10 EPs of 2025

Best of 2025
Written By Roman Martinez

These were our favorites.

Blackwater Holylight - If You Only Knew

Dare we say it’s euphoric? The textures and tones are heavy, but somehow the songs float in the ether. From the opening notes in “Wandering Lost” the Portland band pushes their sound into cinematic territory while exploring the very real and relatable human struggles of uncertainty, vulnerability and forging a path forward.

Docents - Shadowboxing

Do yourself a favor and go blast this. The title of this EP fully encapsulates its ethos. Constantly on the move, dodging, catching your breath, all while trying to knock out your opponent—yourself.

“I want it more / I need it more / but I can’t stand it.” - “Shadowboxing”

Empty Nesters - Deaf Monks

We warned you back in August that this would end up on our end of year list. The only way to describe this release is feral. And props to the Montreal project for reinventing itself from an alternative/shoegaze-influenced act to a hardcore beast.

False Flowers - S/T

There’s an ever-present energy in False Flowers’ songs. Their dark and atmospheric post-punk sound is clearly intentional and their songs are fully alive.

Farmer’s Wife - Faint Illusions

How can something be pretty and gritty at the same time? That’s the sound of Faint Illusions. It lives somewhere between delicate vocals, muddy guitar tones, blaring bass and thrashing drums. Not for the weak, but especially made for those that like to get lost in the noise.

Kills Birds - Crave

This one from the LA grunge band Kills Birds—Nina Ljeti alongside Jacob Loeb, Fielder Thomas and Griffin Kisner— ranges from visceral (“Behind”) to anthemic (“Pyre”). And sometimes a song can even be both (“Madison”).

Nympho - Honk If You’re Horny

A Philly punk band that sells poppers, screams quotes from The Real Housewives and gets banned from IG for “being too sexy”? SIgn me up! If that doesn’t yell artist of the year, I don’t know what does.

Pamphlets - Cause//Effect

Jeremy Marquez sings with a kind of urgency. Their sound—courtesy of Marquez, Ben Griffin and Aidan Miller—is sharp and forceful. Pamphlets makes the kind of music that stops you in your tracks.

PANIK FLOWER - rearview

rearview, the band’s second EP, is the perfect balance of calm and storm. The band has a way of descending into sonic chaos. Yet somehow vocalist Sage Leopold pierces through that thick wall of sound.

Weird Era - Shrine

Weird Era make their mark with their debut EP. The Pittsburgh band makes it look easy creating rich sonic landscapes (“These Things”), experimenting with noise (“Strange People”) and crafting noise pop bops (“Marian”).

Roman Martinez
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