ARCY DRIVE, THE PIT

What started as a joke between Nick Mateyunas and Austin Jones during their high school years in Northport, New York eventually led to the creation of Arcy Drive, with the duo recruiting friends Brooke Tuozzo and Patrick Helrigel to complete their lineup.

The band's first practice space was Brooke's backyard shed on Arcy Drive, the street that would eventually lend its name to the band. It was there they jammed and shaped their "Attic Rock" sound, a blend of indie rock with elements of country and Southern rock. Over time, they built a grassroots following by playing DIY shows across the country, often setting up wherever they could find a crowd: beaches, fields, parking lots, and even literal porches, while also sharing their music through TikTok sessions. Now, the band has released their debut album, The Pit. 

There's a cool vibe to The Pit. The band plays with a loose, live energy, and you can feel the easy chemistry between them. Across the album’s thirteen tracks, they land on a sound that feels warm, nostalgic, and dynamic, with standout moments like “Under the Rug,” “Louie,” and “The Itch” leading the way. A guest appearance by John Sebastian of The Lovin' Spoonful adds an extra touch of timeless authenticity to the album. 

PINCHIKO, GINKGO

Panchiko’s story reads like a plot from a movie, so unlikely it almost feels fictional. Four teens from Nottingham form a band in the late '90's, record a lo-fi demo, play only a handful of local gigs to mostly empty rooms, and then dissolve and fade into obscurity until that demo cassette resurfaces online in 20216. With no information attached, the warped, lo-fi sound piqued curiosity and eventually inspired a global online effort to track down the band.

By the time the members were located, now in their forties with day jobs in teaching and music mastering, their music had become an underground cult sensation. Teenagers were getting tattoos of the tape’s artwork, and Panchiko suddenly had a new and passionate fanbase, mostly in the U.S. Reuniting in 2021, the band began playing shows to sold-out audiences and, after two decades apart, faced the challenge of making new music that honored their lo-fi origins while reflecting who they are now.

In 2023, they released their debut album, Failed at Math(s), to great fanfare. It successfully retained the warped charm of their early work while embracing more refined production, and with it, love for the band only grew....As of January 2025, Panchiko has amassed 200 million listens on Spotify and draws 1.45 million monthly followers! Despite their unconventional reentry into music, the band approaches their second life with humility and humor, fully aware of the surreal odds that brought them back together.

With Ginkgo, Panchiko step fully into the present without losing sight of the beautifully warped past that brought them here. Where Failed at Math(s) felt like the band reintroducing themselves, reconciling dusty demos with decades of distance, Ginkgo sounds like them settling in, making music with the clarity, confidence, and creative freedom that eluded them the first time around. It’s both a progression and a homecoming, steeped in their trademark wistfulness, but more expansive in scope, sharper in execution, and looser in spirit.

BROWN HORSE, ALL THE RIGHT WEAKNESSES

Brown Horse has played their fair share of English pubs over the years. Formed in 2018 as a folk quartet, the band got their start performing old-time standards, Michael Hurley covers, and original songs in pub corners across the country. Those early days carried a homespun charm, steeped in tradition but always nudging toward something more expansive.

By 2023, the band had grown into a six-piece ensemble and begun leaning into a sound that fused their folk and ‘70s country roots with the fuzzier edges of '90s alt-rock. The lineup shift brought a broader sound and more room to experiment, and it shows on their sophomore record, All The Right Weaknesses.

Where their 2024 debut Reservoir leaned into a more open and slow-burning sound, this follow-up feels looser and louder. The album delivers an energized blend of slacker-rock and folk, with banjo, accordion, and pedal steel guitar woven into arrangements that add a rich musical texture. It’s the sound of a band that’s spent serious time on the road, tightened by repetition, but still open enough to be playful in moments, giving their music an easy, lived-in vibe. 

DESTROYER, DAN'S BOOGIE

Thirty years into Destroyer, Dan Bejar is still writing, still singing, still figuring it out. There’s a kind of bemused clarity in how he talks about it now. “Usually people go up or go away,” he says. “It’s strange to be still in the trenches, but everyone you know is gone.” That sense of being somewhere in the middle, not a star, not a struggler, just enduring, runs through his fourteenth album. 

Bejar doesn’t glamorize his longevity. In a recent interview, he was frank about the industry’s obsession with youth and candid about the toll of continuing to operate in a space that often seems to have moved on. But he’s still drawn to the work itself, albeit slower now, and maybe a little less certain. “How I do it is so unconscious. I don’t know what I’m doing. Like, I really don’t.” 

