Punk Rock Record Reviews: The Best of 2025, Part Ten.
This is part ten, so that means I’ve now reviewed 100 releases that came out in 2025. I have spun far more than that to get to 100 that I liked. I still have nearly 100 more in my queue and am expecting releases by The Casualties, Heartwells, Booze & Glory, Ten Foot Pole, The Dickies, The Hives, Drain, The Dropkick Murphys, The Supersuckers, Pigpen, Death Pill, End It, Half Dizzy, Teenage Bottlerocket, and The Brains to all come out before the end of the year. It’s going to be very hard to do a top 50 countdown of the best releases of the year, but I’m already thinking about it. It’s a great year to be a punk rocker.
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.
The Lowcocks "The Forgotten"
Released: June 17, 2025
Format: Digital download
Label: Self-released
From: Detroit
The Lowcocks are from Detroit, and I first saw them at P.J.'s Lager House (in Detroit) when they warmed up for Reagan Youth. I walked away from that show remembering their cover of Dolly Parton's “9 to 5” and wishing that I had a recording of it. I saw them a few times after that where they also played it, and finally this release came out, and I was able to add it to my playlist. That being said, their original songs are great too, and they have a professional video for the opening song "MayDay." Singer Annie Oakley has just the right blend of screams and singing, the artwork is punk rock with skulls and slogans like "No More Bombs," the songs are short (averaging under 2 minutes each), they play with intensity (easily inspiring a mosh pit), and most importantly, they play local shows here in Detroit all the time (I have one coming up this weekend). Two thumbs way up for this release, but no matter what, you have to check out their cover of “9 to 5.”
Breakout "Fight Or Fall"
Released: June 25, 2025
Format: Vinyl LP, digital download
Label: Dirty Punk Records, Joe Pogo Records
From: Paris, France
Although I have spun nearly 250 releases this year, 100 of which I reviewed, very few were my favorite subgenre, street punk. Considering that, I was highly anticipating this release by Breakout from Paris, France, and it did not disappoint. "Stand Defiant" and "Punk Is Support" were my early favorites, but this smokes all the way through. I love the street punk look with multi-color mohawks and lots of spikes and leather. The professional videos for "No Time To Rest" and "Stuck In Berlin" are near perfect as well, with scenes from seedy punk rock clubs, back alleys, and heavy drinking. Nods to Poison Idea, One-Way System, U.K. Subs, The Virus, Broken Bones, G.B.H., and plenty more bands that I grew up with if you look closely. This one is going to dominate my playlists for the next couple of months. Highly recommended. Fans of The Casualties, Krum Bums, Starving Wolves, The Unseen, Defiance, Total Chaos, Acidez, and The Virus.
Cosmic Joke “Forced Perspective”
Released: June 24, 2025
Format: Vinyl LP, digital download
Label: Hardlore/Triple B Records
From: Southern California
Triple B Records puts out some of the absolute best hardcore of our time, especially beatdown hardcore. This one is a little more towards the skate punk side, and I love to see that. There is a great cover of The Talking Heads’ "Psycho Killer" on this, but the title song and the opener "Five Years Later" were my favorites. They also did a pro video of "Forced Perspective," which you can check out below. For vinyl collectors, the first pressing of the vinyl version is b-sided with five additional tracks from the "Welcome to L.A." EP released in February 2025. For those that can't afford the vinyl or don't collect, you can buy the digital album for $7, or even cheaper, just get all five tracks individually for $1 each on Bandcamp.
Fastloud “Rice Again?”
Released: May 8, 2025
Format: Vinyl LP, CD, Digital download
Label: Morning Wood Records / High End Denim Records
From: Barcelona, Spain
Ultra-fast skate punk (or melodic hardcore) from Barcelona, Spain. They had an EP in 2015, a single in 2017, a full length in 2025, and now this. This was the first time that I had heard them, but I was a fan immediately. "A New Disease," "Coffee & Positivity," "Everything Is Relative," and "The Ogre" were my favorites after a couple of playthroughs, but there weren't any songs that I didn't like. It looks like they have recently toured with Ignite and Authority Zero, and that makes sense (they are sort of a cross between the two). Professional recording and talented musicians mean this can be played loud. Fans of secondSELF, Authority Zero, Heartwells, xxSmile, The Strikeouts, Heathcliff, Bridge The Gap or just really good, fast, loud skate punk will want to check this out.
