this email could vanish into the abyss of mid-January 2026 when it would be very tacky to share such a list. Let’s see what happens!

(as we can see, I did not make it in time… btw… HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!)

Also, after my tiny rant about consuming music in 2025 in part one, I’d just like to quickly mention that there are certainly options for listening to music that eschew all the evil of corporate streaming. Piracy is easy enough, and if piracy leads someone to liking a band, telling some friends, and maybe someday going to see them live or buying some merch or whatever, well, I think if you did the math that’d be worth like 30,000 streams. This is just to say, never accept that option presented to you by an evil entity funding war is the only option available.

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AD BREAK WHAT’S UP FOOLS ANTARCTIGO VESPUCCI GOES ON TOUR IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS GET YR TICKETS HERE!!!

January 26, 2026 Mon / Baltimore, MD / Ottobar / GET TICKET
January 27, 2026 Tue / Pittsburgh, PA / Bottlerocket Social Hall / SOLD OUT
January 28, 2026 Wed / Columbus, OH / Ace of Cups / GET TICKET
January 30, 2026 Fri / Chicago / Lincoln Hall / SOLD OUT
January 31, 2026 Sat / Detroit, MI / El Club / GET TICKET
February 1, 2026 Sun / Toronto, ON / Lee’s Palace / GET TICKET
February 2, 2026 Mon / Buffalo, NY / Rec Room / GET TICKET
February 4, 2026 Wed / Boston, MA / The Sinclair / LOW TICKETS GET TICKET
February 6, 2026 Fri / Brooklyn, NY / Warsaw / LOW TICKETS GET TICKET
February 7, 2026 Sat / Philadelphia, PA / First Unitarian Church / SOLD OUT

AND FOR THE RECORD I HATE THESE FUCKING TICKET FEES, ON OUR END WE ARE CHARGING AND GETTING PAID ON A $25 TICKET SO ANY EXTRA HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH US.

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OK LET’S DO THIS PT. 2

*Lambrini Girls - Who Let The Dogs Out

Can’t say when curiosity led me to check out Who Let The Dogs Out I thought I’d be listening to one of my favorite records of 2025 (it was January for cryin’ out loud!) but I was wrong as hell. This record fucking kicks ass. It sounds awesome, the songs are fun and it’s just bursting with uncontainable energy. This makes other punk records sound tame and all punk bands should take a cue from Lambrini Girls to go as hard as fucking possible please thanks.

Little Simz - Lotus

I’ve been a fan or Little Simz for a while now, but didn’t realize she is a huge star in the UK until I saw her on my United in-flight-put-yr-seatbelts-on video and was like “wait, is that Little Simz?” Anyway, I love her records and this one is no exception. What is wild about Lotus is that it’s her first in a long time without her collaborator INFLO who she recently sued for stealing millions of dollars from her. What the fuck?! I have to admit that I thought his orchestral production on Little Simz’ last two LP’s was incredible, and I had no idea if Lotus would pack that same punch but it sure does. The beats are still sick and Little Simz is going for the jugular on a lot of these tracks. It’s hard to not love this, listening to her hold nothing back and stand up for herself. There’s still space for levity scattered throughout this record despite the anger in a lot of the tracks. I’m grateful that experience did not deflate her to the point of no longer making music ‘cause she is truly just so fucking good.

*mclusky - the world is still here and so are we

Three Brits in a row WOWOWOWOWOW. INNIT!!! Although the members of mclusky have been making plenty of music since their initial departure (including a few really exceptional records from Future of the Left) the world is still here… has the vitality of a band that has been charging up energy for decades just itching to play with each other again. It’s smart, effervescent, explosive and feels less like a post-reunion tour cash grab and more like the start of a new chapter. So good to have them back, lucky us! Good shit!!

Pachyman - Another Place

A few years ago while stumbled around bleary-eyed, early in the day at the Treefort Festival in Boise, I heard a reggae band and wandered towards the sound. When I walked in, it was just one guy (Pachyman) on stage with a mixing board, a synthesizer, maybe a mic and some percussion doing live dub for a sparse sun-baked crowd. I’ve been hooked ever since. As time has gone on, Pachyman has let his latin percussion and synths push the walls of traditional dub further and further out (Another Place going further in these directions than before) and what was once likely an homage to classic artists like Scientist and King Tubby has turned into a very distinct, recognizable sound. Pachyman is so good and if you like dub, reggae, ska or just vibin’ to some good rhythms in outer space you gotta check him out.

*Parts Work - Parts Work

Parts Work is a new project from Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan and Kyle Pulley who not only played in Thin Lips but has made a ton of great records at the Headroom in Philadelphia. Frances Quinlan is one of the all-time greats and its very nice to hear them back at it again (it’s been six years since their solo LP Likewise) with an EP that stands toe-to-toe with all the exceptional music they’ve made over the years. I had this on repeat in my car for a while after I came home from tour this year, there’s so much life, beauty, power and vulnerability in these tunes all held together by Quinlan’s singular, compelling voice - that’s the good shit that you want! Seriously so stoked to have more music from Quinlan, especially when it’s so good. MORE SOON PLZ!