That looseness has started to seep into the music in new ways. Where past Destroyer records often carried a stylized aloofness, Dan’s Boogie opens space for humor and unpredictability. He’d never have felt comfortable with that in the past, but now he embraces it, and it shows up in the album’s more madcap moments. 

“As you age, I guess you stop censoring yourself.” 

There’s a spontaneity to songs like “Hydroplaning Off the Edge of the World,” which Bejar essentially improvised in the studio, grabbing surreal lines from the air without knowing what might come next. Still, even amid the chaos, there’s a core to hold onto: that unmistakable voice. A voice Bejar once loathed, but now recognizes as foundational to who he is. “I probably identify myself as a singer more than anything else in the world,” he says. 

If Dan’s Boogie proves anything, it’s that Bejar is still deeply in it—not reinventing himself, but relaxing into the strange, singular role he’s carved out over decades. It’s just the right place and space to experience Bejar. He really is one of a kind and Dan’s Boogie is yet another fantastic album in a storied career.

LOW ROAR, HOUSE IN THE WOODS

In 2010, Ryan Karazija relocated from California to Reykjavík, Iceland. The quiet, stark landscapes of the country mirrored his introspective nature and became central to his identity as an artist, as he embraced solitude and personal discovery through his work. In 2011, he released his first new music under the name Low Roar. In time, he was joined by musicians Leifur Björnsson and Logi Guðmundsson. Over the next ten years, Low Roar released five albums. Then in 2022, Karazija passed away at age 40 from complications of pneumonia. Soon after, Björnsson and Guðmundsson made known that a sixth album had been completed before Karazija’s passing. Now, three years later, that album, House in the Woods, has been released.

It has been said that Karazija poured his soul into this album, combining minimalist indie, ambient sounds, and deeply personal lyrics. With themes of isolation, nature, and reflection, his songs offer a glimpse into Karazija’s inner world—one that I found to be poignant and moving. On the closing, title track, he sings, “And I'm beginning to drown. I'm staring death in the eyes. You were the rock that I needed. You were the tree I would climb. Now I'm a passing thought. And I'll try to survive. And I will write what I've seen. Will you read what I write? My endless love.” There’s a heavy sense of longing in Karanzija's words, echoing through the subdued, melancholic tones of the album. Released posthumously, it all feels hauntingly bittersweet—a powerful and fitting farewell.

THE GENTLE SPRING, LOOKING BACK AT THE WORLD

The Gentle Spring’s debut album, Looking Back at the World, marks the return of Michael Hiscock, co-founder of The Field Mice, alongside Emilie Guillaumot and Jérémie Orsel. Known for helping define the emotional honesty and pop melodies of 90s Brit indiepop, Hiscock and his new bandmates have crafted a collection of songs that maintain the light, sensitive qualities of The Field Mice but with a more mature, introspective lens which can only happen with the passage of time. 

Blending strummy acoustic guitars, sparsely placed keyboards, cellos, sophisticated guitar textures, and hushed vocals, the group has created a sound that is both gentle and richly layered. With its understated melodies and delicate lyrics exploring love, loss, and reflection, Looking Back at the World is a beautifully crafted and heartfelt album. 

PIGEON PIT, CRAZY ARMS

Hailing from Olympia, WA, just an hour south of Seattle, Pigeon Pit is a band whose sound is hard to pin down. Blending indie, punk, and country influences, they embrace a maximalist style. On Crazy Arms, their fourth LP and first as a touring six-piece band, they explore a new chaotic sound while celebrating humanity’s contradictions and flaws. Front-woman Lomes Oleander describes it as a collection of love songs that confront the overwhelming realities of the world, urging listeners to embrace their messy, beautiful selves. 

Drawing inspiration from bands like The Weakerthans, early Modest Mouse, and The Violent Femmes, Pigeon Pit pairs introspective lyrics with raw, anthemic energy and a rebellious vibe that keeps you engaged and on your toes.

 

EX-VÖID, IN LOVE AGAIN

London-based band Ex-Vöid, led by former Joanna Gruesome members Lan McArdle (vocals) and Owen Williams (guitar and vocals), blend timeless guitar pop with a punk spirit. On their second LP, In Love Again, McArdle, Williams, Laurie Foster (bass), and George Rothman (drums) deliver concise, hook-laden tracks with jangly guitars and bittersweet melodies. The album captures the band's evolution from chaotic power punk to polished pop, weaving in elements of 90s indie rock, power pop, punk, country, and self-assured songwriting. Their sound is marked by energy and an undeniable sense of melody, with varied arrangements that showcase the band's growth as true students of perfect pop.

