Month: November 2025
20 BEST TRACKS OF THE MONTH – NOVEMBER 2025
ALL TOGETHER
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TRACK BY TRACK
– 1 –
Band: SUN MAHSENE
Who: Irish psych-rock team who released their lauded
debut album A Place We’ve Never Been last year.
Track: LIFE IS JOY
TUTV: A nasty bass riff motorizes this rollicking psych jam that seems to go on
like forever, and when the powerhouse chorus kicks in, your ears are instantly
overwhelmed.
Life Is Joy is one of those roasting riff-insane haymakers that stick after just
one spin. The repeat button was invented for mind-bending juggernauts like
this. Sun Mahshene is blistering joy. Wowzah!
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Instagram – Facebook
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– 2 –
Artist: FIG TREES
Who: The artistic project of Belgian songsmith JJ Vroman, a former music journalist.
He’s inspired by bands such as Captain Oats, And They Spoke In Anthems and ADM.
They appear as mythical figures in his musical odyssey.
Track: LOOK FOR THE HOOK
Piece from his upcoming debut
album, titled ‘Room 22‘.
TUTV: This feels good, really good. From the kick-off, you’re drawn into an electrifying guitar-juiced groove that will play on your stereo in your head all day long. No need to
look for hooks, you get a ton of them right here.
When Vroman turns up the speed for the dazzling chorus (is that a banjo I hear in the
back?) your adrenaline production will speed up too. Then again, that rotating riff bliss is the song’s magnetizing motor, and his captivating, carefree vocality completes this solid gold gem of a tune. Bingo.
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Instagram – Spotify
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– 3 –
Photo by Photo: Roger Deckker
Artists: PARTY DOZEN
Who: Australian duo featuring saxophonist Kirsty Tickle and
percussionist Jonathan Boulet. They have released 4 albums
so far. You can discover them via Spotify.
Track: MAD ROOTER
TUTV: This aggressive and badass groove
reminds me of destructive sludge-rock
misfits Royal Trux.
Sax-tastic.
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Instagram – Linktree
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– 4 –
Photo by Ryan Wagner
Band: DOWN THE LEES
Who: The post-rock noise project of seasoned Canadian
singer/songwriter/guitarist Laura Lee Schultz. DTL released
3 notable albums, so far.
They canned a live movie now, titled This Is How It Feels.
Track: MIDI DORIC
The first taster from the film. A song that
deals with the isolation and depression of
the pandemic.
TUTV: A characteristic Down The Lees thunderstorm cranked up by blustery bass lines, monstrous guitar riffs, Herculean drumming, Schultz‘s sky-scraping vocals and a volcanic finale. My oh my. One of the best noiz rock bands around. Fact!
Petrifying.
Instagram – Spotify
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– 5 –
Band: THE BABY SEALS
Who: Cambridgeshire (UK) garage-punk trio who
released their debut album Chaos last year.
Track: TAMOO TRANCE
“It’s about noticing how quickly we get entrapped online into spending money, and spending
the latest form of currency, our attention, and questioning how to break away from it. It’s about how horrifying excess is.
The fictitious shop, Tamoo, which looks like it should come with a gamblers aware warning sign, stocks everything you’ve never wanted, and it’s not just your money it will cost you being there.”
Single artwork
TUTV: The Baby Seals strike with high-powered Black Sabbath-esque thwacks on this
hellish haymaker, bucked up with eldritch guitar flashes and a slam-bang chorus. If
you’re addicted to spending money, give it all to these ear-poppping punkettes so they
can spend all that money on recording new exciting music like this. Yep, a win-win.
Jackpot.
Instagram – Bandcamp
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– 6 –
Band: HOLY COVES
Who: Welsh rockers, fronted by singer-songwriter
Scott Marsden, with 3 albums on their résumé and
#4 is waiting in the pipeline.
Track: FALLING DOWN
First single from their forthcoming 4th full-length, their
first in 4 years, slated for release in September 2026.
Press info: A song which tells the tragic story of the loss of frontman Scott Marsden‘s
uncle Tony, who sadly drowned as a child in Cyprus. It was a story Scott was told from
a very young age, staying with him his whole life, creating a fear of the water.
How living on a small Island surrounded by the sea created an anxiety he never really understood growing up. How for decades the tragedy affected the whole family with trauma and struggles with addiction which tore the family apart.
