New Music This Week: July 11

recapping the last week of music, with new releases from Aunt Katrina, Flooding, Powerplant, Worlds Worst, BRNDA, Geese, shame, total wife & MORE

Aunt Katrina by Julia Hernandez

An overwhelming amount of music is released daily, and we're here to help you weed through it all. Every week, we share select releases we recommend and personalized picks from a few of our editors.

Welcome to our new releases guide featuring the most notable music released the week of July 11.

BLIGATORY Picks

Aunt Katrina - This Heat Is Slowly Killing Me

Noise Pop, Art Rock

via Crafted Sounds

write-up by Peter Doherty

This Heat is Slowly Killing Me is the debut album from Washington D.C. band Aunt Katrina. Aunt Katrina began as a solo project of ex-feeble little horse guitarist Ryan Walchonski, who amicably stepped away from the Pittsburgh noise-pop group earlier this year. Now joined full-time by Ray Brown (Snail Mail) on drums and Eric Zidar (Tosser) on guitar—and filled out in live settings by Laney Ackley, Emma Banks, and Nick Miller—Aunt Katrina reintroduce themselves as a wholly collaborative unit.

Remnants of pop sensibilities lay like hieroglyphics amidst a healthy amount of eccentric sheen. The sparkly gloss that the project imbues is of a twee, rosy-cheeked disposition. It's a solid starting point for someone who's looking to branch out from the more mainstream mindset—a bridge to the quirkier side of pop.

This Heat Is Slowly Killing Me is out now via Crafted Sounds, who are on something of a run with their output.

Find Aunt Katrina's 2025 tour dates below:

8/21 – Richmond, VA @ The Warehouse (with Fib)

8/22 – Baltimore, MD @ Holy Frijoles (with Fib)

8/23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Nikki Lopez (with Fib)

9/23 – Washington D.C. @ The Atlantis (supporting Water From Your Eyes)

12/4 – Washington D.C. @ DC9 (supporting Teethe)

12/5 – Philadelphia, PA @ Foto Club (supporting Teethe)

Flooding - object 1 (EP)

Post-Hardcore, Noise Rock

Self-Released

write-up by Peter Doherty

object 1 opens with "complete detail," which slowly works through itself with hushed vocals from frontwoman Rose Brown. "I want you to feel shame" is repeated again and again—somebody's in for an intense bout of bad luck. Brown begs the question, "What do you do when no one's watching? What do you do when you're alone?"  The all-seeing eye of consciousness is always watching your every move; it's time to buck your ideas up, buddy.

Flooding often have an interesting dichotomy between the sweet vocals and sour instrumentals—innocence in the midst of chaos—especially on lead single, "your silence is my favourite song." It's unnerving, cold-blooded. At times slow-moving, at times rather fast-paced, and at all times heavily emotional, object 1 showcases Flooding within a four-track period. They close out object 1 on a vibrantly scathing instrumental heavily reminiscent of bands like Unwound and Fugazi: rhythms for days, noise for now and forever.

Balancing firmly on the seesaw of hardcore/slowcore, with Flooding, it can feel like you're being pulled apart by mood and music.

Flooding have a few select live dates supporting Teethe in Texas this October. October 16 in Houston, October 17 in Austin, and October 18 in Denton.

Powerplant - Heat (EP)

Synth Punk, Slacker Rock

via Arcane Dynamics

write-up by Peter Doherty

Right in time for a sweltering week of summer in the UK, Powerplant return with the Heat EP. Muggy tracks mingle like growths of fungal infections and link up like gangly fenceposts. The synth-heavy worlds of London's Powerplant offer up a five-piece of gristle and congealed punk.

"Heat," "Quiet Heat," and "Extreme Heroin" are all altered versions of the same song, but take on different shapes dependent upon the severity of said mugginess. Tape reels spill hot plastic into the mouth of a hungry junkie. Powerplant close out the EP with the heavily comatose "Extreme Heroin," the muggiest rendition of said "heat."

Powerplant's Heat EP is out now via Arcane Dynamics.

Worlds Worst - American Muscle

Post-Grunge, Slacker Rock

via Smoking Room / Julia's War Recordings

write-up by Dominick Baglivo

Plenty of bands are making fuzzed-out, anthemic rock—but few are reaching the heights that Salt Lake City’s Worlds Worst are. And that has nothing to do with their mountainous surroundings; they simply know what they’re doing and do it well.

