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.

For fans of late career John Coltrane, Joy Guidry, Zelienople, dark ambient, and the embrace of the entire self, including those aspects which we’ve been instructed to minimize, Vesper Sparrow by JJJJJerome Ellis leans into the artist’s stutter to create mostly instrumental music structured around this speech pattern.

For fans of Duster, Daniel Johnston, Red House Painters, depressive singer-songwriter, and the horror of hearing an unexpected sound in an abandoned building, Chamber Music by Esse Pi Enne situates minimal compositions in an eerie liminal space, forming a touchingly personal atmosphere as we eavesdrop on this outsider creativity.

For fans of Tim Hecker, Talk Talk, Old Saw, spoken word post rock, and the mundane horror of Adam Curtis documentaries, A Body Like a Home by Alejandra Cardenas uses an experimental ambient musical approach to reveal a life permanently altered by the inhumanity of authoritarianism.

Yenbett by Noura Mint Seymali makes modern advancements on the traditional music of Mauritania, a country which participated in both the Maghreb culture which once controlled Spain and the West African culture which would enter America through enslavement and forced migration.

For fans of LCD Soundsystem, TV on the Radio, fusion era Miles Davis, dance punk, and our old dance roundup videos, Oh! by P.E. waves a heartfelt yet upbeat goodbye through a party record with surprises at every turn.

For fans of Car Seat Headrest, The Dismemberment Plan, Radiohead, noise rock, and that confused anger that follows a breakup where you can’t decide who’s at fault, Carne by Todos Mis Amigos Estan Tristes uses the dynamic contrast of alternative rock to reflect a bipolar attitude towards guilt, blame, and resentment.

For fans of Comus, The New Eves, Laura Jurd, dark, understated post rock, and the usage of local folklore traditions to advocate for a sustainable future, Fen Creatures by Fuzzy Lights tells the buried ancient history of East Anglia through a unique blend of blues rock, traditional folk, and kraut rock, offering up a prayer for hope in the face of the apocalypse.

For fans of Sigur Ros, Agriculture, Mogwai, romantic-era symphonies, and the counterintuitive connection between black metal and classical music, Adorn by Adorn relishes in the pomp and circumstance of Victorian age courtship through a style which overtly combines neoclassical sounds with extreme metal.