Show Me The Body - Alone Together (2026)

Logically less diversity in this album than on their Corpus I and II EPs (which I recommend), but still a lot more diverse, surprising and personal than your usual hardcore album. Like in their previous albums Show Me The Body blend some noise-rock, post-punk and nu-metal (mostly some hip-hop rhythms and grooves) in their hardcore, but in Alone Together they also bring some marching band style music, along with bits of acoustic guitars and spoken words, with good results, managing again to renew themselves while keeping quality on top. I think it's time these guys get more recognition!

 

The BC page. 

 

Iceage - For Love of Grace & The Hereafter (2026)

For the previous Iceage album I wrote that they included some pop/indie rock in their post-punk, in their new one, For Love of Grace & The Hereafter, we can hear some post-punk elements left in their indie rock. And despite getting sometimes dangeresously close to cheesy pop punk at times it's still a good and enjoyable album thanks to their always excellent singer and their songwriting skills, their capacity to transmit feelings. Recommended when you'r in the mood for something that isn't heavy.

 

The BC page. 

Haunted Horses - Dweller (2025)

Haunted Horses is a trio from Seattle, and their fourth album, Dweller, is confirming the excellency of their post-punk (reminding a bit Iceage, especially the vocals) mixed with some noise rock heavy enough to border doom, with a sinister industrial feel. Haunted indeed, and recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

Bitter Branches - Let's Give The Land Back To The Animals (2026)

Guitars are sharp, vocals are tense, evoking at turns Black Flag and Oxbow. This second Bitter Branches album, called Let's Give The Land Back To The Animals, is another excellent piece of Am Rep style noise rock, confirming them as among the best noise rock bands around.

 

The BC page. 

 

The Cure - Songs of a Lost World (2024)

I'm two years late for reviewing this one, even if The Cure is likely the band I listened to the most in my life (daily when I was a teen), no, not even if but because! And never easy to review a band nearly 50 years old and which had such a big impact in music. But what helps is that Songs of a Lost World is an excellent album. Not as good as their old classics, but might be their best one since... Wild Moods Swings? the overall atmosphre reminds me a bit Disintegration, not as good, but nice anyway, and it's not just a recall of what they have done before, The Cure have always tried to push the boundaries of their music and try different things, and Songs of a Lost World isn't an exception in that regard. Especially in Warsong, Drone:no Drone and Ensong. Probably the most interesting tracks. But if your more into their "easier" pop side, they also delivered the nice signle A Fragile Thing. So Songs of a Lost World isn't as memorable and won't have the lasting ifnluence of their classics, but it's definitely a good album and I think it proves that The Cure is still absolutely relevant today.

 

The Cure.com

 

Hateful Abandon - Threat (2025)

Hateful Abandon is a band from Bristol, existing since 2004, their fourth album Threat (released by Sentient Ruin) is the first in ten years, with songs from 2014-2024. Their most obvious influence is Godflesh (which can't be bad) but bands like Ramleh or Killing Joke can also be evoked, and more generally they draw from all the history of post-punk and industrial music. But Threat can't be reduced to just its influences and is filled with excellent and diverse songs. Recommended !  

 

The BC page. 

 

Buñuel - Mansuetude (2024)

Buñuel, the other band with Eugene S. Robinson, seems to be more than a one shot, since there is now (well, I'm a bit late here, it's been released two years ago, sorry) a second album called Mansuetude (I also recommend the first one Killers Like Us). No big surprise we're into noise rock territory, and as expected we get great screamed/spoken vocals. But maybe more diverse than Oxbow, sometimes heavier, sometimes more melodic, sometimes groovier, more rocking, sometimes a post-punk feel, a touch of math rock. Maybe progressive noise rock would fit. In any case great songwriting, a formidable singer backed by really talented musicians. Awesome!

 

 The BC page. 

 

Soft Kill - Escape Forever (2024)

Escape Forever (released in 2024) isn't the most recent Soft Kill release, but I'll review this one because I think it's the most remarkable of the recent Soft Kill stuff (and the guy doing Soft Kill is too prolific to review everything he does). It saw an important shift for Soft Kill, basically it's when it got quite happy. Could have been a disaster for the inspiration and the music, but no. It's not so much a change of style than a change of mood. It still reminds The Cure a lot (the sound, the singing), just now it reminds The Cure happier songs... And it turns out to be one of the best Soft Kill releases. Recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

Fine Lame - Vivre comme on éclarerait (2025)

Fine Lame is a French band playing a kind of "poetic rock". On their new album Vivre comme on éclaterait the music can be described as post-rock (guitars, drums and keys), with bits of post-punk and noise-rock, and the vocals are spoken/declamatory (and in French). It's different and well done, and should appeal to people into Oiseaux Tempêtes and Hubert Félix Thiéfaine. I really recommend it!

 

The Bandcamp page. 

 

UNDER 45 - Stonewalled (2024)

I discovered UNDER 45 (from Lyon, France, but with an English singer) while they were opening for another band at Les Passagers du Zinc in Besançon and they were excellent. I also recommend their latest album, Stonewalled (released last year). They play some post-punk with a drum machine, a kind of post-punk that have a good melodic feel (great riffs and basslines), but still sounds actually punk. And the excellent vocals and lyrics is the cherry on the top.

