Top 10 Projects of 2025
Here are our top 10 independently released EPs and albums that defined our 2025.
Forward - First Day Back
Standout songs: Us | Sure, Ok | Gone On
Emerging from the Santa Cruz music scene, emo band, or “singmo” as they describe themselves, First Day Back fills the gap in the scene that has been missing since the late 90s. Inspired heavily by bands like Braid, Cap’n Jazz, and The Promise Ring, First Day Back brings a refreshing sound to the genre. Forward, proves that they’re not just imitating these sounds but developing and expanding them. Between beautiful, drawn-out vocals and the violin featured on most of the tracks, Forward is a debut that won’t be forgotten. The lead’s voice is powerful and raw with emotion, strongest on tracks like “Sure, Ok” and “Gone On”. The album explores themes of growing up, navigating relationships, and introspection on life and our place within it. Going through a range of emotions from the gut-wrenching “Us” to the somewhat optimistic “Paint,” Forward is a record that you will keep on repeat.
The Rapture After Party - Cadetsilver
Standout songs: BLINKER | JNP | AEROTIME (feat. Jet Red!)
Starting off with a skit phone call between two friends before going out and delving into exceptional house music, artist Cadetsilver takes the listener on a sonic journey through his first-ever EP, The Rapture After Party. Between his experimental beats, fun sampling, and collaboration with Jet Red!, Cadetsilver, within his short 14-minute run-time, makes the listener want to get up and dance, which is his goal as he uses “Jump and Prance” as his tagline. With songs like “BLINKER,” “JNP”, and “AEROTIME,” The Rapture After Party will end up on all your party playlists.
Party Time by TVOD
Standout songs: Party Time | Super Spy | Pool House | MUD
Post-punk irony is ingrained in the genre, but Brooklyn-based band TVOD hits the spot with their debut album, Party Time. Although relying on the sounds of party music with many synths, danceable beats, and fun and catchy melodies, the edginess of their lyrics and loud guitars allows for a sense of moodiness and unfiltered emotion throughout the record. Party Time drives listeners to both mosh and dance to many hits on the record, including the title track “Party Time,” “Pool House,” and “MUD.” The tracklist balances between more upbeat, punk, fast-tempo melodies and moderate rock and moody songs in an effortless manner. These songs explore diverse topics, including political commentary, relationship issues, and self-reflection, through humor, repetitive chants, and addictive hooks. Not only does this record sound great when recorded, but even better live. Catch them perform these songs live!
Goblin - Friend
Standout song: PRAY FOR ME
Although just over 10 minutes in runtime, Philly-based indie-punk trio Friend’s four-song EP, Goblin, subverts all expectations, stripping away most of their indie-rock tendencies and fully leaning into their more rugged, unpolished punk sound, featuring loud guitars, a fast tempo, and yelling vocals. Taking four songs from their 2022 album Mister Nice Guy, Friend revamps these songs into something brand-new and more urgent, as the messaging behind each song is more important now than ever. Each song is brimming with both political messaging and personal stories, which is typical of the band, given their underlying punk attitudes. Songs like “PRAY FOR ME” and “NO ROOM FOR PIGS IN HEAVEN” are examples of how political they can get, with lyrics like “No room for pigs in heaven/Fuck em all and their klansmen brethren” and “Bottom feeders and they’re bred for violence/Working closely with out nation’s tyrants.” Goblin will be four songs that you won’t be able to stop thinking about.
The Snowball Effect - onewaymirror, Kiowa, & I Promised The World
Standout songs: Lost At Sea | A Future Worth Dying For | What’s The Message Sent
By evoking sounds and comparisons to early to mid 2000s post-hardcore, emo, and skramz genres on MySpace, new prominent bands in the scene onewaymirror, Kiowa, and I Promised The World, collaborate on a split that will be remembered in these spaces for years to come. In this 20-minute EP, each band delivers some of their strongest songs to date. Exploring themes of relationships, desperation, and faith, The Snowball Effect is diverse in sound throughout each band’s performance. onewaymirror’s contribution provides a strong, energetic start. Kiowa’s two songs allow the energy to continue, with even more intense emotions. “Lost At Sea” and “A Future Worth Dying For” allow I Promised The World to conclude the EP in the richest way possible; powerful anthems that cause crowds at their most recent shows to go wild. Each of these songs is a perfect representation of how the youth is revitalizing the scene in the best possible ways.
