TURN UP THE VOLUME – 40 BEST TRACKS OF 2025
ALL TOGETHER
.
TRACK-BY-TRACK
– 1 –
Band: THE HIVES
Who: The Swedish punk kingpins
who run amok since 1993.
Track: THE HIVES FOREVER, FOREVER THE HIVES
The title track from their 7th full-length,
which hit the streets last August.
TUTV: And it goes like this.
The Hives Forever, Forever The Hives
The Hives Forever, Forever The Hives
The Hives Forever, Forever The Hives
Tune! Tune! Tune!
Catchy as fookin’ hell.
Oemotståndlig sång
Instagram – Spotify
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 2 –
Band: OPUS KINK (Brighton, UK)
Who: Razor-edged, funked-up, sax-and-trumpet infused
noizzz collective fronted by their charismatic frontman
Angus Rodgers.
Track: I’M A PRETTY SHOWBOY
Angus Rogers (frontman): “Rock and roll music for the empty and stunning.
A song about contempt, appetite, impotence and self-preservation through
gyration. Enjoy superficially with your body and send the reeling mind on
to hell.”
TUTV: Wham Bam! Yeah Yeah! Go Go! Oh my Oh My! Razzle Dazzle!
This is the kind of adrenaline-pumping thrills I wait impatiently for
every single day.
Get up, stand up, and fight
for your right to show off.
Badass
Instagram – Linktree
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 3 –
Band: THE SLOW READERS CLUB
Who: Alt-pop rockers
from Manchester, UK.
Track: BOY SO BLUE
Single from their notable 7th album,
Out Of A Dream, released last March.
“‘Although it’s a big, joyous dance track, it’s about hiding deep emotional pain and trauma and how hedonistic coping mechanisms, like drugs, alcohol, and womanizing, are just temporary distractions.”
TUTV: This is what amazing pop-ular music is all about. Big melody, big emotions, big orchestration. Euphorically sticky as first-class glue despite its dramatic ‘real life‘ story. Aftermath soul-searching can work cathartically.
24 Carat pop
Linktree – Spotify
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 4 –
Band: KID KAPICHI
Who: Party punk rockers from Hastings, UK.
So far, they have canned 3 longplayers.
Track: STAINLESS STEEL
KK in infectious punk overdrive.
Shaky-tastic from the get-go.
Swirl like a whirligig, people.
Boogielicious
Instagram – Facebook
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 5 –
Band: SPRINTS
Who: Irish post-punk whirlwind, led by charismatic
voice/songwriter/guitarist Karla Chubb.
Track: BETTER
Along with Something’s Gonna Happen, my top fav track
on their brand new, second LP, called All That Is Over.
TUTV: Every time I play this pure punk-rock gem, I feel way better.
It’s striking swagger, superb groove, passionate duet vocals, and
high-strung guitar play mesmerize.
Transfixing
Instagram – Spotify
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 6 –
Band: PANIC SHACK
Who: 4 pop punkettes from Wales. In 2022 they
released their 6-track debut EP Baby Shack.
Track: GIRL BAND STARTER PACK
Single from stellar self-titled debut LP.
TUTV: These utterly cool Welsh Amazons
drive you bonkers with this insane punk ‘n’ roll
uppercut.
Kick-ass band, kick-ass attitude, kick-ass blast.
Party! Party! Party!
Instagram – Linktree
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 7 –
Artist: PREWN
Who: The moniker of Massachusetts‘ chilling singer-songwriter
Izzy Hagerup. She released her debut album Through The Window
in 2023.
Track: SYSTEM
First new piece and title track from her
2nd LP, coming our way on October 3rd.
Hagerup: “When I wrote ‘System’ I was supposed to be present and alive
and gracious and happy. But somehow I couldn’t escape my own internal
fears and depression that can follow me wherever I go.”
TUTV: What a brilliant torch song. Weeping guitars come and go while
Hagerup‘s heart-stopping vocals cause goosebumps. And what a fuming
finale.
Spine-tingling
Instagram – Spotify
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 8 –
Band: WHOLES
Who: A fresh, rowdy hit team led by Belgian
musical chameleon Wolf Vanwymeersch.
Track: MODERN DAY DRAMA
Single from their bone-chilling debut album
A Mass In The Water, dealing with the suicide
of Wolf‘s father.
TUTV: Its ominous mid-tempo dynamics, its distorted vocals, and its riff-psychotic razzmatazz resonate as if you are listening to the scary theme song of a horror movie.
