For the past few years, when people ask whatever we’re most proud of when it comes to the blog, it’s the fact that we are essentially an international, even global community. Despite every difference imaginable, 99 out of 100 Fecking Bahamas readers could all attend the same show without incident because if you’re going to a math rock show, you’re going to get the same kind of people no matter where you are on Earth… nerds.
And let’s be clear, we thank all that’s holy for it, so with our first article of 2026 we just want to say thank you for sticking with us. Talking about math rock, emo, noise, or music in general gets complicated when everyone is driving themselves crazy just trying to survive. We’re also recovering from our first case of identity theft to boot, which has of course given us a lot to think about. But all in all, let’s just say we’ve never been more reminded of the things we care about or how far we’d go to protect them, which includes you.
The community has treated us with degrees of respect and acclaim far above anything we deserve, and no matter where you are, if you’re reading this, we appreciate you doing so in ways you can’t even imagine. We don’t know what you might be going through. We don’t know your names or your faces. We might not actually know anything about you, but we know that you’re into math, which means we’ve got something in common, and that’s a good place to start. You know, in addition to sharing the inescapable burden that is 3D-consciousness, which ought to be enough, but 2025 taught us that for many, it isn’t.
_
Anyway, if you’re into math rock, it also means there’s a high chance you’re into problem solving. The world is going to need all the problem solvers it can get once the imperial winds finally die down, if they ever do. We’re not sure when, how, or what that would look like when you take a look at history, but in the immortal words of Propaghandi, “… someday, somewhere, today’s empires, tomorrow’s ashes.” For now, say safe, stay smart, stay brave, and when possible, stay calm. Remember, they want your emotions running hot because that’s when you’re most likely to… sorry, what? Oh yeah, we almost forgot. Let’s talk about the music – we’ll start with some of what we missed last year, and towards the end we’ll get into those first few math rock releases of 2026:
Pile On – Normal Village
Let’s kick things off with this subtle-yet-victorious LP out of Leeds, where we see the best of post-punk influences from all over the world reflected in a fresh but nostalgic take we currently can’t get enough of. It’s cathartic yet classy, reminding us of bands like Protomartyr and shame, but angrier, and that suits us just fine.
Bezoar – S/T
Late last year, France’s Bezoar put out some truly dank discordant, mid-90’s flavored chaos. The record has an impressive sense of sonic girth, where everything has a certain heft to it thanks to visceral performance and raw, explosive production.
Désordre – L’Échappée Belle
That’s two for two, France! This one is a little more angular and lightweight than Bezoar, and it plods forward with a dusty, cinematic post-rock authority that’s kind of all its own. We dig it.
How Sleepy – Exposition B
This bouncy guitar dream comes from Malaysia, and normally we have no problem plugging more shred-happy albums in the style of plini and Sithu Aye, because whether it’s prog or math, it tends to fit in the advent of CHON. But How Sleepy makes it a no brainer considering how much juicy, frenetic math rock is actually part of its DNA, so it comes extra recommended.
Quivik – Manantial
This space-y emo dream slipped past our radar when it released last year in November, which is a bummer because it’s pretty visionary. It’s like if Rolo Tomassi were more of a Chilean prog band with saucier keys, which is kind of reductive when you consider how fresh Quivik’s debut comes across, so check it out for yourself.
Bucktooth Tiger – Bucktooth Dragon
Let’s just call it how it is first of all, if you’re going to call your band Bucktooth Tiger, Bucktooth Dragon is an incredible title for your debut. But even if they’d skipped that part, they’d have a real banger on their hands – it’s hard to describe, but it’s chunk-y, post-rock friendly math rock with killer vocals out of Lithuania and we’ll take all of that we can get.
TWINS – it’s_complicated
When we first heard it, this wackadoodle emotional math rock rollercoaster made us think of two of our favorites, post-Floral breakouts Fake Pollocks and Seattle’s No Edits. There’s depth, absurdity, and good fun to be found, but with a distinctly heavy style and delivery we think a lot of you will appreciate.
A Colossal Hand – Memory, The Mind’s Basilisk
Potentially the heaviest thing featured today’s dump, this allegedly suburban dad metal EP, to us, sounds like the best of ye olde brutal prog a la BTBAM with hints of Car Bomb. That being said it also has a distinctly nasty edge to it even in comparison to those guys, so if you fancy yourself some metal or mathcore, A Collosal Hand absolutely deserves a spot on your radar.
Parti. – HIGH ACTION
Well, they had us at the title of the record, even if we’ve only heard one song overall which is linked below. This hyper math rock cocktail from the Philippines delivers on their mission statement, and we’re looking forward to hearing the rest of it as soon as it’s out.
Viscula – Masks
This sludge-y and powerful Ukranian record has way more going for it than volume, with hints of bizarre noise rock, funk, and 8-bit video game aesthetics creeping out from under it.
