Reports
Reports
Vaarwell - 3am on the northern line
The London-based duo Vaarwell, originally from Portugal, is making waves in the UK underground music scene with their album 3am on the Northern Line (2025). Their sound blends UK garage with uplifting synth elements, offering a refreshing take amidst typical club bangers. The album is a reflective homage to the UK underground, drawing influences from key artists like Burial and Mount Kimbie.
The duo showcases angelic vocals and soft synths, highlighting the contrast between club influences and more introspective sounds. However, there are moments where originality feels lacking, particularly in garage sections that seem overly nostalgic, whereas their strength lies in vocal-driven melodies.
One standout track, 'Safe', balances nostalgia with modernity through emotive vocals and intricate breakbeats, creating a cinematic, exhilarating experience. Ultimately, while Vaarwell has a knack for texture and emotion, they need to innovate beyond familiar influences to fully realise their potential.
Viagra Boys - viagr aboys
The Viagra Boys have reinvigorated garage rock and punk with their unique songwriting and tongue-in-cheek humour, drawing comparisons to the original Oasis sound but with a more authentic vibe. Their latest album, Viagr Aboys (2025), showcases their gritty psychedelic guitar riffs and punk-inspired lyrics, embodying a summer feel even in winter. Their effervescent sound is joined by experimental exploration this time around. Some moments risk feeling zany for zany's sake, and the lyrics can verge on the nonsensical, but the band's nonconformity shines through. There are added layers of introspective depth, while the band maintain their iconic sound. Overall, the album's critical acclaim is well-deserved as the band stays true to their style while introducing new elements.
Anthony Child - of the Beginning
Anthony Child's work under his own name differs significantly from his techno alias, Surgeon, but not as much as you might think. While Surgeon produces high-energy tracks, Child's music is more mellow and introspective, incorporating classical writing techniques and emotional storytelling.
Of the Beginning acts as a spiritual sequel to his earlier work, blending nature-inspired sounds with softer atmospheres. It showcases contrasting emotions through various sound palettes. Ultimately, Child's work explores complex feelings and the tension of decision-making, distinguishing it from Surgeon's focus on escape. The diverse nature of electronic music highlights how artists experiment with a range of genres and techniques. Of the Beginning acts as a spiritual sequel to his earlier works, showcasing softer, dreamier atmospheres and an emotional depth. The album features contrasting sound palettes and explores turbulent emotions, blending hopefulness with underlying tension. Overall, the album represents a unique artistic exploration, distinct from Surgeon's more energetic techno sound, addressing personal and societal themes.
L.F.T. - Hell Was Boring
L.F.T. (Johannes Haas) has consistently released high-quality music, evolving from an electro sound to a more gothic post-punk style in his latest album, Hell Was Boring (2025). This album showcases a more bombastic production style, blending punk and DIY aesthetics while maintaining accessibility. It captures a nostalgic vibe reminiscent of 1980s bands like Bauhaus and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Standout tracks include 'Waste Your Facelift', 'Going in Circles', and 'Iron Sights', highlighting L.F.T.'s improved songwriting and the collaborations, such as 'Totengräber' with Felix Kubin, introduce dynamic elements to the sound. The album blurs the lines between electronic goth rock and industrial music, making it an impressive and replayable work that resonates with a confident, rebellious energy.
QRTR - ONDAS
The landscape of female expression in pop music is evolving. A shining example of this movement is Meagan Rodriguez, better known as QRTR, whose upcoming album ONDAS (2025) beautifully embraces the minimalist electronic sounds reminiscent of the 2010s.
Standout tracks like "I Guess I Don't" deliver a hauntingly atmospheric vibe, while 'Self-sabotage' captivates with its angelic vocals and breakcore textures. QRTR artfully weaves in engaging interludes, such as in 'Shell Call,' alongside the electrifying opener 'Put a Show On,' which sets an exciting tone for the album. The Latin-inspired rhythms accelerate to a fever pitch while icy vocals flutter over top.
With a blend of strong electro grooves and irresistibly catchy hooks, ONDAS is perfect for both club nights and adventurous road trips. While it may not redefine songwriting, this album certainly marks an impressive milestone for QRTR, reflecting her unique artistry and the vibrant spirit of female empowerment in music.