The Bandcamp page. 

 

 

Floating - Hesitating lights (2025)

Before listening to Floating I did not know prog/tech death-metal blended with post-punk was a thing, but in the form of their second album Hesitating Lights not only it exists, but it's also one of the best and most interesting album I listened to in at least a couple of years. Those typical post-punk basslines and riffs actually combines very well with a prog/tech and dissonant kind of death metal. A nice surprise that I really recommend!

The BC page.

 

Viagra Boys - Viagr aboys (2025)

Viagr aboys isn't my favourite Viagra Boys album, but I listened to it a lot and really enjoy it nevertheless. Not big evolution, but pure Viagra Boys music, funny and sarcastic smart lyrics, excellent vocals, sharp post-punk riffs, the saxophone, and excellent songwriting full of inventivity. Excellent stuff again.

 

Bad Breeding - Contempt (2024)

Contempt is the fifth album from UK band Bad Breeding. Raw hadcore including noise rock, sludge and post-punk elements, evoking bands like Black Flag, Unsane, Eyehategod or Idles. If you like your hardcore dirty and noisy this is definitely for you. I also recommend you check their more recent release, the Blood Manifest Ep, showcasing in four tracks both their more aggressive and slower and noisier sides. Recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

Bambara - Birthmarks (2025)

If you're into bands like Algiers, Ice Age, or, if we go back in time The Cure or Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (I know all are still active, but the classics from the latter ones are not their recent albums), then Bambara should be also one of your favourite bands, and their new album, Birthmarks should be among your favourite 2025 albums. In the same vein as their excellent previous albums, the trio from New York managed to vary the pleasures with some female vocals on a couple of songs, some sax parts, new beats, etc., making each song a memorable one. And the vocalist has once again done a tremendous job. Highly recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

Wailin Storms - The Silver Snake Unfolds (2022)

Wailin Storms is a band I've been following for ten years, so it's due time I review one of their album, even if a bit late, since The Silver Snake Unfolds was released in 2022. Their music is a kind of modern take on the post-punk/swamp rock/gothic americana thing, reminding Joy Division, Gun Club, Birthday Party or Slug Guts, but blending it with heavier doom/Neurosis elements. Good stuff.

 

The BC page. 

 

Grave Pleasures - Plagueboys (2023)

After two albums that were good, but not as memorable as I expected from people coming from Beatsmilk/Hexvessel (singer Mat MacNerney, and for Beastmilk bassist Valtteri Arino) and Oranssi Pazuzu (guitarist Juho Vanhanen), Grave Pleasures released last year Plagueboys, which this time lived up to my expectations, even exceeding it. Plagueboys is less gothic rock and more post-punk/new-wave, in terms of writing and sound. Stripped-out songwriting, and sharp and/or echoing guitars, basslines pushed forwrad, simple and catchy beats.It reminds The Cure/Joy Division more than previously. But the main point, the key tot he improvement is the songs, they are more memorable, and just better. Highly recommended!

The BC page.

 

Algiers - Shook (2023)

Shook, released last year, is Algiers' fourth album. They still deliver some kind of soul infused post-punk but they brought many people to collaborate with them (Zach de la Rocha, Backxwash, billy woods, Mark Cisneros, Patrick Shiroishi, among others) and as could be expected Shook is the most versatile album they have done, gaining in diversity what it loses in cohesiveness. The many hip-hop and spoken words elements give the album a kind of ambient / soundtrack feel. But describing it is a bit pointless, you have to experience it. I really recommend you do (and check their previous albums as well!).

The Bandcamp page.

 

Blacklisters - Fantastic Man (2020)

Hardcore? Yes, kind of. Noise rock and post-punk, definitely. Blacklisters from Leeds (UK) is all that. But maybe the best way to describe their latest album Fantasic Man (released in 2020, due time for another one guys!) is that the band it reminds me the most is Nirvana, not bad isn't it? Check it!

The BC page.

 

Ultra Razzia - Jusqu'au bout de la nuit (2022)

I'm not usually interested a lot in the street/oi! side of punk, but Jusqu'au bout de la nuit from Ultra Razzia grabbed my attention and I really like it. The band from Montréal (they sing in French) manage to bring extra dimensions to oi!/street punk by mixing it with speed rock/metal (Motörhead comes to mind, especially with the powerfull and catchy basslines) and a post-punk feel (the darker atmosphere and, again, the basslines). Give it a try!

 

The BC page. 

 

Kill The Thrill - Autophagie (2024)

If Kill The Thrill first appear on Blasting Days, it's just because their previous album was before my blog existed (Tellurique was in 2005, Blasting Days started in 2012). Kill The Thrill is among my favourite French band. They can loosely be classified as industrial rock/metal, but on the more atmospheric side of industrial, closer to bands like Jesu, The Young Gods, Einstürzende Neubauten, or Swans than to Minsitry. And their new album Autophagie is maybe their less heavy one. I think I preferred Tellurique, but I also really enjoy the new one as well. The singing, now nearly entirely in French is again excellent.

The Bandcamp page.