One of the final busy release days of the year is upon us! Soon comes the winding down and listing and all that...

But for now! Alas! Some more highlights. Please enjoy!

Ba bam!

Ben Quad – Wisher [Pure Noise Records]

Ben Quad, the Oklahoma City emo outfit, have always been a bit of a wild card when it comes to genre direction. Their sound is usually rooted somewhere in emo or emo-adjacent territory, but they’re constantly shifting and expanding it. Wisher, the band’s sophomore release, feels like the culmination of those experiments and stands as their most cohesive project yet. There are traces of Midwest emo, pop-punk, post-punk, math rock, and even the screamo edge they explored on their 2024 EP Ephemera. The spoken-word interlude, a phone call from friend of the band Sam Canty of Treaty Oak Revival, pokes fun at the group’s tendency to switch things up. Canty jokingly tells them, “y’all just ain’t the same anymore” and “you know what your sound is, quit trying to fucking change it.” The irony, of course, is that Ben Quad’s constant evolution and eagerness to pull from every corner of the emo sphere is exactly what makes Wisher so compelling. The lead singles “It’s Just A Title”, “Painless”, and “Very Big in Sheboygan” highlight this range. “Painless” hits like an early-aughts screamo track in the vein of Silverstein, while “Very Big in Sheboygan” leans fully into anthemic emo-pop-punk territory. Wisher is full of twists and turns that are bound to lodge themselves in your noggin with all sorts of earworms, especially if you’re a fan of any of the endless subgenres orbiting the emo scene. – Ricky Adams

Fimbul Winter – What Once Was [Self-released]

Formed a couple of years ago at founding Amon Amarth drummer Niko Kaukinen’s 50th birthday party, Fimbul Winter features longtime Amon Amarth drummer Fredrik Andersson on guitar, along with Kaukinen, vocalist Clint Williams, and founding Amon Amarth guitarist Anders Biazzi. Their fiery debut EP, What Once Was, sounds the horns of Ragnarok with five tracks of crushing Swedish death metal. "This EP came from friends who refused to settle for what was," the band says in a statement. "Now, the world's listening — and that's the sound of us kicking the door in." — Nic Huber

FearDorian & quinn – Before You Press Play [3500]

FearDorian and quinn are the Shaq and Kobe of Atlanta’s underground. The two rapper-producers have been making huge moves in spite of their young age, honing on their craft to a fine degree. FearDorian with his signature trippy coming-of-age trap, and quinn with her internet-bred digicore. Before You Press Play is contemporary SoundCloud patchwork: a mix of plugg hypnagogia, Milwaukee lowend, and heavenly vapor. Dorian and quinn float over their own soundscapes, effortlessly crafting hooks about Balatro and Family Guy, and volleying bars back and forth between each other. Before You Press Play soundtracks the in-between emotions growing up, chopping it up with friends, and bringing out the best in eachother. – Alex Peterson

FKA twigs – Eusexua Afterglow [Atlantic/Young]

Originally conceived as a deluxe for FKA twigs’ January album, Eusexua Afterglow metamorphosed into an entirely new project. Where Eusexua scored dancefloor romance, Afterglow is the post-rave nightcap: six people jammed into an Uber, giggling in the back seat. Twigs’ breathy soprano cuts through warped metallic club fare, weaving between coquettish club romance and striking dancefloor fervor – “Sushi” begins as patient ambient house before shifting gears into full-on ballroom vogue. Equally sticky as the Eusexua from earlier this year, Eusexua Afterglow continues where twigs left off, a bit more intense in every way, more than mere b-sides. – Alex Peterson

Home Front – Watch It Die [La Vida Es Un Mus Discos]

Home Front expand their sonic reach on their sophomore album Watch It Die, a record built on sharp contrasts. The band slides between two fully realized modes: bright, synth-soaked new wave and gritty, pub-ready punk. Their more melodic new wave material leans heavily into Peter Hook–inspired basslines, atmospheric Echo & The Bunnymen-style guitar work, and synth arrangements that feel tailor-made for some long-lost 1985 coming-of-age flick, the kind of tracks Molly Ringwald would absolutely approve of. Songs like “Between the Waves,” “Kiss the Sky,” and the standout “Light Sleeper” tap into that feeling, pairing glossy production with lyrics about anger, trauma, and the slow work of acknowledging emotional wounds. When the band flips to their heavier side, Watch It Die shifts toward the Oi-leaning punk energy they introduced on their 2023 debut Games of Power. Tracks like “New Madness,” “For the Children (F*ck All),” “Young Offender,” and the catchy “Dancing With Anxiety” carry a rowdy, chant-driven momentum. – Ricky Adams