Losing weight has always been a major problem for many with different solutions popping up all using varying methods. While some go under the knife or struggle with cutting their diets and counting calories, others start rigorous exercises.
One of the many solutions to weight loss is the use of berberine which is a naturally occurring chemical in plants. This solution has quickly become quite popular due to its effectiveness.
Berberine, especially from plants, has a long history of usage in places like parts of Asia for over 3000 years. And has become mainstream for a long time now helping people in their weight loss journey due to its unique properties.
This compound is used as a weight management supplement by many but there still pose some lingering questions. One of which is the best time to take berberine. People want to know if there is a best time and when to take berberine to maximize its results.
And in this guide, we’ll be providing the answer to this longstanding question. With additional information about this alkaloid, how it works, and if taking it with food boosts its efficiency. Let’s start with the basics.
What is Berberine?
To put simply, Berberine is a natural compound found in a variety of plants like barberry, oregon grape, goldenseal, chinese goldthread, and tree turmeric. These plants naturally produce these compounds
It’s a bright yellow substance that’s been used for centuries in traditional medicine, especially in Chinese and Ayurvedic practices, to help with all sorts of health issues. Berberine has since become popular for its weight loss ability.
Because of its earlier usage as support for heart and blood sugar level, Berberine is often seen as a metabolic health supplement. With even more research being done on other uses of this compound.
Berberine has been shown to reduce body fat, improve insulin sensitivity, and even lower cholesterol in some cases. For weight loss, it’s not a magic pill, but it’s a solid tool if you’re pairing it with a healthy diet and some exercise.
How Berberine Works?
This alkaloid compound that is found in plants performs a lot of duties when it enters the body. But how does it work really? We’ll break down how this natural compound works to help with weight loss.
When it comes to Berberine and its weight loss ability, an enzyme called AMPK comes to mind. This enzyme is in charge of your body’s energy, helping your body burn fat and use up glucose.
Your body now uses stored fat thereby reducing your weight. It gets even better as berberine makes your cell more sensitive to insulin which regulates the way sugar moves from your blood into your cells.
It works by influencing how your body handles glucose, fats, and insulin. Basically, it helps your cells use sugar more efficiently, which can keep your blood sugar levels steady and reduce those annoying cravings that make you reach for snacks.
Why Timing Matters?
Taking this compound has proven to be an effective method of reducing weight especially when paid with other helpful practices and education like exercise and Sculpt by The Rood Brands which supports the entire GLP-1 pathway.
Nevertheless, the timing matters just as much as you taking this supplement. It can have a huge effect on the efficiency of the weight loss journey.
Berberine works best when it’s in sync with your body’s natural rhythms, especially around meals and digestion. Taking it at the right time can maximize its ability to regulate blood sugar, boost metabolism, and tackle fat storage.
Your digestive system also plays a role. Berberine is absorbed better when there’s food in your stomach, as it gets mixed in with what you’re eating. If you have no food in your system when you take the drug, it just won’t work the same.
Timing it with meals helps your body use berberine more effectively to activate that AMPK switch which revs up fat burning and energy use.
What is the Best Time?
Now you know that the timing of taking your berberine supplement is vital in the way it works. To the question on many people’s mind, when is the best time to take the berberine supplement.
Morning
Starting your day with berberine is always a great option. Taking this supplement early in the morning gets your body going and ready to absorb the fresh carbs and sugars from your meal.
This can set you up for stable energy levels all day, which means fewer cravings and less temptation to snack. Plus, it gets that fat-burning AMPK switch flipped on early, giving your body a head start on burning calories.
Before Meals
Another excellent time to take berberine is just before meals. This can be before breakfast, lunch, or dinner but the key is having this supplement 15 to 30 minutes before main meals. The goal is to align it to when your body is digesting food.
This way berberine can immediately get to work controlling blood sugar spikes from meals and preventing your body from storing excess fat. Following this timing also helps with absorption since food in your stomach helps berberine get to work without causing tummy issues
Night
Prefer a different time than the already mentioned best times, you can take the berberine supplement at night to great effects. You can target before dinner or even later in the evening.
Taking berberine in the evening will help your body keep blood sugar stable throughout the night. That stability throughout the night will not only reduce build up of fat but also reduce hunger pangs in the morning, now you won’t be feeling so hungry right after waking up.
