With just a few weeks left of 2025, US deep psych/shoegaze band Tombstones In Their Eyes released not only one of the best albums of the year, but one of the best of their career. Some of the material felt a little bit samey if heard in one sitting, but the band’s command of a riff and ability to weave a great atmosphere allowed the material on ‘Under Dark Skies’ to work brilliantly when approached in the right mood.
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UNBURIER – As Time Awaits EP
When it comes to showing off the more technical aspects of their sound, English death metallers Unburier really don’t waste any time. The intro to this EP’s lead track ‘Continuum’ kicks off with a time signature that constantly shifts, taking the band’s extreme heaviness away from traditional death metal roots and into the realms of a prog-death blend. It proves to be a great showcase for the band, as it really throws a spotlight onto drummer Kim Hughes as he shifts effortlessly between fierce pneumatics and heavy groove laden rhythms with ease. Dropping in a couple of unexpected stops, this really accentuates the more progressive approach taken.
WEEDPECKER – V
This fifth album from Polish deep psych merchants Weedpecker had a long gestation period. The material started taking shape in 2023, and the original demos had all been recorded by the end of that year. With so much doom, sludge and deep psych taking on a raw, live in the studio feel, you might wonder how different the material sounded back then, since ‘V’ didn’t actually reach the public until the beginning of 2026, but no matter what changes were made in the interim, the record sounds superb.
LOWSUNDAY – Ghost Machine White EP
In terms of taking a break, twenty six years is a long holiday by any band’s standards, but that’s exactly how long Lowsunday were AWOL between their second and third releases. The musical landscape may have changed a great deal since the death of the 90s, but the first sounds shared by this Pittsburgh based alternative/shoegaze/goth band at the end of 2025 found the musicians sticking rigidly to what they do best. In many ways, the resulting ‘White EP’ is all the better for that. Yes, the five tracks sound very retro, but in fairness, the strong gothy element in their sound was already retro by 1999. What the five tracks on this EP achieve – whether deliberately or otherwise – is to bring a massive pang of nostalgia which, coming at a time when the world feels as if it’s heading into even darker places, is certainly most welcome.
THE SELECTMEN – POP! RIP… EP
Between forming in 2022 and releasing their debut in 2026, New Hamsphire’s The Selectmen had doubled the size of their line-up, but on the basis of the material that forms the ‘POP! RIP…’ EP, it was definitely the right move. On these five songs, none of the eight members are in any way surplus; the band’s extended membership really breathes life into a blend of ska and soul in a way that sounds invigorating, despite the influences being somewhat obvious. Not that great ska needs to break new ground, of course. It’s about rousing an audience, and that’s something The Selectmen do particularly well.