Debut Spotlight: February 2025
Debut albums and EPs from The Backfires, Pebbledash, Speed Riders, Afternoon In The Park, and Skinner.
January was 300 years long.
But without further adieu, here’s five more great debuts that were released last month.
The Backfires - This Is Not An Exit
New York, New York, United States
For Fans Of: indie rock | indie pop | Catfish and The Bottlemen | The Vaccines | Inhaler | Circa Waves
Website | Instagram
Release Date: January 24th, 2025
A high-octane indie rock debut from the British/American rock band based in New York City, delivering infectious tunes that would be perfectly situated in a festival context.
Spotlight Track: “Turn Off The Lights”
A note from the band:
“This Is Not An Exit” was written, recorded, and produced in New York City. The title and cover art reference a sign backstage at Mercury Lounge in New York where we played our first show together in NYC.
Pebbledash - Four Portraits Of The Same Ugly House (EP)
Cork, Ireland
For Fans Of: shoegaze | alternative | mary in the junkyard | Sonic Youth | Slowdive
Bandcamp | Instagram
Release Date: January 31st, 2025
The Cork sextet released a melancholic debut EP full of climbing noise rock and shoegaze elements, delivering a haunting and captivating mood.
Spotlight Track: “Tell Me”
A note from the band:
The EP is an insight into our lives in Cork city and the people and places that informed our development as a band in our first year. We wanted to experiment with our sound and try different things lyrically and musically, blending our tastes and influences into something that was a beginning statement of what we are and a stepping stone towards where we want to be.
Speed Riders - Super Cheers
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
For Fans Of: grunge-wave | alternative | Wine Lips | Pile | Flatwaves | Hockey Dad
Bandcamp | Instagram
Release Date: January 10th, 2025
A high energy, dance-able grunge-wave release from Minneapolis with elements of psych rock, perfect for a little motivational kick to continue through the day.
Spotlight Track: “Heavy Dreamer”
A note from the band:
Crossing musical lanes such as power pop, no wave, and grunge, Minneapolis’ newest punk ‘n’ roll outfit, Speed Riders, cover subjects ranging from death, love, and motorcycles (of course). Their debut album, Super Cheers, features ten psych-soaked tracks filled with catchy songwriting sensibilities that will have listeners racing to a thrift shop to purchase a black leather jacket.
Afternoon In The Park - On/Off (EP)
Paris, France
For Fans Of: indie rock | indie pop | The Kooks | The Virgins | The Hives | Kasabian |
Release Date: January 17th, 2025
A great selection of radio-friendly indie rock hits from France, falling in line with some of my favorite bands from the 00s.
Spotlight Track: “I Only Wanna Be With You”
Skinner - New Wave Vaudeville
Dublin, Ireland
For Fans Of: indie sleaze | dance punk | Squid | Gustaf | Sugar Pit | Viagra Boys
Bandcamp | Instagram
Release Date: January 10th, 2025
This debut from Ireland combines no wave and post-punk elements with indie rock and dance punk in an endearingly eccentric debut.
Spotlight Track: “Calling In Sick”
As always, you can follow along with this year’s debuts in my Debuts of 2025 playlist on Spotify.
Are you an artist, or have a debut album to recommend? Submit your recommendation here!
Enjoyed these recommendations? Here’s some Spotify playlists you may like:
FF New Music Friday - follow for weekly releases curated by a team of friends
Ready To Mingle - singles from pre-debut artists across rock & indie genres
Monthly Highlights - my favorite releases from this month
You can find all of my Spotify and Youtube playlists in the corresponding links.
Thanks for reading, and happy new music discovery!
x Erin
Some great songs as always but I particularly love Pebbledash! Thanks!