Static Friction “Static Friction”
Released: May 1, 2025
Format: Vinyl LP, digital download
Label: 31Records
From: Boston, MA
A solid debut release for a band that started in 2024. Four melodic punk originals and a great cover of AFI's "I Wanna Get A Mohawk". My only complaint is that the songs could be a little shorter and faster (for melodic punk, I suppose longer songs are the norm). That's just me; they are catchy and fast, and I liked every song. The gruff vocals that turn into screams at just the right times are a big plus, and they have a great professional video for "The Balance." The artwork on the cover shows businessmen with televisions as heads pushing a boulder uphill, and that's probably what drew me in at first (good album artwork is always a good start). Fans of MxPx, Lagwagon, No Use For A Name, Face To Face, or just professionally recorded melodic punk rock played by a band with exceptional talent (which is not always right for a punk rock album, but with these guys it works).
Sex Scenes “Everything Makes Me Sick”
Released: May 9, 2025
Format: Vinyl LP, digital download
Label: Big Neck Records
From: Milwaukee, WI
Unfortunately, I missed their show in Detroit at The Lager House on May 10 because I hadn't heard of them yet. Female-fronted hardcore with crunching guitars, short fast songs, and plenty of breakdowns. "I'm Not Your T.V." and "I'll Play Along" were the standouts, but the entire 9-song EP is only 12-15 minutes long, so you will definitely want to play it all the way through. This sounds, at times, like a more hardcore Amyl and the Sniffers. Fans of Amyl and the Sniffers, Slutbomb, Bodyfarm, G.L.O.S.S., Shitfire, Sex Germs, Ex-Parents, or just screaming female-fronted hardcore will want to check this out.
Knife’s Edge “Let The Hard Times Roll”
Released: February 17, 2025
Format: Vinyl LP, digital download
Label: Under The Gun Records
From: Arizona
Punk/Oi! band from Arizona, and it's about what you would expect (and want) from an Oi! band. The first couple of songs were a bit slower but with tons of Oi! Oi! shouts. The title song picked up the speed a bit and drew me in. There is also a great cover of Blitz's "Someone's Gonna Die." It looks like they had a cassette release in 2024, "Rat's In Power," and two of the songs from that one are also included here ("Rats In Power" and "Never Been Better"). There seem to be a lot of great Oi! bands starting up lately, and I'm glad to see it. Fans of Blitz, Reckless Upstarts, Sham 69, The Chisel, The Templars, Lion's Law, or just really solid Oi! music will want to check this out.
El Hefe “White Label”
Released: July 4, 2025
Format: Digital download
Label: cyber-tracks.com
From: Los Angeles
El Hefe teams up with Franklin Vanderbilt (Lenny Kravitz) on drums and Matt Riddle (No Use For A Name, Face To Face) on bass to record a song that will make NOFX fans happy (it's got his signature sound, plenty of expletives, just enough speed, and it's a song NOFX fans will immediately like). I had to buy this from Cyber Tracks, which is a Los Angeles-based record label founded by El Hefe and his wife (and it looks like they also have contracts with bands that include FenixTX, Pulley, Implants, Ten Foot Pole, Urethane, and Unwritten Law). For now this is just a single song, but hopefully there will be a full LP soon along with a tour. I'd love for NOFX to reunite, but if they don't, I'd be glad to catch El Hefe on a solo tour.
Trampa “Pesadilla”
Released: May 29, 2025
Format: Digital download
Label: Self-released
From: Bogata, Columbia
Another one that is name your price with no minimum on Bandcamp. As always, I encourage you to pay what you can, but even if you can't scrounge up a donation, there is no excuse not to get this. I put it on my iPod for some headphone listening, and although it starts out slow, it quickly turns into a really great street punk sound with fast, pounding drums and gravelly vocals. They had previous releases in 2019 and 2020, so when time permits, I'm going to go back and check those out as well. "Jipis," "Pesadilla," and "Ignorancia" were early favorites, averaging around 2 minutes each ("Jipis" may be a name, but the others translate to "Nightmare" and "Ignorance"). These guys are from Bogota, Columbia, and scream in Spanish, but that was just fine (although I can't scream along, since I don't know Spanish). Fans of Acidez, Breakout, Starving Wolves, or just foreign street punk/hardcore will want to check this out (and play LOUD).
Chumhuffer “Slaughterhouse 5”
Released: May 9, 2025
Format: Vinyl LP, digital download
Label: Self-released
From: New York City, New York
It looks like this is the first of their releases not to feature a shark on the cover, a reference to their name, Chumhuffer. They have one 7" vinyl release that I could find ("Orgy of Hate" from 2023), and the rest are digital only. Short, fast songs with one-word titles are a good start to a punk rock release. Add in an old-school punk sound, relevant lyrics, and catchy choruses, and you have a great record. The lyric video works as well, and I ended up playing it a few times through and adding “Slaughterhouse” to my weekly playlist. Looking forward to more.
