On their new record American Standard, Quintessential New York industrial rock outfit Uniform takes an expedition deep into the self to find something, anything, left unscathed from a life lived under the thumb of neurosis. Taking a slight step back from the bleeding edge of industrial intensity, Uniform instead takes a more delicate, gradual approach to these topics, allowing emotion-laden musical motifs to develop over wild crescendos at the beckoning of furious vocals.

(Optical Photoconduct[or) Through His Eyes] EP by cori&her tells the overwhelming story of our contemporary apocalypse, blending retrofuturism, musical theater, and cutting-edge progressive songwriting to paint an outrageous yet believable picture of our everyday lives. Extreme pacing defines every moment of this record, peppering even the slowest and tenderest moments with hyperactive synth arpeggios, with more energetic sections enduring an inhumanly fast electronic drum kit and unnaturally rapid vocal melodies.

 Though we often feel tempted to leave everything behind and run for the hills, ambient musician Lyndsie Alguire redirects our energy with Time Is but the Drawing of a Sword, an elegant reminder that mindfulness can allow the distant tune of inner peace to reemerge in any environment. Solemn pianos, atmospheric synths, and cloudy vocals set the scene of our lonely journey into the

When this innate need for recognition goes unanswered, the result sounds something like Limestone by Mawaru., a Brazilian emogaze album that wallows in suffocating loneliness.

A Grand Stream by Smote is a harrowing tale of escape that ends in victorious contentment. An inventive sound inspired by the cyclical energy of Swans and the sonic textures of Sunn O))) shephards us from our chaotic, dark surroundings, beginning with intimidating drum patterns and dark harmonies that extend endlessly into every horizon

As the album unfolds, Wohlers delves into a critical moment in their relationship with their mother, and this moment’s garden setting lends the early portion of this album its warm, buzzing tones and insect field recordings.

Nostalgia for the late 2000s and early 2010s infects every corner of post-pandemic art, memorializing this last gasp of massively popular nightclubs and radio pop megastars before social media sneakily assassinated mass culture.

Growling grindcore vocals slash our humanity into a formless, grotesque mass, using blasting percussion and a chaotic roar of piano, synths, guitar, and untold numbers of other instruments and sounds to animate a breathing, swelling, pulsating monster.

Japanese band TaikuhJikang invented all the lore behind Walek over the course of their previous four albums, and their new record BIRD extends the impressively detailed storyline further.

Metro Suite No. 3, Op. 7 by Ummsbiaus assembles a collage of sounds from the Kyiv Metro, capturing the tension of a city under siege from within a bomb shelter, a shelter which, ironically, was constructed by the predecessor state to the country which is currently bombing the city above.

Watching in wide-eyed horror as time barrels down its destructive path, Mamaleek identifies grief as the natural reaction to the experience of time, proclaiming loss as the most fundamental essence of life.

The West African jazz innovators in Accra Quartet unveil their unique blend of traditional aesthetics and avant garde sensibilities on their new album Gb​ɛ​fal​ɔ​i (Travelers), a collection of character studies of warm instrumental motifs that yield unbelievable layers of complexity under the right supervision.

D&D by VHS Midnight Style and Dreeks nails this combination, using emotionally confusing, intimate vocals to heighten each of the album’s stylistic twists and turns.

Substituting hyperpop grandiosity with homespun comfort, this album encases its superhuman vocal textures in supernaturally bouncy sonic settings that surprisingly conjure organic imagery.

Scrappy yet lovable instrumentals keep the sonic space low and narrow, combining detuned strings and unsteady singing to constantly remind us of the individuality and authenticity of the album and its messages.

Hardcore hip hop vocals soar on the wings of hyperactive jazz solos, backed by a rhythm section that smoothly drives the band through hip hop and free jazz terrain.

An incessant willingness to combine disjointed styles and explore a deep vocal inflection that has all but vanished from today’s musical landscape cements this album as the work of a creative and experimental figure who uses any tools at hand to purify their artistic voice.

Just as the lyrics walk the line between fictional storytelling and biographical truth, the album sonically integrates heavy, acrobatic autotune and other prominent digital signal processing with an acoustic sound rooted in traditional acoustic guitar.

These celestial sounds are contrasted by familiar field recordings, birds chirping and windy breezes grounding the record in the here and now, this point of orientation anchoring the body in presently lived experience while the Quintet spins further into dizziness.

The album The Verse Perverse by wretched fool, foolish wretch reflects on the aftershocks of mass industrialism on ecology and human wellness with a mix of genres like dungeon synth, industrial metal, and avant-noise stuff.