 

LAUGHING, BECAUSE IT'S TRUE

What's so funny about peace, love, and understanding? Apparently lots. Montreal-based Laughing's debut album, Because It's True, is the band's "honest attempt at inviting you in on the cosmic joke." Joke or not, Because It's True has been one of the more pleasant surprises for me this year. Taking cues from indie rock bands from the 90's and early 00's such as Fountains Of Wayne and Built To Spill, Laughing has crafted eleven guitar driven pop-rock gems that sparkle with energy and positive vibes. 

 

 

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THE DECEMBERISTS, AS IT EVER WAS, SO IT WILL BE AGAIN

For over 20 years now, The Decemberists have been making their own unique and distinct brand of folk-rock. It can be quirky, idiosyncratic, thought provoking, poignant, and always downright good. Their latest album and first in six years, As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again, is the longest album that the band has ever made. It is also a particular standout. I think it is in part because it's more accessible than some of their others....this is surprising given that the band describes the album's 13 songs as semaphores (I had to look up this word) of mutual recognition for our fraught times and faint hope. Not since The Crane Wife have I been this satisfied with A Decemberists' album. So glad that they keep making music.

HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF, THE PAST IS STILL ALIVE

Segarra, raised in the Puerto Rican section of the Bronx, left home at 17 to ride the rails and hitchhike across the country, eventually finding community and creative inspiration in New Orleans. This journey led to the formation of Hurray for the Riff Raff, where Segarra channeled their experiences into powerful, narrative-driven music. 

Their 2017 album The Navigator was a high point, a concept album about Navita, a 16-year-old navigating an over-gentrified city. It masterfully captured the challenges of cultural erasure and the fight to reclaim identity, blending storytelling and activism with stunning artistry. 

Segarra’s latest album, The Past Is Still Alive, delves even deeper, reflecting on their years on the road. Through vivid, autobiographical lyrics, the album explores themes of friendship, loss, identity, and the search for a true sense of home in an increasingly fractured world. Segarra’s Americana-infused indie-rock sound perfectly complements their introspective storytelling, creating a poignant and timeless work.

This deeply personal album stands as a love letter to the people and places that shaped Segarra’s journey and solidifies them as one of the most compelling artists of their generation. The Past Is Still Alive is another wonderful album by Segarra.

COYLE GIRELLI, MUSEUM DAY

English singer-songwriter Coyle Girelli has done a little bit of everything. He's fronted two bands, co-written songs for two French musicals, written hit songs for a diverse group of artists from Macklemore to BTS, he's collaborated with other hit-making songwriters such as Linda Perry, and he's released two solo albums. He's done...just a bit.

Girelli now calls New York City home and on his latest album, Museum Day, he draws inspiration from living and loving in the Big Apple. He also tips his hat to some of the bands that have inspired him over the years...The Smiths, The National, The War On Drugs, and even New Order. Yet these songs are all Girelli. 

Standing alone, each of the ten songs on Museum Day are fantastic with melodies and lyrics that capture moments in time beautifully whether they are ones filled with love, joy, sadness...or all of it. Put them all together and you get one of the most enjoyable and best albums of the year. 

WOODS, PERENNIAL

Are you a Woodsist? If you are not, you should be. For almost twenty years, Jeremy Early and Jarvis Taveniere have been making their own brand of psychedelic folk-rock that never ceases to surprise or put you into a state of relaxation. On their twelfth studio album, Perennial, nothing in this regard has changed, although their approach to songwriting has. The band has said that this album grew from a bed of guitar/keyboard/drum loops by Earl which was a form of winter night meditation. It eventually evolved into an unexplored mode of collaborative songwriting with the others in the band. With tape rolling, they began to build, jamming over the loops, switching instruments, and developing a few dozen building blocks that became their album. This new approach brings a freshness, looseness, and groove to their music that is hard to resist. Am I a Woodsist? I am indeed.

ON ROTATION

Lots of great music. Not enough time to write about it all...but here's what's on rotation for me right now. 

The Loving Paupers, Ladder

Cleo Sol, Heaven 

ON ROTATION

Lots of great music. Not enough time to write about it all...but here's what's on rotation for me right now. 

Night Flight, Songs From Echo Zoo 

Islands, And That's Why Dolphins Lost Their Legs 

This Day In History, Years Of Wear & Tear 

THE MOMMYHEADS, CONEY ISLAND KID

Every few years I 'discover' a band that seems to have been around for decades and I'm left scratching my head wondering how I'd never heard of them or heard their music. Such is the case with The Mommyheads. Reading reviews of the band's many albums, the common theme is that this is a band that has been getting better and better with time and age. I can't yet speak to that since I haven't listened to their back catalog of 14 albums that span 34 years going back to 1989. What I can say is that their 15th album, Coney Island Kid, is absolutely fantastic. 

