February, at last! There’s this adage that bad politics lead to good music — I don’t know if that’s true, especially when we’re all too stressed to focus. But I can definitely say there’s a lot of excellent musicians who need support more than ever. So here’s a reminder that if you like the bands I introduce you to here, there’s almost always ways to support them, whether it’s buying tracks through Bandcamp, merch, or even concerts if they’re local to you! (And hey, you never know. Black Dresses and Pup are local to me because I’m a lucky SOB.)

1. cortisol_inside cortisol_explosion excessive_cortisol cortisol_everywhere by Ada Rook

I’ve yet to bring an Ada Rook song into these columns, I think, largely because I try to focus on small, less-known bands, and I have this idea in my head that everybody knows who Ada Rook is, obviously. But I’m also biased. I’m queer, into this kind of music already, and Canadian. Ada Rook is half of the queer transfem boundary-smashers Black Dresses, and her solo work is no less incredible. I have a bit of a crush, to be honest. Her music always manages to make me feel both affirmed and a little like I’m having an acid trip at the same time, and this song is just another excellent addition to the list. This whole album is so far, honestly, but I try to focus on one song at a time!

Side note, really, but Rook may also be a goddamn master at song titles. I wish I was half this creative. Goals.

Check out Ada Rook’s new single here! I’m not typing that out twice.

2. I I – I — Blood Abscission

I really don’t get enough metal on these lists for how much of a metalhead I am, but Blood Abscission’s new single is some beautiful melodic black metal. A preview for the full album release on April 11th, “I I – I” is the first track on the album and foregrounds guitars and percussion with gutturals and screams mixed way, way in the back. It’s for all intents and purposes instrumental, and composed like a classical piece — it’s something I’m definitely going to get high to at some point, although YMMV on how that would feel. (Me, I find this stuff relaxing. But I also once suggested Meredead to someone and they were frustated that someone would ruin all the ‘pretty lady singing’ with ‘growling’ so some of us just don’t understand each other.) I do want to note that this particular song has a twelve minute run-time… so don’t put it on for your smoke break.

You can listen to the single and preorder the album right over here!

3. people person – McLusky

Swinging right over to the other end of the alt spectrum, post-punk band McLusky have a half-shouted, half-snarled single here to promote their album the world is still here and so are we — out on May 9th! “people person” is another one I wish I had lyrics available, but the ones I catch are slippery and wry, with a bit of sad-clown about them.

The great thing about this album is that it’s also McLusky’s first in twenty years! Originally active from 1999-2005, this marks their reunification, and if this track is any indication, it’s in fine form.

Check out “people person” by McLusky here — and preorder their album!

4. Happy To See You – Ready Weather

A lot of the bands I post on here are new, but Ready Weather are babies. Formed in July 2024, they’re not even a year old yet and have just started playing live; with that in mind, I’m all the happier that their single ‘Happy To See You’ is some genuinely fun pop-punk/pop-rock. (I think it’s right on the line between the two, honestly.) It’s bouncy and tight, with a bit of distortion and edge to it keeping it aurally interesting and not too smooth.

Ready Weather are based in Glasgow and include Lauren Black on vocals, Lorne Black on guitars (siblings? cousins? One has to presume so), Lewis Print on bass and Rory Breaker on drums. Not relevant in the slightest, but if I had a name like Breaker, I would also be on drums and nothing else forever. That’s a name destined for percussion.

Check out ‘Happy to See You’ by Ready Weather on Youtube here!

5. Ruin Me – Max Fractal

I have so much to say about this song and this artist. Max Fractal is the new and truer name of the artist formerly known (and still credited as on prior releases, although I won’t be using the name where possible) as Kim Boekbinder. Fractal identifies as genderfluid, and this is some of the first music they recorded after coming out — making it particularly notable.

In terms of genre, Fractal’s work is still very firmly darkwave, with a slow, measured approach and a nearly-purring siren-call alto of a voice singing carefully chosen lyrics where every word is crystal clear. It’s a tantalizing preview of the full Ruin Me EP releasing on March 23rd, and after following Fractal’s journey for the last little while, I’m incredibly excited to see them step back into the music world. (And peep that album art, holy shit.)

