Chicago Underground Duo – Hyperglyph (International Anthem)
Marking their first release in eleven years, Chicago Underground Duo (Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor) return with Hyperglyph, a boundary-pushing collection that proves their chemistry is as potent as ever. Born from a partnership dating back to 1997, the album seamlessly blends organic free jazz roots with “space-age” analogue synthesis and frenetic intensity.
Tracks like Click Song and the title cut deliver a “perfectly weighted one-two punch,” recalling the raw excitement of the late Jaimie Branch. The record balances these high-energy moments with the epic, three-part Egyptian Suite, which moves from thrashed beats to Pink Floyd-esque grooves. A “living symbol” of multi-dimensional sound, Hyperglyph confirms that Mazurek and Taylor remain masters of their unique, forward-thinking craft.
Alex Rex – The National Trust (The Barne Society)
Alex Neilson brings his Alex Rex project to a potential close with The National Trust, a “ghost rock” reckoning haunted by his brother’s sudden death. Here, grief is transformed into an “exquisitely painful artform,” balancing visceral agony with Neilson’s trademark self-deprecating humour.
Crucially, the album serves as a reconciliation, reuniting Neilson with former Trembling Bells bandmates Lavinia Blackwall and Mike Hastings. Their presence rekindles old magic, lending acid-rock crunch and unearthly vocals to tracks like the nihilistic The Tragedy of Man and the operatic People Are the Pollution of God. Unflinching, fearsomely clever, and often beautiful, The National Trust is a vital, complex finale for a singular artistic voice.
Echolalia – Echolalia (Full Time Hobby)
Recorded in the atmospheric 12th-century Chale Abbey on the Isle of Wight, Echolalia is a collaborative project from Nashville-based musicians Spencer Cullum, Andrew Combs, Jordan Lehning, and Dominic Billett. Rejecting modern studio sterility for a live-in-the-room approach, the quartet captures the authentic magic of musicians feeding off one another in isolation.
The result is a wonderfully “out-of-time” collection, blending 1970s Canterbury scene quirkiness with pastoral acid folk. From the hazy, rain-spattered Dreams Of You to the psychedelic grind of Odd Energy and the Britpop-esque closer In The Pub, the album repurposes the glory days of rural progressive music for a modern context. Authentic, spontaneous, and deeply atmospheric, Echolalia is a testament to the creative sparks that fly when friends simply play together.
Buck Curran – Far Driven Sun (Obsolete Recordings / ESP-Disk / Echodelick Records)
Buck Curran’s Far Driven Sun is a celebration of reunion—specifically with a 1990 Stefan Sobell ‘Butterfly’ guitar originally built for Martin Simpson. After almost two decades apart, Curran reacquired the instrument in 2024, sparking an immediate creative outpouring. Fittingly, he strips back the expansive sound of previous releases to let the instrument’s character shine, favouring minimalism, intimate miking, and subtle layers of EBow and slide.
The result is a “deeply musical and layered set” that balances pensive vignettes with moments of buoyancy, such as the optimistic Unicorn Song. Whether on the rockier Iliad (Slight Return) or the minimalist improvisation of Bells, Curran’s playing is defined by clarity and purpose. Far Driven Sun is a highly accomplished passion project, performed with love and intricate musicianship that honours the unique voice of the guitar itself.
Iona Zajac – Bang (Self Released)
Iona Zajac’s debut album, Bang, arrives with the confidence of an artist who has honed her craft supporting legends like The Pogues and Lankum. A record of “grand musical gestures,” it sees Zajac fearlessly shifting between folk minimalism and the visceral intensity of PJ Harvey.
The title track serves as a fierce feminist manifesto against slut-shaming, while songs like Anton and Bowls confront abuse and misogyny with unblinking focus. Zajac refuses to fit into the “pretty, quirky” box often reserved for female songwriters; instead, she alchemises bitter experiences into uncompromising art. From the surreal humour of Chicken Supermarket to the raw beauty of closer Loving Is Rough, Bang is a powerful, remarkably accomplished achievement.
