Writing THE NOISE OF AUGUST 2025 means that summer is offcially over, which means the year is practically over. The decade is kinda gone, to be honest. The year is 2525. Welcome to the future.
Wisp – If Not Winter
August 1 // Music Soup/Interscope
Haru Nemuri – ekkolaptόmenos
August 1 // Made Music
gingerbee – Apiary
August 1 // Independent
Asunojokei – Think of You
August 6 // Independent
One of the most interesting blackgaze bands is back with a vengeance. Asunojokei is great fun — you never know what will happen next, and that’s half the appeal. They also know how to keep their genre fresh and cool. If you like blackgaze, they could be just what you’re looking for.
Melpomene – A Body Is A Suggestion
August 8 // Fiadh Productions
Long live instrumental prog! Aside from outstanding bands like Night Verses, the aforementioned genre has nothing new to offer (though exceptions do appear from time to time). So imagine my utter surprise when I listened to Melpomene and instantly fell in love with their amazing prog-death-inspired take on the genre. This is undoubtedly one of the best metal records of the year and probably one of the best in its genre in recent years.
Ethel Cain – Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You
August 8 // Daughters Of Cain
Apparently, this is the last release under the name Ethel Cain, and what an intense ride it was! Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You is sometimes painful, always compelling, and discomforting in situations that need to be discomforting. I’m looking forward to whatever Hayden Silas Anhedonia is cooking up next.
Amaarae – BLACK STAR
August 8 // Golden Child/Interscope
JID – God Does Like Ugly
August 8 // Dreamville/Interscope
damezumari – Jesters of a clown king
August 8 // Independent
It’s a big collection of songs that is sometimes disorganized and convoluted but always fascinating. damezumari‘s Jesters of a clown king is full of amazing ideas, and I urge each and every one of you to give it a listen.
Pool Kids – Easier Said Than Done
August 15 // Epitaph
The astonishingly great self-titled album by Pool Kids is still rippling through their career. As much as I appreciate this new record, it can’t unleash the same kind of magic as the first one. Nevertheless, if you’ve never heard of Pool Kids, now’s your chance. They’re probably one of the coolest math rock-adjacent bands out there right now.
Panopticon – Songs of Hiraeth
August 15 // Bindrune Recordings
By now, we know that Panopticon means top-notch black metal. Apparently, it also applies to top-notch country, folk and Americana. Alongside Songs of Hiraeth, Laurentian Blue was also released. While I’m only highlighting the angry black metal record on this list, please give the dreamy, heartfelt country folk album a spin too.
Georgia Harmer – Eye of the Storm
August 15 // Arts & Crafts
Preservation & Gabe ‘Nandez – Sortilège
August 15 // BackwoodzStudioz
There are lots of great, high-profile rap albums released this year for you to enjoy, but if I were to recommend one to someone new to rap that shows how fascinating and versatile the genre is, it would be this one. The collaboration between Preservation and Gabe ‘Nandez is unlike anything I’ve heard in 2025, and it’s so much more than just fresh ideas. It’s good storytelling and creative artistry.
Rún – Rún
August 22 // Rocket Recordings
Many of the records I discuss in this feature don’t receive the recognition they deserve — a common problem for music enthusiasts. I barely noticed any conversation about Rún‘s new self-titled album, and it’s a damn shame. The Irish trio reminds me of Low, but with more doom. They’re a bit darker and weirder. Anything that reminds me of Low is an absolute win in my book.
Malevich – Under a Gilded Sun
August 22 // Church Road Records
Hundreds of AU – Life in Parallel
August 22 // Iodine Recordings
More skramz, you say? Well, if you insist, let’s add some more. The New Jersey-based band Hundreds of AU is back with a new album, and they sound as angry and fantastic as ever.
Pino Palladino & Blake Mills – That Wasn’t a Dream
August 22 // Impulse
Wreck and Reference – Stay Calm
August 22 // The Flenser
The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die – Dreams of Being Dust
August 22 // Epitaph
Linda May Han Oh – Strange Heavens
August 22 // Biophilia Records
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – GUSH
August 22 // Nettwerk
Emma Louise & Flume – DUMB
August 22 // Independent
Collaborations can unlock things you wouldn’t be able to unlock on your own. More and more artists are teaming up with others for entire albums and producing some of their best work. Australian producer Flume and Australian singer-songwriter Emma Louise released some of their finest work, as well as one of the best electro-pop albums of the year.
The Caution Children – Appropriate Music
August 22 // The Ghost Is Clear Records
With an energy that reminds me of Death Goals, and full of creative little ideas and unsuspected twists and turns, I took a liking to Appropriate Music immediately. With every listen, I could feel the deep layer of emotions The Caution Children put into this album – everything has purpose, but they never overthink. A rare quality to find in music.
Raein – Forme Sommerse
August 28 // Persistent Vision Records
It’s difficult to express what this band means to me. They are one of the main reasons I fell in love with skramz in the first place, and their second album, Il N’y A Pas De Orchestre, is easily one of my favorite albums of all time. Having them back with new material that sounds vastly different yet familiar and wholesome is an immaculate feeling that only bands you have a deep connection to can pull off.
Death Goals – Survival Is An Act Of Defiance
August 29 // Independent
I’ve been a fan of Death Goals for years, so it’s satisfying to see them gain well-deserved traction. A Garden of Dead Flowers was a critical success, and they seem to have blossomed even more creatively with this new EP. We need more queer skramz, and Death Goals are here to fill that void.
Nate Smith – Live-Action
August 29 // Naïve
If you like drums and aren’t familiar with Nate Smith, you should change that immediately. He’s been doing exciting things for years and working with great people. From what I know and have seen, he’s a generally good guy. Once again, Nate Smith has teamed up with a myriad of fantastic artists to make Live-Action vibrant, colorful, and exciting.
lowheaven – Ritual Decay
August 29 // MNRK Heavy
When lowheaven burst onto the scene with their EP collapse roughly two years ago, I knew they were something special. Their blend of dreamy post-hardcore, tender post-rock, and chaotic mathcore was spot-on, and their debut album was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. I wasn’t immediately hooked, but it has constantly grown on me — it still does — and has become everything I was waiting for and more.
Hebephrenique – Decathexis
August 29 // Brilliant Emperor Records
Trudger – Void Quest
August 29 // Floodlit Recordings
By now, I usually skip promo emails that start with something like, ‘Legendary band (who no one ever heard of) returns after 15 years of silence.’ This time, though, the email was from someone who usually has good stuff, so I checked it out. Trudger blew me away. What a massive, ridiculously awesome album! I get it.
Shabason, Krgovich, Tenniscoats – Wao
August 29 // Western Vinyl
A very free-spirited record – it feels that no idea what cut down in the process of producing this album, still it manages to be elegant and beautiful instead of being weird for the sake of it. If you are looking for a trippy time with the right level of sophistication, this is for you.
Jehnny Beth – You Heartbreaker, You
August 29 // Western Vinyl
Chartreuse – Bless You & Be Well
August 29 // Communion Group
Blood Orange – Essex Honey
August 29 // RCA/Domino
Thanks for scrolling.
