The way you see the world is a choice, right? That’s what they tell you. Life presents you with a moment or an experience, and the meaning falls to eye of the beholder. But also their brains. Their experiences. Their traumas. It’s been on our mind constantly as we watch the world give way to aspects and traits only recently considered the worst available in human nature. It’s like Halloween forever, but not the way we wanted.
That’s a big part of why we’ve voluntarily explored so much more horror this spooky season. It almost feels like costumes are unnecessary when every day has felt increasingly grim for… a while now, so we tried to dive headfirst. Yes, we’ll die on the hill that Halloween is the last of the holidays you can feel decent about as an adult, but at the same time, when will the visions of terror actually end, and if they don’t, are we going to lose spooky season to cynicism as well?
Hopefully not, and we’ve got a few new releases below from bands like Hail the Sun, Avec Plaisir, Drill for Absentee, Stereosity and more to help prevent it. Sometimes it really does come down to whatever music you were listening to when life sends you that moment. Was it a comedy? Was it a drama? A soap opera? A lesson? Whatever it is, these ought to help make it a decent soundtrack.
Hail the Sun – cut.turn.fade.back.
On one hand we’d totally understand if you were surprised by how adventurous and strange Hail the Sun’s new record is. On the other, HtS releasing their best record yet fifteen years into their career is almost par for the course, as they’ve long been known as one of post-hardcore’s hardest working and impassioned acts. Maybe it’s the band firing on all cylinders, maybe it’s because the subject matter is so relevant and inescapable, but it’s undeniably cathartic, and we have a feeling this one is destined for a few year-end lists for a number of reasons.
Avec Plaisir – Active Listening
Montreal’s golden emo troupe are back are back with punchy, melodic greatness, and though it officially comes out on Halloween we needed to get it in front of your eyes and ears as quickly as possible.
Antenna93 – Jack in the Green
Speaking of Montreal, it’s a pretty diverse city from what we gather, which explains how we also get something like Antenna93 out of the same area we get Avec Plaisir. Antenna93 is far more fascinated with post-punk and post-hardcore, at times even resembling more of a Chicago thing like Denude or Poison Arrows, but with it’s own flavor. We wish it was more than two tracks.
Drill for Absentee – Strand of A Lake Vol 1. and 2
We can hardly believe it, but Drill for Absentee have finally dropped the second chapter of their two-part EP. We also can’t believe how alive and excited they sound – for a band that always sounded possessed with conviction, it’s almost like you can hear them smiling on tracks like “7riangles” and the bizarre, compound meter meditation that is “Desert Flame.” As the second half of the EP winds down, ultimately it feels like the band is moving into some kind of defiant, chaotic psychedelic phase, and it’s the best kind of surprise they could have given fans new and old alike.
Flutter – Spiral
When we heard a song from this EP a couple of weeks ago, though we forgot which one, we were totally taken back. It was like England’s answer to band’s like Tang and CHON, and now that we’ve heard the whole thing, we’d like to introduce you to experience the same wonderment as quickly as you can.
Pale Sailor – you’re not yourself
Pale Sailor rock cathartic math rock and emo a la Sweet Pill and early Paramore, but we also hear bits of Delta Sleep, Tiny Moving Parts, and Rolo TOmassi. Ultimately you should check it out for yourself, because even though that’s a solid roster of comparisons, you’re not yourself is a great throwback emo record. There’s even a classic voicemail moment in closer “Willows.”
Stereosity – New Life Will Grow
We saw an ad for this band the other day on social media and we were like “is this just hype?” and it turns out, no, this band actually rips. Imagine if Save Us From the Archon was a little slower and had vocals to counterpoint the instrumental craziness underneath, and you’re halfway there. But take it from us, or rather, don’t – go listen to it and we’re pretty sure for some of you it’ll be your new favorite band.
Wizard Surgeon – Wanderism
First of all, incredible name for this Swedish band, and an incredible mission statement to go along with it posted in the Bandcamp bio: “what if post-rock learned to party? what if black metal went surfing? what if doom metal went to college? what if math rock dropped out?” The tunes deliver in a big way, making for one of the best surprises of today’s dump.