M. Sage – Tender / Wading (RVNG Intl.)
M. Sage returns to the RVNG label with Tender / Wading, an album that deepens his exploration of the Colorado landscape through a blend of “lush, blissful complexity.” Following 2023’s Paradise Crick, Sage moves further toward acoustic textures, creating a sound that owes as much to “the old, weird America” as it does to newfangled technology.
Tracks like The Garden Spot and Wading the Plain pair glitchy electronics with melodic clarinet, piano, and field recordings—from cooing doves to the clopping of a pony. Sage possesses the rare ability to make traditional instruments sound futuristic and electronics feel ancient. Playful, textural, and big-hearted, Tender / Wading transcends ambient tropes to become a quietly sublime and consistently moving experience.
Matmos – Metallic Life Review (Thrill Jockey)
Baltimore experimental legends Matmos (Drew Daniel and M.C. Schmidt) return with Metallic Life Review, an album constructed entirely from metal objects. Far from a harsh junkyard cacophony, the duo alchemises these cold, inanimate sources into warmth and humanity. Tracks like Norway Doorway blend techno rhythms with a distinct “Lynchian” atmosphere, while the jittery Changing States evokes the melodic gentleness of Aphex Twin.
The album culminates in a twenty-minute, largely improvised title track that treats music as unexplored geography. Nearly thirty years into their career, Matmos continues to unlock new rooms of creativity, proving that even the strictest constraints—using only metal—can yield a record of surprising emotional depth and organic movement.
Cass McCombs – Interior Live Oak (Domino Records)
Cass McCombs remains an “enigma laid bare” on his eleventh solo album, Interior Live Oak. Returning to the Domino roster, McCombs delivers a record steeped in a “low-lit California haze,” balancing themes of homecoming with his signature genre-hopping versatility. From the North African-inspired folk-rock of Peace to the wiry new-wave of Juvenile, the songwriting skirts folk, psych, and desert rock without ever settling in one place.
Aided by returning collaborators Chris Cohen and Jason Quever, McCombs showcases a hard-won maturity reminiscent of John Prine. Whether on the somnambulant epic Lola Montez Danced the Spider Dance or the distorted psych of the title track, this is one of his strongest, most beguiling collections yet—a masterclass in maintaining the “sweet spot between concision and variation.”
Bonnie “Prince” Billy – The Purple Bird (Domino/No Quarter)
Will Oldham, aka Bonnie “Prince” Billy, embraces country and western with wholehearted gusto on The Purple Bird. Crafted alongside producer Dave ‘Ferg’ Ferguson, the album strikes a unique balance between classic Nashville tropes and Oldham’s fierce autonomy—a creative partnership likened to Dylan and Jacques Levy.
The record features stellar contributions from Brit Taylor and John Anderson, moving effortlessly from the hard-luck humour of Tonight With the Dogs I’m Sleeping to the tender soulfulness of One of These Days. Whether delivering the “velvet-gloved gut-punch” of Sometimes It’s Hard To Breathe or the communal warmth of Our Home, this is undeniably a country record, yet one that only Oldham could make. It is a sincere, masterful continuation of a singular career.
SML – How You Been (International Anthem)
SML—the quintet of International Anthem stalwarts, including Anna Butterss, Jeremiah Chiu, Josh Johnson, Booker Stardrum and Gregory Uhlmann—refine their signature sound on How You Been. Strengthening the fruitful creative pipeline between Chicago and LA, the group perfects the collage technique of their debut, balancing measured studio planning with fierce improvisational intuition.
The result is a record that feels both complex and immediate. Tracks like Chicago Four bounce electronic textures off muscular guitar lines, while Taking Out the Trash moves effortlessly from space-age synths to gritty, organic funk. Whether exploring the “soft-focus marshmallow world” of Brood Board Shroom or the future-funk of closer Mouth Words, SML prove they are masters of the groove, forging bright new pathways in American jazz with deep, telepathic chemistry.