I’ve got a personal grudge against the way “post-grunge” is applied, and I usually feel at least a little uncomfortable labelling something as “slacker rock.” Especially when it’s damn good, and clearly calculated. Self-described as “stadium slacker rock,” American Muscle is one of the stickiest rock releases of 2025.

Worlds Worst dropped “Motor Mouth” almost exactly a year ago, well before the album was announced. I probably listened to that every single day for a solid two months. I’ve got a feeling that’s making a comeback, but now it’s bringing the other nine tracks of American Muscle with it.

Big Thief - "All Night All Day"

Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Pop

via 4AD

BRNDA - "Peach Pit"

Art Punk, Indie Rock

via Crafted Sounds

write-up by Dominick Baglivo

BRNDA are back, baby! In May, the D.C. four-piece shared a super tight live release titled Live Near Charlie’s: Philadelphia 2021, which proved to be a subtle but effective hype-generator for a fresh batch of material. Out in September and led by the playfully punchy “Peach Pit,” Total Pain is BRNDA’s first new record since Do You Like Salt? in 2021.

“Peach Pit” is a prime display of the winding, off-kilter art punk that BRNDA excels at. Like professional drivers on a closed course, BRNDA carve up the curviest of roads with precise guitar-work and impeccably tight rhythm. A killer introduction to Total Pain, the lead single is capped off with drummer Leah Gage tackling lead vocal duties with a biting form of talk-singing.

About the track, the band explains:

“What is the Peach Pit? It’s filthy, old and not even real anymore, though some might remember it. Peach Pit the song is old in two ways. Lyrically, it recalls experiences when just trying to fit in and exist was its own kind of pain. More specifically, it recalls days of youth, when it was easy to escape and erase pain. Musically, it is born from a years-old jam, given structure and meaning in the present. Sometimes, it can take time to discover what you have created and what you have destroyed, if you discover it at all.”

Total Pain is out September 12 via Crafted Sounds.

Dummy - "Oceanographer"

Ambient, Neo-Psychedelia

via perennial / K Records

write-up by Dominick Baglivo

“Oceanographer” is the latest chronicle in a very busy year for Los Angeles’ Dummy. After releasing their sophomore album, Free Energy, in September, the four-piece quickly turned around and reshaped it into Bubbelibrium DLC, a fully remixed and reimagined version that came out in June. In the midst of that rollout—and as they were travelling across Europe for a handful of shows—they announced Dumb EPs.

A reissue—available on cassette through perennial and K Records—Dumb EPs packages Dummy’s first two EPs (Dummy EP and EP2) alongside three bonus tracks from the same recording sessions. Following “Ethereal Security Guard,” this week brings more sustained ambience with the near-six-minute “Oceanographer.”

Feeling a little symbolic of the touring break they’re currently on (spoiler: not for long), the droning of “Oceanographer” brings with it a calm and breezy atmosphere, swaying gently like the calmest of tides. 

Dumb EPs will be available on August 29 via Perennial / K Records. Starting in September, Dummy will hit the road for a US tour, including some dates supporting Soccer Mommy. They’ve got a few stops before that as well, with three dates in California and two appearances at the Pickathon Experiential Music Festival in Portland/Happy Valley. Find all of Dummy’s upcoming shows here.

Geese - "Taxes"

Indie Rock, Art Rock

via Partisan Records / Play It Again Sam

write-up by Peter Doherty

Locked and loaded, the first insights into the third Geese record are here. Lead single, "Taxes," sees Cameron Winter's distinct throat-y vocals lead the Baggy charge of Geese in their strangely jubilant tax talk.

Geese are set to follow up their quirky alt-country offering, 3D Country, on September 26 with their third album, Getting Killed. It may be the most anticipated release of 2025 for me (Peter), personally. 3D Country was huge in 2023, and Cameron Winter's Heavy Metal ran a similar path in 2024. Where Geese take their being will be interesting to say the least. One thing is for certain: if you want Cameron Winter to pay his taxes, you're gonna have to nail him down!

Getting Killed is out September 26 via Partisan Records.

Geese start their Getting Killed North America tour in October; a large majority of the dates are already sold out! Find the list of stops here.

Halloween - "Poison Well"

Indie Rock, Gothic Rock

via Funeral Party Records

write-up by Dominick Baglivo

Throw out your calendar, Halloween is on August 8 this year. Or at least that’s when Halloween—the fast-rising Philly trio of Sia Dokos, Justus Proffit, & Eli Sheppard—is set to share their debut full-length, Shadow House.

