Best of April 2025
Debuts, spotlights, and the rest: the best releases of April 2025.
Greetings readers!
Was April just a time jump? How is it May?!
I stayed busy this month: I got bangs. I went out to many lovely dinners with friends. I fell in love with the movie Sinners and it’s incredible use of music. I got a new tattoo. I watched the Phillies win another game. I spent a lot of time outside in the warm Philadelphia sun (and apparently, the Philadelphia wind).
And of course, I saw some live music! I accompanied my metal-loving friend and platonic wife Andrea to see Spiritbox and Loathe, and had my first VIP experience at The Fillmore. Later, I enjoyed the nice weather by seeing some bands at Earth Day Fest up near Temple, including Elephant Jake and Cinema Stare - the latter was Earth-shatteringly good, as per the video below. I closed out the month with a fantastic show from Orla Gartland and FIGHTMASTER at Underground Arts.
And as usual, I tried to keep up with new releases as best as I could. Here’s my top picks of the month.
Debuts
I had two debut recaps this month, which you can check out here and here.
But if you want my top picks, it’s gotta have to be the debut albums from Modern Alibi, Witch Post, and My Son The Doctor.
Spotlight Albums & EPs
Next, we’ll chat about releases from new, rising, and hidden gem artists that deserve more spotlight this month.
Kill Birds - Crave (Bandcamp)
What an awesome discovery this month. This EP from Los Angeles reminds me a lot of the last Mannequin Pussy album, which was my number one last year. 90s early grunge married with early 2000s indie rock.
Dead Pioneers - PO$T AMERICAN (Bandcamp)
An incredible indigenous punk album via Denver, that confronts social and political issues in the aftermath of this election. It’s hard-hitting, and great for fans of bands like Rage Against The Machine, IDLES, Dead Kennedys, etc.
Daughter of Swords - Alex (Bandcamp)
There’s a ton of great songwriting on this album, peaking through the electronic “beeps and boops” that are sprinkled throughout, echoing electro-pop vibes from the early 2010s. There are also moments that bring through the artists’ previous work in the folk genre, making this album a well-rounded contender in this year’s indie releases.
The Convenience - Like Cartoon Vampires (Bandcamp)
I really feel like this album has flown under the radar, which is why I wanted to bring it to your attention this month. It’s the sophomore release from a New Orleans multi-instrumentalist indie rock duo, and traverses through different rock and post-punk influences throughout the album’s tracks. I think this would be great to check out if you like bands like Shoe, Cloud Nothings, and Shame.
The Tisburys - A Still Life Revisited (Bandcamp)
I was blessed to have an early listen of this album (thanks
!) with The Tisburys a couple weeks ago and really loved how their sound has developed with this album! I was a big fan of their 2022 album Exile on Main Street, and despite them being a Philadelphia band it took me a long time to be able to see them live. I was able to catch some of these tracks prior to this release, and whether you catch them live or check out this album, I can promise you some great 90s radio and 00s indie rock nostalgia.Spotlight Tracks
Lots of hot tracks this month from rising artists! Here’s a small selection - but be sure to check out the playlist for more!
Florry - “First it was a movie, then it was a book” [Philadelphia alt-country]
Shark? - “King Of The Chaff” [Brooklyn garage rock]
Capture This - “Self-Sabotage” [Denver pop-punk]
Pamphlets - “Vanity” [Brooklyn post-punk]
Sonic Reducer - “NEEDLES” [Canberra garage punk]
Honorable mentions:
Tucana - “Spirit Bomb”
VERA - “Take It All Off”
Star’s Revenge - “Me And My Friends”
Earworms and Big Hits
Hot releases from hot bands!!
DJO - The Crux (Website)
Goddamnit Joe Keery, stop being so talented. I returned to this album multiple times this month, which is always a good sign as I’m often derailed by digging through all the new music coming out. It’s an absolute vibe, and plenty of articles have already addressed The Beatles’ influences. I’d like to add my crazy assertion that this is Harry’s House with Julian Casablancas-eque (solo career) vocals, though my friends may disagree. We’ll take that argument to the floor when we are dancing our butts off on Saturday.
Beach Bunny - Tunnel Vision (Bandcamp)
From the title track (released as a single earlier this year), I knew this album was gonna hit so hard, and it did. There are absolutely no skips on this release, full of blunt and catchy tunes. A great mix of pop-punk and indie rock for you to enjoy as we enter the summer months!
I also thoroughly enjoyed the albums from Momma, Viagra Boys, Scowl, and Mamalarky.
We Are Scientists - “Please Don’t Say It“
I mean, there’s no way I couldn’t talk about this one. I haven’t stopped talking about these guys for the last 16 years. The boys continue to draw upon the 80s sound they delivered in their last album Lobes, producing an absolute tune. They also released this music video, which really captures their charm and makes me laugh as much as two men in their 40s still making music videos by themselves in their living rooms.
Folk Bitch Trio - “The Actor“
This track was actually my first introduction to this band, but I fell in love with the harmonies and melody of this beautiful indie folk track.
The Ting Tings - “Dreaming“
I was scouring the Internet for something and came across the knowledge that The Tings Tings were releasing new music, and given my life blood is mid-00s indie rock, I was excited to hear some more indie pop bangers. However, I was surprised to find that they had shifted gears to indie folk, and even more pleasantly surprised to see how much I really loved that shift.
Addison Rae - “Headphones On“
One of the reasons I love having a collaborative New Music Friday playlist with my friends is that it introduces me to things I probably wouldn’t seek out on my own. I really had to push past my “Oh man, am I too old to listen to TikTok famous Addison Rae?” feelings to check out this track, and I’m so glad I did because this single is soooo good. It’s this sort of breathy R&B/pop track that immediately threw me back into listening to a Totally Hits CD in the early 2000s.
Arm’s Length - “The Weight“
All of their 2025 singles have been great, but this one truly stuck to me. It’s a punch pop-punk track that tackles issues like eating disorders and body image. Like many others, I’m eagerly awaiting their sophomore album next month.
Turnstile - “SEEIN’ STARS/BIRDS“
I was originally going to put “NEVER ENOUGH” on this list, given its release this month. But then this double came out under the wire, and it’s a great showcase of both ends of the spectrum of Turnstile - melodic shoegaze and hardcore. Ultimately, I’m dropping this here to say: GO BIRDS!!!
You can find my entire Monthly Highlights playlist below - this playlist will reset on the 10th, so be sure to Save it to keep up with next month’s releases. You can find all of my Spotify, Apple Music, and Youtube playlists in the corresponding links.
Thanks for reading, and happy new music discovery!
x Erin
Glad to see The Convenience on here as well. Under the radar indeed! Hoping they will go on tour as I really enjoyed their latest release.
So much good stuff this month. It's funny because part of the reason I left off The Convenience from my list is because I figured everyone was already talking about them.... I think that it's weird being in our weird insular music aficionado groups, each with their own "house" preferences, not actually knowing what's popping out there (obvious stuff aside). And then we are all influencing each other here on Substack too, obviously!