Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
The Alternative Weekly Roundup is a column where our staff plugs a variety of new releases in a concise, streamlined format. Albums, singles, videos, and live sets. Check back each Monday to see what we were jamming the week prior.
Read Only Memory – Prom
It hasn’t even been six months since Miami’s Read Only Memory put out their debut EP, but they’ve already returned with three more slices of towering, anthemic shoegaze. Prom is a bit heavier than Read Only Memory was, but it isn’t Nothing-core; the first two tracks are a darker, more vocal-forward take, while the five-minute “always” is a washy, almost dancier version of what was happening on last year’s self-titled. That’s a great song, and it’d be a fascinating avenue for Read Only Memory to continue exploring.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Last Good Thing – “Wish You Were”
Chicago pop-punk project Last Good Thing just released their debut single, and it’s great. “Wish You Were” is a peppy, catchy first offering, replete with handclaps. The lyrics might be bitter–”relying on you is jumping headfirst into flames“–but the hook is sweet enough to keep you coming back.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Kuyuru – “momo”
Kuyuru just announced their debut album Lovescape, out next month, and they’ve released a new single to go along with it. The nearly eight-minute “momo” is a lush, Lush-like slab of dreamy post-rock with ghostly vocals to take it to the next level. It’s an immense song, and it’s a bold, confident choice for a lead single. Here’s hoping the rest of Lovescape can match its majesty.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Sea at Midnight – “Our Brilliant Destruction”
The Sea at Midnight’s first single of 2025 is the latest in a string of standalone tracks about climate change, and all money made from the song goes to benefit LA fire victims. “Our Brilliant Destruction” adds a regal edge to their synth-led post-punk.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
some fear – some fear
Oklahoma City’s some fear features members of the similarly-minded cursetheknife and Mad Honey, but they’ve got a decidedly different approach to that sound. They borrow from shoegaze and dream pop, but only enough to give their viscous slowcore a jagged, unsettling edge (see “The Road,” “Game”); mostly, though, they exist in a similar realm to a band like Duster. Tracks like “Wake Up” and “Some Fear” unfold at their own pace, just enough energy to keep things from getting stale, and the five-minute finale “The Faucet Does All the Crying” is a stately crawl to the finish line.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Texas 3000 – “Universe Drawer”
On “Universe Drawer,” Texas 3000 peel back some of the noise pop layers of their 2023 LP to reveal themselves to be masters of straightforward emo. The band’s latest single isn’t quite as noisy or weird as that album’s peaks, although its bridge certainly gestures in that direction, but it isn’t any less gripping.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Alternative’s ‘New Music Friday’ playlist
Each week we compile a playlist of songs our staff has been jamming. We post it on Fridays and then include it in each edition of the Weekly Roundup to make sure you don’t miss any of the great music we’re recommending.
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