Monthly Music Recap: May ‘25
From the Met Gala, to Cannes Film Festival and the American Music Awards, the stars were out this month (well, maybe not so much at the latter).
But, the end of May means it’s time to roll out the red carpet for the artists who made their mark with new releases this month. As the scene heats up for festival season and the masses await 2025’s “song of the summer,” fan favorite and under the radar acts are making fervent comebacks to usher in the occasion.
Car Seat Headrest are the ultimate storytellers in new rock opera
It took alternative giants Car Seat Headrest five years to release a studio album since their 2020 record, Making A Door Less Open. Listen to the result and you’ll understand why. Though only nine tracks, The Scholars is an hour-long rock opera that is as gritty as it is poignant. The quartet, led by frontman Will Toledo, transports listeners to the fictional Parnassus University and introduces them to a cast of characters that deal with complex issues from sexuality, to capitalistic expectations to cancel culture.
The album’s closing track, “True/False Lover,” is a bittersweet finale. According to the libretto that was handed to fans at the band’s secret show in New York in February, “True/False Lover” is sung when Chanticleer, a character previously presumed dead, is revealed to have faked his death and has been “quietly” working at the school’s library. The full “cast” — represented by Toledo’s single voice — sings, “Forgive and forget, once again I let the counter be reset / Take a look at what's left, a fading sense of regret / And a growing heart.” The song also incorporates lyrics from the traditional English folk ballad “Scarborough Fair,” which is just one example of the classic texts Toledo draws upon throughout the opera. Musically, “True/False Lover” is one of the more traditionally rock tracks on the album, its strong electric guitar and driving drum beat juxtaposing the unpredictable nature of the 18-minute track that precedes it.
So if the slowness of summer has you bored or you are simply looking for a fantastical sonic getaway, dive into the captivating world of The Scholars. Merely reading the songs’ lyrics on Genius will likely send you down a rabbit hole of the album’s labyrinthine lore, not to mention the early 2000s-interfaced interactive WebQuest the band created or accompanying libretto.
Wolf Alice brazenly blossoms in new single
Watch the music video for “Bloom Baby Bloom” on YouTube.
Wolf Alice knows how to make a comeback. The alternative rock band, most known for their chart-topping song “Don’t Delete The Kisses,” has been relatively radio silent since 2022, which is when they last dropped a single and performed a major show. But, as it so often does, an Instagram refresh in April signaled the Brits’ return was imminent. This month, Wolf Alice ended their three year release hiatus with “Bloom Baby Bloom,” a self-worth anthem that romps onto the scene with feisty energy.
With an emphatic piano melody, rhythmic hand claps and a tom-heavy drum beat, “Bloom Baby Bloom” is percussive, mirroring the boldness of the track’s self-assured theme. “Look at me trying to play it hard / I’m so sick and tired of trying to play it hard,” lead singer Ellie Rowsell sings in the pre-chorus, channeling an Axl Rose-inspired falsetto over a grungy guitar line. The heavy, minor sound is traded for a lighter, more uplifting air in the chorus as Rowsell proclaims, “I’ll bloom baby bloom / Watch me, yeah, you’ll see just what I’m worth” and “Every flower needs to neighbor with the dirt.” A metaphorically rich song, “Bloom Baby Bloom” offers a glimpse into the hopeful thesis of Wolf Alice’s upcoming album, The Clearing. Rowsell said the August-releasing LP is “an album about feeling lighter — like emerging from a storm and finally being able to see what’s ahead.”
If there’s one takeaway from this lead single, it’s that Wolf Alice is ready to kick convention in the face — and do it with some pretty impressive vocals, nonetheless.
Racing Mount Pleasant reintroduce themselves in new self-titled single
Watch “Racing Mount Pleasant” (Live) on YouTube.
If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for horns in indie songs. So, it should come to no surprise that the sweet blend of alto saxophone, tenor saxophone and trumpet laden in Racing Mount Pleasant’s discography draws me in. My bias aside, the Michigan-based seven-piece has a knack for making heavenly noise that breaks genre barriers. At times producing a dreamy wall of sound reminiscent of shoegaze and other times playing with elements of ambient jazz, Racing Mount Pleasant’s new self-titled single is more of an experience than a song.
“Racing Mount Pleasant” is a brilliant showcase of musicality. From an ever-growing subtle intensity to tempo and time changes, there is never a dull moment in the song. Though the five-minute track starts with only a gentle clean guitar melody, it quickly evolves into a production with full instrumentation, the drums at the forefront and single-note horn rhythms propelling the song forward incessantly. The multiple tension-releasing arrival points throughout the track feel like the climax of a coming of age movie, with thought-provoking lyrics to match: “It's always alright / It spirals and spirals and spirals out of sight / It's always just fine / Could it be really good for just one night?”
