It ain't over 'til it's over
More music from 2025 that's too good to miss
SPUTNIK: THE BAND - Loves You (Mother West)
Vocalist Genie Morrow and multi-instrumentalist Nigel Rawles have been performing as Sputnik (or Sputnik: The Band, or The Band Sputnik) for over 20 years, but Loves You sounds as fresh and inspired as a debut. Genie’s voice is sweet and embracing, and a graceful mix of guitars, organ, and piano creates just the right setting for each song. Although released last fall, the first two tracks of Loves You could pass as Christmas songs; in fact, the entire album has the warm, inviting glow of holiday music. The band finds a perfect balance between the melodies and arrangement of the Great American Songbook era with the verve and wit of modern indie-pop, with clever bits of wisdom and humor popping out of the lyrics at every turn. Recommended: “Listening to NRBQ,” the Hoboken-centric “King of the L.E.S.,” and the marvelous “The Way of Love,” which begins as a burning torch song and then shifts first into tickling indie-pop and then explodes into raucous rock ‘n’ roll with slamming barrelhouse piano. An exquisite cover of Vera Lynn’s nostalgic “We’ll Meet Again” cements the band’s bona fides as masters of what used to be called Adult Album Alternative, while the originals display a mastery of blending folk, rock ‘n’ roll, Americana, and jazz into music that remains distinctive and compelling.
WIRE CRIMES - “Standing by a Fire” (Self-released)
Adam Copeland originally wrote this song for another band, didn’t like the way it came out, and brushed it off for his current solo project, Wire Crimes. The track floats in a genre-free zone of modern alternative rock, allowing Copeland to flex his vocal chops as well as display his dexterity on a number of instruments, including guitar, piano, and electronic keyboards (That’s Billy Gray on bass.) Every instrument has a moment to shine even as it all melds to create an anthemic feeling of possibility and empowerment. It’s an uplifting and powerful welcome to the New Year. “Be the one to break the pattern out.”
IDK – “Nark 5” EP (Scorpion Records)
Fairview’s own IDK drop one more surprise before year’s end with Nark 5, a lean, mean three-track set that kicks harder than a snow shovel into packed ice. The title track rips and roars like classic Jersey hardcore, thick with buzzsaw guitars and the kind of shouted gang vocals that’ll raise goosebumps on veterans of the Obsessions days. The lyrics nod to some deep Star Wars lore — names like Keef Girgo and Kino Loy — but you don’t have to know the lore to get swept up in the urgency. It’s all fight-or-flight energy and conviction.
“Fireman Song 2025” reaches back to one of IDK’s older tunes, dragging it into the present with a muscular groove and the kind of gravelly resolve that comes from living through a few decades of busted amps and day jobs. Then there’s their take on Black Sabbath’s “Symptom of the Universe,” a gutsy move that lands somewhere between tribute and trial by fire. You can tell they love it, and that counts for a lot.
More than nostalgia, Nark 5 shows a band aging into something fierce and seasoned — equal parts punk, metal, and sheer nerve, played loud enough to rattle Route 46.
DOCTOR MISTER GENIUS - “Man of Simple Taste” (Self-released)
Unfettered by genres, labels, or haircuts, Hoboken’s Dr. Mr. Genius continue their singles spree with this soulful slab of Americana, written by guitarist David Ribyat. The band’s previously tackled punk, metal, and surf, so its finesse with this bouncy country tune comes as no surprise, from the unexpected twang in Ribyat’s voice to the reverby Johnny Cash guitars to the tongue-in-cheek lyrics. No bling, sports cars, or three-piece suits for these guys: “No fancy food, no French champagne, no money to waste,” sings Hamilton. “I’d rather have an ice cold beer, I’m a man of simple taste.” Amen.
LEO PARDSEATURFACE - Asteroids For Dinosaurs (Self-released)
If you don’t like Jesse Welles, there’s always Leo Pardseaturface (real name withheld on request) for satirical diatribes about politics and culture. Unlike Welle’s folk ditties, Leo prefers perky novelty songs that tiptoe between rock, jazz, and show tunes, sometimes using metaphors (like dinosaurs or leopards) but usually just saying it like it is (“People Are Stupid,” “The Masses (Are Asses,)” “Screwed.”) As someone who worships Tom Lehrer, I commend any attempt at satire, although lines like “Fuck your feelings, you’re a snowflake, who cares if you’re sad?” or “I love Jesus, he’s the best/ he said love your neighbor and fuck the rest” may lack, shall we say, nuance? Should you be looking for an album to echo your Trump Derangement Syndrome, by all means jump right in.
The dt’s - “Sorry Not Sorry” (Self-released)
David Cacciatore and Tom Losito are the dt’s, a power-pop duo from Asbury Park, and I apologize for letting this single fall between the cracks. “Sorry Not Sorry” relates a teenage saga about crashing a party with effervescent melodies, a big hook, and perfect two-part harmonies, with a nod to Paul and Artie’s high-school band Tom & Jerry as well as wry-pop auteurs Fountains of Wayne. It’s the kind of song that can’t help but brighten your day, and I look forward to a lot more like it.