Berlin-based post-punk band The Underground Youth, led by Blackpool-born musician and author Craig Dyer, return with their twelfth studio album ‘Décollage’. Self-written, recorded and produced by Dyer, the album is an exercise in artistic deconstruction in both name and form, marking a decisive musical shift. “‘Décollage is the art of creating an image by ripping, tearing away or removing pieces of an original existing work’. My idea was to apply this technique to music”, he explains. “I built walls of static coated hip-hop drum samples, layers of Lee Hazlewood style string arrangements and Serge Gainsbourg inspired mellotron melodies, then I began tearing away at these beautiful, chaotic walls of noise, exposing a new sound for The Underground Youth.”
The result, Dyer says, is “a trip-hop infused soundtrack to a collection of lyrics dealing with adoration, ancestry, originality, hallucinations of revolution and a hope that something better can be born from the ashes of the horror that exists in our world.” From moments of ghostly minimalism to sweeping crescendos of noise and melody, there is a shadowy, dreamlike quality to the songs here. If its predecessor ‘Nostalgia’s Glass’ (2023) mined a more introspective nostalgia, ‘Décollage’ feels more hauntological in nature – tearing apart and re-transforming what once was in search of a future left spinning from reel-to-reel on warped and distorted old tape.
Alongside Dyer, The Underground Youth is comprised of drummer and visual artist Olya Dyer, guitarist Leonard Kaage (who also assisted with post-production on the record) and bassist Samira Zahidi. Initially formed as a solo project by Dyer in 2008, the band has sinced released 11 – now 12 – studio albums and 4 EPs, evolving a unique sound that has over the years ranged from cinematic lo-fi psychedelia and raw melancholic post-punk to gothic folk-noir. Throughout they have maintained a devoted global following continuously built upon by the band’s extensive touring through Europe, Asia and North America.
The Toronto four-piece’s fifth LP, “Who Will Look After The Dogs?”, kicks in the door with Stefan Babcock’s hard-hitting lyrics revealing fuzzy truths on the nature of heartbreak and self-criticism, with the itch further scratched through heavy reverb and cascades of guitar flares courtesy of Steve Sladkowski’s intensely unpredictable phrasing. Roughed up by a decade of relentless international tours, “Who Will Look After The Dogs?” is an ambitious, crunchy-as-hell entry in the band’s musical passport.
The album goes from zero to 100 fast, opening with the explosive and deliciously brittle “No Hope,” a song that sets the stage for the themes of the record. “I don’t need her / It’s killing me,” Babcock shouts in an anthemic chorus designed for stadium singalongs. The track cuts out with a steadily increasing wall of sound, a production note that is repeated throughout the record and underscores John Congleton’s infamous indie cred. At times, these production choices drift into the late-’00s recession pop brand popularized by the likes of Passion Pit and MGMT, with the distorted kaleidoscope of electronic instruments creating an accessible backdrop for PUP’s signature self-effacing exasperation.
While Babcock takes the Italian dinner date formula out by shout-singing the familiar heteronormative scenario against noisy guitars in “Olive Garden,” the track’s singsong nature occasionally has a Girlpool feel, like ’50s doo-wop put through a paper shredder. Running just under two minutes, it’s as short, sweet and filling as the never-ending breadsticks offered up in its namesake. “Concrete” tackles similar themes of love gone sour, but the song is a little more memorable. In fact, its melodic guitar riff is so good that Babcock’s vocals take a backseat in the mix, wafting through like more of a voice memo memory than a highly produced studio vocal take.
Featuring Long Island guitarist Jeff Rosenstock, “Get Dumber” is traditional fuck-you PUP with an alt-rock melody in the vein of Jimmy Eat World. Rosenstock’s guitar tone is as classic as American traditional tattoos — but the presentation is once again distorted distorted, with the breakdown featuring a Bowie-recalling space-age guitar solo that goes intergalactic just before the song cuts out. Like many of the tracks on “Who Will Look After the Dogs?”, as quickly as it comes, it’s gone again; they exist more like half-thoughts or trailing ellipses than any fully fleshed-out narrative.
Comparatively, “Hunger for Death,” feels more complete, but maybe that’s because of the anthemic chorus. “Fuck everyone in this venue / Especially me, especially me,” Babcock sings, and you can practically hear a live crowd hurling the “fuck you” repetitions right back to the band. Otherwise, the record’s strongest points come in its second half, like “Hallways” — which stands out as not only a clear winner, but a contender for one of PUP’s best songs ever. It also provides the album’s title fodder, a crystalline, millennial malaise-informed emotion perfectly captured at the crux: “But I can’t die yet, ’cause who will look after the dog?”
