For fans of Roland Kayn, Vangas, Caroline, noise music, and the dark twists and turns of medieval fairy tales, INSTAR by Denis Conoscente inventories our subconscious in search for that dark spirit which haunted every premodern culture.

For fans of Tim Hecker, Rafael Toral, Saba Alizadeh, Kubrick movies, and the quiet horror of a life spent scrolling social media, Extary II by Roland Kayn continues the work of archiving and exposing the brilliant work of this key member of the electroacoustic scene.

For fans of Thantifaxath, Molchat Doma, dissonant death metal, and that vulnerable release emotion which springs forth from us when we have nowhere else to go, Tykiai ir slaptingai pakampėm belangės by Extravaganza blends a black metal cocktail to immerse us in infinite despair.

For fans of Death’s Dynamic Shroud, Maria & The Mirrors, Lydia Roberts, the ascendent vapornoise scene, and whatever the opposite of a Marvel movie script would be, Before They Were Gone by netbooks.WRLD sets a soundtrack to the action in our lives devoid of the linear grandiosity which typically motivates us to call music “cinematic.”

For fans of Jawbreaker, Mineral, Snowing, internet noise rock, and learning to live on after the loss of something that felt eternal, Forever, Always, Never-Ending by Mount Junior employs a varied emo sound to soothe our aching hearts after a romantic catastrophe.

For fans of Lou Reed, the more toned down work of Captain Beefheart, Jeffrey Lewis, traditional country, and the look you see in everyone’s eyes of just struggling to carry on, PROFESSIONAL QUITTER by Zist takes us to the slopes of Sisyphus with a psychedelic twist on a time-tested sound.

For fans of Duster, Helvetia, Slint, bedroom emo, and the peaceful melancholy of a gray winter day spent indoors, sleep & glisten by Wino na tells a humble, intimate emotional tale in understated tones of whispers and twinkly riffing.

For fans of Tim Hecker, Squarepusher, Bagel Fanclub, witch house, and the uncanny coziness of warm electronica, We Don’t Talk Anymore by Prototype Money brings an inexplicably twee atmosphere to abstract ambient music.

For fans of Idles, Viagra Boys, Guck, sludge metal, and forgetting exactly how old you are when you’re asked because those birthdays stopped being exciting years ago, Sugar & Plastic Plates by Tickles bemoans the cruelty of the passage of time through their surprisingly accessible brand of noise rock.

For fans of Chat Pile, Thantifaxath, Mamaleek, grindcore, and gargantuan catharsis to meet the task of expelling enormous emotional pain, Oszukać Listopad by Czernina takes a maximalist extreme metal approach to exorcise personal demons.

For fans of Minutemen, The Strokes, Cime, proto punk, and that frantic dash to shake everyone around you awake, Entre Quatro Paredes by Nigeria Futebol Clube examines the dissociation which we feel as the pretences of meritocracy fall away and we see the true nature of the systems around us.

For fans of Underscores, Croatian Amor, Caroline, dystopian ambient music, and the Luddite impulse within us all, Anywhere by Yawning Portal lets hyperpop and other nostalgic, techno-optimistic aesthetics roam in the emotional desert of post-COVID austerity.

For fans of Pavement, Elliott Smith, Cuneiform Tabs, psychedelic folk, and the warm appreciation of all facets of life, The Use by Nic T crafts a cozy, fuzzy, homespun sound to meditate on human fragility and all that we have to give thanks for in our continued existence.

For fans of Animal Collective, Faust, Sean McCann, minimal techno, and the dazed wonder of exploring an unfamiliar place with no guidance, L’Art du Paysage by Inturist and Vanya-Ivan Kazukov explores the process of  unexpectedly emigrating to a country without getting a chance to learn the language first, a dizzying affair which leaves the record in a constant surreal haze.

For fans of Jane Remover, Blemishes, Willy Rodriguez, the current wave of alternative Americana, and the use of conventional aesthetics to shatter cultural conventions, Valentine by Tongue Relaxer presents internet noise with a country twang, bringing a sharp emotional punch to an aesthetic which we typically associate with escapism.

For fans of Febuary, Weatherday, Your Arms Are My Cocoon, slowcore, and that feeling of dazed surprise which accompanies all positivity in the wake of survivor’s guilt, i expect the same of u by Some Images of Paradise fuses the sprawling epic tales of internet noise rock with classic skramz aesthetics to create this dark, immersive, emotional space.

For fans of Mount Eerie, Black Country, New Road, Sun Kil Moon, classic era singer-songwriter, and long, aimless walks through your neighborhood, A Duck’s Water Off My Back by Champion Trees grapples with the powerless pessimism of generation z through some of the most beautiful poetry we’ve heard in independent music all year.

For fans of Maruja, Legss, Moss Icon, Midwest emo, and the Sisyphean effort to continue romanticizing every hopeless moment, Mud Again by Leather.Head presents a version of windmill scene post rock imbued with influences from across the history of emo.

For fans of The Velvet Underground, Big Blood, Mope Grooves, outsider music, and an auditory version of the uncanny valley effect, Live Inside by Puppet Wipes bears all the signifiers of an indie pop record but takes every possible left turn to instead create something endlessly fascinating, deeply disorienting, and instantly original.

For fans of Ethel Cain, Giles Corey, Jane Remover, the current wave of spiritual dark folk, and chance meetings which spur lifelong relationships, Heaven Is a Place I Can’t Stay by Holy Taker meditates upon the low-probability events which brought us into being through a dark, minimal, abstract approach to folk songwriting.