Our Top 10 Lists have been named in honor of late Blog Director and DJ Clarence Ewing, who pioneered and published this annual feature for nearly a decade.
Our next list is from Peter Buckshot.
10. Wish Defense by FACS (self-released)
What I imagine a Moss Icon album would look like in 2025
Listen: Bandcamp
9. Who Let the Dogs Out by Lambrini Girls (City Slag)
If you can put an aggressive English accent alongside any musical arrangement I am 1000% in. This album is a fun punk album which makes it even better and one I couldn't get enough of start to finish.
Listen: Bandcamp
8. Faded Splendor by Hundredth (self-released)
Going from any hardcore adjacent genre to shoegaze has been as big of a pipeline as any of the years. Where Hundredth takes another step is into the realm of indie rock and a bit of indie pop. I enjoyed the album for simply seeing a band evolve and using their years of experience in other genres create something new entirely.
Listen: Bandcamp
7. Mil orquídeas en medio del desierto by Habak (Persistent Visions)
I can't speak Spanish and every time I've tried to read anything to this album, I am sure I have absolutely butchered it. That being said I absolutely love this album. It gives you all the fun of melodic hardcore while mixing in a bit of the emotional post-hardcore you might see from Touche Amor
Listen: Bandcamp
6. Glutton for Punishment by Heartworms (Speedy Wunderground)
What if The Kills made a gothic pop album?
Listen: Heartworms webstore
5. BABY! by Hard Chiller (Born Losers)
Joey Vannucchi may be my favorite musician that has ever walked the face of the earth so Hard Chiller making this list shouldn't be much of a surprise. The immediate comparison is going to be his main project From Indian Lakes, however this is heavier that gives it a nostalgic 90/00's feel. Think Chevelle or soundtracks for Amped or Tony Hawk in the early 00s.
Listen: Bandcamp
4. Petrov by Petrov (self-released)
Probably my favorite band that Spotify has ever recommended to me. You know you are in the trenches when Spotify recommends you nothing but bands with under 1k listeners on a regular basis. Vocals and fun melodies make this an album I came back to many times throughout the year. This will bring you back to old video game soundtracks when companies used to try to give you interesting songs to listen to.
Listen: Bandcamp
3. Eternal Reverie by TokiMONSTA (Young Art)
If I could only use two words to describe this album it would be chill and sexy. The 7th album from the electronic artist feels like the soundtrack of a night where you lock eyes with someone from across a bar where you're both dressed elegantly and follows the journey of the evenings romance. This is a very relaxed album with a nice fusion of jazz and R&B with TOKiMONSTA's own flare to it.
Listen: Bandcamp
2. Fuck U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not!! <3 by Skrillex (Atlantic)
This would have been my favorite album of the year if it not for #1 potentially releasing the best album of their career. Skrillex Collabs with DJ Smokey for what I would describe as possibly my favorite EDM album of all time. DJ Smokey opens the album asking the listener to not skip and it's something I would recommend as well. This album is a continuous mix of music from different collaborators and some solo work from Skrillex himself. It's such a fun album that I've found myself listening to it in basically EVERY situation possible. If I was working out I was listening to it. If I was cleaning, I was listening to it. If I was on my way to work, I was listening to it etc., etc., etc. Above all else the humor on some of these songs is enough to make me come back. Take "Biggy Bap" for example, with a string of lyrics that go, "This that you going home to an empty house type dubstep beat. One lil' microwave meal for one type dubstep beat," before DJ Smokey drops, "My life is in shambles."
Listen: Skrillex webstore
1. Lonely People With Power by Deafheaven (Roadrunner)
This was probably one of the easiest best albums of the year in my life since Sunbather and New Bermuda came out, also by Deafheaven. Much of the discourse around this album has simply been whether it's better than Sunbather. I'm not ready to make that declaration, however I would say as a fan it is my second favorite album they have released behind New Bermuda (which in my eyes was their second-best album) and at the very least their second-best album. If 2021's Infinite Granite gave us anything it is giving Deafheaven a structure for releasing sub 10 minute epics that are digestible for more people. This is something that is immediately noticeable on this album. This leads to being able to recommend songs more easily while still having that distinct metal gaze sound. I implore you to listen to this album at the very least from track 7 "Incidental II" until track 9 "body behavior" as they are without a doubt some of the best the band has ever offered.
Listen: Deafheaven webstore