PUP generally avoid political themes in their music, but don’t shy away from using their platform to make a statement where it really counts. Their live show adds fuel to the fire of those decades-old punk traditions, agitated by the morbid reality of moving through life as a burnout in an increasingly volatile social and economic climate.
The lyrical content of “Who Will Look After the Dogs?” covers the slipperiness of romantic relationships, pet ownership, rental contracts, insomnia, job security, mental health highs and lows, and just about everything in between. PUP’s analysis of these mundane realities through the perspective of the disenfranchised and distraught millennial is both a cry for assistance and recognition; an acknowledgement that the world really truly does suck, but that most of us are just doing our best at trying to wade through it.
Babcock strikes the perfect blend of distress and condemnation in his vocal delivery, expressing righteous indignation at these lived realities: “The best revenge is living well / I’ve been living like shit, it’s been fucking up my sleep,” he sings on “Best Revenge.” While many punk bands have covered what it’s like to navigate life as an underclass hero, hating the world just as much as others hate them, PUP set themselves apart by mustering up the strength to be fearlessly vulnerable. In sharing their experiences, listeners discover how much of their own are actually universal, finding a mirror in Babcock despite the fact that they lurk in different apartment complexes.
Through everything we must contend with in this hellscape, PUP maintain a forward-facing sense of optimism
Ty Segall is back in the saddle and riding towards new horizons with his 16th studio album, “Possession”, out May 30th and now presents its title track. For the journey, Ty’s struck up the orchestra in his head to map out an abiding view of the American frontier, with lyrical fables co-written by his long time collaborator, filmmaker Matt Yoka. Tylassos in strings, horns, and his own piano playing to round up his delirious guitar hooks and vocal melodies, resulting in some of his most inventive songs yet.
As the only song on “Possession” with lyrics written exclusively by Matt, it’s a compulsive roller whose first line — “A bible placed beside the butter by a farmer of misfortune in the winter” — suggests an unusual Ty Segall vignette. A rich, cinematic rock-fable unpacks the golden age of the witch hunt, a pagan concept brought to America by foreign devils (on the Mayflower, that is). Ty leaves the finger-pointing to the villagers, finding a romping chorus in their madness while asking: if it ain’t unbroken, why not fix it? That’s the power of Possession!
“Possession” is the title track from Ty Segall’s album “Possession“, out on LP/CD/CS from Drag City on May 30th, 2025.
Mal Blum returns with new LP, “The Villain“, out July 11th, 2025 via Get Better Records —a striking resurgence that combines the artist’s trademark blend of searing and wry lyricism with novel boldness and slight camp.
Though the title might seem to suggest a torchy breakup record (admittedly, those elements are present as on lead-single “I’m so Bored,”) ultimately“The Villain” is a work about human complexity. Each song reflects aspects and archetypes of villainy in ourselves, in others, and in the world around us.
Throughout 11 tracks, Blum explores shifting perspectives, internal truths, subtle deceptions and moral dualities. This makes up the main album: a mix of textured indie rock, alt-rock and pop influences shaped heavily by a new collaboration with breakout producer Jessica Boudreaux, and featuring several contributions by longtime bandmates Audrey Zee Whitesides (Speedy Ortiz) and Ricardo Lagomasino (Lucy Dacus).
In the world of the album, there is no one villain. Sometimes the villain is an unreliable narrator, a misunderstood character, or a heel-turn performance of villainy. Often, perhaps notably, given the historical and rapidly mounting demonization of trans people as villainous bogeymen (explored on tracks like “Killer” and “A Small Request”) the villain appears to be a purposeful external construct.
If half “The Villain” focuses on relationship to others, the other half prioritizes relationship to self. The songs explore not only the destruction of partnership but the rebuilding of identity, with a lingering question of what is truly “bad” or “right.” It is not an album about being trans (to call it such would be reductive and inaccurate), but the album themes are firmly rooted in, and contextually informed by Blum’s trans-masculine and non-binary perspective.
“I’m So Bored” by Mal Blum off their upcoming new album ‘The Villain’ out July 11th, 2025 via Get Better Records
Thurston Moore born 25th July 1958 Florida USA, his teenage years Bethel Connecticut then later New York City 1977, He joined his first band The Coachmen plays at renowned venues CBGB, Max’s + other downtown art-rock dwellings, Forming Sonic Youth 1980-2014, then Chelsea Light Moving. the SonicYouth co-leader is back with a sprawling, broody new tune called “The Serpentine.”