Should You Take Berberine With or Without Food?
Most people usually have a particular pattern of taking medication which is with food or without. And so it is normal to have this question on whether to take it with food or without. The good thing is that any option you choose is correct albeit with a slightly different function.
Berberine With Meal
Taking berine with meals helps with sugar balance and is perfect for people trying to fix insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes. Berberine works to regulate the sugar it takes into the blood from the meal.
Berberine on an Empty Stomach
When you take this natural compound on an empty stomach, it boosts metabolism, helping the body use up stored fat and helping you reduce weight quickly.
Final Thoughts
Weight loss doesn’t have to be a difficult challenge that requires you cutting down on all your favorite meals or going under the knife to get your desired body. You can do so effective;y using supplements like berberine which is a naturally occurring compound in plants.
Typically, the best time to take this compound is early morning, before main meals, and at night. All these periods have their strong points why people prefer them. You even have the option of taking berberine without or without meals to activate different benefits.
However, while berberine has proven to be an effective weight loss compound, it is no magic pill and is recommended to take alongside other lifestyle changes and supplements like Sculpt by The Root Brands which are excellent weight loss supplements too.
Sculpt by The Root Brands have proven to be an effective and healthy way to lose weight without going through rigorous processes that may affect your lifestyle.
You notice it after rehearsal, when the room empties and the floor turns quiet again. Your case feels heavier on the walk out, and the straps suddenly matter. Little annoyances show up fast when you are tired and carrying gear.
Outside venues, cases end up by stage doors, on train racks, and under café chairs. That is why Great Violin Cases can be a handy reference when you are comparing features without rushing. A good case keeps the instrument steady, and it makes busy weeks feel simpler.
What The Right Case Looks Like In Real Use
A case is “right” when it suits your routine without extra fuss or careful handling. It should protect against bumps, and it should carry well through stairs and narrow corridors. It should also open smoothly, so setup feels calm when time is tight.
Your travel pattern changes the risk more than most people expect at first. A short walk from a car park is gentle, while buses and tubes add jolts that test seams. Late calls add another factor, because hands get clumsier when you are rushing in crowds.
Size and balance matter early, especially for violas and cellos with bigger bodies. More weight needs better grip points, and steadier support around the neck block. If the case feels nose heavy, your wrist pays for it by the end of a long week.
Interior Fit And Suspension Do The Heavy Lifting
Most damage starts inside the case, because movement creates wear long before a shell fails. A good interior holds the instrument at the bouts and supports the neck without squeezing. When you close the lid, the bridge should never press into the lining.
Suspension interiors add clearance, so the instrument rests on padded blocks, not the case walls. That buffer helps when the case is set down hard, or bumped by a chair leg. It also reduces rub points that can dull varnish along the ribs over time.
Humidity swings matter for wooden instruments, and a case can slow those changes in transit. A Johns Hopkins care note explains how shifting humidity can lead to warping or cracking over time. That same idea applies to string instruments, because wood and glue react to air changes.
A quick fit check can tell you a lot, and it usually takes two minutes at home. The case should feel stable when you lift it, and nothing should slide or rattle. These checks are simple, yet they prevent many regrets after the first hard knock.
The scroll stays clear of end padding, even when the closed case tilts gently.
The neck rest feels snug, and the body does not drift when you change directions.
The bow clips hold tip and frog, and the hair does not brush the lid fabric.
Shell, Hardware, And Weather Notes That Matter
Shells come in foam, plastic, plywood, and composite builds, and each has trade offs in daily life. Foam cases can feel light on the shoulder, but they still need structure to resist dents. Hard shells resist punctures better, although weight can creep up over months.
Weather protection is more than rain, because heat and cold move through thin shells quickly. A decent seal helps during a winter dash from a tube stop to a hall door. Slower temperature change can be kinder to seams, joints, and fittings during long calls.
Hardware shows the truth in daily use, so it deserves attention before you trust it. Latches should close with a clean click, and hinges should not wobble when you test them. If a case uses zips, they should run smoothly and feel strong at corners.
Interior fabric matters too, since shed fibers mix with rosin dust and stick to varnish. A tidy lining sheds less, and it wipes clean after a spill or a crushed snack. Less dust in the case also means less dust on sleeves, collars, and music folders.
