Monthly Music Recap: September ‘25
I’ll be honest. Sometimes I struggle to find tracks to feature in each month’s recap column. Whether it’s due to a shortage of releases from familiar artists or lack-luster discovery algorithms, some months have me waiting until the last minute to pinpoint songs that resonate with me, and that I think will resonate with you. Well, not this time.
Every Friday in September had me adding a slew of new albums to my fall rotation, each one more addicting than the last. While I could go on and on about the ear worms on my personal new release playlist, the albums below — as well as OTR’s staff picks — exemplify the best of the past 30 days.
Boyish yearns with nostalgia in “Prom”
Watch “Prom” (Live) on YouTube.
Get in loser, we’re going to “A Town Called Gun.”
In their latest LP, indie rock duo Boyish bids listeners to take a ride through the hazy, alluring world of Gun. The 11-track album takes the best of its shoegaze, alternative and pop influences and creates a genre-blending narrative ripe with wistful storytelling. Evoking classic sapphic media like Portrait of a Lady on Fire with a small-town-America twist à la Netflix’s “I’m Not Okay With This,” Gun takes listeners out of reality, if only for 40 minutes.
The record’s penultimate track, “Prom,” sounds like it could score a slow dance scene in an ‘80s film. With its ambient, layered synths and easy instrumentals, the dreamy song is hauntingly romantic. Lead singer India Shore’s vocals are the sickly sweet cherry on top, her soprano croon floating effortlessly over the atmospheric melody. Under the enrapturing beauty of her voice, Shore sings with a yearning so intense she sounds on the verge of breaking, like when she professes, “If we're gonna die, yeah / It's kissing in front of these lights.” But in the end, “Prom” is nothing less than heart-breaking. The closing lyrics, “All of the things I'd do he'd never do for you / All of the things he did I'd never do to you / I know better / I know you better,” simply twist the knife.
With tracks like singles “BIG” and “Jumbos,” Gun also sees Boyish turning to a heavier sound than previous works, but the band is all the better for it. The LP is sophisticated, cohesive and, most importantly, a dazzling treat for the ears from top to bottom.
Wednesday tells small town stories on sixth studio album
Watch the music video for “Townies” on YouTube.
The act of bleeding is a universal human phenomena. Obviously, everyone can — and does — bleed, but beyond that mere fact, bleeding represents humanity in its purest form. It’s visceral, it’s vulnerable and it’s raw. From the 2024 film Love Lies Bleeding to Jimi Hendrix’s “Bleeding Heart,” there’s a reason the cultural zeitgeist has no shortage of bloody titles that make for rich metaphors. On their fifth studio album, Bleeds, alternative rock band Wednesday tapped into the gory symbolism to drop one of the most poignant records of the year.
Frontwoman and songwriter Karly Hartzman brings themes of everyday struggle, loss and growth to life through a Southern gothic. In the single “Wound Up Here (By Holdin On),” for example, Hartzman sings over grungy instrumentals, “Mounted antlers in the kitchen on a crooked nail / Other killers keep teeth, keep the fingernails.” Capturing the Appalachian essence of the band’s Asheville roots, “Gary’s II” tells the story of Hartzman’s false-toothed landlord, complete with a banjo and rattling snare. Track two, “Townies,” blends the record’s sonic extremes, featuring a classic Americana sound in the verses before a rowdy chorus sees the band trading the easy strum of an acoustic guitar for the in-your-face power chords of an electric one.
The album’s 12 tracks are as emotionally exposed as you’d expect from a title like Bleeds. But, after every wound must come healing, and perhaps Hartzman’s understanding of that process is what makes the album so impactful.
Die Spitz is spot on in “Voir Dire”
Punk quartet Die Spitz fed the world just what it needed to devour this month. Something To Consume, the debut studio album from the four 22-year-old artists, is teeming with candid statements on society and reflections of the self. Shipping off to Philadelphia to craft the record, the Austinites worked with producer Will Yip (Turnstile, Mannequin Pussy) to create a head-banging piece of art.
Though the 11-track record has something for everyone, “Voir Dire” is a standout and my personal favorite. Translating to “to speak the truth” in French, the song represents exactly what punk stands for. “It's easy, just to fade / Disappear into the dim-lit corner that you've made / Throw your comforts away / There's blood in every street that we walk through on the way,” drummer and vocalist Chloe De St. Aubin sings in the final verse, critiquing the late-stage capitalist tendency to ignore global crises. The band’s commentary on American globalism is as loud and keen as the dense guitar melodies that drive the track to its end.
