A typically stacked week of new albums for you this week, featuring plenty of rock, metal and country! Let’s check it out together!
LOCASH: Bet the Farm
‘Country music’s iconic feel-good duo’ are back with their first new studio album in six years. I’ve been a big fan of them ever since they were announced for Long Road the other year, so to finally have some new music from them is awesome. And, what’s even more awesome, is that said new music is SO GOOD. It’s nearly 40-minutes of incredible modern country music. Well, maybe not modern, as it feels much more 2010s than something like Morgan Wallen, but it’s not traditional by any stretch! Whether it’s the epic singles or new songs released with the album, it’s all so good, and there isn’t a bad song on this thing. From ‘Buzzin’ to ‘Bring ‘Em Back’ to more ballad-like tracks like ‘Wrong Hearts’ and ‘Shipwrecked’, there is so much awesome music to love. And heck, their ‘Isn’t She Country’ remix(?) is everything as good as ‘Beach Boys’. It’s all so catchy and so well written and performed, and Chris and Preston’s harmonies are just as good as ever.
The album is well worth the wait, and it may very end the year as one of my favourite country albums of ‘25. The more I listen the more I fall in love with it. It’s impossible not to have a good time listening to it, and it’s growing on me more and more with more listens! I cannot recommend it enough to any country fans reading this, and even if you aren’t, you may want to take a listen anyway! It gets a very solid 9.5/10 from us!
Hawkwind: There is No Space for Us
I have never quite ‘got’ it with Hawkwind. It’s not like I’ve never tried, either. This album is only eight tracks long yet is 53-minutes. If this was something where the prog was actually interesting, I’d be fine with that. However, this is a lot of ambient stuff and repeating parts and riffs almost as if to pad out time. Much like their 2024 effort, there are certainly times where I didn’t hate what I was hearing. Some of the riffs in the opener were fun. There was some good soloing tucked away throughout. However, those moments are fleeting and very few and far between. The closest thing to a whole song I enjoyed was the almost jazzy ‘The Co-Pilot’. However, the rest of it droned on a little too much for my liking. I know this band, and style of music in general, have a lot of fans, but sadly I am not one of them. I gave it a good try, sitting through the whole album, but yeah, it’s a no from me, dawg. Another 3/10, sorry Hawkwind fans.
King Kraken: March of the Gods
We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Read our full review of it here.
Pearl Handled Revolver: Tales You Lose
I’m not sure what I was expecting heading into this album, but it wasn’t this! The psychy, proggy band took a little getting into for me, but when I did I certainly enjoyed it! I wasn’t too into the opening track, sadly, but ‘Heart of Gold’ really hooked me in and kept me invested for the rest of the album. It’s got as much of a soft/blues rock edge to it as it does prog or psych. The closest thing I could really find myself comparing it to is Bowie, which is surely a compliment. ‘Gilding the Lily’ was a definite highlight, the riffs and synths being spectacular, and the funk-infused ‘Space Invader’ was another one. However, if you’re a fan of quirkier, more experimental older-school rock, this is definitely worth checking out as a whole! It won’t be for everyone, but the band are damn talented and have produced a great soundscape for a full nearly-50-minutes here. I certainly wouldn’t turn it off if it came back on, and it gets a solid 7/10 from me!
Ian Munsick: Eagle Feather
The incredible country singer-songwriter has finally released his highly anticipated follow-up to 2023’s White Buffalo. I remember really loving that album when it came out, so have been excited for this one since it’s announcement. It doesn’t disappoint at all, and honestly blew me away, exceeding my expectations. Right from the harmonised, country barbershop quartet-like opening track into the beautiful, bittersweet ‘Too Many Trees’, I knew we were onto a winner. However, it somehow gets even better from there. It’s absolutely packed full of incredible songs, and is almost impossible to pick out highlight ones. Heck, even at over an hour, it didn’t feel long at all; a real testament to the quality of the writing and the amazing arrangement that kept it interesting throughout. Whether it’s ballad-tracks or more boot-stompin’ rock-ish songs, the ups and downs are great and placed perfectly. It’s neo-traditional, but also gives off a lot of Evan Honer, Wyatt Flores or even Shane Smith vibes, which is not at all a bad thing! And or course female-country-feat-whore Miss Lainey Wilson makes a guest appreance on the phenomenal, beautiful ‘Feather in my Hat’, certainly one of the many amazing songs.
Honestly, I can’t gush over this album enough. I loved his previous release, but this is on a whole other level. It’s the perfect mix of darker, Americana-tinged country and massive, catchy, arena-filling choruses. If you are into country in any stretch, check this out, you’ll surely love it as much as I do! It’s certainly going to be high on my albums of the year list come December, and it gets a very solid 9.5/10 from us!