Carry Comfort, Storage, And Fast Access
Carry comfort is protection too, because a case that hurts gets handled worse over time. Wide backpack straps spread load, and a chest strap reduces sway in crowds and on stairs. A stable handle helps as well, since the case twists less when you change grip.
Storage works best when it matches what you actually bring to rehearsal each week. Most players need rosin, a cloth, spare strings, and a pencil for quick markings. Pockets should close securely, because loose tools can knock the instrument on jolts.
Bow holders are worth checking, because a loose bow can snap a tip in a careless drop. Good clips hold tip and frog, and they stay shut after months of use. When two bows ride together, the holders should keep hair from touching hair in tight turns.
People also forget how much weight shapes decisions, since a small difference adds up by Thursday. If you walk a lot, a lighter case with solid suspension often feels easier than a heavier case with extra pockets. If most travel is by car, weight matters less, and hardware strength becomes the bigger daily factor.
Cello cases add another layer, because wheels and a pull handle can save your wrists. The case should also stand without tipping, since backstage floors are rarely flat and doors swing. When it stays upright, it takes less space and avoids awkward falls near chairs.
Security, Humidity Basics, And A Calm Routine
Orchestra life includes shared dressing rooms, crowded green rooms, and tight storage corners between calls. A slimmer profile helps on public transport, yet you still want padding for real knocks in queues. The best balance shows up when you picture where the case sits during breaks.
Security features help most when they stay simple and do not slow you down. A small lock can deter casual tampering, and an ID tag helps after a rushed pack up. A tidy exterior also draws less attention than loud branding in public places.
Humidity is easy to ignore, yet wood likes steady air as much as it can get. Guitar Craft Academy notes that guitars tend to store best around 40% to 55% relative humidity, which is a practical target for wooden instruments more broadly when your case has a hygrometer.
Quick answers help when you are comparing cases late at night after rehearsal. These points are not rules, yet they tend to match how repairs happen in real life. They can also help you filter marketing copy and focus on fit.
Hard shell or foam? Hard shells resist sharp knocks better, while good foam cases often win on carry comfort.
Do you need suspension? If you use public transport often, it helps because movement is constant.
How much storage is enough? Enough is when nothing loose can reach the instrument area while walking.
A Case Choice You Stop Thinking About
A calm routine keeps the case working for you, even when the week is chaotic. Wipe rosin dust after playing, and keep small items in closed pockets every time. When you stop thinking about straps, latches, and dents, the choice is doing its job.
If you adore spinning reels, a casino bonus at an online casino might give you extra money, free spins, and more time without adding to your budget. The biggest bonus isn’t always the best—the rules decide the real value. This article will explain how slot players can turn every casino bonus into smart, playable value.
Slot Fans’ Understanding of Casino Bonuses
Casino bonuses are marketing incentives that add advantage to your gameplay. The “catch” is simply the bonus rules. The process of turning bonus play into cash depends on wagering requirements, game weighting, bet limits, and expiration timeframes. Learn the rules to prevent surprises.
The Casino Bonus Main Types
1) Welcome match bonus
Classic offer: “100% up to X.” Good for doubling early playtime. Lower wagering requirements (20–35x bonus) and fair bet limits are recommended.
2) Free spins
Perfect for slot-first timers. Check qualifying games, spins, value per spin, and distinct wagering on spin wins.
3) No deposit bonus
A small, risk-free way to try theonline casino. Be prepared for wagering and cashout limits due to risk-free play.
4) Reload bonus
Reload bonus for returning players. Pick the bonus you can use, not the one that just looks big.
5) Cashback
Over time, this returns a percentage of net losses. One of the clearest casino bonuses due to low or no wagering.
Read the Agreement Carefully
A Wagering Requirement
Bet the amount needed to withdraw bonus-derived wins. To qualify for the bonus, you must place bets totaling ₱5,000, which is equivalent to ₱500 multiplied by a 10x wagering requirement (WR). Lower WR equals easier clearance.
Game Weighting
Some games contribute less or are excluded, yet slots count 100%. Make sure your game of choice is qualified before spinning.
Expiry Date
Free spins and bonuses expire in days, not weeks. Timing your deposit lets you use the deal.
Maximum Bet
A per-spin limit applies while clearing (say ₱250). Overbetting can cancel payouts.