Fucks – Singles
Speaking of great band names, Fucks is really all we have to say, right? This earthy, dare-we-say-doomy math project out of Australia actually carves a pretty big space for itself as most of the abuse comes down to chugging drums and thick, throaty bass lines, so even if it’s weird, we think most of you are going to dig it. It fucks. It’s fucks? Fucks fucks.
Fuck Your Birthday – Skyscraper
Can you believe it? We get to cover not one but two fucking fuck bands in one day, and both are excellent? They’re both very different though – this one takes a much more angular, restrained approach. We’re running out of fuck jokes, but fans of Exotic Animal Petting Zoo and older math rock, you are going to love this.
Holy Basil – songs for the smother party
This excellent EP from Portland’s Holy Basil sounds like everything feels these days, but prettier. It’s got post-hardcore and emoviolence, but thanks to the clear production, shredded vocals, and overall feel of the record, it hits like something modern and needed.
Dewlap – The Arizona Purchase
While we’re not sure if the chaotic math rock quartet from Kansas actually purchased Arizona, anything is possible with these nifty instrumental jams, especially the thirteen-minute title track.
Jeremy Bowen – Nothing to Say
Honestly we hesitate to describe our relationship to soft sounds in general, but this acoustic record from Jeremy Bowen just might change that. It’s got a great jam-adjacent thing happening where it really just sounds like a couple of guys jamming around the campfire, but with chords and melodies that appeal way more to the prog and instrumental crowds.
quity – imitation
Salt Lake City might be a polarizing place, but let it be known now if for some reason you haven’t heard already – its music scene is stacked. Describing this breezy, atmospheric, yet constantly haunted experience is difficult, but if you’re into experimental indie and math rock, it’s an incredibly immersive experience you won’t want to miss out on.
As Is, One Year Ago – S/T
This bucket of insane odds and ends out of Wisconsin takes a second to get used to, but damn, is it worth it. It’s sort of like old Tera Melos when they had a louder, jangly-er sound, but it also throws in the occasional ASIWYFA moment. So even the jump between dynamics feels massive at times, they’re well calculated, and always stick the landing.
Farron Keep, Paresis – Furnace Without A Flame
Wild, raw, and cathartic screamo that’s actually a lot more inventive than one might think. As the record blisters, boils and bursts with feelings, you can hear a bit of Fake Pollocks, but also Fear Before the March of Flames, and that’s pretty rare praise so we’ll keep our eyes out for more.
Animizmo – Convivência Pacífica com o Aleatório
This Brazilian trio deliver some of the freshest math rock of 2025. In a way they sort of use the scope of post-rock but using the focus of math rock they create this secret third thing where it’s a grunge-y, bluesy, psychedelic shredfest that’s hard to put a finger on. Whatever it is, most of you are going to fall in love with it after a track or two.
Frontega – All Goodbyes
A fantastic little slice of Midwest emo by way of Chicago post-hardcore, Frontega expertly mix pain with pleasure on this warm and fuzzy, yet highly introspective EP. Speaking of pain, we can’t believe this is the first we’re hearing of them, but that’s life.
Dærith – country (instrumentals)
We love good published-but-officially-unfinished EP, especially when it’s instrumental, and this one actually sounds great as well as entertains, as in the production is quirky, but it serves the songs. It’s like something between CLOUTCHASER and the bizarre but brilliant musings of Joseph A. Peragine. Also very cute cat.
Wax Teeth – Ritual Chaos
If you were looking to keep it math rock, but also keep it post-hardcore, yet also instrumental and Halloween friendly, guess what – Wax Teeth are the perfect band for that, and Ritual Chaos is just what the zombie doctor ordered. It’s like Fat Randy and BOTH HOUSES smashed together in a sonic storm.
