Julia Gjertsen & Gustav Davidsson - Wandering Mind, Drifting Weather (2025)

When two Scandinavian neoclassical artists come together to create a beautiful soundscape, it almost never disappoints. This time the Norwegian pianist and the Swedish trombonist charm not only with the sheer quality of the music but also with the a new and exciting (at least to me) match of instruments.

I'm not a fan of trumpet and similar instruments in music. I can't describe exactly what I dislike in those, but with some exception I tend to avoid trumpet-led compositions. And yet this album sounds so perfect! Especially that Gustav Davidsson manages to create melancholic sounds on the trombone without sounding too on the nose or even cringey. That's why it works so well with the subtle piano melodies that play the role of lively yet atmospheric backgrounds. 

As it is the case with many Scandinavia artists, Gjertsen and Davidsson are inspired by the weather in their countries that can be especially picturesque. Judging by the track titles, those days were very much Scandinavian-like: melancholia-inspiring and slow. If that was the case, the album makes a perfect soundtrack for them.

Wandering Mind, Drifting Weather costs 6 EUR (5 GBP).

Check: Black Cloud

Country: Norway/Sweden

Genre: trumpet-led neoclassical

Label: whitelabrecs

Julia Gjertsen & Juha Mäki-Patola - Dive (2023)

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Ciśnienie - [angry noises] (2025)

"Note: this album is designed to be played loudly. Listen as loud as you can or as loud as you’re allowed." How many release, regardless of the genre, have to include such a disclaimer? But in the case of the Polish less and less jazzy and more and more noisy Ciśnienie, it's well-justified. One of my favourite Polish bands have just released their new album and it's a chaotic wonder.

I've had numerous occasions to see the band live and I have to say that their philosophy never to release albums created in studios in traditional way, but rather record live performances is what leads the band's career forward. There is so many good things about their music, but the best one is the energy and the creative ways of showing heated emotions that drive the artists. This results in music that is chaotic (in the best way!), noisy (in the best way!) and overwhelming. The complex compositions are filled with parts that prepare you for the sudden burst of sound and create tension, parts that are the sudden bursts of sound and parts that come after the sudden bursts of sound but are somehow even louder and noisier.

This all makes me always mention Ciśnienie when asked about the best Polish post-rock group at the moment. Even though the artists escape easy genre divisions and are difficult to classify. The way (angry and energetic) baritone sax and (angry and energetic) violins lead this music makes it exceptional but it's the overall anger and energy what makes the band so unique. A broader audience in Poland got to know Ciśnienie recently thanks to their performance at OFF Festival, but the band is even better in smaller clubs, so if you have a chance, don't miss it!

[angry noises] costs whatever you want to pay.

Check: Gówno (gowno)

Country: Poland

Genre: chaotic noisy post-rock

Ciśnienie - Radio Edit (2021)

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chirrp. - Lurid (2025)

Following the trail of lo-fi shoegaze bands from Asia from last week, this time it's time for a new group from a country with solid shoegaze traditions. chirrp. are young and beautiful but already showing great skills at noising up melodic songs and making them as hazy as possible.

They say that they are "good at kneading broken sounds and space into a soft but solid wall of sound, and then hiding behind it" which is such a lovely way of saying that their music is filled with indie pop-rock melodies with a healthy dose of noise. Accordingly, the warm, twee vocals add to the extremely inviting an open atmosphere of the album. It's clear to me that the artists have fun doing their music and that it must be equally fun to see them performing live. 

Running to the Sun is a perfect example: a perfectly mesmerizing melody supported by suddenly raising guitar noise. No wonder that it's already visibly more popular than the rest of the songs here. The only thing I don't like is that Silhouette is clearly inspired by Slowdive's Dagger, a little too close to the original I feel. I think that the talented artists from Taiwan don't need to use hit melodies that already exist.    

Lurid costs 8 USD.