Max Cashout and Limited Slots Game.
Some no-deposit deals exclude high-RTP or jackpot slots and limit withdrawal amounts. Check out the list.
Bonus Stretching Tips for Slots Players
Check the T&Cs.
A 50% casino bonus at 20x WR may be better than a 200% one. Smaller numbers are easier to clear and cash out.
Match bet size to volatility.
Medium-volatility slots balance hit frequency (keeps you spinning) and rewards (keeps you excited) while clearing wagering. Avoid max-bet temptations with a little bankroll—steady pacing survives cold stretches.
Start With Qualifying High-RTP Games.
Choose well-reviewed, qualified slots with competitive RTP if plenty of games are eligible. Double-check your choices because not all favorites count 100%.
Track your progress.
Watch the remaining wagering time and the average bet size. Quick notes or the trackers help you adjust before time runs out.
Green Flags Green flags
Simple wage requirement explanations and examples.
Make sure max bets and expiry times are trustworthy.
Cashback & low-WR reloads for regulars
Transparent game listings
Math Changes the Story
Think of a casino bonus like extra game credits, but there’s a condition first.
That “condition” is called a wagering requirement (WR)—how much money you must bet before you can cash out.
Your deposit: ₱5,000
Offer A: 100% bonus, 35x WR
You get ₱5,000 extra but must bet ₱175,000 (₱5,000 × 35) before withdrawing.
Offer B: 50% bonus, 20x WRYou get ₱2,500 extra and must bet ₱50,000 (₱2,500 × 20) before withdrawing.
Which is easier?
Offer B: You have way less “homework” (₱50,000) than Offer A (₱175,000).
Simple rule:
A smaller bonus with a lower WR is often better than a bigger bonus with a high WR.
(Formula: Required betting = bonus amount × WR.)
Offer A looks bigger, while Offer B requires less wagering. Offer B may be better for realistic clearance and fun gameplay.
Quick Checklist Before Claiming Your Win
Does this week’s casino bonus fit your budget and time?
What is the exact WR, and which games count 100%?
How much can I bet per spin when clearing?
When do bonuses and free spins expire?
Are there any max cashout rules you need to know?
Bet With a Plan
Casino bonuses ought to improve your fun, not make it harder. Choose fair terms, pace your bets, and play qualifying slots. Set limits and enjoy the journey. Treat bonuses as value boosters rather than “guaranteed profit,” and you’ll make better decisions and have more fun.
Ready to turn your online casino bonuses into important spins? Choose an offer with friendly terms, claim it when you have time to play, and track your wagers like a pro. Spin wisely, control, and maximize bonuses.
The number of drink options available on the open market continues to grow. Much of this is through increased knowledge and being able to obtain ingredients from far and wide. Herbal and iced teas have been added to the vast array of different types of coffee, while those who look to enjoy something stronger can choose from products made by distilleries, vineyards, and microbreweries. There is also another option available, which is growing in popularity.
Those who choose quality and buy kava powder Australia sold online quickly discover that they are onto something good. The powdered drink has a distinctive taste when mixed with water, coming from a root plant, and has been enjoyed by the people living on the islands of the South Pacific for centuries. It is drunk communally and provides a slowing down feeling, which is perfect for those looking to unwind and enjoy an uninterrupted night’s sleep.
That is because kava does not contain any added ingredients like sugar, flavouring, or caffeine, making it an excellent choice for those who want to relax, consume slowly, and enjoy the moment in the company of others. The best powder comes from noble kava cultivars, which are known for their quality, allowing those brewing more predictability and for the drink to be more balanced, as opposed to those who choose cheaper ingredients and end up with something harsher and less enjoyable. Therefore, those wanting the perfect brew are advised to choose noble kava.
Understanding the difference between kava and kratom is useful for beginners so that they purchase exactly what they are looking for. Something important to consider is that the kava should only consist of the peeled root and stump of the plant, as those parts offer the most consistency and flavour. Powders, including other parts such as leaves, are of a lower quality and result in a poorer taste, leading to a less enjoyable experience. Choosing the right supplier is extremely important, as they will be transparent and offer the right advice. They are passionate about their products and want their reputation to grow through offering excellent customer service. The texture of their kava will be finely ground without being dusty, which is another telltale sign of a quality product.