Following last month’s “Spiral Staircase,” “Poison Well” peels back another layer of swirling darkness.

A “conceptual record about the compartmentalization of the Sub-conscience,” Shadow House is out August 8 on Funeral Party Records.

Maruja - "Saoirse"

Post-Rock, Jazz-Rock, Art Rock

via Music For Nations

write-up by Peter Doherty

The release date of the highly awaited Pain to Power edges nearer, as Manchester’s Maruja release the third single from their debut album. The sorrowful "Saoirse" houses the sentiment of "it's our differences that make us beautiful."

Regarding "Saoirse," Maruja had this to say:

"Saorise means freedom(in Irish), something we are witnessing being violently denied to the people of Palestine.

This is a song for peace, an outpouring of grief and a refusal to be numb to what we are seeing. Genocide. Man-made famine. An attempted erasure of a people.

Hold space in your mind for Palestine. Hold up your fists. Do not look away.

Saoirse don Phalaistín."

Maruja's debut album, Pain to Power, is out September 12 via Music for Nations.

shame - "Quiet Life"

Indie Rock, Post-Punk Revival

via Dead Oceans

write-up by Dominick Baglivo

Last month, London’s shame brought the intensity with the lead single and title track from their upcoming fourth record, Cutthroat. This week, the five-piece incorporates a dash of rockabilly for a more reserved approach on “Quiet Life.”

“’Quiet Life’ is about someone in a shitty relationship. It’s about the judgment they receive and the struggle that they have to go through, trying to understand the conflict they face, of wanting a better life… but being stuck,” says vocalist Charlie Steen.

Cutthroat is out September 5 on Dead Oceans. Alongside the new song, shame announced a North American tour for 2026, starting in Baltimore on January 15 and concluding February 14 in Vancouver. Find all of shame’s upcoming live dates—including their “Massive Monster” 2025 tour through Europe—here.

Total Wife - "second spring"

Shoegaze, Dream Pop

via Julia's War Recordings

write-up by Max Lightcap

Here I go again with yet another shoegaze song review. It’s hard to escape when so much of it is being made in the underground rock scene. While I think the genre is oversaturated and often mislabeled, I do love it when it’s done tastefully. Total Wife’s new single, “second spring” is not only tastefully done, but this IS shoegaze. Like real shoegaze; not alternative Smashing Pumpkins, not Deftones, not Hum. I’m talking about that ‘90s British shoegaze sound that everyone has seemingly forgotten about when they refer to music as shoegaze.

Total Wife excellently capture the essence of what made My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Ride so awesome: faint singing under some warped-sounding lead guitar and a fuzzy rhythm guitar strumming perfectly in sync with the drums. Yes, yes, yes—this is what has been missing from the shoegaze revival. That itch that couldn’t seem to be scratched is relieved with this new single from Total Wife.

The verses of “second spring” will make you close your eyes and sway, and then, as soon as you hear the arpeggiating keys, you may even cry. At the end of every verse, Total Wife turn it up and capture the beauty of shoegaze by taking a light sound and making it as noisy as possible. It’s a sonic tidal wave that blindsides you. The blast of noise doesn’t last long, but its effect does. So much so that the song goes silent for about a second, as if it’s taking a breath. It’s quick and only lasts a few bars, but that makes it hit even harder. As the song ends, Total Wife expand a bit on this “sonic tidal wave” and continue the idea a bit longer, changing up the chords and bringing a bit of glitchiness to the mix—incorporating electronic elements, as Total Wife often does.

“second spring” is the lead single for the Nashville duo’s upcoming album, Come Back Down, which is out September 19 via Julia’s War Recordings. This will be Total Wife’s fifth studio album and their first full-length release on Julia’s War. Cassette pre-orders are available now. A tour is yet to be announced, but I will be in attendance when they do go on tour. By far one of my most highly anticipated albums for the year. #realshoegaze

Atticus' Picks

Maxo Kream - "Cracc at 15" (prod. by Tyler, the Creator)

Experimental Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap

via Persona Money Gang / stomp down

SG Lewis - "Sugar" (ft. Shygirl)

Progressive House, Dance-Pop

via Forever Days / Jasmine Music / PMR Records

Syd - "Die For This"

Contemporary R&B

via Free Lunch Records / Warner Records

Cam's Picks

Open Mike Eagle - Neighborhood Gods Unlimited

Abstract Hip-Hop, Conscious Hip-Hop

via Auto Reverse

Wet Leg - moisturizer

Indie Rock, Post-Punk Revival

via Domino Recording Co.