PUP - Who Will Look After the Dogs?

There’s admittedly some bias here. I hung out for a couple days while PUP were recording Dogs?, I sang on a bunch of songs including a feature (!) on “Get Dumber” and we toured together for six weeks off of this record. That said, I think this is a special PUP record. Conceptually it hangs together in a way we haven’t heard from PUP since The Dream is Over and musically you can really hear how the band has grown, how they’ve accepted new ideas and approaches when a lot of bands with their success might stay in their comfort zone. There’s nothing comfortable about this record, it gets weird and noisy as fuck whenever it wants and the lyrics are confrontational and hilariously bleak (two standouts from “Hallways” for me - “when one door closes / there might be no other doors” and the titular “I’m losing the will to keep dragging on / but I can’t die yet ‘cause who will look after the dogs?”) but they the pop sensibility that made this band impossible not to love in the first place. You gotta love a record that has a banger like “Best Revenge” at track 11. Love this band, love this record, don’t look now PUP has a classic five album run under their belt.

*Saintseneca - High Wallow and Supermoon Songs

You can tell a lot of love and care went into this record, from Zac Little’s jumbo painting that adorn the album art, to the esoteric suggestion that this is in fact a single record with two orbiting moons and then one of those moons (which has a bunch of bangers) isn’t available on streaming. I’ve been a fan and friend of Saintseneca since the early days and this gives me the goose bumps just like it did back then. It’s simultaneously a gentle, breezy morning coffee listen and a dense collection of layered pieces bursting with ideas, venturing wayyy out there but always finding its way home. Also this record hits on double-LP - it’s nice to throw on a side, go on a short journey, do it three more times and then say fuck it and start from the top again. Another AOTY contender.

Snooper - Worldwide

Snooper are a great band playing noisy, synthy, catchy, fuzzed-out punk very very fast and it seems like the plan behind was Worldwide let’s do that but let’s do it even faster and glitchier!! An adrenaline rush that’s over before you know it. It sounds like Devo or maybe The Network on speed. I feel like when I listen to this loud while driving my car, I drive way too fast. While a bad thing for my fellow citizens, it’s a good think for punk!! Yes!!!

Emily A. Sprague - Cloud Time

And on the complete opposite end of the musical spectrum we have Cloud Time, an incredibly calming and delicate release from Emily A. Sprague who is probably my favorite artist making ambient music right now. I feel like I dove so hard into ambient music when I fell in love with it about a decade ago that I exhausted the genre and it was making me feel almost restless listening to it. Ambient music is generally there to meld with your environment or put you in a new headspace, but it don’t all do it and it certainly don’t all do it like this one. This is the first ambient record in many years that has brought me back to that peaceful place, detached from anxiety, lost in sound.

*Star 99 - Gaman

On Gaman, San Jose’s Star 99 makes music that is extremely my shit very well - from scrappy, catchy, emotional punk with great lyrics to jangly power-pop to 90’s-tinged drum loop vibes. Much like ambient music, there’s no shortage of this in the world and also like ambient music, simply participating in these genres doesn’t mean it’s good. But Star 99 brings a lot of big melodies, memorable hooks and quotable one-liners that make for an instantly nostalgic and regularly repeatable listen. I hope this band keeps it goin’ for a while because this record kicks ass. AOTY contender for me.

*Laura Stevenson - Late Great

INCREDIBLY biased on this one - not only did Christine & I put this release out on Really Records, but I also played on a few songs. With that said, I think this is absolutely one of Laura’s best, even in a stacked discography. It checks all the boxes of things I love her music for - masterful finger-picked guitar, non-conventional song structures and an incredible voice that will fuck you up with heartbreaking lyrics. The slow, quiet songs on this record are beautifully crushing and the more energetic songs are equally as powerful. Another record that takes you on a journey. I feel grateful to have put this record out because it’s a truly special one from an artist who regularly releases special stuff.

Superchunk - Songs in the Key of Yikes

While it is a bit of an adjustment to listen to a Superchunk record without Jon Wurster behind the drumkit, this is still the billionth good record in Superchunk’s catalog. Five records into their comeback arc which started with 2010’s impossibly great Majesty Shredding, the songs are as strong as ever, still unmistakably Superchunk. While this wouldn’t be my starting point for the band (the aforementioned Majesty Shredding, Indoor Living or On The Mouth would be my knee-jerk recommendations) I think long-time fans will be stoked that this band still rips on this record.

Turnstile - Never Enough

You ever hear of this band? I was almost going to skip this one because they’ve become ubiquitous since their breakthrough Glow On and there’s a good chance you don’t need to hear more about Turnstile. But the thing is - everyone loves Turnstile because they’re really fucking good. I am generally not a fan of such clean production, but that tightness leaves space for some beautiful lush synth pads and frantic percussion - little details that jump out on repeated listens. And then they’ll just blast into a rager like “Birds” … yeah… Turnstile is still doing sick shit. It’s fun that they’re one of the biggest rock bands in the world now.