Peace of mind can be provided by checking out a kava factsheet before buying, ensuring that fresh powder is being bought, so that the perfect brew can be enjoyed. If the powder gives off a musty or stale smell, it is likely to be old and best discarded in favour of those that emit a clean and earthy aroma. The best shops, whether being able to call in person or when buying online, will provide details of their goods, including how old they are and where they come from, so that an authentic taste can be guaranteed.
Kava powder of pure quality is the best way to ensure that a perfect brew is enjoyed, whether following in the footsteps of Pacific islanders or simply wanting to unwind with a drink.
The Holiday, Love Actually, While You Were Sleeping… This time of year is rich with choices for holiday favourites to enjoy over a steaming cup of hot chocolate. Only it’s hard to ignore how heteronormative these classics are, even if filmmakers and streamers are slowly breaking out of their restrictive formulas. The go-to choices are overwhelmingly straight, lacking queer characters and the varied, authentic storylines we deserve – it’s high time we diversify our Christmas canon. Here are five queer Christmas film recommendations for you to enjoy this holiday season:
Carol (2015)
Starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara as Carol Aird and Therese Belivet respectively, Todd Haynes’ adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel The Price of Salt stands apart in pure cinematic quality. Set against the backdrop of 1950s department store Christmas shopping, Carol follows an illicit romance between a sophisticated woman navigating divorce and a young aspiring photographer. From intricate plotting to perfect pacing, lush cinematography, and a devastating amount of yearning, this one tops the recommendation charts.
Happiest Season (2020)
If you’re a real holiday rom-com enthusiast, this one’s for you. Clea DuVall’s Happiest Season follows Kristen Stewart as Abby Holland, planning to propose to her girlfriend during a family Christmas visit — only to discover her partner isn’t yet out to her family. While still ticking off the typical rom-com checklist, it explores themes often neglected in the genre: the costs of staying closeted, the gap between who we think we are and who we become under pressure, and whether love can survive when someone isn’t ready to be fully seen. Dan Levy and Aubrey Plaza deliver standout supporting performances that ground the film’s emotional stakes.
Tangerine (2015)
If you’re craving an entirely different vibe, Sean Baker’s gritty indie film Tangerine might offer just what you’re looking for. The crime-comedy follows Sin-Dee Rella played by Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, a transgender sex worker who, fresh out of jail on Christmas Eve, discovers her boyfriend and pimp has been cheating on her. Along with her best friend Alexandra (Mya Taylor), they tear through Los Angeles to confront him. Celebrating resilience and chosen family, the film brings warmth and humanity to lives typically marginalised in cinema. It also stands out technically as one of the first feature films shot entirely on an iPhone.
Single All the Way (2021)
This Canadian comedy offers a warm and genuinely comforting Christmas watch. Michael Urie stars as Peter, a social media strategist who brings his best friend Nick (Philemon Chambers) home for the holidays as a fake boyfriend to avoid his family’s scrutiny. The twist? Peter’s mother has also secretly arranged a blind date for him with her handsome personal trainer James, creating a holiday love triangle that forces Peter to examine what he actually wants. The film doesn’t win awards for electric chemistry, but it delivers exactly what it promises: a lighthearted, low-stakes queer rom-com with plenty of heart and holiday cheer.
Dashing in December (2020)
In this American romantic holiday drama directed by Jake Helgren, Peter Porte stars as Wyatt Burwall, a New York investment banker who returns to his family’s Colorado ranch for the holidays, determined to convince his mother to sell. His plans are complicated when he meets the new ranch hand Heath Ramos, played by Juan Pablo Di Pace, a charming dreamer committed to saving the property and the Winter Wonderland attraction. As their romance ignites, Wyatt must choose between his city life and the home he left behind.
Netflix hit series Emily in Paris is back with new episodes. The comedy continues to deliver laughs, looks, and complicated romantic entanglements. In other words, it’s the perfect watch during the holidays.
The only downside is that the new season flies by in a blur. Before you know it, you’re up to date, and wondering whether Emily’s story may continue in the future. Here’s what we know so far.
Emily in Paris Season 6 Release Date
Netflix hasn’t new renewed Emily in Paris for more episodes. Still, the new season just came out. The streamer is probably waiting to assess fan reaction before making a decision either way.