Fusing pop, prog, indie and psychedelic rock, into a swirling kaleidoscope of curious and slightly idiosyncratic music, The Mommheads have similar underpinnings to XTC and Motorpycho (especially 2020's The All Is One). I was drawn into Coney Island Kid right from the ambient synth opening of title track which uses Coney Island as a backdrop to convey 'themes of desperation and soul-searching'. Honestly, it's been a minute since I was this intrigued with a band or album. 

BONNY DOON, LET THERE BE MUSIC

There is nothing flashy or fast moving when it comes to Bonny Doon. They are a band that lives in a perpetual laid-back and relaxed state where their music, as self described, is understated, simple, humane, and thoughtful. The band has said that they have always tried to get at the 'essence of things.'On their latest album, Let There Be Music, they take this idea to a different level. With a new focus on their songwriting and trying to have it be as strong as it can be 'without too much accoutrements,' the band has landed on a cleaner and simpler sound that is light, breezy, and sunny. All things that I want right about now.  Let There Be Music indeed.  

Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee

Michelle Zauner and her band Little Big League had finished their second album when she learned that her mother had stage four cancer. Zauner immediately moved back home to Eugene, Oregon to care for her. During that time, she made a few lo-fi recordings under the name Japanese Breakfast. Zauner also started writing a memoir about her life as a half white, half Korean American and whether she could lay claim to that identity anymore.

Following her mother's passing in 2014, Zauner took on the Japanese Breakfast moniker in earnest and released two albums over the next few years. Both centered around  grief, loss, and identity. Both received wide spread attention and praise. For me, I appreciated them both, but never returned to them after a listen or two. 

Earlier this year, Zauner's memoir, Crying In H Mart, was published. It became a New York Times best seller. A few months later, Zauner followed it up with the release of her third album, Jubilee. And as the title implies, things are feeling quite different for Zauner these days. And you can sense it from the opener Paprika as the synthesizer kicks things off and then, as the song builds and the chorus rises, the horn section comes in. It's an '80's inspired synth-pop delight that Kate Bush would love. And then there's her lyrics. Drawing inspiration from sci-fi film maker Satoshi Kon's movie of the same name and its opening psychotic parade dream sequence, Zauner's lyrics paint a surreal world where real life and dreams blend together. It truly feels like a different artist at work here.

Jubilee is by far Zauner's best work to date and an album that should be celebrated.

Joe And the Feels, Unsupervised

I'm going to admit that I'm a bit of a pushover for a good story behind a band. So when I ready the 'product notes' for Joe And the Feel's Unsupervised, I was ready to be all in before even hearing a note or chorus. 

"Joe & the Feels is equal parts band and coping mechanism. The only band made entirely of healthcare professionals; their music is dripping with natural, cathartic energy. Staples of the Little Rock music scene, Joe Yoder (vocals, guitar), Dave Hoffpauir (drums), Andy Warr (lead guitar), Steve Blevins (bass), and Gaines Fricke (keys) channel their highs and lows into a loud beautiful noise. Confronted with life's most vulnerable moments, Joe & The Feel's debut record, Unsupervised, offers the musical equivalent of a good cry, a lively cheer, and a warm bearded hug."

After this read and many listens of Unsupervised, I will say that I am ready to be all in. Joe And the Feels brought me back to the college radio days of the early nineties, where alt, Southern, and indie rock fused together into a really cool laid-back sound while thought provoking lyrics made you sit up and think. Joe And the Feels is an incredibly polished band that also exudes genuineness and authenticity, and Unsupervised is a gem of an album. 

 

Cory Hanson, Pale Horse Rider

I love an album that has a strong musical viewpoint and sets a tone right up front for what to expect next...and then delivers on it. Cory Hanson, the lead singer and guitarist for the band Wand, has done just that with his second solo album, Pale Horse Rider, creating a moody, psych-folk, Southwest desert atmosphere and vibe that set the tone for this excellent collection of songs.

Recorded in the high desert region of the Mojave desert, away from a studio, and surrounded by psychotropic cacti, Hanson sought to take a simpler approach to the instrumentals on his second solo record and have the album be more lyrically focused. While simpler, Hanson has created a specific atmosphere that he describes as being the force of gravity holding down and together the songs and album which take a dark look at the myths and truths of cities that Hanson knows so well, such as LA and Las Vegas and the people who inhabit them. They are somber and forbidding looks and views, but somehow also sanguine. It all makes Pale Horse Rider an alluring album.