“The Serpentine” has ominous guitars surrounding Moore’s vocals as he whispers vague incantations: “Dandelion dreamlike goldmine/ Improvise silver lines in the sky/ Moonshine excite clouds tonight.”
released May 3rd, 2025 Lyrics: Radieux Radio, Music: Thurston Moore
This week, Indigo De Souza announced a new album, “Precipice”, and has shared its first single, “Heartthrob,” via a music video. “Precipice” is due out July 25th via Loma Vista.
“Precipice” follows 2023 her earlier album “All of This Will End”, which was released on her previous label Saddle Creek. De Souza worked with Elliott Kozel on this album.
“Life feels like always being on the edge of something without knowing what that something is,” De Souza says in a press release. “Music gives me ways to harness that feeling. Ways to push forward in new directions.”
Of the new single, De Souza says: “I wrote ‘Heartthrob’ as a way to help process something that is often hard to talk about—the harmful ways I’ve been taken advantage of in my physical memory. ‘Heartthrob’ is about harnessing anger, and turning it into something powerful and embodied. It’s about taking back my body and my experience. It’s a big fuck you to the abusers of the world. A sarcastic, angry cry for all bodies that have ever been touched in harmful ways.”
Los Angeles-based power-folk duo, Thee Holy Brothers, has persevered through a series of life challenges and are readying the release of their eagerly anticipated second album, “High In My Balloon“. The critically acclaimed duo features two stalwarts of the L.A. musical community, Marvin Etzioni and Willie Aron. Etzioni is a singer, Grammy-nominated songwriter and record producer, and founding member of country-punk innovators Lone Justice. As a producer, he has worked with acts such as Counting Crows, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Stephen Stills with Judy Collins, and many more. Etzioni recently produced Viva Lone Justice, released on Fire Records. Aron is a respected singer, award-winning film/TV composer, and multi-instrumentalist. He serves as the keyboard player with psychedelic supergroup The Third Mind and has appeared with such artists as The Dream Syndicate, LOVE featuring Johnny Echols, and many others.
Aron is also a founding member of indie-folk combo The Balancing Act. He recently served as producer of singer-songwriter Milo Binder’s latest album, “The Unspeakable Milo Binder”, which has received rave reviews. Thee Holy Brothers’ debut album, “My Name Is Sparkle”, was the inaugural release on Etzioni’s Regional Records label. The song cycle revolves around an androgynous character named Sparkle, who endures a series of hardships on an existential search for the divine. Etzioni wrote all the songs on the album.
As a thanks to all of you Amazing people who have been with us since day one, we created a video for “Crockpot” (Piano Version)
Welcome to a piano version of a Slothrust classic “Crockpot”. This video is comprised of footage and film photos taken from the band’s time on the road back around 2014. Written and performed by Leah Wellbaum Piano by Willy Beaman
Hooveriii is back with a brand new single ahead of their album release on May 16th! Check out their latest video for ‘Tarantula Eye’ below. After four albums of extra-dimensional exploration, Hooveriii delivered “Manhunter” with the controls set directly for the heart of the cosmic groove. Expertly synthesizing their influences and still managing to bring even more to the party, from spiky post punk to beautiful new age excursions and mammoth 70’s arena rock hooks, “Manhunter” delivers not only their best album yet but an instant classic for all the psych-heads, stoners and dimensionauts.
“Manhunter” is out May 16th via The Reverberation Appreciation Society
Produced by Kaz Mirblouk, Bert Hoover III & Eric Bauer All tracks engineered by Eric Bauer at Discount Mirrors (RIP) in May 2023 except (In the Rain, Cul-De-Sac & Night Walks in Monteaux) engineered by Mark Rains at Station House April 2024. Mastered by Nick Townsend
On this record Hooveriii is: Bert Hoover – Vocals, Guitar Kaz Mirblouk – Bass, Vocals, Synth Jon Modaff – Drums, Bongos, Percussion Paco Casanova – Synth, Organ, Clav, Piano Matthew Zuk – Guitars Gabriel “Baby Gabe” Salomon – Sax Anna Wallace – Vocals with Kyle Seely – Guitar solo on Heaven at the Gates
The Fat Angel Sings 