Independently solemn, contemplative guitar tracks outline difficult arpeggios, layering atop one another to create a series of warm, gently swaying, yet decidedly off-putting environments.

When we accept the constant presence of this existential discomfort, we gain access to a new plane of peace and prosperity, potentially even giving us the confidence to find other lost, lonesome souls out of place in all space and time.

Unlike some krautrock which leans heavily into an electronic, almost post-human sound, this record takes the bones of this versatile aesthetic in the most humanist possible direction, assembling an enormous lineup of live-recorded musicians playing instruments from all corners of the world.

When industrial hip hop meets sadboy rnb within an environment of old-school, high-quality lyrical flow, Declutter by Paris Chambers bursts onto the scene with its undeniable production, vocal, lyrical, and conceptual quality, delivering catchy hooks and memorable bars without compromising on a heavy, progressive sound.

This haunting release features traditional instrumentation like the Nyckelharpa and the Bereban, embued with heavy distortion and in arrangements that sound like doom metal riffs, lending these songs an appropriate sense of dread and urgency for the end that Jarzmo warns is neigh.

Packaging deeply revolutionary rhetoric in surprisingly cozy packaging, Box of Dark Roses by Mope Grooves introduces us to the lives shattered by institutional dehumanization, seating us at the table with an inspiring family of choice as they weather nonstop storms with no help but one another.

Evocative and personal lyrics are brought to life by Ivey’s natural twang and fit beautifully in the arrangement alongside pedal steel, stable piano chords, and acoustic guitars.

Of course the dance bangers on Pass the Loofah by Naked Roommate relish in carefree fun, but the band orients this manic energy towards a higher purpose, reminding us why their music exists in the first place.

On their new album En conversation avec, Quebec noise rock outfit VICTIME experience patriarchy as a silently stifling force, contorting victims into an infuriating headlock that prevents the presentation of authentic personhood.

Finely dicing the runtime into tiny surreal vignettes, Several Wives immerses us into each heavily distorted, eerily distant, nostalgically liminal space before abruptly shoving us into the next, naturally increasing tension as we realize this parade of dreams shows no sign of conclusion.

This abstract hip hop album fuses elements of noise electronica with a straightforward prose rap delivery reminiscent of the 90s, pairing this articulate vocal style with an unusually unsupportive backing beat.

Every component of this album, every stanza of half-spoken poetry, every deeply textured percussive element, every spatially aware synth tone reaches desperately for sublime beauty, thwarting each other’s reach with the entanglement of their own arms.

If you’ve ever submerged yourself into a social media algorithm that subjected you to nothing but pain, with each post angering you or downright terrifying you, the music of Passing Stones by The Gallstones has you in mind.

Teasing out the darkest, most brutalist components of UK garage, Municipal Dreams by Low End Activist tells an autobiographical story of life on the fringes of British society.

The electrifying free jazz guitar of Brandon Seabrook tells a vivid story on Object of Unknown Function, an album jittering under the pressure of its own entropy as a depressive abyss opens beneath.

In the same way that a cubist painter captures all sides and angles of the subject on one flat canvas, the sounds of Pescadou Gualapagouse by Babe, Terror combine music from a vast array of time periods all in one succinct, beautiful, cohesive piece.

In the air we breathe, on the ground we walk, a blatant disregard for human life prevails. Jolted awake to face the consequences of a homicidal, post-human ruling class, Chat Pile uses their new record Cool World to pull us closer to the distant atrocities committed in our name until we’re face to bleeding face with our own unceremonious demise.

This struggle plays out on There Will Come Gentle Rain by HMOT, a collection of sonic memories bursting forth from within the colonizer state.

We’re quick to ascribe the adjective “apocalyptic” to music, but how often do we think about what music would actually sound like during an apocalypse? Itsasoko Sua by El Café Atómico presents an answer with its dilapidated production quality, DIY instrumentation, and lonesome spirit, replicating the type of music that would emerge in a state of extreme austerity and paranoia.

Midwestern emo music and country music seem like a natural match made in Heaven, and I’m certainly convinced after listening to the new album How Could I Be So In Debt? by Tombstone Poetry. Pedal steel licks and downbeat acoustic riffs layer into melodic shoegaze-y hooks, building into massive swells of intense distortion that feel more Tiny Moving Parts than Johnny Cash.