This sort of omnibus discontent animates the new EP Object 1 by Flooding, a post-indie-rock experiment in darkness, discord, and despair.

Experimental electronic artist Qur’an Shaheed takes that increasingly rare dive into self-actualization on Pulse, characterizing spiritual, moral, and creative development as the ultimate forms of liberation.

The new experimental ambient album Caligo by Siavash Amini retells history in all of its unsightly truth, baking self-destruction and tragedy into every sound.

An underpinning bed of simple yet enormous synth sounds hints at an influence from the similarly folk-oriented subgenre of dungeon synth, while massively varied percussion and sonically adventurous strings point back to the grandiose instrumental adventures of 2000s post rock.

The band takes a fairly straightforward, organic, and rock-oriented approach to this popular sound, live-recording their titanic swells of ascending chord progressions to compliment their unabashedly raw, personal vocal performances.

If capitalism ever feels impossible to appease, that its demands make a mockery of our human nature and capabilities, you’ve felt the rage animating the inventive new punk record La Debacle de las Divas by Blanco Teta.

If you’re wondering how left wing anger feels different today than it did in 2016, this compact hip hop collaboration will give you everything you need to know, with its apocalyptic tone contrasting sharply with the sheer goofiness of the narrator’s enemy.

The entire sonic environment feels dreamlike, ethereal, unavailable, insinuating that, even if we could reach the apex of life, we probably wouldn’t even realize we were there.

Muzak for the Encouragement of Unproductivity by Jasmine Guffond is a unique revival and subversion of the commercial soundscape. Guffond's grounded approach to Muzak induces a state of alert relaxation, centering a message of conscious consumption that is needed now more than ever. These longform arrangements still the listener's inner atmosphere, melodious reed and brass instruments slowly mingling in reverb-soaked harmony. 

On the free jazz extravaganza Sun by Zoh Amba, joy manifests as a journey, as a path of inner discovery that passes through many finite moods and energies on its march towards transcendent knowledge.

However, an experimental edge built on dark folk harmonies and freely associated lyrics pulls the record back from its more straightforward tendencies, introducing the darkness from which our speaker longs for escape.

The seemingly random and uncontrolled phenomena we witness in our political, economic, and cultural environments mirror the eerie tones of Unfall by Dan Kinzelman, a jazz ensemble record haunted by the uneven repetition of tape loops.

Adding to the rich garage rock tradition of New York City with their unique blend of jazz, hip hop, soft rock, and punk, the new self-titled LP from Cab Ellis sounds simultaneously accessible and personal, unique and familiar.

Though this graceful, awe-inspiring journey never fully falters, moments of palpable tension introduce realistic negativity to this otherwise euphoric experience.

Cycling rapidly between each of these stems, Magiasale chases us through this horrific funhouse, sending us breathlessly stampeding through miniscule scenes of deeply unsettling sound.

While still appealing to the increased noisy abstraction of shoegaze-tinged indie rock, Wiring ushers in a new era of math rock on Like a Porcelain Lamb, one less interested in twinkly jazz chords and more focused on an abrasive, angular tone.

British emo noise rockers UNIVERSITY travel this dark road on McCartney, It’ll Be OK, writhing in the agony of utmost self-loathing through screamed vocals, distorted guitars, and frenzied riffs.

The new album Porcelain Shield, Paper Sword by Mary Sue and the Clementi Sound Appreciation Club takes this desire seriously, even agreeing that ancient traditions still hold immense unrecognized value, but the band’s heterodox approach extends far beyond what any hardcore traditionalist would permit.

A Room with a Door That Closes by Maiya Blaney reclaims otherwise excess negativity through an impressive variety of aesthetic avenues, appealing to every stage of our confrontation with unmet expectations.

Emerging from this dull void, our eyes melt under the radiant light of tragic euphoria, a complicated mix of guilt, relief, and hope that narrates the post rock adventure of Polvorosa by Gloios.