The Alt Weekly Roundup (7/21/25)
Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
The Alternative Weekly Roundup is a column where our staff plugs a variety of new releases in a concise, streamlined format. Albums, singles, videos, and live sets. Check back each Monday to see what we were jamming the week prior.
Tiberius – “Sag”
Tiberius began as the solo project of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Brendan Wright a decade ago, and in the time since the project’s expanded into a full band, featuring three other members from all across New England. The new lineup of the band is gearing up to release their first LP altogether (Wright’s fifth as Tiberius overall), and they’ve adopted an earthy, alt-country inflection that suits Wright’s tremulous voice perfectly. Troubador‘s rollicking lead single is called “Sag,” and it’s an absolute knockout, carrying that same rootsy spark that once made Cardinal such a hit.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Kill or Be Killed – To Feel Safe Somewhere Else But There
San Antonio, Texas, four-piece Kill or Be Killed hasn’t even been around for six months, but they’ve already become one of the most exciting bands in their scene. On their debut EP To Feel Safe Somewhere Else But There they churn out 20 minutes of nostalgic post-hardcore. They mix some emo-pop into their sound on the catchy “Driving,” and cuts like “Never Forget to Enhance Regret” and the title track show off Kill or Be Killed’s ability to incorporate soft melodic passages into otherwise brutal, punishing songs. It’s an extremely impressive debut, and fans of bands like I Promised the World should take note.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Skullcrusher – “Exhale”
On “Exhale,” Skullcrusher fills out the edges of her sound more than ever before. The lead single from her second LP employs strings and synths to cocoon Helen Ballentine’s voice, and the result is a pillowy, luxurious song that ranks among Skullcrusher’s very best. And Your Song Is Like a Circle, out in October, will be her first release for Dirty Hit, and if “Exhale” is an indication it’s exactly the kind of leap forward that signing suggests.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Summer Stars – Summer Stars EP
On their self-titled EP, Summer Stars is missing the old days, “stuck somewhere between holding on and moving on” as the opening line of “Fall Apart” attests. These songs are marked by the loss of love; “love lost is what I fear,” goes the chorus of “Summer Stars,” and the band’s infectious debut single is called “Come Back.” It’s not just the lyrics, though–they call themselves “myspace emo,” and their sound is indeed a hooky throwback to the pop-punk of the mid-aughts. Sometimes, unfortunately, as on closer “Winter Drive,” they reproduce one of the era’s worst tendencies: violent misogyny. All in all, then, Summer Stars EP a faithful tribute to the style of those days, warts and all. It should be exciting to watch them evolve and outgrow some of the more dated aspects of their sound.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Spite House – “Stale Change”
“Stale Change,” the new single from Spite House‘s upcoming sophomore album Desertion, is a great demonstration of how far the Montreal three-piece has come since ’22’s self-titled. They’re more dynamic, allowing the song more space to breathe, and vocalist Max Lajoie (who also sings in Seed Toss) is also showing more range, flitting between the gruff shout he employed through most of the band’s previous LP and a more tuneful, anguished croon. Spite House has been one of the more interesting bands in their lane for a while now, and Desertion should launch them to the next level when it drops in September.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Alternative’s ‘New Music Friday’ playlist
Each week we compile a playlist of songs our staff has been jamming. We post it on Fridays and then include it in each edition of the Weekly Roundup to make sure you don’t miss any of the great music we’re recommending.
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