A recent article in The Alternative highlights three overlooked albums from 2025, praising their evolution and fresh sounds in indie and punk genres. Athletics returns after years with a post-hardcore-infused record, while The Young Hearts deliver a punchy EP rooted in heartland punk, and ness lake expands its lo-fi indie rock ambitions. These releases fill voids left by shifting influences in the scene.
The Alternative's Zac Djamoos reviews Athletics' 'What Makes You Think This Is How It All Ends?', a reunion album released at the end of May 2025. The New Jersey band hinted at activity in 2024, rereleasing singles 'When to Run' and 'Where to Hide' in January, followed by new track 'VI' in May—their first since 2016—and 'Like Hell' in March. Described as a continuation of their 2011 album 'Who You Are Is Not Enough', the record starts straightforward but veers into aggressive post-hardcore in its second half. Tracks like 'You Are My Home' use screamed vocals effectively, though heavier elements in 'Don't Let Me Sink' and 'Our Heads Are Bent' feel less integrated. Standouts include the balanced 'Where I First Heard the Sound' and expansive 'Endless' paired with 'Gaps', showcasing their atmospheric post-rock strengths.
The Young Hearts' EP 'The Good, the Bad, & the Rest of Us', from last summer, clocks in under 20 minutes across five songs. Active since 2015, the Kent-based band has refined its scrappy heartland punk sound in the 2020s, stepping into a space vacated by acts like The Gaslight Anthem, Spanish Love Songs, and The Menzingers. The 2024 single 'Hell or High Water' sets a defiant tone with its chorus: 'come hell or high water / I race towards the thunder'. The title track rolls with technical guitar work, 'Outlaws' features a standout hook, and 'A Life on Fire' slows for tradeoff vocals, ending with the chant: 'I find my soul in these shoes'.
ness lake's 'normal speed' marks growth from Chandler Lach's 2016 solo debut 'varicose', inspired by teen suicide, Elvis Depressly, and flatsound. Now a full band, the project aims bigger, blending lo-fi intimacy with stadium-scale ambition. 'Fish Tank' swells like late Bright Eyes, 'You Get It All' adds grungy folk rock hooks, and 'Deserving' and 'Underneath' deliver intense builds. Straighter tracks like alt-country 'Champagne' and scuzzy 'Thrift Store Knife Set' evoke 2010s Exploding in Sound vibes, though 'Semicircled' clashes vocally. Lach's raspy deadpan suits the unpolished charm throughout.
