If this were March, I would say it’s coming in like a lion, based on the number of killer releases on the way. Since it’s February, I guess you have to say it’s coming in like a groundhog. Except a groundhog really seems closer to a lamb than a lion. So what preys on groundhogs? Well, according to Google, the list includes hawks, foxes, coyotes and bobcats. Those are all solid options, but clearly, bobcat is the coolest. So there you have it: February is officially coming in like a bobcat. See for yourself:
Bikini Beach
Cursed
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Voracious caterpillars and beautiful butterflies. Fuzzy riffs and sugar-sweet melodies. Bikini Beach focus on contrasts on their new album. Cursed is LP No. 7 by the border crossers from Lake Constance. Singer and guitarist Nils Hagstrom and bassist Charlotte Love live in Constance, while drummer Flip700 comes from nearby Switzerland. In 2025, Bikini Beach sound gloomier than ever. No wonder, with all the shit going on around us. The lyrics are about very personal problems or anger at the situation as a whole. The planet is going to the dogs, Nazis and populists are celebrating election victories and bombs and cruise missiles are flying in the neighborhood. They add: “We are aware that, on the one hand, we live in a super privileged society, but at the same time we are sometimes simply stunned by current events.”
Death By Unga Bunga
Raw Muscular Power
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Looks like rock is back on the menu! Death By Unga Bunga are back with their second dig at the widespread epidemic — male insecurity. This time around, they deal with their problems through pure Raw Muscular Power! This is Death By Unga Bunga’s hardest rocking record so far. After a wild and eye-opening performance at Norway’s Tons of Rock festival, the band set out to write even wilder songs than before. The new sound is dumber and rawer, and the result is 10 really good rock songs, chock full of confused testosterone and hooks that get stuck on your brain. For the first time in the band’s history, they’ve also brought some celebrity friends with them. Wisconsin garage-rock hero Mike Krol joins in on the shouting on Therapy, while Haley Shae of Sløtface guests the Paul Stanley tribute Starchild.”
Joe Ely
Love and Freedom
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With nearly 25 albums under his belt, prolific Texas native and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Joe Ely returns with a timely collection of songs — both originals and others written by musical heroes, including Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt and Woody Guthrie. “I’m really appreciative of everyone’s help in putting this album together,” shares Ely. “To me, Love and Freedom is a reminder of the times we’re living in right now, and I hope it resonates with whoever takes the time to listen.” Co-produced with frequent collaborator Lloyd Maines (Miranda Lambert, Kris Kristofferson), Love and Freedom unveils songs from Ely’s recording vault, spanning several decades of sessions at Spur Studios, his home studio outside Austin. Ely recorded these tracks during time off the road, resulting in poignant renditions of classics like the Ryan Bingham-featured take on Guthrie’s protest anthem Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos) and the heartfelt Clark cut Magdalene. Over the course of his long and eclectic career — as a songwriter, performer, collaborator, and author — Ely has altered and expanded the meaning of Texas music, bringing its sounds and stories to audiences worldwide. Love and Freedom marks yet another milestone for Ely, celebrating the power of unity through song during divisive times.”
Andy Fairweather Low
The Invisible Bluesman
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Andy Fairweather Low is truly the Invisible Bluesman. His career has to an extent been defined by early pop successes, but every single one of his performances has always been shaped by his blues, gospel and soul influences. It is ironic that although he first burst onto the scene in Britain in 1967 with a U.K. Top 20 hit record of Gin House Blues — inspired by Bessie Smith’s 1928 recording — the many hits he has enjoyed since then from his days fronting Amen Corner have gradually hidden his undeniable credentials as a great bluesman. However, this extraordinary talent hasn’t escaped the notice of some of the world’s finest artists who have drawn on his deep blue skills as a guitarist and singer. Andy has largely missed the recognition he deserves in the blues world and that is probably because up until now, he has never released a blues album. The album features material recorded since he left Eric Clapton’s band. The tracks have been chosen to highlight Andy’s unique voice and his mastery of the blues guitar.”
Fvzz Popvli
Melting Pop
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “As always, we decided to do our own thing. We’re just so over the same old tired riffs and worn-out stoner vibes, like a pair of Birkenstocks at an indie concert, and let’s not even start on those “super interesting” lyrics about how to smoke weed (seriously, tell us more!). So here we are at a crossroad: should we just follow the crowd and do what everyone else is doing, or should we put in the hard work to create something that actually makes us happy while we play it? Well, here’s Melting Pop! It’s not stoner, it’s not garage, it’s not punk, it’s not psych, it’s not even a traditional album. It’s melting, a blend of Fvzz Popvli saying “screw the labels” and just going with the flow, all natural, like grownups with no preservatives.”