Hopeful Utopian – Three Songs in E Flat for Electric Guitar, Pedalboard, and Drum Machine
While the title of the EP might betray something dour or ironic, Hopeful Utopian actually seems to write from a fairly euphoric plane, and it’s a breath of fresh air. Hell, it’s a ray of sunshine with its densely melodic and highly produced sounds. Fans of high-energy math rock like Adebisi Shank or Vasa will certainly enjoy it, as well as fans of modern loop maestros like Legos or Aiming for Enrike.
Invisible Heads – Shifting Paradigm
This one’s understated nature actually had out heads spinning – as much as we hear math rock and emo, we hear strains of post-grunge and nu-metal without dipping into cliche. It just has that level of sonic punch, not to mention emotive vocals that just might have you revisiting Taproot or gLASSJAW.
slinger – seven weeks to the day
A pretty and promising debut out of San Francisco, slinger’s EP mixes emo, post-punk, and math rock to create something that feels immediately rewarding, but also worth coming back to over and over again.
day hike – I believe in a universe that doesn’t care and people who do
Sacramento’s day hike unleash some pretty frenetic emo and math rock with their longwinded EP, but it goes by in the space of just a few minutes. That being said, we’re sure you’ll be revisiting it’s raw charm fairly often as Fall freezes over.
micro terrors – Lucid Dreaming
The debut from Bend’s micro terrors is a lean and mean math rock machine, using familiar tools like clean guitar shred, rolling drums, and chunky bass to create a fresh and stellar sounding EP. It’s also got some subtle shades of jazzy RnB and swan-core, so if you’re looking for something smooth and compelling, this one’s a dream.
National Diet – The King in Yellow
This Portland outfit features some of the talent behind Rainbow Face, but National Diet seems frothier and more manic. There’s winding instrumental breaks, haunting vocal drawls, and atonal goodness abounding – all this and a lot more make it highly recommended for the season, especially if you’re a fan of haunting post-punk in general.
No Basta Con Querer – Recordatorio
It seems like every Tuesday Music Dump we are shouting to the heavens about bands from Chile, and at this point, we’re headed there as soon as the world returns to normal to figure out what’s going on. If you ever wanted to know what the best of Midwest emo would sound like if it were from Chile, it would sound a lot like this.
Flashback Kids – S1P
This math rock from Guadalajara is highly infectious, even addictive after a couple of spins. It’s adventurous and fresh, and the live production brings to mind the liveliest cuts of Mogwai LITE, or Caspian.
LITE – The Beyond
Oh, hello LITE! We were just talking about you – the Japanese legends are back with an EP hot on the heels of Strata, their LP from February. Their bassist JunIzawa also just released an EP just last month, and we can’t help but feel like LITE is one of the most productive bands on the planet, though we’re hardly complaining. The only thing more consistent than their output is their quality control – they’ve never missed, and they’re not about to start now.
Separable – ARtuMEI
We’re chipping away at an article that talks about math rock of the future, and we are definitely adding a clause for this J-Pop meets math rock sensation. It’s got a lot of great production and some really nifty noodles to boot, so even if you’re unsure, we bet if you check out a track or two, you’ll be into it.
Jazz Prank – Human Music
Believe it or not, Jazz Prank might get a spot in the above mentioned article as well thanks to these uncanny, fascinating bleeps and bloops. Rarely linear yet always groovy, this heavily synthetic exploration might not tick all the boxes for everyone, but if you’re into weird, you’ve got it in spades on Human Music. Besides, it’s got some really cool loop and guitar moments as well, with our fave probably being “Inner Folklore.”
Vildhjarta – där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar + (instrumentaal)
Arguably one of the year’s most mathematically jarring albums, the Swedish THALL-meisters really pushed into new territory with their latest record, much in part thanks to letting vocals soar to unexpected places. Though it was definitely somewhat of a risk, it was a move that ended up resonating with longtime fans, and the instrumentals underneath actually do the same in a way we didn’t notice at first. Fans of heavier music, you probably already know, but just in case you don’t, we had to put it here.
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