Check: Running to the Sun

Country: Taiwan

Genre: lo-fi hazy indie rock

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Takahiro Kido - INSOMNIA (2025)

The artists around the Japanese Ricco Label have inspired me more or less from the beginning of this blog. Anoice, Mizu Amane, Tokyo Ambient Collective they all appeared here and for a good reason: the label is basically a quality stamp for music revolving around neoclassical and ambient soundscapes. And around Takahiro Kido himself.

A member of all of the above and a founder of the label comes back to releasing music under his name, after almost a decade since the last album, "The New World". And it's a great thing he does so. The music on the album is lead by piano keys, but a great deal of the fantastic atmosphere is created by string instruments (violins, violas, and cellos) played by the members of Anoice. There is a certain drama felt in the compositions, the spine-thrilling and unnerving at times passages are far from the relaxing or melancholic atmosphere often associated with neoclassical music. This time, it keeps the heart beating and the mind wondering what'll happen next.

And it's not a surprise since the album was inspired by insomnia, as suggested by its title. It is focused on a simply, yet captivating question: "Where is the boundary between reality and dream" which people suffering from this sleeping disorder may need to ask themselves more often then not. It also leads to the atmosphere, unnerving as I said but also dreamy and airy. Given the artist's background, it won't be a very novel thought that this music is basically a movie score without the movie, but it really describes it so well.

INSOMNIA costs 6.98 USD

Check: The Liquidator

Country: Japan

Genre: atmospheric neoclassical

Label: Ricco Label

Anoice - The Hidden Forest (2021)

Tokyo Ambient Collective - Healing for Damages (2020)

RiLF - My Beloved Farewell (2020)

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Deaf Center - Reverie (2025)

Somehow this is only the first time the Norwegian duo Deaf Center appears on my blog. It's a shame for me as Erik K. Skodvin and Otto A. Totland create their works of art for over two decades now. But their dark improvisation had to eventually turn up here and I'm glad it's this beautiful, yet unsettling album.

The new album includes two long compositions that balance the darker and unnerving atmosphere with the beauty of piano notes. The slow pace of the darkness that is woven into this music makes me think of a winter morning that will turn into a bright day but for now is still cold and unwelcoming. The album was recorded live and, as it is mentioned on their Bandcamp page, "as always, the duo favours improvisation, and what emerged on this evening turned out to be a truly magical encounter". The piano, cello and guitar sounds glued together with dark electronica give out peculiar but addictive vibes.

Reverie costs 7 EUR.

Check: Rev

Country: Norway

Genre: dark neoclassical

Label: Sonic Pieces

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Barrens - Corpse Lights (2025)

Their 2020 debut was a shock to me. How can you include such fantastic post-rock music on your first ever album? No wonder I recognize the Swedes as one of my biggest discoveries within the genre in recent years. Now it's time for a difficult step: proving your value on the second album. And, surprise, surprise, Barrens took the step with extreme grace.

The release starts strong with my two favourites: The Derelict and Sorrowed. Those tracks have everything: the engaging but not cringey melodies, the flow, the heaviness to the sound. These are absolute hits if post-rock music can generates hits at all. These must be the pinnacles of the live gigs (I don't know yet, but hopefully I'll find out if that's true soon). They are the parts of the album that will be remembered. After that duo, the Swedes step on the brake pedals and try to enchant the audience with some ambient atmosphere developing into slower grandeur-filled pieces, but, I have to say, I like them best when they are fast and furious.

The album is a well-balanced one. The way the band combines the melodic fragments with darker and heavier ones makes me think that any post-rock fan will surely like this album, but perhaps for different things. I like the darker and heavier, but also faster parts and can honestly say that it's a real continuation of the fantastic debut.

Corpse Lights costs whatever you want to pay.

Check: Sorrowed

Country: Sweden

Genre: atmospheric post-rock

Label: Pelagic

Barrens - Penumbra (2020)

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The Stargazer Lilies - Love Pedals (2025)

I know the American band thanks to the regretfully discontinued Spacefest that used to create unforgettable psychedelic Novembers back in the day. The rays of the hazey sun The Stargaze Lilies' music is so good at providing, can still make my autumns warmer thanks to another great album from the Pennsylvania-based band.