“Voir Dire” is just one example of how Die Spitz dissects what it means to live in 2025 all while delivering some killer sonics on Something To Consume. So, in the words of OTR contributor Seay Howell, take a listen and destroy artificiality “like flipping a carefully arranged dining table.”
Small Forward invites listeners to “take in the view” on new album
With their sophomore album, Crush, California-based trio Small Forward provided the crisp folk rock melodies needed to prime my fall soundtrack. Rooted in Americana soundscapes, the LP has moments of coming-of-age climax, somber introspection and bittersweet nostalgia, seen in singles “I Only Feel Love When It’s Missing,” “Hollywood Con” and “These Days,” respectively.
But its album tracks like “Taking In The View” that help piece together the record’s story of personal growth. With a sonically dense yet delicate chorus and drawling vocals, “Taking In The View” is the epitome of a perfectly lush sound that blends indie rock and psychedelic folk. Lyrically, the four minute track is a comfort, romanticizing the moments of respite that dot a healing journey. Lines like, “In this head of mine / I still need a place to go where I find light” in the pre-chorus and “It’s alright you go right on ahead / It’s taking me some time to love you a little less / I’m taking in the view, won’t you give me a few” in the chorus are beautiful reflections on the non-linear process of growth that most anyone can relate to.
Small Forward posits that as the leaves change, so can we. In the spirit of autumn, Crush carries a wealth of symbolism, but, at its core, offers up some damn good music.
Staff Picks:
Ana Marks - “2022” by Maggie Lindemann and Julia Wolf
Madison Avery and Maddy Yen - “NOT OK” by 5 Seconds of Summer
Jackie Fortis - “Loud” by Olivia Dean
Amesha Tiwari - “Valley of Debt” by L.S. Dunes
Cassidy LaPointe - “Cobra” by Geese
Tabita Bernardus - “Love Can’t Break The Spell” by Djo
Jack Kolpitcke - “OUT OF BODY” by PARTYOF2, Jadagrace and SWIM
Seay Howell - “Out in the Garden” by SOFIA ISELLA
Check out some of our September coverage!
Live Shows:
“Japanese Breakfast’s Seattle stop at Woodland Park Zoo was more than a concert. It was a shared dream, unfolding under the stars with the city’s skyline just beyond and the whispers of the zoo around us. Zauner didn’t just perform songs; she led us through a story, rich with joy, tenderness, and imagination. And by the end of the night, the audience wasn’t just watching; we were part of the tale.” - Chloe Henna on Japanese Breakfast in Seattle
“Marten bottled up the feeling of sitting by a windowsill in November London air for LA’s September show with an incredibly evocative performance through her live storytelling. It’s always a good time to listen to her discography, but it's all the more enticing for the upcoming fall and winter seasons.” - Tabita Bernardus on Billie Marten in Los Angeles
New Music Reviews:
“Her willingness to lay all her feelings on the line makes Man’s Best Friend and Carpenter herself more relatable and inspires listeners to embrace imperfection.” - Sullivan Jordan on Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend
“Swallowing you whole with gentle truths paired with ethereal instrumentals that Big Thief is known for masterfully weaving together, Double Infinity is a kind invitation to look directly into the mirror and lean into the nuances of being alive.” - Tabita Bernardus on Big Thief’s Double Infinity
“It’s loud, catchy, and has everything a comeback single needs.” - Maddy Yen on 5 Seconds of Summer’s “NOT OK”
Interviews:
“My project has a retro feel, but I think it connects with modern listeners because it’s still fresh and personal. Musically, I draw from old-school sounds, but lyrically I try to keep the storytelling modern. I think that balance lets people see themselves in the songs and interpret them through the lens of their own lives.” Anaïs Lund in an interview with Alex Stefan
“I like to think about a recording quite literally like a document of somebody in a room. Their breath and their voice and the acoustics of that room and the oxygen, everything. You can't ever redo it, you know? It's exactly how it is based on where you are and what's going on for you.” - Cornelia Murr in an interview with Brooke Shapiro