Catch-Up Review Roundup

Before we bring the year to a close, let’s take a look at some the records released this year that time simply did not permit us to review in full.

ALBUM: Charmer – Downpour

RATING: 77/100 – Mostly Very Good

Charmer have made it clear that ‘Downpour’ could represent the last we hear from them in a little while, and if so, then this band are going out on quite the high note. The manner in which this band effortlessly managers to deliver one breathtaking and melancholic emo anthem after another makes for a deeply compelling listen, and one track has even managed to find its way high up onto our Songs of the Year list – you’ll have to wait until next week to find out which one it is.

ALBUM: Of Monsters & Men – All Is Love And Pain In The Mouse Parade

RATING: 74/100 – Good

Six years since their previous LP, and three since their last EP, Of Monsters And Men finally returned in 2025 with a surprising deviation in sound, as they experimented with lo-fi and bedroom pop sounds on their cozy fourth record, ‘All Is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade‘. It is all wonderfully performed, and there are some stand out moments here, such as the expansive, ambient-toned ‘Fruit Bat‘, or the confessional yet gently catchy ‘Television Love‘. Unfortunately, the album lacks a sense of momentum that keeps you truly hooked; it is such a comfortable listen that you might just accidentally doze off.

ALBUM: Thousand Below – Buried In Jade

RATING: 74/100 – Good

The San Diego alternative rock outfit stage something of a return to form following their muddled third record. Whilst still not quite reaching the heights of their early career, this record packs enough of a visceral punch to grab your attention, as the band continue to polish the alternative metal sound that they established all the way back on their second record. Not an essential metal listen for 2025, but worthy of checking out should you find the time between all of the year’s other fantastic releases.

ALBUM: saturdays at your place – these things happen

RATING: 79/100 – Mostly Very Good

Even with the incredible success of their single ‘tarot cards’, there was no guarantee that saturdays at your place were going to keep up their momentum. What did confirm this, however, was just how delightful of a listen their long-awaited debut LP was. It may not have pushed the boundaries of emo, but what it did provide was an essential part of your emo summer soundtrack. Breezy, lively, spirited, and infinitely listenable, the future of saturdays at your place continues to look bright.

EP: Arcadia Ego – Rip Me Apart and Replace Me With Stars

RATING: 80/100 – Very Good

An improvement on their debut EP in every single imaginable way, Arcadia Ego’s sophomore release seea more aggression, more emotion, and more polish from one of Merseyside’s need-to-know outfits. The band’s post-hardcore sound flirts with ideas from emo and grunge to create a bristling listening experience, as they grapple with organised religion, mental health, and complex familial relationships. A true hidden gem of 2025.

ALBUM: La Dispute – No One Was Driving the Car

RATING: 79/100 – Mostly Very Good

Raw, disconcerting, and bleak, La Dispute’s first record in six years sees the band confront human agency, the collapse of the American empire, and their own mortality. Gone are the glittering synths and luscious soundscapes of ‘Panorama‘, and instead the band return to basics, with gritty riffs, frenzied vocals, and a confrontational mixing style. ‘I Shaved My Head‘ and ‘Man With Hands And Ankles Bound‘ make for one of the strongest album openings of the year, whilst ‘Environmental Catastrophe Film‘ and ‘Top-Sellers Banquet‘ are sprawling behemoths that grapple with the uncertainty of death and the question of who is truly worthy of heaven. A wonderfully challenging listen from start to finish.

ALBUM: The Callous Daoboys – I Don’t Want To See You In Heaven

RATING: 86/100 – Mostly Excellent

‘I Don’t Want To See You In Heaven‘ sees vocalist Carson Pace turn his gaze inwards towards is inner “Museum of Failures”, and the result is a wild ride of a record that launched the band into a new tier of success. Whilst the back half of this album is classic The Callous Daoboys mathcore chaos (and therefore a solid listen automatically), it is the front half of this record that truly shines, with the band toying with both heavier and poppier sounds in equal measure. ‘Lemon‘ is wonderfully bittersweet number that shows just how phenomenal Pace is as a vocalist, whilst ‘Two-Headed Trout‘ features wickedly catchy choruses that hook you in like nothing else you will listen to from 2025.

EP: imagine we had antlers – imagine we had antlers

RATING: 77/100 – Mostly Very Good

Title Fight can stay in retirement; imagine we had antlers are here to give the emo kids something they can scrap to. This debut EP feels like the start of something truly special, with its raw production and performances lending it a deeply intimate feeling, placing you front and centre of a house party that will be spoken of in legend for years to come. This is what emo is supposed to be about; keep a very close eye on this band.

EP: Deathbloom – Scarcity & Overflow

RATING: 77/100 & 78/100 – Mostly Very Good

A double EP from Manchester’s dreamo five-piece Deathbloom offers one of the most unsettling listens of the year. The releases pull their inspiration from a flood that struck their hometown in 1872, washing at least 76 corpses from their graves into the city streets; the event is used to frame thematic conversations about poverty, inequality, and consumption in the modern age. If ‘Overflow‘ is the sound of gilded towers and priests feasting at tables with CEOs, then ‘Scarcity‘ is the deeply disconcerting sensation of wading through a river of the damned and decomposed just to gather the scraps left behind. A masterclass of creativity and ambition.

