2025 Top Ten

Contributed by Felix L.G #10 FUCKIN’ LOVERS - CRUCIFIXION OF THE MASSES This band is perfect. Captures the stupidity of the style like no one else today. I wonder if they will ever decide to drop the noise and play rock and roll like the later era SWANKYS when they decided to go ‘77 mode. I could really only love this band more if they did a total musical pivot that made everyone really upset. FFO: GAI, CONFUSE, ATROCIOUS MADNESS #9 BLACK DOG - SEWN INTO CONFUSION AUGH! FFO: DISCLOSE, FR...

Contributed by Bad Sasha 1. Burning the Israeli flag during FLOWER on NYE in the Freedom Tunnel 2. Every time STREET GLOVES + Taylor covered Search for the Sun 3. Steve Lake thanking Nay (HYSTERIC POLEMIX) for liking his “weird gay techno” album 4. Zip line and trampoline breaks between bands at Izero Fest in Poland 5. The floor breaking at 1 in 12 club while TOTAL NADA played and saving a piece 6. Everything about SCUMPUTER and ALIENATOR at Bar Patriotes 7. Gabba (CHAOS UK) sayin...

Top 10 punk releases of 2025 from VanisleJay...

In lieu of a year end top ten list, I present to you a dirty dozen of selections from DEMO FEST 2025. In case you missed it, over 70 bands/musicians put together a new demo in October and November this year for our 2nd installment of DEMO FEST. All those releases are available online at 2025.demo-fest.org and all proceeds from donations/downloads go to the local Montreal mutual aid group Solidarity Across Borders. I simply could not narrow this selection down to 10 releases, so it's 12. And eve...

A list of the top 10 (mostly) punk things I loved from 2025 in no real particular order: ULTIMATE DISASTER - …For Progress If I HAD to pick a favorite record from last year, this would likely be it. Might be a perfect record. Live, the band is also great. KRIEGSHÖG live at Earthdom - Tokyo, Japan 11/16/25 Love & Revenge was on my top 10 list last year and I was lucky my trip to Japan lined up with this show. This set was unreal. An experience I will never forget. The whole show was great. ...

Contributed by P-Lou Another great year for stinky people making music! I found myself listening to a lot of new music this year which is always a good thing! I am also very excited that most of my favourite releases of 2025 were made by friends. Great year for my crew, close and afar!! Here’s my top ten in no particular order: RECALL - Recall (11pm records) TOTAL NADA - Aquí y Ahora (11pm recorda) BASTARD IDOL - Demo 2025 (Demo fest 2025) NORMAL NOW - Demo (Demo fest 2025) HEALING - Healing ...

Tours and trips, plus some awesome gigs at home, defined my year more than any records that I listened to, so to roundup 2025 I compiled my top ten shows....

* AYUCABA - Operación Masacre LP * BLACK DOG - Sewn Into Confusion EP * COLD MEAT - Cake & Arse Party EP * KLEPTOCRACY - Kleptocracy CS * LAME - Lo Que Extrañas Ya No Existe * NÃO - Obrigada LP * NO VICTIM - No Victim CS * PLASTIKA - Sijamski Blisanac LP * RITUAL CROSS - Ritual Cross CS * THE SHARP PICS - Balloon Balloon Balloon LP Recapitulation: way less centered on the contiguous 48 than last year. Felt like a whole lotta spinnin' tires, but how else to navigate an auto based count...

A bonkers year in terms of new music. I could legitimately not keep up with the amount of cool releases coming out, especially the sheer number of ripping hardcore demos. I’m a little bummed how North-American centric my list is but it is what it is. Very proud of the record we put out with SPITE HOUSE as well. I made a digital mixtape with my favourite songs of the year too: https://samply.app/p/oeHknJ7Vm4ynYzmXOjt0?si=10e5fwQJH5dIFoQQTqkaVVrLSFL2 Albums * ALEX G - Headlights * BAD BEAT -...

Let's be honest, I hardly listened to anything new this year, let alone remember it enough to discuss. My most listened to song this year was easily "Concerto In X Minor" by BRAND NUBIAN, if that helps put you in the headspace I'm in. The older I get, the more time I spend as a freak rocker, the more I put value on live performances and experiences in DIY rather than generic 4-song demos fast hardcore with flirtations of a d-beat riff. So with that I'm gonna hit you with my top ten moments of RO...

In no particular order: * PHYSIQUE @ Scorched Earth (Vancouver, BC) * YELLOWCAKE @ Scorched Earth * FUCKIN' LOVERS @ Search For The Sun (Montreal) * DECEPT @ Batiment 7 (Montreal) * WARKRUSHER @Batiment 7 * UNCLE @ PEI Farm Center * DEVIATED INSTINCT @ Scorched Earth * BASTARD IDOL @ Sotterenea * ONE TRACK MIND's Ontario run * CONTAGIUM @ Scorched Earth...

Contributed by Bee Every time I make my year-end best-of list I struggle to remember what the hell even came out in the last 11.5 months. After pouring through my “recent acquisitions/to-be-shelved” pile of records and tapes, revisiting label websites, or what photos I took, I come up with a list that, immediately upon publication, I realize is missing crucial selections. And year and year again I lack the foresight to just write down what I liked that year. Here’s my crack at it this year. ZY...