Their sixth album opens in the best possible way: with an intriguing and noisey riff that automatically glued my attention to the music. And since the rougher guitars are skillfully balanced with the airiest of vocals and tropical-ish background effects, the listening session create a safe space for half-dreaming with tears in your eyes. Something like listening to Still Corners but less dreamy and more noisy. Melancholic summer memories? Me like that.

But the Americans are not such one-dimensional artists, it's not all about dreamy melancholia. There are parts that literally drown in guitar noise (By Your Side) or are based on My Bloody Valentine-esque pedal weirdness (the beautiful Shining Yellow). Lilies can create both intimate atmosphere and grand, almost orchestral one to overwhelm the audience. And sometimes both of them in one song. To me the versatile and yet coherent approach to dreamy music means that the duo is now very, very experienced and really knows what they do. Is it their best time yet?

Love Pedals costs 9 USD.

Check: Ambient Light

Country: Pennsylvania, US

Genre: warm shoegaze

The Stargazer Lilies - Cosmic Tidal Wave (2022)

The Stargazer Lilies - Lost (2017)

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OutControlJoys - S/T (2025)

The Nepalese band OutControlJoys have recently released their debut full-length album and it makes me, once again, amazed how great music can be born in the most distant places and thanks to Bandcamp find its way to my speakers. Because indeed, the self-titled debut is top-shelf DIY shoegaze noisy music.

Already the instrumental intro lets you know that these guys know how to create engaging and immersive guitar compositions. It's melodic but also noisy, just how we like it. And it's even before the airy vocals are introduced! From the second track, Paribartan, the music turns real shoegaze. And I'm not talking some indie rock with hazey elements. No, it's old-school shoegaze, maybe also because of some lo-fi vibes that make the whole thing perhaps noisier and airier than it otherwise would be. Which is great! 

And yes, this is my first ever Nepalese artist on the blog! Woo-hoo for all finding-new-music-from-all-over-the-world enjoyers! I really recommend trying out the band's debut album to all indie shoegaze lovers.

The self-titled album costs 7 USD.

Check: Paribartan

Country: Nepal

Genre: DIY shoegaze

Label: Ris Records

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Harbors - When We Are Free (2025)

When two acclaimed neoclassical artists start a new project together, you know it should be good. But when they are also a couple, it's a strong lead that the project will be also very emotional. Hollie and Keith Kenniff created Mint Julep and Meadows before, now they are known as Harbors.

This is my favourite kind of a soundscape: one that feels calm, but also lively. When I know there is many things going on around me, but the whole thing is relaxing and inviting. It's like watching fireflies on a summer night. You are aware that they appear here and there, but it doesn't make the night any less peaceful. And it's the piano keys, they are the fireflies. You have to look for them to appear and then don't lose track of time trying to follow them.

When We Are Free costs 10 USD.

Check: A Portrait of Time

Country: Oregon, US

Genre: lively soundscape

Label: Nettwer Music Group

Hollie Kenniff - For Forever (2024)

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Blak - Mont Solitud (2025)

Post-rock so complex that you can't really keep up with everything that goes on and yet everything sounding coherent and atmosphere-inducing? This is the Catalan band Black's sophomore album called Mont Solitud and the sheer energy of the track here, together with the perfect execution of the ideas, makes me wanna say that it is my favourite post-rock album of the year so far!

I don't know how to explain it, but this music feels so genuinely wild. It's vibrant, it's wild, it's a bit chaotic. The noisy parts are very noisy, the calmer parts feel like the calm before storm. To me it's clear that the artists feel the music, that there is notching artificial in their compositions. One more thing that facilitates this feeling is that the second track of the album, La solitud és gàbia, features my favourite Chinese post-rockers, An Corporation, and if any music should be called the most genuinely energy-filled, it would probably be them.And yes, the results are spectacular.

The band describes their music as "an instrumental journey through the many faces of solitude", but to be honest I don't hear the solitude here. Rather the opposite, there is so much going on in every second of the album, there are guest artists, there is the special "collaborative song I Am You, featuring the voices of 50 people who joined in to sing with us", which I don't know what it is about, but doesn't sound solitaire at all. But perhaps the artist's wanted to explain that even though you are joined by many people in your life, in the end, you are alone anyway. Sad, but true. And explained in a fantastic way.

