Punk Rock Record Reviews: The Best of 2025, Part Sixteen.

Punk RockCommentaryAlbum Review
Written By Paul Holstein

I listen primarily to punk, with my preferred subgenre being street punk. Speed rock, garage, skate punk, hardcore, pop punk, oi!, ska, grindcore, and even rockabilly fit the bill if done right. If I can catch a live show, it gives the release an edge. Here are a few releases from 2025 that I recommend you check out. These are in no particular order; however, I’m only reviewing releases that are in contention for the best release of the year. If I’m reviewing it, I liked it. When the New Year rolls around, I’ll put them in order and do a final article of the best of the best. Drop a comment at the bottom if there is a 2025 release you think I should check out; I most definitely will.

Booze & Glory "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot"
Released: September 12, 2025
Format: Vinyl LP, digital download
Label: Pirates Press Records / Concrete Jungle Records
From: Sosnowiec, Poland
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

Street punk/Oi! from Poland. Of all of the bands that I first discovered at the Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival, Booze & Glory made the biggest impact. I had never heard them before until I was standing in the hot sun on the roof of the Downtown Grand Hotel when they came out to do their set for the morning pool party. I was blown away and ended up buying three T-shirts. I had recorded their song "Swinging Hammers" at random, and it's since had 22,000+ views on my YouTube channel (probably 100 of those just from me). That was a great set, and they have since become one of my favorite Oi! bands. "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" opens with "Boys Will Be Boys," with the first couple of lines being chants of "Oi! Oi! Oi!". It's catchy, and I was singing along even before it ended on my very first spin. I love the band, and I love this record. I wish that they would have thrown in at least a few shorter, faster street punk songs, but you can't have everything. Fans of Dropkick Murphys, Lion's Law, Flogging Molly, The Rumjacks, or just catchy, singalong, Oi! songs.

Dropkick Murphys "For The People"
Released: July 4, 2025
Format: Vinyl LP, CD, Digital Download
Label: Play It Again Sam
From: Boston, MA
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

Another punk/Oi! band, this time from Boston, right here in the U.S.A. They are known for their working-class lyrics, covers of Irish drinking songs, and adherence to the punk ethos. After 30 years of putting out records, they have a ton of classics, including my favorite, "The Dirty Glass," and one of the best punk rock Christmas songs ever written, "The Season's Upon Us." If you don't watch their video for "The Season's Upon Us" at least once every Christmas season, you don't know what you are missing. The album cover features a black rose, which they note is traditionally linked to death, loss, mourning, and grief but also change, renewal, rebirth, new beginnings, courage, confidence, and strength. That sets the tone for the album, and it opens with a ripper, "Who'll Stand With Us." I had to play that song 5 or 6 times before moving on; it's great and one of the best songs that they have written (a very high bar). They have a couple of professionally produced videos that complement the album, several guest vocals including Billy Bragg, and songs that pay tribute to Shane McGowan (The Pogues) and Fletcher Dragge (Pennywise). If you read a lot of my reviews, you know that I always prefer a few shorter, faster, more hardcore songs. In the absence of those, this is about as good as it gets. Fans of Booze & Glory, Bad Religion, Flogging Molly, The Rumjacks, or just catchy, singalong, Oi! songs.

Restraining Order "Future Fortune" + "The First Four Years Odds & Sods"
Released: September 12, 2025
Format: Vinyl LP, Digital Download
Label: Blue Grape Music
From: West Springfield, Massachusetts
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

Their "Locked In Time" LP made my list of the best albums of 2023, so that gave them a definite leg up when I saw their pair of releases in 2025. "The First Four Years Odds & Sods" is recordings from 2017-2021, and while I generally don't review older material, it does help to bolster a current release. This is a great retrospective and includes three covers as well: "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" (The Monkees), "We Got The Beat" (The Go-Go's), and "Vengeance" (The Fix). Old-school hardcore sound, for the most part with good production, short and fast (the 49-second "What Can I Do" was a standout), and some of it was previously unreleased. "Future Fortune" is 13 new songs, with the standouts being "Shame Game," "Checkmate," and "The Suffer," but it's all good.If you were a fan before, you will be a fan now. They also have a tour coming up with Koyo, where they will be stopping in my neck of the woods at Sanctuary Detroit on October 25. Fingers crossed, I'll get to see them live.

S.M.I.L.E. "Let's Really S.M.I.L.E."
Released: August 4, 2025
Format: Cassette. Digital download
Label: Delayed Gratification Records
From: Akron, Ohio
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

4 originals and a cover of Void's "My Rules." This brings me back to what got me into it all in the first place, the old-school hardcore screaming and speed that brings out the beatdown hardcore crew these days. The sound is like it was recorded in a basement, with all of their friends moshing in a huge circle pit and destroying everything. Short, fast, and screaming, but with that something that keeps you listening — not exactly sing-along, but infectious. Kudos to the "name your price" with no minimum on Bandcamp. Normally I like to donate, but sometimes for review purposes I need to move the songs to my iPod and give them a real listen throughout the day (before paying). I'm glad that I did with this one, as they really grew on me. "Moi" and "Cashing Checks" ended up on my current playlist, but I'll have to go back and check out the rest of their discography, as I'm sure they have more that I will need. I couldn't find anything for the current releases on YouTube to link, so I'll leave you songs from their prior release Sour / S.M.I.L.E. (split), and they also have some video clips on their Instagram page if you are really curious.