Danny L Harle - "Starlight" (ft. PinkPantheress)

Hard Trance, Freeform Hardcore

via XL Recordings

Dominick's Picks

Cruelster - Make Them Wonder Why

Hardcore Punk, Garage Punk

via Convulse Records

The Cruelster camp has never looked stronger. Affiliated acts KNOWSO, Perverts Again, and The Carp have kept the ship steady in the seven years (!) since 2018’s Riot Boys. Make Them Wonder Why sees Cleveland’s fearless leaders of weird punk making their label debut with the phenomenal Denver-based Convulse Records, and continuing right where they left off.

Spanning 21 tracks, Cruelster deliver repeated sub-two-minute bursts (save for two tracks that are just a few seconds over) of raw, bruising hardcore that blurs the lines of political satirization and just flat-out bizarre antics.

GOON - Dream 3

Indie Rock, Neo-Psychedelia

via Born Losers Records

Los Angeles four-piece GOON kind of did my job for me with the title. Dream 3 is their third album, and yeah, it’s pretty dreamy! From noisy to subdued, from soft to crunchy, GOON switches things up from track to track, but it’s all united by a sort of sonic outer glow.

forever ☆ - "Heat Seeking Missile"

Noise Pop, Shoegaze

via à La Carte Records

Last month, the Kansas City-based duo of David Chavez and Rachel Stang announced their new EP, Second Gen Dream, behind lead single “Blade Silver Metallic.” This week brings “Heat Seeking Missile,” another shifty display of shoegaze-y indietronica. Or indietronic-shoegaze?

Second Gen Dream is out August 29 on à La Carte Records.

Good Flying Birds - "Eric's Eyes"

Jangle Pop, Indie Rock

via Carpark Records / Smoking Room

Jangly guitar-pop does good for the soul. The Indianapolis-based five-piece Good Flying Birds prove such with “Eric’s Eyes,” which is more or less their first “official” release. Their journey began in December 2023 with a collection of 4-track cassette recordings and stop-motion video posted to a YouTube channel named “Talulah God.”

Scattered songs continued to be uploaded, and the band’s chaotic Neocities-hosted site also saw frequent updates. This eventually drew the attention of Carpark Records and Smoking Room, who are jointly releasing Good Flying Birds’ first release to hit streaming services.

The St. Louis-based label Rotten Apple compiled the aforementioned early releases and scattered demos into Talulah’s Tape, which became available in January of this year and the tapes have long since sold out. It’s unclear if it’ll hit other streaming services, but the Bandcamp listing for it says “releases July 20, 2025.” It is also available in full on YouTube.

Karate - "Starfish"

Post-Hardcore

via The Numero Group

Originally active from 1993 to 2005, Boston band Karate regrouped in 2022 and released their first new material in two decades with last year’s Make It Fit. “Starfish” marks the fourth single they’ve put out in 2025, and it comes about two weeks out from the announcement of a new boxset coming via the archival label Numero Group. The If You Can Hold Your Breath 5xLP Boxset features material from the band’s first five years and is annotated by frontman Geoff Farina.

If You Can Hold Your Breath includes Karate’s self-titled debut, In Place of Real Insight, The Bed Is In The Ocean, period 7”s, and a previously unissued 1993 demo. It’s out September 12.

kennedy mann - "Habit"

Singer-Songwriter, Bedroom Pop

Self-Released

Last year, singer-songwriter Kennedy Mann shared her debut project under said name, having previously operated as the songwriter and lead singer of the Philadelphia-based band Highnoon. That project, titled Maybe Tomorrow, was slated to be the second Highnoon record before Mann decided to release music under her own name, stating “in the years since I’ve started sharing my songs online, I’ve felt that the name no longer fits me and my work.”

Just under a year after the shift, and now based in Brooklyn, Mann has announced a new EP. The fuzzy bedroom pop of “Habit” paves the way for dupes of nobody, a seven-track EP set to release on August 6.

Legss - "909"

Noise Rock, Experimental Rock

via The state51 Conspiracy

London art-rock outfit Legss have a trio of EPs under their belt, dating back to 2019 with Writhing Comedy. That was followed by Doomswayers in 2020 and Fester in 2023. Legss have now announced their first full-length alongside the release of “909,” a cutting and metallic display of noise rock.