Mont Solitud costs 7 EUR.

Check: La solitud és gàbia

Country: Catalonia /Spain

Genre: complex post-rock

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Hiroe - Wield (2025)

They may be seen as US new big post-rock group or maybe it's just a media stunt. Nevertheless, the truth is that the Pennsylvania band of Hiroe released their second album which is as good as the first one and includes the same heaviness of guitar music as the debut. So maybe it is true after all?

You can safely say that their music has a lot borrowed from heavier, metal music. The guitars feel overwhelming, sometimes there is some of the guitar riff racing (Collider!), but the thing that strikes me most is the pace the drums keep in some tracks. Makes you feel alive that one. That's why, if we play the genre game, I'd say Hiroe is the band right on the border of post-rock and post-metal, right in the crossfire if the front moves one day.

Being a thematic continuation of Wrought, Wield comes back to the thoughts on the "transformation stemming from personal loss within the context of a devolving world, against the backdrop of the global pandemic" and I don't know if it's just me, but the sound of the music makes it quite a bleak realization in the end. Still, with Mario Quintero as producer and Cult of Luna's Magnus Lindberg mastering, the album feels fantastic quality-wise.

Wield costs whatever you want to pay.

Check: Tides

Country: Pennsylvania, US

Genre: heavy post-rock

Label: Pelagic Records

Hiroe - Wrought (2022)

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aswekeepsearching - kyun? (2025)

It's probably clear by now that those three guys from Pune are my favourite Indian artists. Their post-rock music is as inclusive when it comes to original sounds as it is atmospheric. It's all proven true once again on the band's sixth album entitled kyun? 

Reaching their 10th anniversary as a group, the artists dedicated the album to... dedication. Or more precisely, "to the strength it takes to keep going". As always, the dense atmosphere of their music is achieved by the use of violins the sounds of which are not only complimentary, it's very often the main focus of the audience and it's a great thing. I just love post-rock with strings, no doubts about it. And here, violins play both of the spectrum, the energetic, melody-bringers and the calmer, atmosphere-makers. Obviously, it makes the music feel cinematic too, but it's not the main feeling I get when listening to kyun? 

The guitars are also joined by a flute (I think?) and a multitude of samples, ambient passages, other effects. That's what I call an eclectic and inclusive guitar music! And Uddipan Sarmah's vocals are another thing. It just fits the style of the band and I'm always open for more vocals in post-rock compositions. After all, the artists are set to create a "must-experience for anyone who appreciates the power of music to evoke emotions and transport you to a different world" and so any means are acceptable to do that.

kyun? costs 12 USD.

Check: happiness > god

Country: India

Genre: violins-led post-rock

aswekeepsearching - Rooh (2019)

aswekeepsearching - Zia (2017)

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Pan Thorarensen - Ljóstillífun (2025)

Icelandic soundscapes that reflect the country's landscapes just have to be outstanding. It is proven once again on a debut album of Pan Thorarensen, otherwise acclaimed and experienced artist known as a member of the ambient music father-son duo Stereo Hypnosis. 

The album is inspired by Icelandic nature which is really not a surprise. I feel like it's difficult not to get inspired by nature living in such a beautiful place. But it's not just inspiration, Pan used field recordings and made an inspiration into music itself. It's literally giving the voice to the nature. Second thing that draws attention to the album is the guest list. And it is really impressive and including artists like Patricia Wolf and Hoshiko Yamane of Tangerine Dream.

The results are calm and relaxing. There is no place for winter storms, it is more about the peacefulness and emptiness. I can't complaint, especially when some wildly beautiful piano keys appear.

Ljóstillífun costs 6 EUR.

Check: Glitský

Country: Iceland

Genre: instrumental ambient

Label: U Know Me Records

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The Polar Dream - Alma Gris (2025)

Their fourth album is th first that got through into my music bubble and I'm so glad it did! The Mexican post-rock outfit The Polar Dream create a unique take on the music genre, that is lighter and fresher than most, staying true to the music's atmosphere though.