At the 2.30 minute mark, all hell breaks loose.
From a whisper to a scream. From planet Earth
to Dante‘s Inferno.
Surreal
.
Instagram – Facebook – Spotify
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 9 –
Band: DITZ
Who: Post-punk turbo
from Brighton, UK
Track: FOUR
One of the highlights from their
brill 2nd LP Never Exhale
TUTV: Ditz operate in a very dark place. Sonically, as well as lyrically.
In the middle Cal Francis barks at the moon, while dense drones
infiltrate your shocked ears. Inhale, exhale.
Petrifying
.
Instagram – Linktree
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 10 –
📷 Mats Verschueren
Band: WIJF. (WIFE. in English)
Who: Hungry hit team from Belgium
ready to take on the world.
Track: LIAR
From their debut EP Alter Ego.
Single artwork
TUTV: This 4-piece grab you by the throat from the kick-off and never lose their firm grip, while vociferous vocalist Marie De Graeve‘s has a crushing impact on your petrified stereo. Liar is a titanic motherrocker that pulverizes the Richter scale in just 250 seconds. Queens Of The Stone Age, Deftones and Black Sabbath come to mind.
Paranoic
.
Instagram – Linktree
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 11 –
Band: CHALK
Who: Three earthshaking
misfits from Belfast, Ireland.
Track: AFRAID
Piece from 3rd EP,
titled Conditions III.
TUTV: OMG! What a riot-gun banger. These Irishmen create suffocating havoc with
a maddening mix of nasty racket that brings illegal-decibels-producing bands such as
NIN and Metz to my cooking mind.
Manicial
Instagram – Linktree
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 12 –
Band: PUNCHBAG
Who: A new brother-sister party duo, from South London colliding the
raw unfiltered energy of punk, with the overflowing ecstasy of pop.
Track: I’M NOT YOUR PUNCHBAG
From their debut EP.
TUTV: Ecstasy. Elation. Euphoria. Exhilaration. This electro smack makes
you bounce and jump on your pogo-stick. They punch you in the teeth
without asking, while having fervent fun.
KO
Instagram – Linktree
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 13 –
© Eva Vlonk
Band: HEISA
Who: Belgian noise rock trio whose sound draws influences from bands such
as Black Midi, Tool, Battles, and Swans, blending dissonance with a strong sense
of identity.
Track: NANDOR
Piece from their ace
3rd album Trois.
TUTV: What the fuck! From the very kick-off, chainsaw guitars do your
brain in. Electric chair electricity throughout. No way to escape. Neurotic
vocals complete this blitzkrieg assault.
Flabbergasting
Instagram – Linktree
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 14 –
Press photo by Damien Sayell
Band: MCLUSKY
Who: The renowned Welsh post-punk noiseniks
featuring Andrew Falkous, as known as hysterical
frontman of Future Of The Left.
Track: CHEKHOV’S GUNS
One of the singles of their earth-shaking 4th LP
The World Is Still Here And So Are We.
TUTV: As usual, Andrew Falkous screams
his 4 lungs out while spitting absurd lyrics.
Chop. Chop. Chop.
.
Instagram – Linktree
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 15 –
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 have canned a live movie
now, titled This Is How It Feels.
Track: MIDI DORIC
First single. A song that deals with the
isolation and depression of the pandemic.
TUTV: A characteristic DTL thunderstorm, cranked up by blustery bass lines,
monstrous guitar riffs, Herculean drumming, Schultz‘s sky-scraping vocals and
a volcanic finale. One of the best noizz rock bands around.
Jawdropping
Instagram – Spotify
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 16 –
Artist: PEACHES
Who: The fabulous/controversial/notorious performer/producer and
feminist/gay activist born Merrill Nisker 58 years ago in Toronto, Canada.
Track: FUCK YOUR FACE
Cut from her upcoming 7th album, her first in
10 years. It’s named No Lube So Rude and will
come out on 20 Feb 2026.
TUTV: Don’t expect Peaches to write and sing songs about
the birds and the bees, and even if she did, it would be horny
stuff too.
Mirror on the wall, who’s the hottest disco queen of them all?
Peaches
Instagram – Linktree
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 17 –
Artist: BAXTER DURY
Who: The dandy songsmith,
still wearing a suit (no tie).
Track: ALLBARONE
The title track from his
8th titillating dance LP.
TUTV: This disco knockout can fill
a dancefloor in an eye/ear blink.