Circa 40 - Circa 40
Standout songs: Don’t Throw Up In My Car | Pizza | Lost Mary
Influenced by various subgenres of emo, including Midwest, screamo, and emocore, Seattle-based band Circa 40 delivers a beautifully written debut EP that explores moments of heartbreak, grief, despair, and the struggle to find one's place in the world as a young adult. Moving seamlessly between upbeat tracks and more grungy, slower ones, Circa 40 is an immersive EP that will keep you on your toes as you listen. Each song follows a theme of growing pains that young adults typically experience, with songs like “Don’t Throw Up In My Car” and “Lost Mary” addressing introspection and moving on when it’s hardest to do so. Songs like “Pizza” and “Lobster,” although sounding more fun, still follow the same theme within their lyrics. Circa 40 just highlights the immense potential the band has to become a significant staple in the emo scene.
mybetterhalf. - my better half
Standout songs: Work and Progress | Plane From Anchorage
Going back to rough punk roots, the screamo band my better half delivers their self-titled debut EP to the Seattle music scene, proving that emo and punk are not dead. Each of the five songs on mybetterhalf. reflect on becoming an adult and dealing with the shame of your mistakes, the distress of people leaving, and the crushing weight of change. The inclusion of small samples of TV show and movie dialogue that are popular in alternative spaces, such as SLC Punk! and Twin Peaks, adds to the spirit of teens searching for purpose. Musically, these tracks will illuminate a path to the mosh pit, allowing you to release your frustrations. The raw energy and messiness, with loud, distorted guitars and screaming vocals, of the punk spirit are evident in each song, especially in “Plane From Anchorage,” “Work and Progress,” and “A Shipwreck I’ve Seen.” mybetterhalf. is an EP that confirms that punk and emo will never die.
Cemetery Sex - Cemetery Sex
Standout songs: Barbarian | Under Your Skin | Traitor
This Gothic death-rock debut is a mighty revival of the genre, showcasing that a woman-fronted and POC band, Cemetery Sex, is taking the lead. Taking inspiration from bands like Type O Negative, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and The Cure, Cemetery Sex is a moody, dark, and seductive masterpiece. Lead singer Anastasia Du Noir’s vocals are assertive and transcendental, giving the entire album a mystical sound. She takes the lead with grit, while the fuzzy guitars and heavy drum and bass follow suit and keep you on your toes. Songs like “Barbarian,” “Under Your Skin,” “Traitor,” and “Leviathan” showcase the band’s talent in numerous ways, assembling tunes that you can imagine being performed at a stadium. Feeling like you're trapped in an empty, gothic cathedral, Cemetery Sex will be your vampiric set of songs stuck in your daily rotation.
Me Joe I Am - Joe DeVito
Standout songs: Eileen | Who Do You Love
This summer, folk-Americana artist Joe DeVito released his debut EP, Me Joe I Am, which includes previously released singles and two new songs. Beginning with his depressingly stunning song “Eileen” and ending with the optimistic “High High High,” DeVito delves into topics of love, grief, heartbreak, the state of the world, and finding hope amidst it all. The intricate finger-picking on songs like “The Garden” and “If Life Was Long” allows the listener to relax and truly feel DeVito’s message. He picks up the pace on songs like “Elegy” and “Who Do You Love,” adding a harmonica towards the end, which allows the optimism to seep through even the most tragic of songs. DeVito’s Me Joe I Am is a spectacular reflection of what folk has beautifully developed into these past few years.
Preludes - Seraphine’s Cleaver
Standout song: Damsel of a Ghost
With just the first line, "I want to be no one," Preludes immediately sets the stage for this moody EP. Although only three songs, the woman-fronted group Seraphine’s Cleaver debuts onto the goth scene with a sound that has rarely been heard before. Preludes is lyric-driven, like spoken poetry over ghostly sounds. With the grungy, fuzzy guitars and bass, loud drums, and encompassing, mellow co-ed vocals, these three tracks will haunt your daily routine and playlists.