Post-rock inspired by cyberpunk (and also shoegaze, Krautrock, etc,)? Oh yes, count me in! It's definitely not a coincidence since the album is opened with a track titled Mexico 2045! The sound also shows the inspirations with a big parts of the compositions being driven by synthesizer sounds. It's something like Tides from Nebula but maybe even more synthetic in some parts. But the thing I like the most (and, to me, feels most exotic) is the trumpet and its impact on the music (so great in Mudra!). This screams Mexico to me and I love it.

In general, the music here feels so much alive! It's melodic and energetic while still preserving the genre's signature mood. It's really fun listening to the Mexicans, I have to catch on with their previous releases as well.

Alma Gris costs 4 EUR (84 MXN).

Check: Mudra

Country: Mexico

Genre: cyberpunk post-rock

Label: Atajos del Norte 

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thisquietarmy x otay:onii - Howl and Tell (2025)

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The collaboration between two outstanding experimental musician, thisquietarmy (Eric Quach) and otay:onii (Lane Shi) had to bear some exciting and valuable fruits. And, surprise, surprise, it did! Long and spacious, yet deeply intense. Imagine industrial ambient and noise folk music from your beautiful nightmares.

As mentioned on their instagram, the project was born during the 2023 tour that Quach went on in Europe and where Shi was supposed to be an opening act, but quickly got introduced in the main one as well. And I have to tell you, it was rather clear that the two would find a common language. The industrial soundscapes with noisy guitar sounds hidden in the backgrounds, lurking from the shadows fits perfectly with Shi's vocal improvisations that you can feel on your skin. Even when the backgrounds attack the most with the raw and dirty sounds, the vocals are still the most important to me. But maybe I'm just drawn to their uniqueness so much.

This autumn, otay:onii is playing a gig in Warsaw and I'd love to see her live finally. Maybe this will sooth the regrets I have from not going to thisquietarmy's performance at dunk!festival:)

Howl and Tell costs 8 EUR (7 GBP).

Check: Lips Touching the First Word in Sleeps

Country: Canada, China/Germany

Genre: industrial dark folk

Label: Cruel Nature Records

Hypnodrone Ensemble - Plays Orchestral Favourites (2018)

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신윤수 - Wherever (2025)

Another proof that shoegaze music fits so well into the Asian scene that serves as a real hub for the beautiful, noisy music. For Korean artist 신윤수, Wherever is the third short EP in her discography filled with the perfect balance between the soft and airy and the loud and heavy.

"Crafting emotionally textured soundscapes rooted in solitude, memory, and motion", the Korean musician is deeply rooted in the genre's 90s original sound, but adds the contemporary sound quality and the overall good flow. Like in the fantastic old table and its flowing backing vocals that drive the whole composition. It's melodic enough but the artist doesn't over do it: it's not twee, it's not indie pop, it's a real guitar banger of an EP with airiness and ethereality woven inside.

Especially when the album looses all the breaks when it comes to the guitar noise. It's not a coincidence that there's post-rock mentioned in the description. I just wish it was longer: the album and the tracks themselves, I feel like they don't reach the whole potential before they're cut short.

Wherever costs 10 USD.

Check: old table

Country: South Korea

Genre: melodic shoegaze

Label: THE VAULT

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Vetle Nærø - All Moments Must Pass (2025)

From Moments

I know the Oslo-born neoclassical artist's music from 2023's album From Moments. This year, Vetle Nærø is back with even better album filled with piano, soft electronica and tons of self-reflective abilities. It's worth listening to, even if all moments must pass as the title suggests.

The fourth album in the artist's discography is all about intimacy. The soft piano keys and even softer electronica feels closer than the skin. The main theme of the tracks, the airy, ever-changing and never-repeated nature of life can't be more personal for any human being. The omnipresent atmosphere of the tiniest of concerts is the definition of intimacy. Apart for the music, the artist (I presume) published some very wise words on his BC account, saying that "Impermanence is often seen as a source of suffering, as human resistance to change can be a central cause of our pain. Yet, within this very resistance lies the potential for profound growth".