Sassy
Instagram – All Albums
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 18 –
Press photo by Cole Yearwood
Artist: FANCLUBWALLET
Who: Canadian guitar pop outfit led
by songstress Hannah Judge from
Ottawa, Canada.
Track: COTTON MOUTH
From her 2nd full-length,
called Living While Dying.
TUTV: This sickly sticky riff earworm
drives you crazy. Head-twisting stonker.
Hyperkinetic
Instagram – Spotify
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 19 –
Band: YOGI-G AND THE FAMILY TREE
Who: Happy Mondays co-founder/drummer
Gaz Whelan and friends.
Track: THE BLIND MAN AND THE MONKEY
A highlight from their terrific debut album,
titled Show Me The Truth.
TUTV: Madchester 2025? Absolutely. Never mind the Happy
Mondays, here come Yogi-G And The Family Tree (what a name).
E-cstatic
.
Instagram – Bandcamp
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 20 –
Press photo by Danny Clinch
Band: ARCADE FIRE
Who: The famous pop-rock
collective from Canada.
Track: YEAR OF THE SNAKE
One of the singles from their
7th LP, titled Pink Elephant.
TUTV: It’s a sublime, crystalline pop nugget, with its hypnotizing guitar riff,
the non-stop drum beat and the intertwined, spellbinding vocals of Win Butler
and his spouse, Régine Chassagne.
Sterling
Instagram – Shop
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 21 –
Band: KASABIAN
Who: British star rockers from Leicester. One of the best bands
of the past 25 years on record and on stage, in my book.
Track: HIPPIE SUNSHINE.
Lead single from their forthcoming
9th LP. Details TBA.
TUTV: Expect a mega vitalizing, disco-charged haymaker.
Since co-founder/songwriter/frontman Serge Pizzorno pulls
all the band’s strings, he provides dynamite tunes you can
throw 24-hour parties with.
Hip-hip hurray
Instagram – Facebook
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 22 –
Artist: MARK STEWART
Who: One of the most adventurous/inventive/original post-punk & dub artists/performers
ever. He was a founding member of genre-bending new wave group The Pop Group and released lots of solo and collaborative records. Unfortunately, he passed away 2 years ago,
only 62.
Track: MEMORY OF YOU
Single from Stewart‘s solo album The Fateful Symmetry,
which was completed early 2023, not long before his passing.
TUTV: Haunting, synth-symphonic and bang-tastic,
with Mark‘s characteristically energetic voice on top.
Soul-stirring
Facebook – Mute Records
—————————————————————————————————————————
– 23 –
New album artwork
Band: PULP
Track: SPIKE ISLAND
Piece from their first LP in
24 years, called More.
TUTV: A vintage, mid-tempo, pop stimulant with
a grandiose chorus. More pulp for common
people.
“I was born to perform.”
Instagram – Linktree
—————————————————————————————————————————
– 24 –
Band: HOLY COVES
Who: Welsh mavericks, 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.
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.
Toptier
Instagram – Linktree
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 25 –
Artists: GANS
Who: 2-piece from Birmingham (UK) – Euan Woodman (drums/vocals) and Tom Rhodes (bass/vocals) – born in late 2023 over a shared love of noise, literature and late night shebeens. They write music about love and hate. They’re good for your soul.
New Single: I THINK I LIKE YOU
TUTV: Warning. This insanely groovy punk blast will bulldoze all over your shocked speakers. Expect a superheated funky firestorm that attacks the Richter scale with a shattering impact. A manically jagged jackhammer it is. Trust me, you’ll think you like them, VERY MUCH, while you bang your head into your fridge’s door.
Go nuts
Instagram – Linktree
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 26 –
Band: KLÄMP
Who: A collective with members scattered across the UK and the Netherlands.
This group, now comprising seven members, has its roots in a trio that expanded
over the past four years.
New track: WET LEATHER
Piece from their sophomore
LP Total Technik.
TUTV: Kraut-rock and roll with an intoxicating force. A wall-of-guitar-pyrotechnics rollercoaster. An overpowering tempest of rambunctious riffs. Voltaic psychedelia
at its spine-chilling best, bombarding your ears the way you like it.
Mind-bending
.
Instagram – Bandcamp
——————————————————————————————————————————-
– 27 –
Artist: LIFE COACH
Who: The musical project of singer-songwriter-poet Jamie Cameron. Hailing from
the Scottish Borders, the music blends lo-fi beats, synths and guitars with spoken word lyrics in which he discusses subjects ranging from politics and premonitions to self help culture, and a modern society obsessed with economic thinking.