Dead Neck "Popping Out"
Released: September 8, 2025
Format: Digital download
Label: Self-released
From: United Kingdom
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

Similar to the style that Me First and The Gimme Gimmes made popular, Dead Neck takes songs by Belinda Carlisle, Alice Cooper, Seal, The Spice Girls, Chaka Khan, Ace of Base, and Thelma Houston and speeds them up to create punk rock versions. Exceptional job with the speed, musicianship, and doing what they can to make these songs punk, but the song selection itself is an issue with me. There are so many songs that I can think of that, given the Dead Neck treatment, would be total bangers that I ended up disappointed. Don't get me wrong, this is really good, but starting with better songs, these guys could even eclipse MFATGG. Hopefully they do another one of these in the future; I'll be watching.

Mitraille "EP IV"
Released: September 19, 2025
Format: Digital Download
Label: Belly Button Records
From: Antwerp, Belgium
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

"Mitraille plays garage punk music and likes Motorhead." Their self-description drew me in, but this is so much more. How have I never heard of this band? "Fuck You I'm Going On Tour," "Road Rage," and "Tired (Need A Break)" all went directly to my current playlist. Perfect lo-fi production with Zeke-level speed (almost) at times, crunching guitars, well-placed expletives, and yet still catchy enough to sing along. It looks like their first release was back in 2018, so they have been around about 8 years. They also have a couple of 7" singles and a full-length LP. You can bet I'll be going back to check those out. Fans of Zeke, Speedealer, Motörhead, New Bomb Turks, The Hookers, Candy Snatchers, Against The Grain, and The Dirtys.

I.C.B.M. "A Nation Ends"
Released: September 5, 2025
Format: Digital download
Label: Self-released
From: Boston, MA
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

This one gets better as it goes; it started off OK, but once I got to "A Nation Ends" (the title track that I was waiting for), I started thinking that it might be better than expected. It was the final track, "I.C.B.M.," though, that cemented my decision to do a review. That track ended up on my current playlist and stood up to repeated plays. I tried to do some research on this band, but I couldn't find much other than that they are from Boston and have an Instagram page with a few flyers. There is at least one other band on Bandcamp with the same name (from Los Angeles) and a black metal band with the same name on Discogs. The Boston I.C.B.M., for one, is worth a listen. I'll chalk this one up as a band to watch.

Bad Cop / Bad Cop "Lighten Up"
Released: September 19, 2025
Format: Vinyl LP, Digital download.
Label: Fat Wreck Chords
From: Los Angeles, CA
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

I'm writing this a day before Bad Cop / Bad Cop plays a local show at The Sanctuary in Hamtramck, MI (with The Iron Roses). It's their record release tour for the new album "Lighten Up," and I'm hoping to get out there and see them play these songs live. I expect that I may have to revise this review to add detail later in the week, but for now this gives me a good excuse to play the new songs and get familiar with them. I've seen them a couple of times live already, including an acoustic show at The Punk Rock Museum earlier in the year. If you aren't already familiar with them, go back and check out their classics "Womanarchist," "Pursuit of Liberty," and "Shattered." This opens with "All Together Now," which adds to their list of marquee songs. It's super catchy, and I can most definitely say that if you are a fan, this will be one of your favorite Bad Cop/Bad Cop songs. It looks like Fat Wreck Chords sprung for several professional videos; they are all worth watching. This isn't hardcore by any means, but they bring the punk rock attitude, ethos, and even a few songs that might get a mosh pit going. I don't always like the poppier punk played by bands with obvious talent that sing rather than scream, but this one is an exception. I was hoping the final song, "Johnny Appleseed," might be an NOFX cover, but it wasn't. Update: The show was great, and you can expect a full story on that coming soon.

Death Pill "Sologamy"
Released: June 20, 2025
Format: CD, Vinyl LP, Digital Download.
Label: New Heavy Sounds
From: Kyiv, Ukraine
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

Listen to me, sister, let's fuck the system! Death Pill have been on my radar since their 2023 S/T EP, especially being that they are from Kyiv, Ukraine. A trio of riot grrrls that play both hardcore with a metal edge and more traditional pop punk. I'm more of a fan of the faster, screaming songs, of course, and they do them well. "Craterface" and "Haters Gonna Hate" were my favorites, but there is something for everyone on this one. If you aren't a fan of Svetlanas and Amyl & The Sniffers, you should be, and if you are, you are going to want to check this out.

xWeaponx "Demo 2"
Released: April 18, 2025
Format: Vinyl LP, CD, digital download.
Label: DAZE
From: Louisville, KY
Photo of the album cover that is being reviewed.

xWeaponx hates you! Fast, screaming, straight-edge beat-down hardcore that exudes energy and anger. "Hates You" and "Everybody Breaks" were my favorites and had me screaming along. Guest appearances from Human Garbage and Earth Crisis. It looks like this is a follow-up to the 2022 demo, and they also had a split with World of Pleasure in between. It was well worth the wait, as this is exactly how beat-down hardcore should be done. Be careful if you see them live; I would expect the two-step to be in full force, crowd killers, and the like. Another crazy good release from DAZE. Fans of Bad Beat, D-BLOC, Escalation of Force, Sunami, Never Ending Game, Death Before Dishonor, and Pain of Truth.

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Paul Holstein
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