Musings On Music: May 2025
A musical month high on quantity yet full of quality too.
It’s tough work on these streets keeping up with all this new music, huh? I managed to load up on plenty of new releases that captivated me in multiple ways, yet I still feel like I’m missing so much. It’s a labor of love listening to all this stuff, I tell you. Ok, enough waxing poetic about my burgeoning career as a music journalist; let’s get down to everything I listened to in May of 2025, from the PUPs (aka the highs) to the Arcade Fires (aka the lows).
As always, every song & album mentioned here is linked in each writeup, and a Spotify playlist from the month is located at the end of the article. Happy listening!
May 2025 Album Reviews
Album of the Month: PUP - Who Will Look After The Dogs?: 7.9/10
Living sucks sometimes; this album doesn’t. Full review:
Car Seat Headrest - The Scholars: 7.1/10
Come to class at Parnassus University and learn… something. Full review:
Model/Actriz - Pirouette: 7.5/10
Ever felt like having a panic attack in song form? That’s the crux of Model/Actriz’s sound; there’s an ever-present stress to each track of Pirouette that threatens to push you over the edge. The beauty is in that teetering feeling, and both Cole Haden’s performances and the jittery, uncomfortable nature of their post-punk sound. There’s a couple shorter tracks that are mostly spoken word and are pretty forgettable, but otherwise the band is operating in good form here.
Arcade Fire - Pink Elephant: 3.8/10
Win Butler says it best: “Don’t think about Pink Elephant”. Full review:
PinkPantheress - Fancy That: 7.7/10
No skips required on PinkPantheress’ most fun project yet. Full review:
Tune-Yards - Better Dreaming: 7.5/10
The alt-pop duo gets back to pop that pops. Full review:
Blondshell - If You Asked For A Picture: 6.7/10
There’s a lot of boilerplate indie rock instrumentals that run together on Sabrina Teitelbaum’s latest record. Not a lot of songs really distinguish themselves through their sound; it’s up to the songwriting to do the heavy lifting. And Teitelbaum is still an accomplished artist with her pen, and the way she subtly tears into current and past partners is both funny and chilling. Beyond relationships, she struggles with her sexuality, her body image and more. It’s just a shame there’s nothing sonically that jumps out like the songs of her last record did.
Kali Uchis - Sincerely,: 7.8/10
The now-worldwide star takes a well earned victory lap. Full review:
Stereolab - Instant Holograms on Metal Film: 7.0/10
A bit too similar overall, but Stereolab’s return is a solid one. Full review:
Smerz - Big city life: 6.9/10
The big city is dark and full of terrors if you take Smerz’s word for it. The Norwegian duo never rises above a whisper on their takedown of big city life here on, well, Big city life. The dreamy pop beats are similarly quiet, perhaps mirroring the unintended boredom one might face in a city they were promised was full of life. It’s just that the approach itself is more boring than I think the duo intended. The writing is pretty dry and funny, but the wispy beats are lacking when it comes to memorability. That being said, “You got time and I got money” is a clear highlight, a lovelorn affair that succeeds in its simplicity. There are other solid tracks for sure, but you gotta dig deeper than you should have to in order to find them.
Reviews Of 2025 Releases From Past Months
Brian D’Addario - Till The Morning (from March): 7.0/10
The sound of classic rock is alive and well on Brian D’Addario’s solo debut. As one half of the Lemon Twigs, he brings a clear appreciation for the music that inspires him, carefully crafting his music to not just sound like a fanboy of the best bands from the 1970’s. Without his brother Michael involved, there’s a certain edge that’s lost, but if you’re a fan of anyone from Badfinger to Big Star and everyone in between, there’s plenty of easy listening to be found on Till The Morning.
Viagra Boys - viagr aboys (from April): 7.6/10
Back to punk basics in a world that’s anything but basic. Full review:
Self Esteem - A Complicated Woman (from April): 5.1/10
Rebecca Taylor went full Lizzo. Never go full Lizzo. Full review:
My Morning Jacket - is (from March): 6.5/10
A band I’ve heard of for many years but never got around listening to. Their latest makes me think I should check out some of their earlier material. It’s not bad at all, but there’s an edge that’s lacking from most songs; it’s all fairly sanitized modern rock music. Songs like “Squid Ink” are fine and all, but you’ll find better rock efforts from 2025 in most other places you can look.