TUTV: Holy Coves are back and they don’t waste time. It’s full steam ahead from
the get-go. Eager guitars and sinewy drumming inject this sweltering steamroller with
a flaming briskness that causes a kinetic reverberation, while Marsden emotive vocals accentuate the song’s sad sentiments. His everlasting heart-and-soul distress leads
to this astonishing piece of sonic catharsis. What an impressive return.
Welcome back.
Instagram – Linktree
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– 7 –
Photo by Turn Up The Volume – Pukkelpop Fest, Belgium 2025
Band: SOAPBOX
Who: Fresh bewildering
dropouts from Scotland.
Track: BOILING A FROG
TUTV: A raging blast of an uppercut, pro-welcoming refugees and anti-super rich
who despise the common people. Raw and rough like powerhouse proto-punks
The Stooges.
Helter-skelter.
Instagram – Linktree
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– 8 –
Band: KNEECAP
Who: Belfast‘s sharp-mouthed, notorious rap team KNEECAP – Mo Chara,
Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí – hip and hop around with a knife between
their teeth since 2017. So far, they have 2 LPs on their résumé.
For the past months, the spotlight wasn’t really on their music
but more on their problems with some governments for their
support for Palestine on and off stage.
Member Mo Chara got charged for allegedly displaying a flag
in support of Hezbollah one year ago. After a long trial, he was
acquitted of all claims against him.
In the aftermath, they dropped this new chant, called
NO COMMENT featuring renowned British DJ Sub Focus.
Kneecap: ‘No Comment’ is all about getting harassed by the British state.
Simple as. Us Irish are well used to it, been happening for centuries. Was
a pleasure to work with Sub Focus on this, the man is a legend.”
Leave your comments here, people.
Instagram – Linktree
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– 9 –
Band: LEZARD
Who: Flamboyant Belgian
guitar pop team.
Track: HOW DOES IT FEEL?
New piece from their upcoming debut LP, titled
‘Que Se Passe-t-il‘, out on 20 February 2026
TUTV: Oh yeah, play that funky music, guys.
Expect Talking Heads echoes. Sway your pelvis.
Tap your feet. Oh yeah.
Instagram – Linktree
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– 10 –
Band: THE HIVES have their
Who: You know, those madcap
Swedish punk kings.
Track: ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET
New and final single from their 7th full-length,
titled The Hives Forever, Forever The Hives.
Riff royalty in motion.
Instagram – All Albums
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– 11 –
Band: GONE FUTURE
Who: Fresh Swedish post-punk group,
featuring seasoned musicians from
diverse bands.
Track: THE MIDDLE
A song about being caught
between two life chapters.
TUTV: The Middle has that rotating rock vibe of Run Run Run by proto-punk
legends The Velvet Underground, but with even more garage buzz, straight
from a smelly basement somewhere in Stockholm. The rattling beat goes
on and on and on.
On top come anxious vocals that add a barbed edge
to this jagged jam. A bang-on debut. Don’t miss it.
Intoxicating.
Instagram – Spotify
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– 12 –
Band: SORRY
Who: Indie alt-pop outfit
from North London.
Track: CANDLE
Piece from their 3rd full-length,
called Cosplay.
TUTV: A mid-tempo rollicking footstomper.
Irresistible drive. Irresistible tune.
Instagram – Facebook
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– 13 –
Band: CUSTOMS
Who: Belgian psych rock legends
who have 3 albums on their résumé.
Track: STOP THE KILLING
Their brand-new single.
TUTV: Dramatically disturbing sentiments are bottled here in this titanic juggernaut
of a song, where 80s/90s Gothwave guitar lines connect with modern-day psych-rock kingpins such as Interpol and The Strokes. We should never ever stop screaming about murderous conflicts. That’s exactly what Customs do here in sonic capitals. STOP THE KILLING.
The fierce frustration embedded in this outburst is a universal, final warning.
It’s also one of the, unfortunately, too many scary songs we posted lately in
our daily wake-up call series.
The accompanying video is a series of photos and footage that shows the
devastating horror caused by today’s inhuman war-greedy world leaders.
Facebook – Instagram
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– 14 –
Band: REFLECT
Who: Young indie rockers from Belfast, Ireland.
The name ‘Ocnus‘ comes from an allegorical deity in Greek
mythology personifying hesitation, delay and the wasting
of time, harking back to their debut.