This is the main theme of the piano-driven album. The overall psychedelic/oriental theme is further established with the use of Alan Watts's monologue sample in First You Are Born and titles such as Mantra and any other as all of them are closely connected to the main thought. Everything passes, but somehow we will be ok.

All Moments Must Pass costs 10 EUR.

Check: First You Are Born

Country: Norway

Genre: electronica-touched neoclassical

Label: piano and coffee records

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Osnova - Rise the Sun (2025)

Sometimes, the melancholic and dreamy music fans also want to dance. Three years after their debut album, the Californian trio brings another occasion to do just that with their second album rightly called Rise the Sun.

Jean-Claude Vorgeack and Sam Ribeyro's extremely airy guitars that blend together with drums into a warm and ethereal mist represent the dreamy side of the Americans' music. However, it is counterbalanced with high-pitched, fresh and distinctive vocals provided by Caroline McLaughlin. This is not your ordinary pairing and it bears extraordinary fruits as well: the mist becomes energetic and full of hopeful melody. Especially when the backgrounds become dominant as it is the case in the title track.

I appreciate this slightly different take on the dreamy music. maybe not everything has to be melancholic to the core. With this kind of lively, melodic music, it really is possible to raise the Sun.

Rise the Sun costs 6 USD.

Check: Blame the Fates

Country: California, US

Genre: lively dream pop

Label: Dune Altar

OSNOVA - OSNOVA (2022)

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Oak - EP (2025)

Oak is both a tree and a music band from France. As one could guess, the artists are very closely rooted (haha) to the allegory provided by the band's name, stating, amon other things, that it was "planted in 2009". It's been a while now and Oak don't have a massive discography so it's always a good thing that they decided to show something to the world with this year's EP called EP.

"Oak has not yet reached its canopy" is another of quotes form the band and I can't help but wonder what that will look like when it finally happens. Because the little material we have suggests that there is a huge potential for massive, atmospheric post-rock sound somewhere in Oak's core. The EP is short, even if the second track reaches some impressive time stamp, so it's very difficult to access, but I like what I hear. The guitar-oriented, classic post-rock doesn't really seek tons of melodies, rather it's focused on the heaviness of the sound and this is something I appreciate very much. I will keep my eyes on this one (another one with so many fantastic ones around!) French post-rock collective.

EP costs whatever you want to pay.

Check: Fear Carries the Grace of Stillness

Country: France

Genre: heavy post-rock

Label: ITAWAK RECORDS

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Gloios - Polvorosa (2025)

A beautiful mess from Brazil; Rafael Xavier aka Gloios, the artist from São Paulo, himself calls his new album a mess that encompasses a shitload of various music genres. But the coherent slowcore warm atmosphere brings everything together, making Polvorosa a beautiful, musical journey.

Let me quote the artist further: "post-rock, ambient music, metal, dream pop..." but also Brazilian music like MPB, forró, samba, xote, baião which I know nothing about, all of this makes up the third album in Xavier's discography. Everything is based on slightly industrial electronica, but there is also some, very distant, very echoey and everything but clear vocals. And it doesn't really matter because you can hear the genres like you can see pebbles in muddy water. There is something there, but who knows what exactly? And the water is warm and welcoming, slightly terrifying, but you have to go in and let it go.

I love it when music clearly shows where it comes from and you can have little doubt that this is the sound from Brazil. There is so much going on there: various rhythms, paces, dance moves, everything slightly hidden but also clearly felt. Just listen to the weirdness of Boiafria or my favourite, very mysterious Ficha.

Polvorosa costs whatever you want to pay.

Check: Ficha

Country: Brazil

Genre: ethereal eclectic slowcore?

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Neue Welt - Spánek ti bude peřinou (2025)

Before attending a festival, I have a habit of listening to each and every artist performing there not to miss anything interesting. And this brings sometimes fantastic results as has been the case of the Praha-based band I discovered before this year's Pohoda Festival. I can't wait to hear their artsy noise rock live!

