Not the busiest release day, truth be told, but August 8, 2025 is still giving the TND writers some projects they wanted to make sure didn't slip by.

Check 'em all out down below!

Anamanaguchi – Anyway [Polyvinyl]

Anamanaguchi, the NYC chiptune indie rock heroes, are back with Anyway. In a return to pre-internet tradition, the band made the decision to move in together to write and record the album all in the same room. And that room? It's none other than the iconic Midwest emo American Football house, which also serves as the Anyway album cover. Frontman Peter Berkman shared about the process: “We made the decision to be physically in the same room for nearly every step, writing everything as a group instead of editing and tweaking files over the internet.” He also added, “Crazy sounds come from normal-looking houses." Anamanaguchi surprised fans last night by announcing that they’re giving the album away for free, with downloads available now on their website via Dropbox (24-bit WAV / 320kbps MP3). - Ricky Adams

Avi C. Engel – Mote [Fenny Compton]

“What a messy business, all this dying and rebirth,” sings Toronto resident Avi C. Engel on their latest album, Mote, a poetic, often mystical meditation on the human (and sometimes non-human) soul journey. Constructed largely on acoustic guitar and gudok (an ancient three-stringed folk instrument from Russia), it’s a hypnotizing, slow-burn listen – light on choruses, heavy with mood. More than 20 years into their recording career, Engel remains a fascinating character on the avant-garde folk scene, fluidly extending their musical horizons with a prolific rate of releases (Mote is their fourth so far this year) and seemingly a growing confidence. "I am not writing the same song over and over so much as writing one long continuous song that will end when I die," they note on their Bandcamp page. Of all their works, for Mote this feels especially true. – Alan Pedder

Ethel Cain – Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You [Daughters of Cain/AWAL]

Shortly after the release of Perverts EP, a one-off side project dedicated to working with drone and ambient recordings, Ethel Cain returns to the tragic world of her eponymous fictional protagonist in Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You. Expanding upon the story between Ethel and her high school boyfriend Willoughby, sketched only as a bitter end in "A House In Nebraska" (from Preacher's Daughter), the record aims to sketch a fraught, spirited, and youthful picture of love blossoming for the first time. The first single "Nettles" finally offers a bit of warmth in terms of songwriting and composition, letting a gentle country fiddle and banjo carry her loveswept protagonist into the protective arms of her lover. "Fuck Me Eyes", moreover, gives a more classic, 80s-inspired synth pop track loaded with rock guitars, powerful and anthemic vocal performances, and smart lyrics that capture the drama and vitriol of teenage competitiveness over the boys' attention. Though we know how the story ends — an abandoned house, a boy who skipped town, and a lonely girl crying to herself — Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You gives these two kids a fighting chance at love, reveling in the excitement and adventure of experiencing this feeling for the first time. – Victoria Borlando

Leo Chadburn – Sleep in the Shadow of the Alternator [Self-released]

Magical realism meets spoken-word memoir on this riveting new album from London-based contemporary classical artist Leo Chadburn. Charting the post-industrial creep of his East Midlands hometown, once the site of coal mines and smokestacked factories, its four movements paint a fractured portrait of transformation from his childhood in the ‘80s to the post-human era of 3025. Described as “a radiophonic lullaby for a half-forgotten place and time,” Sleep in the Shadow of the Alternator is at times reminiscent of some of Patti Smith’s recent longform sound-poems with Soundwalk Collective. Chadburn’s narration is softer, almost palliative, with occasional swells into urgent repetition, allowing the drone-heavy music to evoke an impressive spectrum of feeling. True to such a personal creation, Chadburn played almost everything himself, folding in enigmatic field recordings, shortwave radio experiments, prepared piano, and much more. – Alan Pedder

Ricky Chilton – HORSEPOWER [Frayed Knot Records]

There’s a good chance this man, Ricky Chilton, has already crossed your social media feed: dressed in a Canadian tuxedo, cigar in hand, with a perfectly fitted white cowboy hat covering his untamed, slightly curled hair, singing about being three White Monsters deep and giving thanks for the Circle K. That video and song, which previously went viral with over 2 million views, captured Chilton’s knack for mixing legit country guitar chops with satirical lyrics. Think Colter Wall meets Father John Misty with a sprinkle of a countryfied Tenacious D. That same playfulness continues on HORSEPOWER, Chilton’s sophomore album and second release of 2025. Chilton sings about Slim Jims, essential oils, motor oil, relationship and financial debt, aggressive drivers in the passing lane, Walmart, beers (including some regretful 9% IPAs), Jiffy Lube, and a Marty Robbins-style cowboy saga about huevos burritos. Plus, dude has a classy first name. - Ricky Adams

Westside Cowboy – This Better Be Something Great [Heist or Hit/Nice Swan]

Why not indulge in an EP from a brand new band this week? Coming all the way from Manchester, UK, Westside Cowboy are a folsky punk rock quartet making their official debut with This Better Be Something Great. Inspired mainly by Americana and 60s British rock music — as well as the emergent post-rock and punk scene involving English Teacher (member Lewis Whiting produced this EP), Black Country, New Road (who WC will support on their UK tour), and others — the band has shared a five-track collection of their raucous, ambitious beginnings. "Shells", for instance, leans into folk rock, relying on the raw harmonies of vocalists Reuben Haycocks and Aoife Anson O’Connell and an electric guitar strumming gently, all before crashing out as a complete, rock band. Westside Cowboy play like a classic punk band, and their debut EP shows a lot of promise. – Victoria Borlando