Angel Investor - I Can't Smell The Roses Underground
Angel Investor's debut album, I Can't Smell the Rose Underground (2025), is an emotionally resonant blend of indie folk, distorted guitar sounds, and sepia-toned noise, brought to life by Jack Dione and Silas Johnson through Jane Records. The album features a mix of gentle melodies and grainy chords, tied together under wobbly vocals that feel so intimate. The album explores and twists genre conventions, merging shoegaze and grunge influences, especially evident in 'Stillicide' and incorporating early 2000s pop inspirations in 'In The Headlights'. The personal and uncomfortable themes resonate strongly in songs like 'I'm Gone', exemplifying a relatable loneliness. Produced with an analogue warmth, the album creates a nostalgic yet fresh listening experience, perfect for autumn nights. While some stylistic choices may detract from the overall narrative, the album's unique sound and emotional depth make it a standout debut.
Various Artists - Tectonic Sound
Tectonic Recordings, founded by Pinch in Bristol 20 years ago, is a significant player in the dubstep scene, known for its unique sound that diverges from mainstream trends. The label strikes a balance between influences from various genres, including Jamaican roots, world music, and footwork, emphasising playfulness and innovation over self-seriousness. The New compilation, Tectonic Sound (2025), showcases the label's current sound, featuring various artists like Pevrelists and Re:ni, and includes a mix of genres that blend techno and dubstep. Highlights include contributions from rising star Beatrice M and techno duo FJAAK, creating a dynamic collection that maintains Tectonic's innovative spirit with tracks that push boundaries while remaining accessible but stylistically forward-thinking.
Oxhy - The Names of God
Oxhy 2025 release, The Names of God, shifts away from the softness of Woodland Dance (2021) and To Keep The Desert Blooming (2024) to explore modern anxiety through chaotic soundscapes. The album blends noise and abstract pop, and punk, while employing a variety of sound design techniques to create a diverse listening experience.
Key highlights include "The Grotesque" and collaborations such as the opener with CRYSTALLMESS and the track "Goth", which showcase dynamic movement despite a grim tone. The album balances darkness with pieces like "Telephone Ring," offering intricate soundplay. Oxhy revives big beat sensibilities infused with punk and noise influences, exemplified in "Critical Threshold" and culminating in the closer "Not God's Gift."
The quality of layering adds depth to the album, exploring themes of chaotic loneliness and the struggles of urban life. The overall narrative presents a bleak yet energetic view of modern emotional states, embodying the resilience of the human spirit amid isolation and disconnection.
Tren - Tears of Things, Sorrows of the Universe
Tren showcases a post-rave style of club music that originally developed in response to modern EDM, emphasising a rejection of commercialisation. Labels like Giegling focus on music over celebrity, fostering slow builds instead of mainstream drops. Tren's album, "Tears of Things, Sorrows of the Universe," embraces the open-air dreamscape by exploring themes of escapism, euphoria and surrender.
The album features emotionally charged tracks that combine the hypnotic rhythms of ticking clocks and ambient, lush, spaced-out soundscapes. Tracks like 'Lumen' and 'Stor' combine danceability with atmospheric elements, maintaining a pulse without becoming overwhelming. 'Aether' offers an intimate ambient techno sound, while vocal chops in 'Remembrance' and 'Birth of Hermes' add something new to Trens' palette. The track 'Into the Abyss' contrasts with its more overt rejection of the commercial, focusing on substance and creating a dream-like quality reminiscent of minimal and trance influences.
Lorenzo Senni - Canone Infinito Xtended
Lorenzo Senni's Canone Infinito Xtended (2025) is a masterclass in minimalism, merging electronic music with modern classical elements. The album explores themes of change and reflection through its soundscapes, with tracks like 'Trapped in an Oil Painting' contrasting plonky tones and piano. 'Andromeda A6 Interplay' features harsh synthesised notes alongside subdued piano, creating depth through tonal modulation. In 'XEurekaX Demo,' beauty emerges within strict artistic boundaries, blending aggressive melodies with delicate notes. 'Minimalism on Steroids' captures rising tension and emotional conflict through contrasting melodies, while 'The Romantics were Prompted' evokes a cooling, nuanced emotional response. Overall, Senni's work aligns with artists like Catarina Barbari and Barker, highlighting the beauty of synthesis and emotional expression.