Koyo "Barely Here"
From Pitchfork…
Barely Here’s an immediate, deeply earnest album; the members of Koyo seem to really believe in the power of this sound, and they want you to believe, too. Joey Chiaramonte’s impassioned vocals cut through the shimmering crunch of “Jet Stream Wish,” elevating what should sound like Hot Topic pastiche into a tight-sounding throwback anthem. The singles are clear highlights: the pit-ready “You Hate Me”; “Irreversible,” which recalls The Movielife with the spite dialed way up. The pummeling riff that powers “It Happens to the Best Of Us” sounds primed for either the KROQ Weenie Roast stage or an American Pie sequel trailer. In the wrong hands, those points of reference could land like an affectation, but instead, the band’s embrace of them feels genuine.
Sharkswimmer "Course Correcting"
Written over several months and recorded with producer/engineer Brian Dimeglio (Bartees Strange, Pinkshift, Superbloom) and mastered by Jon Markson (Drug Church, Koyo, Soul Blind), Course Correcting is, at its core, a remarkably well-crafted, aggressive alt-rock EP that befit the band’s DIY roots. Disarmingly earnest lyricism that evokes the most heart-wrenching ballads of ‘90s emo serves as a perfect counterbalance to the record’s sonic aggression, anchoring it to the humanity that makes up the record’s spiritual center. Largely a vehicle for vocalist/guitarist and principle songwriter Justin Buschardt to exercise the emotional trauma of divorce, Course Correcting explores the universality of heartbreak against a backdrop of anthemic, guitar-driven tracks that would be as at home on the Jade Tree catalogue of the 90s as they are next to contemporary acts such as Drug Church or Militarie Gun.
Degler "Degler"
On his debut solo album, Boise, Idaho musician Zachary Degler (aka Degler) invites you to into his world of introspective songwriting, soulful melodies, raucous guitars, and experimental recording techniques. Exploring themes of personal growth, addiction and recovery, and the search for meaning, Degler waves an intricate tapestry of genres and influences that is both deeply personal and strikingly universal.
Laibach "Musick"
The legendary Slovenian group’s first original studio album since 2014’s Spectre, Musick – intensely pop, yet intensely Laibach.
This record simultaneously celebrates and critiques the current era of warped reality and AI imitation. The title reflects a duality: an oversaturation, being “sick of music” in an age where over 100,000 new tracks, many AI-generated, are uploaded daily, making us question reality; and a “pathological devotion” that continues to drive the band.
The maximalist creation process in their Ljubljana studio involved analogue synths, toys, computers with sound apps, and collaborators like Donna Marina Mårtensson and Richard X. They drew influences from K-pop, J-pop, and ‘90s Eurodance, yet maintained that their “primary influence and reference point remained Laibach itself.”