Guided by Voices
Universe Room
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Universe Room is the 18th Guided By Voices album in 10 years and packs a vast mix of energy levels and sounds into seventeen diverse tracks in less than forty minutes. The new record ventures into truly surprising territory, where barely any song segments and choruses are revisited and fidelity daringly shifts between lo-fi and hi-fi. “I wanted to create, hopefully, an experience, kind of a wild ride, where the listener would want to hear it multiple times in order to grasp all the sections and fields of sound to discover something new with each listen,” says Robert Pollard. “I trimmed down the songs so that there wasn’t a lot of repetition, so you get a lot of sections that happen only once or twice.” Universe Room embodies a realm of new horizons for Guided By Voices, who continue to redefine and expand as they blast off to unpredictable worlds.”
Gyasi
Here Comes The Good Part
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The multi-faceted rocker Gyasi (pronounced Jah-See) delivers his second studio album Here Comes The Good Part, a glittery and fun universe filled with infectious hooks and searing guitar riffs, alongside songs of self-transformation. Teaming up with co-producer Bobby Holland, Gyasi expands his sound, exploring a wider palette of musical ideas. Mostly recorded with his touring band, it also features guest appearances by drummer Daru Jones. Here Comes The Good Part is a bold exploration of theatrical rock n’ roll, through the lens of a small-town West Virginia kid seeking self-discovery. Inspired by a wide range of art and culture both past and present, his work is fueled by an undeniable passion to create music that brings rock ’n’ roll into the 21st century. With thunderous riffs, masterful guitar work, and songs that celebrate self realization with cues from Lou Reed and David Bowie, Gyasi is taking the essence of theatrical rock ’n’ roll and adding a new voice to it.”
Heartworms
Glutton For Punishment
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Glutton For Punishment is the highly anticipated debut album from formidable South London auteur Heartworms. Produced by longtime collaborator Dan Carey, Glutton For Punishment combines the propulsive, motorik tendencies of gothic stalwarts Depeche Mode, with the lyrical dexterity of PJ Harvey, and the off-kilter rhythms of LCD Soundsystem into a powerful sonic onslaught that is entirely Heartworms. “With my EP, people kind of pigeonholed me into post-punk,” she says. “I was like, ‘Cool, I can do that, but I can also do way more’ – I can do post-punk, but I can also be poppy and catchy, and this album represents that. I think people might be surprised when they hear it… I’ve been chastised my whole life; made to feel as if I didn’t belong, punished for not fitting into a perfect image of how a growing woman should be. When you’re told something enough times you start to believe it. I often find myself locked into an unhealthy cycle of craving harsh discipline, greedy for the familiarity it brings but terrified of the consequences — better the devil you know. But this album doesn’t just reflect my own experiences; it reflects those of the people in my life and the stories of others that I think need to be heard.”
Inhaler
Open Wide
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Recorded at RAK Studios in London and produced by Grammy and Brit Award-winning Kid Harpoon, Inhaler’s new album Open Wide reinforces their status as the ultimate modern guitar band, a group for whom jubilant pop melodies, intricate grooves and rock ’n’ roll dynamism are kindred spirits rather than strangers. Featuring 13 songs, it hones the sweeping, euphoric singalongs of their first two albums It Won’t Always Be Like This and Cuts & Bruises, into something more fully formed, a record you can lose yourself in and one where every track feels like it could be a big single. Sonically, it’s an album where the band’s love of T. Rex, early MGMT, Prince, Depeche Mode and more nestles alongside the indie and garage-rock influences of their teens, and is a majestic celebration of who Inhaler are and everything they’ve done to get to this point.”
James Brandon Lewis Trio
Apple Cores
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Apple Cores is the latest album from New York tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis. Informed by the rhythms and textures of hip-hop and funk while remaining rooted in jazz, Lewis recorded Apple Cores with Chad Taylor (drums/mbira) and Josh Werner (bass/guitar). The recording was a collective compositional process that happened over the course of two intense, entirely improvised sessions.“If you don’t spend time with your band, you’re not going to really trust that moment,” Lewis says. “I think we’ve spent enough time together to where we can do that. I’ve been playing withChad for like 10 years, so that’s like water right there and me and Josh have been playing together since like 2018.” The album takes its name and intention from the column that poet and jazz theorist Amiri Baraka wrote for DownBeat in the 1960s. “I was first exposed to Amiri Baraka at Howard University (also Baraka’s alma mater),” says Lewis. “Blues People (Baraka’s groundbreaking 1963 study of Black American music) was required reading. I’m always in constant dialogue with his work.” In addition to Baraka, the influence of another jazz giant looms mightily over Apple Cores: Trumpeter Don Cherry. In a testament to Cherry’s influence over the music that the trio is playing, Lewis designed each song title as a cryptogram of sorts, making subtle references to Cherry’s life and music.”