The band makes me think of this year's comeback made by the French band Kwoon. Similar vibes when it comes to the artsy approach to rock that meets incredible noise where necessary. Also the instruments feel familiar: not everything is done by the guitars here. Quite the opposite, the big role is played by violins and piano keys that both add up to the incredible atmosphere of the new release. There are segments that feel like instrumental ambient, some other even almost like a big band meeting dark jazz. But most of the time, the Czechs focus on their beautifully weird art rock meets folk meets post-rock compositions.

I love every aspect of the album. The louder parts feel euphoric, the slower feel artsy, the ones with vocals are melodic and captivating. I genuinely feel like I discovered a hidden gem just outside of my country's borders. And as already mentioned, soon I'm gonna see the band live at Pohoda. If I survive til the middle of the night that is.

Spánek ti bude peřinou costs 7 EUR.

Check: Kdybych brečet mohl

Country: Czechia

Genre: noisy art-rock

Label: 6000 Ωveček

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Tylko Nieświadomi Przeżyją - Tylko nieświadomi przeżyją (2025)

I'm gonna be honest: despite the fact that the band comes from my city and that I've seen some of those artists performing live in other projects, I got to know about this release in an exceptionally weird way. From my Chinese friend (good sides of globalization here). And it's good that it happened because this new project lies exactly on the border of my comfort zone as their music is as post-rocky as it is jazzy.

The soundscapes on the debut release are vast. The pace is slow and slowly developing. The sights are surreal. This is all thanks to the wide range of instruments appearing on the album, including saxophone, glockenspiel, harp... This chaotic line up makes up a psychedelic yet coherent whole, an orchestration of various sounds that go from impro-like dark jazz passages to louder, post-rock-esque sections and back. The single Nigredo is a perfect example here: slowly rising up to a jazzy but also loud and atmospheric crescendo. The longer tracks are indeed constructed with a similar idea in mind, making me feel like at my post-rock home.

The parts outside of my comfort zone certainly include the omnipresent saxophone (sorry, not my vibe) which, I have to admit, sounds pretty alright. I do also prefer where the music gets louder, more involving and slightly heavier, but there is a lot of space for the lovers of the instrumental ambient and dark jazz, mysterious soundscapes. I hope to see the band live soon, it must be so much fun!

Tylko nieświadomi przeżyją costs 6 EUR (25 PLN).

Check: Nigredo

Country: Poland

Genre: post-jazz

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Monochromatic Visions - Change Who You Are (2025)

It's only four tracks, but when something is that good, who cares? I have mentioned the British band a couple of times before and it's no surprise as their music makes a perfect blend of the noisy and the melodic. It was proven on their new EP.

Shoegaze, new wave, pop music. They all have their place within this short release. The music here feels light and unbelievably catchy, but there is a hint of a darker atmosphere and the omnipresent noise somewhere in the backgrounds, like something you catch with the corner of your eye but can't really focus your sight on. All for compositions are worth checking out, including the most poppy one, the first song of the album, I Told You. And frankly, I like it the most, probably because it's as catchy as it can be, a candidate for a summer hit within the noisier offstream world.

Change Who You Are costs 14 EUR (12 GBP) (which is slightly ridiculous to be honest).

Check: I Told You

Country: UK

Genre: melodic ethereal wave

Monochromatic Visions - REFORM (2022)

Monochromatic Visions - Monochromatic Visions (2017)

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Aortes - Carrion (2025)

It took 6 years and one change of name for the Lithuanian post-metal outfit (now called) Aortes come back on my blog. And there is a good reason for that too as their new album (second under this moniker and 5th in general) is a masterful dose of heavy atmosphere and post-hardcore anger.

The artists themselves think highly about the release, calling it a "brand new and more mature sounding album" and I have to agree. It is no simple post-metal/hardcore music here, it's more nuanced, deeper and more attractive face of the genre while still retaining the clue of this kind of sound: energy and expression. However, parts such as Carrion with the spoken word vocals or the addition of the saxophone sound in the same song, or an entire ambient intermission in Black Mold make me appreciate the release even more. Not to mention that they, simply speaking, turn up the atmosphere of this dense music.