Aittala: Machines
This epic, proggy doom metal album is a whole lot of fun to listen to. It’s just six songs long, but is 33-minutes of insanely interestingly crafted metal, and very much wears all of its many influences on its sleeve. Whether it’s Candlemass, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Celtic Frost, Queensryche or ASP, this brief album draws together so many incredible metal sounds together, yet also feels distinctly Aittala. It’s epic throughout, and honestly borders on a rock-opera level of grandiose at times. It’s awesome! It’s so hard to pick out highlight tracks as it honestly all feels like one collective piece, and deserves to be listened to in full at least once. It’s dark and heavy and insanely ambitious, but pulls it off in spades. The band have been going for a while now, and hopefully this is the album to finally push them towards the mainstream that they so very much deserve! If you’re at all curious check this out, you won’t be disappointed! It’s a very solid 8.5/10 from us!
Anna Howie: Good for Roses
The London-based Americana singer has firmly established herself in the UK country scene over the last few years, and she looks to keep her momentum going with this sophomore release. It should do, as it’s certainly a good release! It has a touch of soft rock to the country/Americana, reminding me a lot of stuff like The Exile Club or even Julian Taylor. Songs like ‘Start Again’ (damn that’s a sexy horn solo), the soulful ‘Have it All’, ‘Everybody Knows’ and the closer are all big highlights. However, every song is pretty great, and the album has a fantastic flow to it. It’s the perfect album to put out at this time of year, just as the weather is starting to get better. She has a big new fan in me and it’s absolutely wild that she isn’t a massive name in the industry already; she deserves to be playing to huge festivals crowds! It’s not going to be for everyone, but I loved this and it gets a solid 9/10 from us!
Beddy Rays: Do What Ya Wanna
The Australian punk rockers’ sophomore album is fantastic and a lot of fun. I remember checking out their debut album a few years back and falling in love, but they took everything they did well on that release and turned it up to 11. It’s packed full of bouncy riffs, great drumming and some truly catchy choruses. The whole thing has such a good-time vibe to it, despite some of the lyrics suggesting otherwise. It somehow combines elements of Midwest emo, surf rock, pop-punk and indie together perfectly. Songs like ‘Red Lights’, ‘Pocket Rocket’ and ‘Big Brekky’ are all massive personal highlights. However, there isn’t a bad song on the album, and it’s impossible to have a bad time listening to it. I’d recommend it to any rock fan at all reading this, and it’s another of their albums that I’ll be spinning to death over the summer. It’s a solid 8.5/10!
Hayden Coffman: Love and a Heartbreak
The rising star in the pop-rock-country world is back with his sophomore album, a full nearly five years after his debut. It immediately gave off Koe Wetzel vibes in the best ways, or even a vague HARDY sound. ‘Fightin’ Words’ is a fantastic opener, while songs like ‘If you Know Her, You Know’, the title track and the boot-stompin’ ‘Hate the Beer’ are also big highlights. It’s a very modern sound that will do very well in the current scene. Think a rockier Redferrin. Heck, the heavier he gets, the better, with ‘Hate the Beer’ being one of my favourite country songs of the year so far.
It’s a fun, easy album to listen to, and at barely over half an hour, I’ve listened to it a fair bit over this last weekend. He’s got a fantastic voice and, while the lyrics are pretty standard and cliche for the genre, they’re still well written. And his backing band are damn talented. If you’re into a modern country sound, I cannot recommend this enough. We’ve had three country albums this week and all have been so different and so good in their own way. This is a very easy 8.5/10 from us, and I’ll certainly be rocking this for a while to come!
LIK: Necro
Finally, something truly heavy this week. And damn, it’s fucking awesome. It’s brutal, amazing death metal kicking the listeners ass for 40-minutes. And, honestly, all 10 songs are amazing. It’s just mega riff after mega riff that’ll have you headbanging wherever you choose to listen to it. The band are incredibly talented players and songwriters, and have crafted something truly special in the death metal sub-genre with this. It’s also yet another album that I find impossible to pick out highlight songs from, as every track is SO GOOD. I don’t even know what else to say; if you like old-school death metal with better production, or even more modern thrash stuff, you’ll be as obsessed with this as I am! Heck, I’m usually not the biggest praiser of the genre, but I can’t give it any less than a 9/10… DAMN.
Taylor Rae: The Void
We’ve also covered this album in full this week, aren’t you lucky?! Check it out here.
Brass Camel: Camel
The band that did that Sabrina Carpenter cover look to capitalise perfectly on that with an absolutely incredible second album. It’s mathy/bluesy prog rock and is amazing for its full 40-minute runtime. The band are so insanely talented at every facet of their chosen instrument, and are clearly very good songwriters, too. Heck, the opening 11-minute epic ‘Zealot’ takes you on enough of a journey as it is, and there’s still another five incredible tracks after that! Honestly, the more I listen, the more my grey matter is splattered all over my bedroom walls and ceiling. This thing is INCREDIBLE. From blues to math to funk to hard rock to even pop elements, they combine it all together perfectly to craft something truly special and mindblowing. It’s like they take everything Rush or Nuno Bettencourt have ever done and turn it up to 11. It also given off more than a little Electric Boys, which I love.
I can’t get enough, and I can’t believe it’s taken me until this year to discover this band! I don’t throw this word around often, but this is truly a masterpiece. It won’t be for everyone, but every musical and rock fan should check this out at least once, they are truly masters at their craft. This better be the album to break them big, because good fucking lord do they deserve it from this thing! One of the easiest 10/10‘s I’ve ever given out!