May 2025 Songs
Song of the Month: Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band - “New Threats From The Soul”
9+ astonishing minutes of Americana nirvana. Full review:
10 Other Great Songs From May 2025
The Diasonics - “Oriole”
The joy of sifting through new music reviews is finding a gem among the bigger names. My latest find is the Diasonics, a Russian funk quintet that seem to be prepping a new album where every song is named after a bird of some sort. The lead single “Oriole” is bird-brained in its energy but wise in its construction, and an excellent taste of more funky jazz to come.
Indigo De Souza - “Heartthrob”
Indigo wills her daydreams true on this sky-high single. Full review:
Lorde - “Man of the Year”
A calm crash out/an excellent preview for Lorde’s upcoming LP. Full review:
Magdalena Bay - “Ashes to Ashes (triple J Like a Version)”
The more I think about it, the more parallels I find between Magdalena Bay and David Bowie. Both artists expertly used characters to tell stories within their music, and neither act is/was afraid to bring said characters to the weirdest places. MagBay’s cover of the “Space Oddity” sequel contains all the beautiful weirdness of the original, with its breathy backing vocals and the carefully plucked bass guitar. They add a phenomenal guitar solo at the song’s climax, giving Major Tom’s second wind their own unique touch.
Nation of Language - “Inept Apollo”
NoL continue doing what they do best: moody analog synthpop. Full review:
PUP - “Cruel”
PUP’s brand of self-loathing manifests in many ways; on “Cruel”, it comes in the form of a dying relationship, one you don’t know how to get out of. You never mean to hurt your partner, but when you do, you’ll never let forgive yourself for it. But PUP’s biting self-awareness, coupled with one of the album’s most raucous instrumentals, gives this low moment a blistering high.
Smerz - “You got time and I got money”
Whereas Smerz spend most of their time questioning the allure of life in the big city, their best song from Big city life is a straightforward love song. The simplicity of the pleasures one can find in one’s loved one (the way they dress, their family, their taste in food) pair well with how easy on the ears this instrumental is. It’s a sweet moment of bliss that briefly melts away all the uncertainty of life in the megalopolis.
Turnstile - “LOOK OUT FOR ME”
Just like the title track for NEVER ENOUGH, “LOOK OUT FOR ME” is a perfect marriage of the dueling musical styles Turnstile does so well. The song’s first half rages along with a certain melodious touch, while the latter half takes its time in creating a drift of sonic bliss.
U.S. Girls - “Bookends”
Meg Remy takes us on a wild, soulful odyssey. Full review:
Wednesday - “Elderberry Wine”
Nothing heals painful change like alcohol and Americana. Full review:
Classics Corner
Masayoshi Takanaka - TAKANAKA
During a road trip I took to a few Presidential libraries & museums earlier in the month, I discovered the joy of Masayoshi Takanaka’s music. He’d had songs included on some city pop compilations I owned, but I’d never dove headfirst into his music specifically. Let me just say, he’s probably one of the coolest people to ever live, and his catalog is not only among the best of his time and genre, it’s great driving music through the plains of Kansas. His music is so breezy, so carefree, so joyous in its sound and its intentions; this is all before you realize what an incredible guitar player he is. There’s no shortage of great records I could recommend, but TAKANAKA is probably my favorite at the moment. That could change at any point though!
Nation of Language - “Friend Machine”
I had never really given Nation of Language’s debut record much time, and in doing so now, I feel like I was depriving myself of some pretty great tunes. My favorite from that album is “Friend Machine”, maybe the bounciest, roughest synthpop song they’ve made.
Molchat Doma - Этажи
While perusing my local record store with a friend recently, they introduced me to this Belarusian band that sounds like a mix between Joy Division and New Order. That in itself is already kind of a funny statement given the two band’s overlapping members, but it’s true: the doom and gloom of Ian Curtis and the boys is well mixed with Peter Hook-esque guitars and sequenced synthesizers. It’s good stuff, no matter if I haven’t a clue what they’re saying.
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
This month marked 12 years since Daft Punk’s swan song dropped. To this day it’s one of my favorite albums ever, and a true celebration of the joy of music. Read more in-depth thoughts in my retro review here:
Until next month! Read more features from my blog below.