MIXTAPE: pulses. – pulses. pack, vol. 1

RATING: 76/100 – Mostly Very Good

Doing things a little differently to everybody else on this list, pulses. opted to drop a collection consisting of remixes, unreleased tracks, a cover of N.E.R.D’s ‘Lapdance‘ featuring With Sails Ahead, and a home for standalone single ‘XO (Sold Out)‘ featuring Zach Benson. Purposefully consolidated to provide a stopgap release between pulses. LP3 and LP4, this is a brilliantly fun release that permits pulses. to get weird without trying to fit the sound into an album format. ‘Laminar Flow‘ is a particularly fiery performance from the band.

ALBUM: Picture Parlour – The Parlour

RATING: 75/100 – Mostly Very Good

Picture Parlour have not revolutionised indie rock with their debut LP, but what they have done is stacked banger next to banger that will absolutely silence the misogynistic industry plant claims. Feisty, quirky, and plenty of fun, this is a record that demands to be played loud and repeatedly as you get sucked into the scandalous world of ‘The Parlour’,

ALBUM: Dayseeker – Creature In The Black Night

RATING: 70/100 – Good

Dayseeker’s latest record doesn’t push the boundaries as much as the band’s potential suggests that they are capable of, and stays in a very similar vein to their previous effort, ‘Dark Sun‘. Despite this, the performances are strong, the sound is polished, and the gothic melodrama that accompanies the pop-metal backbone is nicely executed. ‘Shapeshift‘ and ‘Meet the Reaper‘ both make for essential listens for fans of modern metalcore.

EP: itoldyouiwouldeatyou – We Were Having Such A Lovely Day

RATING: 77/100 – Mostly Very Good

It has taken seven years for this six-piece to release anything more than a single, but that patience has been well rewarded. This EP makes for an eccentric collection of songs that plays loose and fast with the definition of ‘emo’, leading to some particularly wonderful moments such as ‘50,000’ and ‘Wonderful Life, Pt. 1’, the latter of which features a gorgeous appearance from PETSEMATARY. The inclusion of 2024’s ‘Closure in Moscow’ is a particular highlight, reminding you of just how phenomenal this band’s lyricism can truly be.

ALBUM: Skiimo – Nothing Ever Changes

RATING: 77/100 – Mostly Very Good

With two EPs, an album, and a headline tour under their belt, it is clear that Colorado’s Skiimo have done everything in their power to make 2025 their year, and the result has solidified them as an emo band you need to know. ‘Nothing Ever Changes’ is a whimsical yet deeply heartfelt listen from start to finish that captures perfectly the beauty to be found in impermanence, and our relationship with the world we are born into.

ALBUM: Talking Point – The Beautiful Things the Cold Brings

RATING: 76/100 – Mostly Very Good

Taking listeners back to the heyday of melodic hardcore of the early 2010’s, the debut record of Talking Point is an atmospheric yet gritty display of emotions. The riffs hit hard, the vocals are ferocious, and the performances all carry an undeniably sense of charm and spirit. The guest features are varied and work wonderfully with the band’s core sound, and offer a glimpse into how community benefits musical scenes. A band with the potential to produce a real cult classic record.

EP: innerlove. – For The Love of The Game

RATING: 76/100 – Mostly Very Good

Filled with heart, charm and whimsy, ‘For The Love of The Game’ is a wonderfully confessional and hopeful emo listen. From the waltzing vulnerabilities of ‘Hey Man’ to the driving pop-punk flair of ‘Fictional’, this EP serves as the sonic equivalent of a warm hug, telling you that it’s okay to let go of what holds you down.

EP: Long Goodbye – to reconcile with death for the sake of a beautiful ending

RATING: 76/100 – Mostly Very Good

A relentless battering ram of sound engulfs the listener from start to finish, as rising stars of the hardcore scene Long Goodbye deliver an electrifying onslaught that demands and deserves your attention. The mixing and mastering is perfect here, giving the whole affair a searing, ferocious feel that echoes the sounds of 90’s hardcore. Thi

EP: Witherhorde – Words of Corruption

RATING: 79/100 – Mostly Very Good

Can you understand what is being said here? No. Does it matter? Absolutely fucking not. Witherhorde’s debut EP is a stupidly fun slab of deathcore, with lyricism pulling from The Elder Scrolls and riffs pulling from the very pits off hell. The EP kicks ass for the entirety of its thirteen minute runtime, but really hits its stride on the absolutely monolithic ‘Defy Even Death‘; Ted Goulden is a truly monstrous vocal presence, unleashing sounds that feel wholly impossible for a human to achieve. Drop the Kublai Khan TX nonsense and get this on your workout playlist to see some real gains.

And with that, reviews for 2025 are officially completed. I could wax poetic about how it has been a phenomenal year for music, but when you truly love music, every year is a phenomenal year. May your festive season, however you spend it, be warm, loving, and kind.

Return here on December 27th as we start our end of year listings with part one of the Top 50 Songs of 2025!