That said, chances are good for the show to continue. The fresh episodes end on a mini-cliffhanger, and the story feels far from over for everyone involved. As long as Netflix gives the green light, Emily in Paris season 6 could arrive in late 2026.
Emily in Paris Cast
Lily Collins as Emily Cooper
Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu as Sylvie Grateau
Ashley Park as Mindy Chen
Samuel Arnold as Julien
Bruno Gouery as Luc
Lucien Laviscount as Alfie
Eugenio Franceschini as Marcello
Paul Forman as Nicolas de Léon
William Abadie as Antoine Lambert
Lucas Bravo as Gabriel
What Could Happen in Emily in Paris Season 6?
Emily in Paris revolves around the titular character, Emily Cooper, a bubbly American marketing executive.
When she unexpectedly lands her dream job in Paris, Emily is tasked with bringing an American perspective to a prestigious French firm. Once there, she must navigate cultural clashes and workplace politics, while also establishing relationships that will change her life.
As the show progresses, Emily’s adventures include solidifying her career and balancing her romances. In season 5, her world expands beyond Paris as her story takes her to Italy. She’s with Marcello, but her feelings for Gabriel linger. On the professional front, the finale sees Emily make a difficult decision. Mindy also finds herself in romantic turmoil, torn between Alfie and Nico.
Without spoiling too much, let’s just say that the season ends with a blast from the past, and with Emily at a crossroads. Could Greece be calling? If Emily in Paris season 6 happens, that might be the next destination in her European tour.
Fans of dating series have a wild new title to add to their entertainment roster. Badly in Love, which premiered on Netflix this month, brings together individuals with checkered pasts looking for love. Whether or not they’ll find it, it’s up to you to find out.
Badly in Love is having a nice momentum with 1.6 million views over the last week. It’s a Top 10 show in five countries where Netflix is available, as well as the #8 most popular non-English title on the platform. Does that mean we can expect a follow-up?
Badly in Love Season 2 Release Date
Netflix is yet to renew Badly in Love for additional episodes. While viewership numbers are promising, the streamer is probably still gauging fan response. Sometimes, it takes a while before an announcement is made either way.
That said, unscripted series aren’t expensive to produce. As long as viewers keep watching, a sequel is definitely in the mix. Badly in Love season 2 could arrive sometime in 2026.
Badly in Love Cast
Yuuki Luna
Paul Syre
David Cui Cui
Crystal Lee
Josh Han
Francesca Calo
Kevin Matsumoto
What Is Badly in Love About?
Badly in Love is a Japanese reality dating series that throws out the usual romantic clichés to explore connections among a cast of self-described “yankii.” That’s a term used to describe young adults with troublesome pasts, who are linked to Japan’s rebellious subculture.
Over two weeks, 11 singles with fiery personalities are brought together to compete and explore potential relationships. You can expect traditional dating show elements like one-on-one dates and love notes. However, those become more engaging when the participants speak their minds and wear their histories on their sleeves.
In a crowded market, Badly in Love stands out mainly thanks to its cast. As the episodes progress, they do too. The show thrives on raw emotion and personal transformation as the contestants reveal unexpected vulnerabilities.
By the time the end credits roll, you get a sense that the series is as much about emotional growth as it is about finding romance. While the finale doesn’t tie things up as neatly as you might expect, you won’t regret spending time with these fascinating people.
If Badly in Love season 2 happens, it could bring back some of the first season participants, or focus on a roster of fresh faces. Either way, colour us intrigued.
Are There Other Shows Like Badly in Love?
If you enjoyed Badly in Love, you might like some of the other reality dating series available on Netflix. We recommend checking out Love Is Blind, Too Hot to Handle, Better Late Than Single, or Perfect Match.
If you’ve recently gotten into Netflix hit Beyond the Bar, there’s a fresh series that might scratch the same itch. Pro Bono recently premiered on the platform, and it’s already made the Top 10 for non-English shows.
With 1.6 million views last week, the South Korean production is slowly but surely growing its fanbase. Does that mean that more episodes are just a matter of time?
Pro Bono Season 2 Release Date
Pro Bono premiered on Netflix in early December, and episodes are still coming out weekly until mid-January. At the time of writing, there’s no news on whether a sequel might be on the way.