I can't stress enough how good the atmosphere is on this album. It's unsettling like an alarm siren, it's heavy like a tank, it's slow and steady and suddenly very fast. I love it, especially on When We Cease, a track that left me lying on the ground overwhelmed by its weight. Fantastic stuff.

Carrion costs whatever you want to pay.

Check: When We Cease

Country: Lithuania

Genre: noisy post-metal

Autism - Have You Found Peace? (2019)

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Sugar for the Pill - LUV (2025)

I've seen Sugar for the Pill this year at Automatic Noise in Amsterdam in January and it was one of the highlights of the festivals. The band with probably the least difficult inspiration to decipher in the world, released their sophomore album last month and showed why this was the case.

Good shoegaze can be found anywhere in the world. I'm not very familiar with the Greek scene, but Sugar for the Pill is an outfit that proves this thought. Led by the airy vocals and light melodies, the band released a beautiful collection of songs that are as ethereal as they are melodic. A selection of certain hits for every (other) Slowdive lover. This ability to marry the airy and the catchy is what draws me to their music and songs like Anelia, Komorebi and, especially, Colours prove it over and over again. 

The album offers no break from the melodic, fast-paced music that, maybe because of the album title and the overall visual setting, feels... cute. Light and carefree, dreamy like a dream you don't want to wake up from. And one that, when it's finally over, makes you immediately miss it. 

LUV costs 10 EUR.

Check: Colours 

Country: Greece

Genre: catchy shoegaze

Label: Make Me Happy Records/Shelflife Records

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Favorite Obsession - Bliss (2025)

Four years after their debut EP and only a month or so after their live appearance at Kraków's Shoefest, the young Czech band Favorite Obsession released their first ever full-length album entitled in the most shoegaze way possible. Bliss makes a promising debut with a number of melodies that are as catchy as one would like.

Recorded "in-between line-up changes, mental breakdowns and gender changes", the album presents a case study of indie rock music with a heavy influence from shoegaze and dream pop genres. There is a healthy dose of noise in this material (which was especially noticeable live!), but it's more about melodies, the fun from singing them aloud, the energy coming from the stage. At least in most of the songs because (Inside) I Bloom makes a beautiful, very intimate and emotional (just take a look at the lyrics, the song starts with "20 year old crisis/6 strings are helping me survive") ballad to provide some balance.

There is something weird going on in Taxi Driver and I can only assume that it's a way to stress that (Inside)... is such an important part of the album. If this is true, I'd make the silence shorter. Because it's not the end of the release! Of the engaging, catchy and very emotional release to be truthful.

Bliss costs 7.5 EUR (180 CZK).

Check: (Inside) I Bloom

Country: Czechia

Genre: noisy indie rock

Label: Golden Hive Studios

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Lazy Legs - Tower (2025)

It's been 8 years (!) since the Oregon band Lazy Legs appeared on this blog with their EP called Chain of Pink. Now, after what seems to be some changes in the line-up, they released their third album and enchanted me with their minimalist yet very airy take on slowcore kind of noise music.

The artists admit to take inspirations from a variety of genres, mixing "shoegaze, grunge, slowcore and doomgaze" into one, moody kind of music. It surely is slow, it's very airy and based on the rougher nature of guitar sounds. It feel also a lot like a letter of admiration to minimalist rock music usually made by duos (I'm thinking The Kills, but maybe it's because I've been listening to them a lot recently). It's maybe because the band now only consists of Laura Wagner and Michael Tenzer while before, there was also Nicholas Piontek playing drums. Regardless of the reasons, the band's music feels now closer to the audience, honest and beautiful in this desert, grunge way.

The rough guitar makes here a beautiful dialog with vocals that are not only made airy. They are literally very often just backing vocals playing the main part of the song. It makes the compositions well-balanced but also very, very dreamy regardless of the heaviness of the music. 

Tower costs 5 USD.

Check: Rot

Country: Oregon, US

Genre: shoegazey slowcore

Label: Wild Patterns

Lazy Legs - Chain of Pink (2017)

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