By Peyton K.
2025 Alternative Music Releases
5 months into 2025, I want to reflect on all the exceptional music released this year. From the first day of this year, new and old bands have dropped singles, EPs, splits, albums, and more that have made me excited for what the future holds for alternative music. I wish I had time to go over every single release that meant something to me, but I’m going to limit it to 10 for this article.
Cherish – Crochet
Release Date: January 3rd, 2025
Genre: Screamo, Math Rock
RIYL: Journal, Sesame, Nayru, OLTH
Favorite Song: Gentle Guiding Hand
About: After the release of a single in December, I was excited to see what Crochet had up next, and they did not disappoint. With it almost being 2 years since the release of their last EP, this release had been a long time coming. The second I listened to this album, the guitars made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I didn’t expect an album released so early in the year to stick with me for so long, yet it has persisted. The dual vocals on this album are exceptional, but the guitar riffs bring it home for me (especially on songs like My Russian Doll Forever and Shadowplay).
Links to Listen:
To My Dearest Friend – Bedlam Bedrest
Release Date: January 11th, 2025
Genre: Screamo
RIYL: The Lazarus Plot, Burial Etiquette, Clay Birds
Favorite Song: seashells
About: Bedlam Bedrest’s breakout release, To My Dearest Friend, navigates skillfully through slower interludes and harsher screaming choruses. This was another highly anticipated release for me, as I have seen Bedlam Bedrest live a couple of times and loved their sound. The EP is only 9 minutes long in total, but brings you on an emotional journey from start to finish. This is definitely a band to keep your eye on.
Links to Listen:
Dissolution of the Divine – Scythe of Grim
Release Date: January 29th, 2025
Genre: Deathcore
RIYL: We are the End, Jerome, Chelsea Grin
Favorite Song: Smile for the Morgue
About: Also a debut release, Dissolution of the Divine set the scene for 2025 deathcore releases. Liked by oldheads and newheads alike, the album draws on what came before it to create an amalgamation of heavy-hitting guitars, a skilled mix of vocal styles, and the classic snare tones found in deathcore. However, they also aren’t afraid to stray from typical song structures and are open to experimentation, as can be heard in Adversary and the last 30 seconds or so of We All Pay to Die.
Links to Listen:
Hands In The Air! – Told Not To Worry
Release Date: February 10th, 2025
Genre: Sasscore, Metalcore
RIYL: SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Joshua Fit for Battle , Heavy Heavy Low Low, Ted Williams
Favorite Songs: Our Time Will Come & Jane Is A Werewolf!
About: Although their past music has been primarily screamo-inspired, Told Not To Worry knocks it out of the park with this more sasscore-inspired album. The spoken parts, the breakdowns, the pure sass of it all. The variation and range TNTW shows throughout the album is unmistakable. This will most likely end up on my most played albums of 2025, and I think my love for it will persist for years to come.
Links to Listen:
Split – Teen Dating Violence / Solace In Bloom
Release Date: February 14th, 2025
Genre: Screamo, dash of Midwest Emo
RIYL: MIDDLING, After Tomorrow, Ragtag
Favorite Songs: Is That So… & With Friends Like Me
About: First (and only) split on this list! There were so many good splits released last year; I was curious to see what this year had in store for us! Aptly named, “Split” features 3 songs from each band respectively. Teen Dating Violence and Solace and Bloom both have distinct styles that mesh really well with each other, making this album a great listen!
Links to Listen:
The Courage of Shutting Up – At First, At First
Release Date: March 15th, 2025
Genre: Screamo/Post-Hardcore
RIYL: Journal, The Lazarus Plot, …and its name was Epyon
Favorite Song: Her Husband, the Rake
About: Wow, so many insane debut releases on this list! I found at first, at first by an account that reposted their EP the day they dropped it. Two months later, they have 15k monthly listeners and played at Quahog Clam Jam II (a huge screamo fest in Rhode Island). The band’s balance of calm interludes, The Lazarus Plot-esque spoken word portions, and intense screaming choruses allows them to stand out and sets an example for what the screamo scene might look like in the future.
Links to Listen:
Self Titled – heavenscoldhands
Release Date: March 18th, 2025
Genre: Metalcore, Hardcore
RIYL: Vein.fm, On Broken Wings, xNOMADx
Favorite Song: Six Souls Taken
About: Hailing from Montreal, Quebec, heavenscoldhands burst onto the metalcore scene with a mix of heavy and angelic riffs. With great vocal performances by lead vocalist Xavier Trudeau, this album sets the tone for 2025 angel-statue-esque metalcore. Nice spoken word parts and pinch harmonics too, such as in Unfamiliar Ceilings.
Links to Listen:
A Heartfelt Promise – Katywentmissing
Release Date: March 19th, 2025
Genre: Deathcore
RIYL: DISFIGURED, Rev3rent, Elysia
Favorite Song: At the Hands of the Machines
About: It’s no surprise that deathcore is back and more popular than it’s been in a long time; Katywentmissing is just fueling the flame under the kettle. With remastered older singles and completely new tracks, this album was a great listen from front to back. I’m also a sucker for dual vocals, and this album had no lack of beautiful highs and lows.
Links to Listen:
a separation from vanity – Clay Birds
Release Date: April 8th, 2025
Genre: Screamo
RIYL: journal, All My Wishes…, Algae Bloom
Favorite Song: to sell our fire would be the ultimate defeat
About: After hearing them perform some unreleased songs a few months back at a show, I was very excited for this upcoming release. While not straying too far from their pre-established sound, Clay Birds speeds things up a bit in this new EP. With a clearer production and a few years of producing music and playing shows under their belt, Clay Birds shows with this EP why they are currently very popular within the screamo scene.
Links to Listen:
Songs Only We Know – Jingwei
Release Date: May 7th, 2025
Genre: Midwest Emo, Screamo
RIYL: Merchant Ships, Marietta, novely, agile
Favorite Song: Mana Burn
About: I’ll admit, I had been sleeping on this band for a bit. However, when I saw they released a new album and saw fans raving about it all over my socials, I knew I had to give it a listen. While some had a definitive Midwest emo influence, others skewed harder with bird screeches and chugs. One of my friends posted a screenshot of “Mana Burn”, noting, “I never thought I’d hear Jingwei doing chugs like this”, which ultimately got me to check it out. But although relatively new to the band’s sound, they pull it off extremely well and create a listenable, diverse record.
Links to Listen:
Honorable Mentions
3 Song Demo – journal
Was It All Just A Setup? – XclocktowerX
Four Songs – Harmonysdemise
Three Songs (Demo) – Corners Within the Circle of Life
Self Titled – athousandangelsandseven
Fragility – bulletsbetweentongues
Songs – Catalyst…
Demo 2025 – My Friend My Urn