Listen to “Ruin Me” and preorder the EP here!

6. Balthazaar – Motorpsycho

I have a thing about long songs. A lot of people don’t like them — who has time to listen to 12 minute songs, let alone 20 or 30? — but there’s something about the composition of a long song that I adore. The verse-chorus-verse composition gets tiring after a while. So this number from Motorpsycho is a hit for me. The lyrics are poetic and the vocals are interestingly mixed while still being audible, and the instrumentation is reminiscent of both And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead and more classic prog bands like King Crimson. I also love the album art. I can’t quite peg what it reminds me of, but it’s weird and beautiful in a way that perfectly compliments their sound.

Check out Balthazaar by Motorpsycho here!

7. Brand-New Me – Elizaveta

On the note of ‘long songs’, Elizaveta apparently terms her music opera pop, and I can see why! This is one of those songs that feels straight out of the indie hey-day of the early 2000s, a la Modest Mouse, Deerhoof and Fiery Furnaces. It’s quirky, twee, a little bit repetitive, and a staggering thirteen minutes long. And yet, somehow, if you’re in the right mood and the right place, it’s a bit magic. I think it’s the mix of the bright, toybox-like instrumentation, Elizaveta’s sweet voice, and the lyrics; when I put it on either I’m not in the mood for the whole thing, or it just kind of settles perfectly into place.

Listen to Brand-New Me by Elizaveta here!

8. DIY GOD – Big Girl

Chaotic, a little bit jazzy, and full of more guitars than you can shake a stick at, “DIY GOD” is an anthem for the do-it-yourself part of punk culture with fantastic vocals from Kaitlin Pelkey. It’s a song that’s equal parts fist-pumping self-confidence and melancholy reflection on disaster — apt for the topic at hand — but the composition is just… chef’s kiss. It should be a wreck of a song with this many moving pieces in the background. It’s certainly not the only song like this, but it’s always deeply impressive.

The lyrics are also fantastic — both wry and sincere. “I ask the internet how to love/ I swear to god There’s a wikihow about everything / I ask the TV who to be / Cause nothing in there can hurt me / I asked you where it hurt / You pointed to the dirt / Who do I think I am, you asked / And I said are you sure” Ultimately the song reminds me of Icon for Hire among others, and I’m definitely keeping this one in rotation.

They don’t have the song up on Bandcamp yet, but Big Girl’s Bandcamp is over here with their earlier work. Meanwhile, listen to DIY GOD on Youtube!

9. It Will Be Like Now – Vulture Feather

Another new band for me, this time in the realm of post-punk, although I would personally call this closer to the world of prog-punk (a small but mighty genre!). ‘Blood Knot’ brings together the harmonizing guitars and wandering, building compositions of the post-rock and prog-rock worlds with vocals straight out of post-punk/80s Goth, and all of this with actually manageable song lengths (not that I usually complain, but it’s nice to see! Not everybody actually writes appropriately to the scale they’re going for.) My one complaint, as per usual, is the lack of posted lyrics. I can hear the vibe, I love the music, and this is fantastic work. I want to know what it’s about!!!

I’m also deeply impressed that It Will Be Like Now is only their second album. What happened to the sophomore slump? All I’m seeing from some of these artists is just banger after banger. Good job, guys.

Check out ‘Blood Knot’ from It Will Be Like Now on Vulture Feathers’ Bandcamp here!

10. How Does It Feel – Elliot Minor

Of all the bands I expected to make a reappearance in this year 2025, Elliot Minor was not one of them. I was really into them back in 2009 with their Solaris release, and then they just quietly faded away. ‘How Does It Feel’ isn’t quite a return to form — it doesn’t have the immediate attention-grabbing baroque-classical rock of ‘Solaris’ or ‘The Dancer’, but it’s an excellent single, and it’s loaded with just as many harmonies as we’ve grown to expect from Elliot Minor. Er, those of us who know who they are anyway. (Mostly Brits. I have no idea how well they crossed the pond.)

Check out the new Elliot Minor single here!

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