While still appealing to the increased noisy abstraction of shoegaze-tinged indie rock, Wiring ushers in a new era of math rock on Like a Porcelain Lamb, one less interested in twinkly jazz chords and more focused on an abrasive, angular tone.

British emo noise rockers UNIVERSITY travel this dark road on McCartney, It’ll Be OK, writhing in the agony of utmost self-loathing through screamed vocals, distorted guitars, and frenzied riffs.

The new album Porcelain Shield, Paper Sword by Mary Sue and the Clementi Sound Appreciation Club takes this desire seriously, even agreeing that ancient traditions still hold immense unrecognized value, but the band’s heterodox approach extends far beyond what any hardcore traditionalist would permit.

A Room with a Door That Closes by Maiya Blaney reclaims otherwise excess negativity through an impressive variety of aesthetic avenues, appealing to every stage of our confrontation with unmet expectations.

Experimental rock legends Ramleh observe the same gruesome transformation in their follow man on their new record Hyper Vigilance, a genre-defying testament to misanthropy and its origins deep within ourselves.

Playing his new record The Outlaw in full, it’s immediately obvious that these aren’t watered-down Nashville pop country songs. Drawing inspiration from the true foundations of country music, each track embodies a traditional Americana sound approached with punk sensibility.

Those final moments before this decisive point motivate the experimental electronica of So Afraid to Show I Care by Theo Alexander and QOW, a reflection of the naive beauty of the earliest, shallowest days of love as the first great test of loyalty looms overhead.

This combination of Afropessimist thought with the aesthetics of noise music appears on Black Noise by Quinton Barnes, an outstanding piece of experimental hip hop which unites a delightfully unhinged, wildly creative live band with an insightful lyricist.

Astoundingly, Swans goes out on an overwhelmingly positive tone, leaving us to wonder what the hell happened. Is Michael Gira relieved as his tumultuous life nears its end? Is the band ready to accept the world and all its evil? Or maybe the Swans mission has been completed, and the culture has finally caught up to Gira’s antisocial messaging from 40 years ago.

Virga by Eremocene grapples with Americana musical traditions in an era of complete cultural freefall, exposing the bleeding heart of this country through the mist of imminent desolation.

Heinali & Andriana-Yaroslava Saienko search for spiritual meaning through the pain on Гільдеґарда (Hildergard), a reworking of medieval chants into a modern context and modern aesthetic to resist the anti-human forces of evil.

An experimental electronic artist from Poland named Aśwattha sets out to bridge this empathetic gap on Spotkanie, letting us experience the serene and tragic life of the snake from the comfort of our headphones.

However, Caroline pushes past the confines of this largely sanitized, unapproachable realm with their stunningly relatable, aesthetically humble, charmingly maximalist performances, encouraging these massive, messy collaborations that turn their ensemble into an ascending cult.

Search Results push firmly in the upbeat direction on Go Mutant, a retelling of some of indie’s earliest influences while swapping out every hint of morbid goth with energetic punk.

Amuleto Apotropaico stage a spiritual intervention on their self-titled EP, using the music as fortification around themselves to hold the army of emotional darkness at bay.

However, as each song gradually progresses into an increasingly chaotic wall of guitar, paradoxically warm, comforting countermelodies trickle in, coexisting with some of the album’s bleakest and most cathartic lyrical moments.

When people describe concept-heavy prog albums as “rock opera,” I often feel as if they’ve taken their description just a little too far, but the music we find on Live at Club Goodman by Koenjihyakkei vindicates the rock opera descriptor a thousand times over.

The intensely chaotic, intimately confessional sound of …Then You Lay Waste to the World by Zayok fills its sonic space with gargantuan bass synths and fast, frequent digital flourishes, angling towards accessibility while blazing its own trail.

Even if goth stopped here, the genre would still provide an endless well of interesting art, but experimental outfit a/lpaca push these boundaries on Laughter, an eclectic mix of gothified sounds that call out to us through a downpour of malaise.

Cleveland experimental jazz outfit Mourning [A] BLKstar gives us an escape route from this cold indifference on Flowers for the Living, a celebration of friendship to encourage us to express our own appreciation.