5 BEST ALBUMS OF THE MONTH – JULY 2025
1 August 2025
Album artwork
Artist: MARK STEWART
Who: One of the most adventurous/inventive/original
post-punk & dub artists/performers ever, who passed away 2 years,
aged 62. He was a founding member of genre-bending new wave
group THE POP GROUP back in 1977. They recorded/released
a total of 4 albums.
As a prolific solo artist, he scored 7 LPs, collaborated with countless
other artists, and caused poignant waves with his Mafia outfit.
New Album: THE FATEFUL SYMMETRY
Released posthumously by Mute Records,
3 weeks ago.
Mute Records: “Mute is extremely honoured to announce Mark Stewart’s new solo
album ‘The Fateful Symmetry’, a vital masterwork completed early 2023. Testifying to
his prolific, unrelenting ingenuity, and signifying one of his most intimate, empowering statements, The Fateful Symmetry is a fierce and beautiful manifesto for a better world. “
TUTV: Posthumous releases of favorite artists have two sides. One, you’re reminded
of the passing of a beloved musician, and two, you get excited as new material is released. In this case, very good new material. No archives dump, or out-takes, weird rarities, and other low-quality stuff. The Faithfull Symmetry is a splendid, final opus by a unique musical mind.
Stewart‘s expresses again his mixed emotions about humanity and its messy planet. Both pessimistic and optimistic reflections, but always with sparks of hope. Musically, it’s a very accessible pop record with several crooning musings, This Is The Rain, Twilight Child, Crypto Religion, and the wonderful, goosebumps closer A Long Road (made me instantly think of his good friend and fan Nick Cave).
His characteristic, captivating voice, both heartrending and heartwarming at the same time, feels so real, so close, and as always, engaged and genuine. Mark Stewart was one
of a kind and will always be in my book. Thank you, Mute Records, for this posthumous treasure, one to cherish
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Facebook – Mute Records
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New album artwork
Band: WET LEG
Who: Isle Of Wight (UK) pop sensation, Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, who
attracted tons of attention with their prizewinning self-titled debut LP from 2022.
New album: MOISTURIZER
The Independent (English newspaper): “Far from being burned out, or being
bullied into selling out, by the sudden wave of global fame, they’ve doubled down
on their own weird energy. Moisturizer’s uncanny electricity is off the voltmeter.”
TUTV: The girls and band fabricated the album in an isolated, remote house
in the countryside, written in a creative frenzy, diving into themes of obsession
and all-consuming love. A record mostly inspired by Teasdale falling in love, in
her first queer relationship, in 2021. Again, her lyrics are witty, sarcastic/cynical,
double-edged and at times quite absurd. There’s a lot of love and lust involved.
“I can make you sticky / Make you hot screaming for after sun.
I can make you beg / Can make you wet like an aquarium”
“Would you still love me if I was a worm?”
“You’re the rock to my roll / You’re the sand between my toes /
Sweet baby girl, we go like salsa and Doritos”.
Teasdale‘s new look: dyed hair, dyed eyebrows, and sexy lingerie outfit fit
her sultry mindset. Sonically, they sound somewhat heavier here and there,
but overall their effective formula – sticky, edgy, upbeat tunes – colors
also this 2nd effort.
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Instagram – Spotify
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Artist: GINA BURCH
Who: Co-founder/bassist of British post-punk outfit The Raincoats (1977-1984).
One of the top indie bands in the UK back then. They released 3 LPs, then called
it a day.
In 1993, they reunited, fabricated another album (1996),
launched reissues and rarities, and gigged now and then.
Birch was/is very active as a film/videomaker, working
for big names such as The Libertines and New Order.
In 2023, she released her critically acclaimed solo debut
LP I Play My Bass. It was released through Jack White’s
Third Man Records.
New Album: TROUBLE
Her 2nd one, again released via the
former white stripe’s record label.
Birch: “It’s a bit out there, a bit off the tracks, and I always like to go there. I unofficially subtitled the album ‘Trouble I’ve Caused and Trouble I’m In’, so the songs are based around
that feeling—that dangerous place to be.”
“These songs came to me like a radio tuning, the airwaves going along, and I just plucked them out of the air. Something just clicks in the atmosphere, and I just take it. I’m not writing an opus about one thing. I’m writing an opus about being me.”
TUTV: Hey, all you people in trouble out there (the whole planet, I guess, each one in his/her own way) close your eyes and let your ears get massaged by this introspective, soul-searching record. You’ll feel like being in the middle of a gratifying dream with no intention whatsoever to wake up soon. Well, that’s what my troubled inner ego experienced.
Birch moves and grooves in dub bass motion juiced with swollen, resounded orchestrations here and there, while reggae echoes add a party feel. Most of all
Trouble entertains your confused 2025 state of mind. Its slow/fast trippy swagger
has a hip-shaking impact, and her expressive vocals match the full picture like a
glove. Stay yourself, stay in trouble, doom monger. I’m sure the late great dub
wizard Lee “Scratch” Perry would have digged this kind of sonic trouble too.
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Instagram – Linktree – TROUBLE on Spotify
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📸 @renfaulks
Band: PANIC SHACK
Who: 4 pop punkettes from Wales. In 2022 they
released their 6-track debut EP Baby Shack.
Album: PANIC SHACK
Their debut.
Press info: “Across the album, the lyrics are conversational, often stemming from
in-jokes, while the subject matter spans the full range of the feminine experience.
Irresistible because of their simplicity and charming because of their familiarity,
The sonic equivalent to a coming-of-age film unfolding over a single night, Panic
Shack takes the shape of a bender, beginning by approaching a bar and ending
with an impassioned speech at sunrise about how much you love your friends.
Swerving the expected topics of sex and romance, the entire
album revolves around the ionic bond between the four girls.”
The Guardian (British newspaper): “Panic Shack’s music the same effect as
popping a bottle of Prosecco – explosive, intoxicating, and delightfully chaotic.”
Album artwork
TUTV: Panic Shack are Bikini Kill 2025. Less political but straight in your face anyway, with
a similar screamy riotousness and an afire appetite for perky parties in pubs and booze bars. Their power-pop-punk blitz causes effervescent waves of lust for life, full of joy and ahoy. The loud and clear opposite of The Stooges ‘No Fun’.
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Instagram – Linktree – Bandcamp
Artist: YUNGBLUD
Who: English singer-songwriter celeb born, named Dominic Richard Harrison 27 years ago.
He released his debut EP in 2018. From there on it he headed to stardom in a straight line.
New album: IDOLS
His 4th.
With #1 albums in seven countries and a reputation for defying
convention, Yungblud describes Idols as “a project with no limitations.”
Kerrang says: “It’s a go-getter of a record that pays homage to the greats whilst
still feeling brand new. Yungblud’s outlandishness makes him a hard pill to swallow
for some, but his guts, drive, and devotion to his craft cannot be denied.”
TUTV: His best. Whether he unleashes uptempo, slow tempo or mid-tempo tunes
on your speakers, Yungblud scores. Half the album contains singles and worthy tracks. Wowzers.
His passionate, dynamic and vitalized performances, juiced with some drama, bombast and lost of rhapsody lift this new record to hit status. Ladies and gents, we have a pop-ular winner.
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