While Korean series are typically a one-season affair, the legal procedural aspect of the series combined with high public interest might score a renewal. If that’s the case, Pro Bono season 2 could arrive in late 2026.
Pro Bono Cast
Jung Kyung-ho as Kang Da-wit
So Joo-yeon as Park Gi-ppeum
Yoon Na-moo as Jang Yeong-sil
Seo Hye-won as Yoo Nan-hee
Kang Hyung-seok as Hwang Jun-woo
What Is Pro Bono About?
Pro Bono centres on Kang Da-wit, an ambitious judge known for his efficiency and star status. His ultimate goal? To rise to the Supreme Court. That’s exactly why he has meticulously built a public image that reeks of success and integrity.
When an unexpected incident derails his career, he is forced to resign from the bench. His reputation in tatters, Kang is offered a second chance as a public interest lawyer on the pro bono team of a major law firm.
That’s where he connects with Park Ki-ppeum, an idealistic lawyer passionate about defending the powerless. Together with a quirky group of colleagues, Kang must learn how to navigate challenging cases and, hopefully, redeem himself.
The series combines legal plots with character drama, while also shining light on a system that often feels stacked against the underdog. Given this premise, there are definitely ways to continue the show past the first installment.
Whether Pro Bono season 2 becomes a thing, however, it remains to be seen. For now, you can still enjoy the weekly releases.
Are you into shows that revolve around troubled but brilliant detectives? Then City of Shadows might become your new obsession.
With great reviews and an appealing cast, the Spanish crime drama has quickly climbed the charts to become one of the most-watched non-English series on Netflix. Whether that means more episodes are on the way, it remains to be seen.
City of Shadows Season 2 Release Date
As of late December, Netflix hasn’t renewed City of Shadows for more episodes. Given that it recently premiered, that’s not particularly surprising. The streamer sometimes waits to assess viewership before making a decision.
With 2.8 million views last week, the drama has made the Top 10 in 12 countries. Even so, it’s listed as a limited series on Netflix, so it might be a one-and-done affair. Otherwise, City of Shadows season 2 might arrive in late 2026.
City of Shadows Cast
Isak Férriz as Milo Malart
Verónica Echegui as Rebeca Garrido
Ana Wagener as Susana Cabrera
Jordi Ballester as Jordi Singla
Manolo Solo as Mauricio Navarro
What Could Happen in City of Shadows Season 2?
A Spanish production set in Barcelona, City of Shadows revolves around a series of macabre crimes. The story begins when a burned body is discovered hanging from the façade of one of Antoni Gaudí’s most famous buildings.
The crime shocks both the public and the police, so Inspector Milo Malart, a detective recently suspended for insubordination, is recalled to duty. Partnered with Rebeca Garrido, Milo must navigate political pressure and media scrutiny as he tries to figure out who is behind the brutal killings.
When more victims emerge, the investigation turns into a tense psychological game of cat-and-mouse. Like every solid crime thriller, City of Shadows seamlessly blends procedural shenanigans with character drama. Before you know it, you’re holding your breath, eager to find out how Milo will uncover what’s truly going on.
By the end of this first batch of episodes, the unsettling finale reveals the culprits. While that brings a sense of closure, Milo could return to look into a new case in City of Shadows season 2. Since the show is based on a book series by Aro Sáinz de la Maza, there’s already material for more.
The question of what constitutes an EP did not go away in 2025. A certain artist who topped our EPs list several years ago and has managed to do so again – with a very different project – stirred up the conversation early in the year, which also included promising debuts, esoteric experiments, and cathartic farewells utilizing the format. Familiar faces in the indie world tested out new projects, while others expanded the world of an earlier record. Everyone threw a bit, or a whole lot, of shoegaze in there. Here are the 25 best EPs of 2025.