Twine - New Old Horse

Throwing in one oldie that came out towards the end of 2024 from Adelaide Australia’s Twine. New Old Horse brings thunderous noisy mayhem akin to Shellac, Silkworm or At The Drive-In with a violin ripping through all these thick textures to add even more chaos as the songs spill into dreamy MJ Lenderman-esque rock tunes (which do you call that? Americana? Australiana?) and then shrieking back out of it again. Much like Agriculture who I mentioned in part one, Twine wears their influences on their sleeves but the variety of styles they employ and whatever chemical reaction is happening here turns all that stuff into something really unique. I like this record and this band a lot. They put out another EP this year which I didn’t realize until now, but I bet that kicks ass too.

Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory

I’m not sure what I thought Sharon Van Etten’s music sounded like but I was wrong! We saw her open for Mitski last year and I was surprised to see a goth band tearing it the fuck up. There is a dark energy bubbling under the dense layers of synth sequences, bass & drum grooves and Van Etten’s powerful vocals floating in a sea of reverb. This is the first record she has written by jamming with her band and I hope we get more. And once again, none of this cool shit would matter if the songs weren’t as good as they are. Good for drivin’ around in the rain.

Wednesday - Bleeds

Wednesday is a cool fucking band and Bleeds will turn on a dime from southern porch country-rock to shrieking thrash at the drop of a hat. I love a record that can sound both beautiful and explosive. This was on a million year-end lists and it’s obvious to see why.

Hayley Williams - Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party

I came at this record without many preconceptions of Hayley Williams’ music. I know who she is obviously, it’s been nice to see her use her platform to speak against a lot of bullshit and I thought the way she surprise-released much of this record for free into the world was cool, so I checked out the title track and thought it was incredible and now I guess I’m part of the Hayley Hive? Is that something? The Williams Ward? Anyway, this record is a big outpouring of messy emotions and ideas - lots of songs, lots of hooks, somehow it all sounds great and it all feels effortlessly cool. While Paramore has never been afraid to grow musically, it sounds like Williams really took advantage of her freedom with this collection of songs and cut loose. Good shit!!

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BOOOKS

Here are the boooks I’ve read this year, my favorites in bold, Martyr! being my book of the year. I completely devoured that as well as Kathleen Hanna’s autobiography and the final installment of Becky Chambers’ Wayfarer series - a collection of futuristic galactic books that approach the topic in a warm, kind way that doesn’t make you want to cryscream thinking of the future. Also Phoenix Blade #1, a new comic made by two artists from Craig of the Creek who helped make the video for “Doubt”, was awesome and I can’t wait for more.

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
Mood Machine by Liz Pelly
A Tale for the Time Being (re-read) by Ruth Ozeki
Hyperbole and a Half (re-read) by Allie Brosh
Fahrenheit-182 by Dan Ozzi
Knots by Gunnhild Øyehaug
There’s Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
The Vegetarian by Han King
Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh
Rebel Girl by Kathleen Hanna
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
I Want To Burn This Place Down by Maris Kreizman
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
Phoenix Blade #1 by Najja Porter and Dashawn Mahone
The Story of Crass by George Berger
The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

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GAAAMES

Played a lot of Pokemon Arceus, Mario Kart World, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4 and Donkey Kong Bananza this year and liked em all! Here’s my two faves. After hearing John & Mike frustratedly cursing at their Switches in the back of the van all tour, I have not yet braved a go at Hollow Knight Silksong.

UFO 50

I am low key obsessed with UFO 50. On first glance, I assumed this was a collection of 50 short retro mini-games but turns out all of those games have a lot of replay value and some of them are long journeys. There’s a whole fake back story about how these games were unearthed from a storage space, developed for a system that no longer exists. I feel like I’m going to spend years trying to not only beat all of these games, but discovering more tiny details that shine a light on how much love was put into making this collection. Very very good.

Hades 2

I don’t have much to say about this except that I’ve logged way too many hours trying to complete the story and this game just kicks ass through and through. Somehow better than the last one which I also spent too many hours on.

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MOOOVIE TEEEVEEEE

AND I GUESS HERE’S JUST A LIST OF SOME MOVIES AND TV I LIKED THIS YEAR

The Rehearsal Season 2
Severance Season 2
Fionna and Cake Season 2
Dandadan Season 2
The Chair Company Season…… 1

(some of these movies came out in 2024 I guess??? but whatever)

One Battle After Another
Pavements
Now You Three Me
The Phoenician Scheme
Final Destination Bloodlines
Spinal Tap II - The End Continues (underrated!!)
28 Years Later

OK THAT’S IT FOR ME, ENDING THIS NEWSLETTER AND STARTING THE YEAR IN A BIG FONT

— JEFF