Debut Spotlight: January 2025
Debut albums and EPs from Krystian Quint & The Quitters, Ten Hail Marys, Townhouses, Makeshift Art Bar, and Lambrini Girls.
Happy New Year!
2025 is already starting off strong with some great debuts, and I’ve highlighted five of my favorites so far below.
New for this year! My goal is to reach out to bands to 1) overcome my anxiety of talking to bands and 2) give them a chance to share their thoughts/comments/press releases about their debuts - straight from the horse’s mouth!
Krystian Quint & The Quitters - Something Like That
Detroit, Michigan, United States
For Fans Of: alternative | indie rock | punk | Cloud Nothings | Surf Curse | Sex Mex | Wavves
Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Release Date: January 3rd, 2025
Krystian Quint (from Detroit blues-punk group The Stools) incorporates elements of punk, garage rock, and indie in this surf-y debut.
Spotlight Track: “Water”
A note from the band:
Detroit’s Krystian Quint (The Stools, Expest, etc) goes straight for your heartstrings with this 9 song debut. This tour de force harkens to c86, twee, major label indie like Velvet Crush, Blake Babies, or Pavement but with unmistakable motor city grit and effortless cool. If you like your hooks nostalgia soaked and production quality like a mix CD given to you by your ex girlfriend in 1998 that you just wish you had back even though you are totally over her, you will love this record.
Ten Hail Marys - Faults I May Have (EP)
Dublin, Ireland
For Fans Of: indie rock | alternative rock | HIMALAYAS | Gurriers | Catfish and The Bottlemen | Wunderhorse
Release Date: January 3rd, 2025
This Dublin-quartet released a catchy EP full of guitar-driven indie rock tunes, with elements of indie pop, grunge, garage, and fuzz.
Spotlight Track: “America”
A note from the band:
‘Faults I May Have’ discusses the common denominators of youth, love and identity crisis amongst other weird and wonderful features of the modern day, and issues within the world that may seem so unsolvable they must be made light of in order for on lookers to digest. This EP is the culmination of years of writing and gigging, though this band have written many more tracks since the completion of this collection of songs.
Townhouses - New Year, New Me (EP)
Bristol, England
For Fans Of: indie rock | post-punk | The Dandy Warhols | Been Stellar | The Brian Jonestown Massacre | Squid
Instagram | Soundcloud
Release Date: January 3rd, 2025
This 4-track indie rock EP combines elements of post-punk, shoegaze, and psych rock elements to produce a noisy and eclectic debut.
Spotlight Track: “There She Goes”
A note from the band:
Having earned the first ever noise complaint ever at Bink Bonk Studios where both IDLES and Kaiser Chiefs have previously recorded, New Year, New Me makes a statement in true Townhouses style…Where motoric beats meet dark, melodic guitars and powerful vocals to form a flurry of sonic pleasures…sometimes lullingly slow and other times ear-achingly fast - New Year, New Me quickly develops into a story; facing topics of love, delusion…masculinity…grief, addiction, heartbreak…depression, [and] the silver lining and beauty in it all.
Makeshift Art Bar - Lackluster Writing Makes Fundamental Reading (EP)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
For Fans Of: post-punk | garage punk | Gilla Band | Shame | The Murder Capital | Preoccupations
Instagram | Bandcamp
Release Date: January 3rd, 2025
A loud and high energy post-punk release that encompasses garage, fuzz, noise, and grunge sounds.
Spotlight Track: “Birthday Party”
A note from the band:
This EP solidifies their place as one of the most innovative voices in the underground music scene. The four-track record captures the raw intensity and unapologetic experimentalism that have made Makeshift Art Bar a must-see act on stages across Europe... Each track on Lackluster Writing Makes Fundamental Reading takes listeners on a journey through jagged guitar riffs, pulsating rhythms, and lyrics that oscillate between the poetic and the provocative. The EP speaks to the disenchanted, the dreamers, and anyone searching for meaning in the chaos.
And finally, the highly anticipated debut from:
Lambrini Girls - Who Let The Dogs Out
Brighton, England
For Fans Of: punk | noise rock | IDLES | Mannequin Pussy | Amyl & The Sniffers | SPRINTS
Instagram | Bandcamp
Release Date: January 10th, 2025
A full-throttle debut from the Brighton noise-punk duo, delivering chaotic riot grrl energy, thrashing guitar and bass lines, and punky vocals. This album is packed full of anger and raw energy, and it might just be the outlet that a lot of us need in the world right now (*cries in American*). This band has received great praise from legends like Iggy Pop and Sleater Kinney, and I’m excited for them to make their full debut via this album. They’re touring the U.S. in the spring, and I highly recommend catching their live shows.
Spotlight Track: All of them. But today, “You’re Not From Around Here.”
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
Love the Lambrini Girls album. Waiting to see if I can get a ticket for their matinee show at Rough Trade on Sunday.
I’m also feeling fairly foolish that I didn’t make it to the Townhouses album launch last week, but I’ve just seen they are playing again at the end of the month so I’m now on the case!
Ooh loving that track from Ten Hail Mary's!