Track: REFLECT
The band’s 3rd single.
TUTV: Be ready to get on Reflect‘s new soul-stirring rollercoaster, going back and forth.
Its unbridled rock and pop brio has a whopping sonic boom imprint, and the splendacious vocal performance stands out right in the middle. Think Florence + The Machine turning up the heat. Gee-whizz feat.
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Instagram – Linktree
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– 15 –
Band: GUSH
Who: Fresh and frantic Belfast 4-piece who launched their
cooking 5-track debut EP Exposure Therapy last year.
Track: EMPATHOLOGY
‘’Empathology’ is half about wanting to feel the pain of everyone around you
so they don’t have to, and half wanting to share it with them, grow closer and
connect on a deeper level. I’ve created my own subject, Empathology: the study
of empathy’.
TUTV: Empathology is a chilling, torch-burning grunge jam propelled
with jarring guitars, brawny percussion and Chelsea Andrews‘s transfixing
vocals. Empathy can lead to a connecting nirvana experience.
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Instagram – Linktree
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– 16 –
Artist: USI ES
Who: The musical moniker of Belgian singer-songwriter Ester Weemaes. In her attic studio, she interweaves synths and samples with her distinctive, dark voice. Her music balances between darkness and dreaminess, feeling like a blanket wrapped around you: soft yet heavy, with frayed edges. She released her debut EP Mutiny.
Track: NIGHTTIME BIKE RIDES
2nd single from her upcoming debut album, expected to
be released early 2026, on which she worked again with
her coach, mentor, and mixer Dijf Sanders.
“I see it as one of the signature Usi ES songs, in a coming-of-age jacket.”
TUTV: Imagine Kate Bush and Goth queen Chelsea Wolfe doing a slo-mo duet in
a twilight universe where surreality and reality meet. Spellbinding, mysterious,
and entrancing. Dim the lights, sit down, relax, and let your thoughts run free.
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Instagram – Linktree
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– 17 –
Artist: MATTHIJS VERSTEGEN
Who: Belgian singer-songwriter.
Track: MATCHES
Debut single.
Verstegen: “The inspiration for this track came when I was looking at a box of matches
and suddenly realized that every romantic “match” is actually a bit like a real matchstick.
You only get one chance to make it ignite. Some go out quickly, others need a bit of oxygen
and sometimes you can spark a fire that will keep you warm for the rest of your life.
“Matches” is the first release from my upcoming debut album, and for it, we drew some inspiration from artists such as Bon Iver, Ben Howard, Phoebe Bridgers, Marble Sounds,
and others.”
TUTV: Matches feels like a sonic match right away. It’s a heart-and-soul touching
reflection with a feverish drive. Near-whispering vocals and enthralling harmonies
star up front, causing goosebumps. Think Bon Iver, Ed Harcourt, and other transfixing voices.
Verstegen sounds like being around for a long time. His enwrapping story-telling
and evocative singing is top-tier and a real revelation. Don’t miss this notable debut.
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Instagram – Facebook
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– 18 –
Artists: LOST IN SEPTEMBER
Who: Musical project of Belgian singer-songwriters
Alain Quateau en Renilde Gees
Track: WHAT IF I TOLD YOU
Only their 2nd single.
TUTV: This is an endearing and soothing reverie, a reflective song
“about slowing down. About realizing that happiness often hides in
memories.
Sit down, relax, give your busy mind a day off, and let your ears dream away.
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Instagram – Facebook
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– 19 –
Artists: MOON MOTHER
Who: MM is the voice echoing through a starless night, music born from darkness, yet always carrying a glimmer of light. From the rural landscapes of western Sweden, the duo has built an architecture of earthy, alternative slow rock and melancholic, atmospheric folk with a Nordic touch. A sound they call månrock.
They released their debut album She’s A Starry Night in 2023.
Track: WORLD IN A GLASS JAR
It captures the feeling of standing outside the world through a heavy
acoustic lament, where fragility slowly breaks through the darkness.
Single artwork
TUTV: Intimate piano soulfulness, emotive vocals, and at times grand orchestral
arrangements combine for a mystical-like ambiance. Both transmundane and melodramatic. Moon Mother‘s musical world triggers surreal sentiments in our
grim reality on this mesmerizing trip.