About “909,” the band says:

“909 has existed in various forms for a few years now. There’s a 10-minute disco version somewhere. It’s a song that has developed with us and been rewritten at every stage, and now it’s in its final form: a stark, cubist, bass-driven day in the life of a nine-to-fiver addicted to radio podcasts.”

Legss’ debut album, Unreal, is out September 12 via The state51 Conspiracy.

mall goth - "Crawl Space"

Jangle Pop, Indie Rock

Self-Released

Albany’s mall goth are well-versed in sweet, jangly guitar-pop. The young band has just one EP on their resume—a killer self-titled release from 2023—and it is time for a second one. Heather’s Exit is set for August 8, and mall goth announced it alongside a new single in “Crawl Space.”

“Crawl Space” follows last month’s “Your Garden,” which presumably will also appear on Heather’s Exit. Presented by Byrdhouse Records—and featuring support from Halo Bite, Senior Living, and Apple Pie—mall goth will play a show in Troy, NY at No Fun on August 8 to celebrate the EP’s release.

Nihilistic Easyrider - "Weekend Fever" / "Facedown"

Alternative Rock, Pop Punk

via Run For Cover Records

Nihilistic Easyrider is the recently-launched solo project of Narrow Head frontman, Jacob Duarte. He announced the solo endeavor a little over a month ago with the ridiculously catchy and 2000s pop-punk-inspired “Getaway Plan.” This week, Duarte shares two more tracks from his debut, “Weekend Fever” and “Facedown.”

Somewhat contrasting one another, “Weekend Fever” offers up sentimentality in its dreamy alt-rock stylings; “Facedown” is a more spiteful burst of pop-punk that barely surpasses a one-minute runtime.

DELUXE EDITION, Duarte’s first album as Nihilistic Easyrider, is out July 25 on Run For Cover Records.

Soup Dreams - "Red Bird"

Alt-Country, Folk Rock

via Pleasure Tapes / Candlepin Records

Last month, Philly band Soup Dreams started the countdown to their debut LP behind a slice of jangly power pop on its lead single, “Radiator Baby.” This week, they dive back into a twangy, folk-rock/alt-country sound on “Red Bird.”

Hellbender, the first full-length from Soup Dreams, is out September 19 on Pleasure Tapes and Candlepin Records.

Max's Picks

sheller - S/T

Melodic Hardcore, Skate Punk

via Sean Shack Recordings Enterprises

Die Spitz - "Throw Yourself to the Sword"

Hardcore Punk, Crossover Thrash

via Third Man Records

Fraternal Twin - "Evil Eye"

Indie Rock, Slowcore

via Homeworld

Lip Critic - "Mirror Match" / "Second Life"

Synth Punk, Digital Hardcore

via Partisan Records

Peter's Picks

cateyes - "interlude"

Noise Rock

Self-Released

The "most band in Leeds, with an average height of 5'9½," cateyes, return for the first time in what's one day shy of a full calendar year.

One minute and fifty-three seconds is all we get from cateyes, but to see the potential of the band, it's all we need. The fuzzy, grunge-y sonics that the Leeds up-and-comers cook up are undeniable. It's a quick in-and-out job, a taster, but a rather gut-wrenching, rib-twisting, and seethingly shy one at that.

"Why can't you just let it go? I just want to go home."

Home Counties - "Humdrum"

Dance-Punk

via Submarine Cat Records

The floor-stomper that was Home Counties' previous single, "Spain," now has its other half in the lead single and title track to the band’s upcoming sophomore album. “Humdrum” features snake-like, 8-bit, mischievous-mice-synthesizers that skitter around like brief bouts of bright-blue rainfall, and lyrics revolving around envy and ever-creeping uncertainty.

Speaking on Humdrum, Home Counties had this to say:

"We recorded Humdrum with Al Doyle (LCD Soundsystem/Hot Chip) over 2 weeks in the Autumn of 2024. The album explores themes of miscommunication, quiet resentment, and the spiral of overthinking."

"Humdrum," the lead single to Humdrum, the album, is out now! Humdrum is out October 25 via Submarine Cat Records.

Home Counties head on their Winter tour in November. Dates include, but are not limited to: November 22 in Bristol, November 28 in Glasgow, and December 1 in Sheffield.

"I'm humdrum, I'm dumbstruck, I'm tongue tied, but nobody else gets stuck."