The Alt Weekly Roundup (7/28/25)
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.
Perfect 100 – Perfect 100
It’s hard to beat a good pop rock song on a summer day. Perfect 100’s Perfect 100 EP is four great pop rock songs in just over ten minutes. Expect massive, blown-out guitars and towering hooks delivered in Andrew Madore’s unaffected, classic croon. “Longway” is a particular highlight with its crinkly drum machine, recalling Dazy’s recent EPs.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
SILENT-SPRING – Tears of Denial
Tears of Denial begins at a ten, and it only gets crazier from there. The third EP from Massachusetts hardcore band SILENT-SPRING is caustic in every aspect: the riffs are absolutely unrelenting, the vocals are straight-up demonic, and the lyrics are a searing indictment of our permanent warfare state. “53.25” is less than a minute long, but it’s one of the most violent songs of 2025 easily.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Zells – Dog’s Night / You Are Not the Moon
On their first release since their 2022 sophomore LP Ant Farm, The Zells provide two cuts that perfectly distill exactly what this band’s all about. The bright and jaunty “Dog’s Night” sets the table nicely for the delightfully quirky fuzz rocker “You Are Not the Moon,” encapsulating in fewer than five minutes what makes the Pittsburgh indie rock five-piece so beloved.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Firstrate – Passage of Time
Firstrate’s Passage of Time delivers the same sort of effortless hooks and breezy, laidback vibes as Turnover’s Magnolia or oso oso’s the yunahon mixtape. Singles “Springtime” and “Last Throw” are warm and familiar, while the bittersweet yearning of “Counterclockwise” evokes an open road to a pastel sunset. The 58-second “A Momentary Life” draws on the melodic hardcore of the mid-aughts, a jolt of adrenaline at the record’s midpoint.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Tan and Handsome – 2 Tan 2 Handsome
Like the EP’s title suggests, 2 Tan 2 Handsome doubles down on everything that made Tan and Handsome’s 2023 debut so good. These songs are heavier, catchier, more technical, and less predictable than even the best material on Tan and Handsome. The Virginia quintet is one of the best, most exciting bands in the metalcore and post-hardcore realms, and it’s about time they get the attention they deserve. Hopefully 2 Tan 2 Handsome will get them there.
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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