Instagram – Linktree
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– 20 –
Artist: MAVIS STAPLES
Who: Legendary soul/blues/rock voice who, along with family, had a long and
greatly accomplished career under the name of The Staple Singers (1948-1994).
She’s 86 now, singing and swinging like a 36-year-old.
Track: SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD
Title track from her new LP.
What a voice.
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Instagram – Linktree
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TURN UP THE VOLUME
HEAD ON STONE – Belgian Songstress Shifts From A Scream To A Whisper With Her Soul-Stirring Debut LP ‘STONY BEDS’
28 November 2025
Emotive Belgian singer-songwriter Nele Janssen is, so far, known by her fans as the fiery frontwoman of high-powered post-punk turbo Peuk who have released 2 albums to this day.
That will all change now with her brand-new solo debut album, named
STONY BEDS, released under the moniker of HEAD ON STONE.
Only Nele Janssen and her piano. Intimate, passional and heartfelt. From a Peuk scream
to a solo whisper. A beautiful, soul-stirring record that silences you from start to finish. Eleven bittersweet gems for the midnight hours. Stony Beds is an ideal companion for cold winter nights, while relaxing with dimmed light on your couch and your favourite drink at hand.
Enamoured by this musical exploit, Turn Up The Volume reached
out to Nele for a chat about her amazing solo adventure.
Do you have a classical music schooling, or is this a DIY story, Nele?
“I had some classical music schooling when I was a kid/teenager, but I didn’t take
lessons for it in high school because in those days, you had to work with sheet music, and I wanted to create my own stuff. I don’t create music on sheets.
I write down some notes in a small book and record some ideas on a small recorder.
The rest is in my head. So I have to keep on playing the songs now and then to
remember them.”
For many PEUK fans, this intimate solo album will be a musical and
vocal surprise. How and when did you start this project?
“I’ve been writing this music since I was finishing my classical music school. I needed to express these feelings and find ways to cope with them. It was hard for me to put these feelings into words, and so my piano became my friend. The piano gave me the comfort and focus I needed. So I just played for myself in my room.
I did not want people to hear it. It was between me and the piano. Later on, I let some close friends into this world, and it felt okay to do this. So I guess I was opening up more. They told me to share it, but I was scared. So I wanted to overcome this fear, and I played some small, intimate gigs.
People showed their love for it, and it felt like maybe it could be important to other people too in a way. But I still wanted to keep it more to myself. Peuk is a more extroverted affair and helped me to become less scared of performing, and it helped show a different, more angry emotion. So now I’m sharing more of this intimate side Peuk protected me from in a way.
What does your moniker ‘HEAD ON STONE’ stands for, Nele?
“It was the title of a song I wrote when my Head On Stone project didn’t have a name yet.
I wrote the lyrics of the song when I was lying down on a sandy hill in the woods, and my
head rested on a stone, and it felt kind of nice, but also discomfort. Warm but cold.
The songs are like that. Some lyrics come from negative feelings
and thoughts, but the piano carries them in a healing way.
Is that a horse eye on the album’s cover?
What’s the story behind the artwork?
“Yes, it’s a horse eye, and my reflection is in it. This horse was very important to me.
She passed away, but I wrote some of the songs during a period she was still with me.
OUT is a song I wrote for her.
She wanted to hide from the sun because of the mosquitos. She was allergic to them. It itches badly. A bit like I don’t like crowded places and hide from people. This picture was taken when it snowed, so no mosquitos there.”
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What do you want to express with the record’s title ‘STONY BEDS’?
“Stony Beds is like Head On Stone. A bed is comfortable and soft. A stone is cold and hard. So there’s a contrast, and I think you can find that in the songs. Also, you can hear me sing it in the song ‘mountainside‘. It’s about going into nature without anything but yourself. You meet nature. So if we rest, we lay our heads on stony beds. Lying on something stony.”
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Your crystalline vocals are impressive. Quite different from your
fiery PEUK vocality. Does it feel that way for you too, Nele?
“It’s different, but it’s still me. It’s the way I sing. I sing how I feel. So I guess I have different kinds of voices because of the feeling I get when I sing with them. I don’t think about it, it just happens.”
I hear mixed emotions about life and these weird times in the
lyrics. Is that what you wanted to address or are my ears wrong?
“The songs are more about myself, in this life. It’s not really about life in general but more about what’s going on in my head, how I feel, and how I try to cope with it. But I’m in this life, so it’s included. It’s just more introverted.”