After changing their name from Kingfisher at the beginning of the year, “Racing Mount Pleasant” feels like a reintroduction to the band as they gear up for a sophomore album. The self-titled track, as well as other new single “Call It Easy,” is the sound of a band ready to plant its feet firmly on the ground and deliver some solid new music.
late night drive home preaches the Gen Z gospel in “american church”
Watch the visualizer for “american church” on YouTube.
Indie quartet late night drive home might be young, but that’s exactly their appeal. With their upcoming debut studio album, as i watch my life online, the El Paso-based band is fully equipped to be the voice of a generation. “The record is a critique and a meta representation of the current online landscape,” guitarist Juan “Ockz” Vargas said. “As a Gen-Z band, we want to give an accurate representation of how it feels to be always online.” As the third single from the album, “american church” is a catchy summer track that packs a meta punch.
With its bright electric guitar, groovy bass and playful backing vocal interjections, “american church” initially sounds like your classic, quintessential indie rock jam. On my first listen, I thought the song was over half way through. After all, the two and a half minutes I heard followed a standard verse-chorus-verse format and a thinning instrumentation seemed to signal the track’s natural end. But it kept going. Increasingly murky guitar chords, muffled vocal lines and digitized production distorted the song’s vibe as it descended into “digital madness,” as Vargas put it. This shift parallels the lyrical theme of “american church,” as lead vocalist Andre Portillo sings of watching a person spiral and slowly become someone else, perhaps due to the Internet: “Keep me waiting / I’ll keep guessing / There’s so much nothing to contemplate.” The cohesive production and lyrics is a mark of late night drive home’s thoughtful songwriting and mature sound.
“american church,” along with other singles “terabyte” and “she came for a sweet time,” lays a promising foundation for the Gen Z four-piece ahead of their June-arriving debut studio album that’s sure to resonate with a generation.
Staff Picks:
Jack Kolpitcke - “Rocket” by Robbie Williams and Tony lommi
Tabita Bernardus - “The Surface” by Alice Phoebe Lou
Dany Mireles - “Leave Me Alone” by Renee Rapp
Seay Howell - “Orchestrated, Wet, Verboten” by SOFIA ISELLA
Logan Goettemoeller - “Kill You Off” by Julia Wolf
Check out some of our May coverage!
Watch Edgehill x Off The Record - Live From The House!
Live Shows:
“The venue felt as if it had transformed into a club straight out of a modern vampire flick, as each track played on and on the audience fell deeper into an awe-struck hypnosis. From the barricade to the mezzanine, the bass was traveling through the floors and walls while the chandeliers on the ceiling swayed simultaneously with LaRosa’s hips.” - Peyton Mott on Isabel LaRosa in Toronto
“While I was there I saw people from all walks of life, from older men in trucker hats and well loved band t-shirts to spikey haired teenagers with dark eyeliner. It feels rare to be at a show with such a wide breadth of people, and it speaks to just how accessible and flat-out fun their music is. This diverse group of concert-goers were all there together ready to mosh, crowd surf, and release any and all energy they brought with them. And release they did.” - Regan Jones on Amyl and The Sniffers in Madison
“He spun stories between songs, not in a rehearsed, spit-shined way, but instead like a person telling a roomful of old friends. It made the whole night feel intimate, down-to-earth, and a reminder that the music is as much about the human experience as it is about sound.” - Chloe Henna on Ziggy Albert in Seattle
New Music Reviews:
“From the opening track, the album sets the tone: melancholic, slow but undeniably beautiful. The tracks don’t rush, but rather breathe. There is a sense that each track exists in its world, unhurried and contemplative.” - Dany Mireles on Men I Trust’s Equus Caballus
“The uplifting electric guitar riffs and rich drums might be what draw you in, but Spacey Jane presents a plethora of lyrics worth singing at the top of your lungs a million times over.” - Sullivan Jordan on Spacey Jane’s If That Makes Sense
“I had to sit with “Adore Me” for a while. It’s been so long since I felt a new song so fully to the point where my mind was afloat, eyes closed, swaying softly in my seat.” - Cece Faulkner on Spill Tab’s ANGIE
“In Goodbye Small Head, Ezra Furman does what few songwriters can: she turns personal disintegration into a communal ritual. Even as the songs spiral out, they’re tethered to a core of hope—not blind optimism, but belief in beauty after breakdown.” - Arna Churiwala on Ezra Furman’s Goodbye Small Head