TURN UP THE VOLUME’s 10 Top Debut Singles Of 2025
They did it all for the first time this year.
Band: PUNCHBAG
Who: A new electrifying brother-sister duo from South London
colliding the raw unfiltered energy of punk, with the overflowing
ecstasy of pop.
Debut single: FUCK IT
From their debut EP,
I’m Not Your Punchbag.
TUTV: If you start your musical escapade with this kind of steaming synth-pop
stormer it won’t take long before you will be the new talk of the town. Punchbag
go nuts on their first left/right uppercut, motorized by a hepped-up electro engine.
And invite you to do same and pirouette yourself dizzy.
Go straight to YT to watch the video.
.
Instagram – Linktree
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Photo credit: Grace Equi
Band: HIGHDRIVE
Who: Fresh starting indie outfit from
Brighton, UK (where everybody is in
a band).
Debut single: CHERRY
TUTV: Blimey. A sonic brick wall of ablaze guitars, assisted by tenacious drumming
and rollin’ bass lines, dominate this spectacular debut score. There’s threatening
tension throughout.
Think Killing Joke having one of their freaky nightmares. Hazy vocals float around,
injecting this jagged jam with a ghostly vibe. These juvenile gunslingers shoot sharply
from the hip. Astounding.
Instagram – Linktree
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Band: THE SOVEREIGNS
Who: 4 indies out of Hull, UK. They want to embrace musical communities,
feeling strongly that music should never be a privilege, and believe in giving
back to grassroots venues, pedalling the importance of grassroots music and
its often-fragile infrastructure.
Debut single: DO YOU WANNA? (YEAH I WANNA)
A song about feelings of self-doubt, gut instinct and
observations, all personified in a ‘relationship’ context.
TUTV: And a one, and a one-two-three-four, here we go. From the kick-off
jangly guitars hijack this full of vim and vigour stroke, juiced with a bass and
guitar solo, a resolute drummer and itching vocals.
Pure indie electricity, inspired by 60s punk-beat bands.
Do you wanna The Sovereigns? I’m sure you wanna.
Instagram – Linktree
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Band: GASMM
Who: Fresh Belgian indie outfit who deliver
a sound that recalls the ’90s while feeling
completely of the moment.
Debut single: BLACK HOLES IN THE SKY
TUTV: Gasmm hit the bullseye right away with their high-powered, rollercoaster debut. From the get-go hungry guitars, set the blazing tone. Decibels fly around the room while the singer fills the black holes in the sky with his hell-bent vocality, including a couple of creepy growls and the towering chorus puts a big cherry on their first cake.
Instagram – Linktree
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Credit: Seb Barros
Band: VILLANELLE
Who: Fresh Brit-rock trio led
by Liam Gallagher‘s son Gene.
Debut single: HINGE
Gallagher: “It’s just all heavy guitars. That’s my favourite tone of any song: just really chuggy chords and really fucking distorted. All my favourite songs are like that – very punk rock. It’s just an aggressive song. I want it to sound like having a freakout. The lyrics are anxious as fuck.”
Single artwork
TUTV: I don’t know if Gene‘s dad is a grunge fan (as if Gene would care, he’s a damn Gallagher). Hinge echoes early Nirvana (debut album ‘Bleach‘). It has a raw and rough
indie edge. It’s cool that Gene doesn’t copy/paste Oasis. Villanelle are mad for it.
Instagram
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Band: ANOTHER DAY
Who: Fresh 4-piece guitar-driven indie rock band from Tunbridge Wells, Kent
who made name for themselves by playing tons of exciting gigs across the UK.
Debut single: DOGHOUSE ROSES
The song originated from a serendipitous comment by a man named Frank,
who suggested the phrase “Doghouse Roses” as an alternative band name. With
no intention of changing the band’s solidified name, the phrase inspired the song’s
hooky chorus. It’s built around the bittersweet emotions of a friend’s breakup.
Single artwork
TUTV: Expect tantalizing indie passion ignited by eager guitars, groovy percussion, evocative vocals and a captivating and hellacious chorus. Stoked tune. Stoked stunner. Stoked debut. Another Day isn’t just another band. These young dogs are going places.
Instagram – Linktree
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Band: MONT LOSER
Who: Described as a deformed creature born from the depths of
a late-night Parisian haze, half kamikaze, half blood-drunk bat.
Lol, I love that description.
Debut single: NEVER GUESS
About some random science stuff, too many
episodes of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.
TUTV: No rest for the wicked. Mont Loser attack your ears relentlessly with
schizophrenic guitars that chainsaw their way throughout this jagged jackhammer.
You’ll hear nightmarish voices trying to survive in all of the harum-scarum turmoil.
Helter-skelter.
Instagram
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Band: SHADOWMAN
Who: A new collaborative project from John J Presley, Ben Hillier and Danielle Perry.
A musical collective drawn from mutual inspirations and a desire to create freely
and quickly with musicians on the same page.
Together, it’s a tapestry of sonics, from crunching guitars to sweeping orchestration,
death march brass to motorik drum machines, vocal interplay, and post-rock build-ups.
Design by Bureau de Fatigue
Debut single: FLOWERS
Presley: ‘I wrote the lyrics for ‘Flowers’ after seeing a friend in the street who had just parted ways with his partner. Moments later, I saw the ex-girlfriend with her new man, looking very much in the throes of the early days of any new relationship. “
TUTV: Creepy. Confronting. Chilling. These are the keywords for this shocking piece of intimidating Lynch-esque music. Cold-hearted spoken-word vocals add to the sinister resonance of the track. Think of the darkest moments of Dirty Three. This eruptive mindfucker will haunt you. Watch your back.
Instagram – Facebook
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Artist: MATTHIJS VERSTEGEN
Who: Belgian singer-songwriter.
Debut Single: MATCHES
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.
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 he’s been around for a long time.
His engrossing storytelling and evocative singing are a
revelation.
Artists: LOST IN SEPTEMBER
Who: Musical project of Belgian singer-songwriters
Alain Quateau en Renilde Gees
Debut single: DREAMS
“The song portrays recognizable feelings: the creeping fear of losing someone, a goal left behind that continues to haunt… But as the title suggests, there is also hope in ‘Dreams’, because there is no life without dreams.”
TUTV: I’m pretty sure Simon and Garfunkel would like this endearing, heartrending and sepia-coloured musing. This is the kind of soulful lullaby, where acoustic ambiance and vocal healing fit each other like a glove, that connects reality and fantasy, facts and wishes.
And most of all, it proves once again the power
of silent music. You can hear yourself dreaming.