Track: SQUADDIES IN HAIR NETS
Highlight from his 2nd full-length
A Love Letter To Your Yearning Heart.
TUTV: This rattling rap ‘n’ punk roll crackerjack swings forth and back, left
and right and Jamie Cameron’s full of vim and vigour word-flow activates all
of your insatiable limbs before he relaxes towards the synthy end. Kinetic throb.
Hands up for the coach.
Exhilarating
.
Instagram – Facebook
—————————————————————————————————————————
– 28 –
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 riff-crazy haymakers that stick after just
Exuberant
.
Instagram – Facebook
—————————————————————————————————————————
– 29 –
Photo: Emma Chitty | Graphics: Mike Raymond
Band: NRVS
Who: Mysterious trio with an inimitable take on
humanity’s downward spiral into a dysfunctional
entropic existence. They unleashed their punk-groovy
debut EP Like You last year.
Track: FREE
TUTV: This arresting, melancholic song is heart-rending. Its bluesy guitar
radiance, its bass-beat-heavy cadence, and despondent vocals get under
your skin. Its melodic catchiness has irresistible written all over it.
Gripping
Instagram – Linktree
—————————————————————————————————————————
– 30 –
Photo by Graham Noble
Band: DECLAN WELSH AND THE DECADENT WEST
Who: Post-rock-punk combo from Scotland.
So far they have recorded/released two
albums.
Track: CAREFREE
TUTV: A razzle-dazzle steamroller that gets under your skin faster
than you can say “this is bloody superb”. Its insane, mind-bending
course doubles your serotonin production on the spot.
Blimey
Instagram – Linktree
—————————————————————————————————————————
– 31 –
Artist: NEIL YOUNG And The CHROME HEARTS
Track: LET’S ROLL AGAIN
From their LP Talkin To The Trees.
“If you’re a fascist, then get a Tesla.”
Instagram – Linktree
.
—————————————————————————————————————————
– 32 –
Artist: CMAT
Track: THE JAMIE OLIVER PETROL STATION
From her 3rd album, named Euro-Country.
TUTV: A vocal tour de force that
blows me away every time I play it.
Wowzers
—————————————————————————————————————————
– 33 –
Artists: ANDY BELL and DEBBIE HARRY
Track: HEART’S A LIAR
From his new album,
named Ten Crows.
Disco delight
—————————————————————————————————————————
– 34 –
Band: THE NEW EVES
Who: Must hear/see indies from Brighton (where everybody is in a band).
They cruise from folk to punk, using, besides traditional instruments (guitar,
bass and drums) also cello, flute, violin and other classical gear.
Track: COW SONG
From their rad debut full-length
called The New Eve Rising.
Moo-tastic
—————————————————————————————————————————
– 35 –
Band: SLEAFORD MODS
Track: THE GOOD LIFE
From their upcoming LP,
called The Demise Of Planet X
Rap rush
—————————————————————————————————————————
– 36 –
Photo by Isabella Martinez
Band: PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS
Track: THE REAL CONTRA BAND
Piece from their new full-length
Carpe Diem, Moonman.
TUTV: This motherrocker of a song shows no mercy whatsoever.
From the get-go, PPC go full steam ahead and never look back
Hallelujah!
—————————————————————————————————————————
– 37 –
Press photo
Band: SUEDE
Track: DISINTEGRATE
A single from their LP #10.
named Antidepressants.
TUTV: Suede age in glamorous style with frontman
Brett Anderson giving it all, just like in the early days.
Astounding
—————————————————————————————————————————
– 38 –
Promo photo
Band: MY FIRST TIME
Who: Fast-rising indie
rebels from Bristol, UK.
Track: SIPPY CUP
TUTV: These young wolves bulldoze their way through the daily
bullshit we have to endure with a knife between their teeth. Sippy Cup
is a bruising, full of vim and vigor, uppercut hitting where it hurts.
Sucker-punch
Instagram – Linktree
—————————————————————————————————————————
Band: THE BELAIR LIP BOMBS
Who: Buzzing indies
from Montreal, Canada.
Track: HEY YOU
Single from their tremendous
second album Again.
TUTV: Guitar pop at its most exultant, with the wonderful vocalist/guitarist
Maisie Everet fronting a fast-up-and-coming quartet from down under.
Delirious
Instagram
—————————————————————————————————————————
– 40 –
Band: WET LEG
Track: DAVINA McCALL
Highlight from their sophomore
full-length, named Moisturizer.
Groove/move.
———————————–
TURN UP THE VOLUME
