April 2025 Music Recs
Music recommendations from a louder place
It is easier to see the almost palinopsia-like events—of course, almost all self-imposing—while writing about April from the place I am in June. March began the concerts, and April began the travels and protests.
I adopted a new cat in February and was a bit wary of leaving him without humans for the first time—though he and my other cat have wonderful cat sitters. He is so hyper and vocally happy; a contrast to my girlies who were/are normally shy and quiet. I think he inspired the balled-up energy to explode OUT.
That March surface sadness that sunk below found strength in the depths of April. I found warmth in Colorado. I connected and reconnected with friends and loved ones. We hiked and climbed; ate wonderful food. I was able to kind of visit the past summers I spent there without repaving, I walked in new places.
Cinematic and “feel good” while also holding onto some sad harshness.
I found similar connections at a protest in Raleigh with my mother and others attending. And then again with my sister in New York and at Brooklyn Paramount for Poison the Well, Glassjaw, Better Lovers, and Teenage Wrist with staff, concertgoers, and some musicians. I came home with lots of photos, Death and the Twilight Hours by Predatory Light on vinyl from Captured Record Shop, and a “new” favorite hot drink: masala chai/coffee from several restaurants in Brooklyn.
I also came home from New York with a better understanding of my place in speaking out on trauma due to an incident that happened at the concert because it was dealt with in a healing way.
April as a music month felt very loud and deep. I found my place in multiple spaces. I felt ‘at home’ often—when I hardly ever feel at home in homes. It was a gift of the present.
…how existential, how absurdist, how gorgeously goofy.
April 2025 Music Recs
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Autumn’s Dawn – We Lost Our Hope Along The Way – “Ever Fading Light” (March 28, 2025)
avant-garde post-black metal/rock
Listening to the new Autumn’s Dawn feels like I am half in The Crow and half in a modern Larry Clark/Harmony Korine or Gregg Araki film, with a touch of Donnie Darko in the background.
We Lost Our Hope Along The Way is brilliantly done post-black metal, post-new-wave rock. It is interesting to hear this mix. It is not one I hear often, usually it goes overly atmospheric (and nothing wrong with that). This sound is a whole other vibe and so well done. Cinematic and “feel good” while also holding onto some sad harshness. (Written written 2025 April 03)
Florida Man – Plastique – “2017” (April 4, 2025)
noise punk post-hardcore
Florida Man, you is goofy AF.
If you have not noticed yet…with music I go off vibes. Many people are vibes listeners.
With Florida Man the vibes I get are surfer rock in the vein of Link Wray. And how can you not bring up Rage Against the Machine or Faith No More with these guys, so much influence—I also hear some Brainiac.
Florida Man are goofy harder-core. They are like if IDLES did post-hardcore. They are like if IDLES did post-hardcore and are also gen z, young millenial? I’m not really sure how old Florida Man is—they are supposed to be ageless. All I know is they are so fun and they have got these warbly mermaid moments throughout. Oh and look, Plastique ends mid song (in medias res)…how existential, how absurdist, how gorgeously goofy. (Written 2025 April 10)
Snooze – I KNOW HOW YOU WILL DIE – “I Listened” (April 4, 2025)
post-hardcore progressive math metal
The first person I sent this album to was Jesse. I sometimes have people in mind when listening. And there’s this beautiful proggy, just ethereal quality with I KNOW HOW YOU WILL DIE. It is like a flow state. I know that is the kind of music Jesse loves.
Progressive music is not something that I connected with as much until I met him. And I feel like this band has a combination that I bring as well, a post-hardcore dark beauty…I mean look at the album cover and title.
Snooze go to such extremes in their transitions between genres in a way that many post-hardcore/math bands do and yet are more fluid than most any band I have heard.
Snooze seamlessly unites these worlds of prog and post. (written 2025 April 15)
June update: Snooze is a favorite and I have listened to them hundreds of times at this point.
Aortes – Carrion – “When We Cease” (April 20, 2025)
sludgey post-hardcore metal
Carrion by Aortes is yet another album that I have been slowly chewing on. There is cascading sounds, slow dissonance, mixed with hardcore. A lot of love here. I have been slowly working through it and with as little good sleep as possible that I have been getting this is a good glue.
The album feels a lot like tempered anger. Oppressive yet filtering through. A mesh sieve, at times controlled and all falling through. Though what really is shining is heartbreak, grief, love—”love” is repeated in the lyrics throughout.
They are sludgey, heartbreak post-hardcore. (Written 2025 April 25)
DWM (Die with Me) – Psalms Unspoken – “mourning//adaptation” (February 14, 2025)
post-hard/metal core
In their most melodic moments Die with Me (DWM) is reminiscent of Finch and I do not know why fully or for how long I have been waiting for that feeling, but I have been—it has been waiting for me in my carefully placed player on the off-white carpet of my middle school bedroom, pressing play.
They are harsher, and there are definitely touches of From Autumn to Ashes, but the beauty veers Finch.
(I wrote this up the first week of April and it seems fitting that I share them after a different euphoric post-hardcore show I had the opportunity to photograph.) (Written 2025 Apr 30)
April 2025 Playlist
2025 April Music Recs YouTube Playlist