Photo by Syl
Is this a one-time adventure, or do you have more solo work in mind?
“It doesn’t feel like a one-time adventure. I don’t know yet, but for now I don’t think it is.”
Thank you very much, for this chat, Nele.
May the road rise with Head On Stone.
STREAM ALBUM
BUY ALBUM
THE JAM – Their 5th Album ‘SOUND AFFECTS’ Released 45 Years Ago Today
Significant longplayers from yesteryear
28 November 2025
Legendary mod rockers THE JAM (1972-1982), fronted by their flamboyant
singer-songwriter Paul Weller had their 5th LP, titled SOUND AFFECTS, out
on 28 November 1980, this day 45 years ago.
It reached #2 in the UK.
BBC Music wrote: “With six released in five years, each one of the Jam’s albums
is a distinct stage on Paul Weller’s journey from callow, Thatcher-supporting yoof
to mature writer with more on his mind than just teenage angst and political
disatisfaction.
Sound Affects shows a band that was being pushed by its leader slightly
beyond their level of ability. After the full-on soul revival of The Gift he was
to abandon the three-piece for pastures new. But on this LP you get to hear
the Jam at their absolute peak.”
SINGLES
ALBUM
MOJO Offers New Collectors’ Edition: PINK FLOYD ECHOES 1965-2025
British monthly music magazine MOJO has
a new edition of their collectors’ series out.
PINK FLOYD ECHOES 1965-2025 presents eternal legends Pink Floyd,
with new interviews and rare and iconic photos across 260 pages.
The issue revisits the band’s evolution their vision as performers and the legacy that continues to influence artists today and shines also the spotlight on the band’s 9th LP Wish You Were Here which turned 50 last September.
You can purchase a copy and let it be sent to your home. Info HERE.
TRUCK FESTIVAL 2026 – OXFORDSHIRE UK
PAM HOGG – Scottish Fashion Designer Icon Passed Away Aged 66
27 November 2025
Renowned, widely celebrated, and unique fashion designer
PAM HOGG, also artistically known as Dr Hogg, passed away
yesterday, aged 66.
The punk-era inspired artist launched her first fashion collection
in 1981. She also played in several bands, but fashion was her life.
She created clothes for the likes of The Cult‘s frontman Ian Astbury,
Paula Yates, Siouxsie Sioux and Debbie Harry among countless others.
She became a revolutionary fashion icon, in and far out of the UK.
Her family broke the news.
Shirley Manson (Scottish frontwoman of Garbage) paid tribute: “The brilliance
and the bravery and the extraordinary, explosive sense of humour that perpetually
burled you forth with tremendous force.
The Iconoclastic and fantastic Dr Hogg may have left the runway but you will be found
in the long and storied history of British fashion and in the imaginative, pioneering work
of each and every fashion designer who trails in your wake.
The world has lost a bone fide original. A one of one. A jewel of a human being.
You will be missed.”
COWBOY HUNTERS – Scottish Punk Eccentrics Need ‘MONEY FOR DRUGS’
Vitalizing tunes that work faster than a stream of caffeine
27 November 2025
Band: COWBOY HUNTERS
Who: Two cowpunks – Megan Pollock
and Desmond Johnston – from Edinburgh.
Track: MONEY FOR DRUGS
Their newest single. So far,
no sign of a first full-length.
TUTV: These two cowboys want some hallucinatory candy, but they
desperately need money to buy it. And they’re in a hurry. Their sonic
search lasts for only 93 jaw-dropping punk seconds.
Wake up, people,
and get high on
your breakfast.
THE KINKS Released Their ‘LOLA VERSUS POWERMAN AND THE MONEYGOROUND PART ONE’ 55 Years Ago Today
Significant longplayers from the past
27 November 2025
British pop/rock legends THE KINKS released their eight LP named, take a deep breath, ‘LOLA VERSUS POWERMAN AND THE MONEYGOROUND PART ONE’ today 55 years ago today, on 27 November 1970.
It was a satirical concept album attacking the media, the music industry and its
publishers, business managers and more of Ray Davies‘s enemies. It was both
a critical and commercial triumph for the legendary song/wordsmith and his
companions.
It featured their timelessLola gem Lola.
ALBUM
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THE KINKS: Facebook