Decay and Attack – To Mineral
From what we understand, to mineral is… to rock, with enthusiasm. It’s a verb. You know how we know? This insane instrumental record from Decay and Attack out of Mexico told us, and it didn’t even need words to do it.
Hard Softee – Silent Screams and Little Things
This one comes out of the misty PNW, and you can really feel the region’s distinct haze sticking to so much of the band’s dark, glittering experimental post-hardcore. It’s mysterious, odd, all over the place, and loud, and around here, those things earn you bonus points.
Fierce Honors – Fell Through A Portal
Another strangely regional record that came out right at the tail end of last year was Fell Through A Portal, which is a fitting title for how transportive it is, as well as how transportive it is. It constantly keeps you on your toes without pushing you over, and it makes for a really interesting ride through less common, but no less vital Midwest territories.
One Trillion Bees – Immute
While the thought of one trillion actual bees is truthfully quite terrifying, this sharp little EP manages to keep things pretty pleasant with classic math rock and emo guitars atop frenetic, stinging vocals way. It’s an interesting mix too, with the screams way in the background so it mostly feels like a math rock record, but a screamo record too when you turn it up.
Dante Swan – Soul Snatcher
We’ve been a fan of Swan’s for years now thanks to his ads with Abasi Instruments, but this tasty little EP surprised us with how balanced it was. It’s much more Clams Casino than it is Polyphia, which was unexpected, but it’s somewhere in that mystical ratio we see just how much potential Swan has if he keeps it up like this.
Jeremy Bowen – FlLUX: Music as Light
For a split second we weren’t sure if this record was going to be relevant to this list, but Jeremy Bowen’s already proven himself as a name to watch out for if you’re a fan of cinematic math rock, even if the last thing we heard from him was purely acoustic. Now we get to hear his college capstone project, and it sounds a bit more Aphex Twin, but we couldn’t be more stoked on this chance to hear a totally different side of Bowen’s artistic sensibilities.
F3RGATR0N – S/T
This is the kind of noise rock (or… surf-core?) record that continuously pummels you while you’re down, and we wouldn’t have it any other way, because it’s a lot more fun than it sounds. Trust us. It’s chaotic, bludgeoning, and at times, hilarious with how technical and bizarre it is, especially when it brings in unexpected orchestral moments like on our current fave, “E/Affect.”
Teen Prime / disonancia expansiva – no.6
It’s the Berlin band’s sixth offering and still, all this time later, we are still enamored by their distinct pacing and inaccessible structure, if you could even call it structure. It’s jazz, it’s math rock, it’s upsetting, and in our opinion, overall pretty incredible.
Mellowing – some things can’t be unsaid
Mellowing, a Melbourne, AU band that splashes adventurous emo and math rock together with a side of crushing post-rock has anundeniable sweetness to them – even at their most rending. Sure, some things can’t be unsaid, but we promise you won’t regret hearing what you hear.
+ SINGLES +
North of Us – “Dynasty”
North of Us is a super diverse math rock and emo project out of New Jersey we’ve enjoyed for some time now, and their latest single feels like a whole other echelon in terms of polish, narrative, and execution. It’s like if you took the acoustic tricks they’ve displayed before, but transposed as something far louder and explosive in the vein of pop-punk like Hot Mulligan with a dash of Invalids.
Lugubrious Junior – “Ricotta and Whatnot”
The title of LJ’s latest demo is bate, it has to be. You don’t just casually bring up ricotta cheese without some kind of contextual followup. Luckily the song itself offers… some, probably, but either way it’s a sweet post-prog bounce that contrasts excellently with the debut single, complete with soaring vocals. Who knows what kind of cheese awaits on their upcoming LP, but we know we’ll be checking it out.
_
CARICATURE w/ “SEVEN)SUNS – “Smile Harder”
The already gnashing, reverberating sounds of “Smile Harder” are forced into the stratosphere with SEVEN)SUNS’ piercing string parts, and it’s an aural assault in every sense of the word. It’s like a sludgier FRONTIERER, but with a dash more deadguy with it’s wild yet earnest excursion.
_
Trust Fund Ozu – “Die Hard!!”
While Trust Fund Ozu’s latest won’t help you settle any debates as to whether or not the film was a Christmas movie, it will probably make you watch it again with the song playing in the background. There’s a super math-y, POG-y sounding intro before it kicks into Faye’s usual hyper-prog excellence, but throughout the song it feels like there’s actually more chaotic math on display than usual, so it’s definitely a sweet teaser for whatever’s coming next on ARTiCHOKE.
_
(Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for more music, check out our Bandcamp compilations here. If you like us, or possibly even love us, donations are always appreciated at the Buy Me A Coffee page here, but if you’re in a generous mood you can also donate to folks like Doctors Without Borders, the PCRF, Charity Water, Kindness Ranch, One Tail at A Time, Canopy Cat Rescue, or Best Friends Animal Sanctuary that could probably use it more – click on their names above to check ‘em out if you’re so inclined. Thanks again!)