25. Parts Work, Parts Work
Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan has stayed relatively quiet since their debut album, Likewise, came out over five years ago, so it’s striking to hear the lines “Even though I’m the one coming back here again/ You could also say I am, in fact, departing” on Parts Work’s first single. A collaboration with Hop Along contributor Kyle Pulley, his Thin Lips bandmate Chrissy Tashjian, and former Hop Along member Dominic Angelella, Quinlan’s new project offers a return that’s slightly daring, slightly bitter, yet altogether satisfying. In that way, the fiddle absorbs an electric guitar’s grittiness on ‘Trenton’, zany riffs diffuse into the sweetest constellation of instruments as Quinlan pleads for help on ‘Clowd’, and no amount of electronic manipulation can overshadow the sheer power of their voice. There’s quite a lot of it on Parts Work, which is just four tracks long, including the playfully indecipherable ‘Max Wrench’. But it underlines how Quinlan’s strange grip on language mirrors their grasp on existence. “There was always room for my way to being alive,” they sing on the closer, “The method is mine/ The method is alright.”
she’s green make the kind of shoegaze that tends to melt into the atmosphere, not quite as noisy or hooky as their recent tourmates in Glixen and Softcult. But on their latest EP Chrysalis, they prove there’s real muscle and heart to their Slowdive-coded aesthetic. Zofia Smith’s iridescent voice reaches too many high notes to fade into the background, giving weight to familiar tropes in the genre: ghosts taking on the shape of distorted guitars (‘Graze’), love as a delicate daydream (‘Silhouette’). The visceral drumming and pummeling during some of the softer moments suggest it’s often the beautiful dreams that land a punch to the gut. Rather than shrouding them in layers of gauze, she’s green remind us they can’t be buried for too long.
Dancing Shoes is knowingly not Nilüfer Yanya’s most spirited work. A sense of weariness creeps in on the opener ‘Kneel’, and it never fully dissipates. The EP’s title strikes you as somewhat ironic, not least considering the industrial beats that kick in at some of its most pensive moments, like the lines “Heaven knows the way you hold me/ Let ‘em know I feel this lonely” on ‘Cold Heart’. But these holdovers from last year’s My Method Actor are far from undercooked. Yanya and songwriting partner Wilma Archer flesh them out in ways that twist them out of their icy shapes: the searing guitars on ‘Kneel’, the swelling distortion on ‘Where to Look’. They remain lonely songs for all their embellishments, but they deserved the light of day.
We lost a lot of bands in 2025, but none offered a means to grieve as cathartic as Porridge Radio. If one word could summarize the band’s music, “catharsis” would be the one – but The Machine Starts to Sing, an EP comprising songs recorded during the sessions for last year’s Clouds in the Sky They Will Always Be There for Me, is more subdued in its delivery. Apart from the six-minute opening title track, the rest of the songs tend to downplay their climactic buildups by relying mostly on acoustic instrumentation. Even the closer ‘I’ve Got a Feeling (Stay Lucky)’, which swells with organic intensity, avoids blown-out distortion. “No need to talk about/ No need to cry about it/ Like dust, it all just blows away,” Dana Margolin sings on ‘Don’t Want to Dance’. Porridge Radio, of course, are the gale-force wind – and the best we can do is keep listening.
lucre emerged, sort of ethereally and exclusively on YouTube, as a New Year’s present, a small window into the seemingly vast collaborative world of Dean Blunt, Elias Rønnenfelt, and Vegyn. The 16-minute EP was subsequently released on streaming services, but its sequencing did little to detract from its transient, timeless mood. Rønnenfelt does an astounding job sinking into Rønnenfelt’s slithery, shapeshifting guitar work, which seems precisely made to both accommodate and throw off his dissociative balladeering. It helps when Vegyn locks in a groove, as in ‘3’, while the almost straightforward post-punk of ‘4’ belies a world of disappointments in fragmented poetry: “Unified in slumber/ Wrecking sudden fame.” lucre sleeps it off in the hopes of a luscious dream.
The EP format is a great vessel for left-field electronic music; last year, releases by Djrum and Verraco earned a spot on our list for their intricate, unpredictable grooves. Aside from Djrum’s full-length follow-up to Meaning’s Edge, gyrofield’s Suspension of Belief contains some of the year’s most mind-bendingly layered percussion: misty and enigmatic but always attractive. It seems to seep out of the subconscious until Bristol’s Flo State guests on ‘Rorschach’ to give it language, reflecting on “this radical wholeness.” But gyrofield – the 22-year-old producer aka Kiana Li – really honours the format by closing with the most off-kilter track, ‘Brinjal’, which lurches so eerily you could imagine billy woods rapping over it. It’s enough to affirm Li will already have ventured into new territory by the next release.
Though these six songs are technically B-sides that didn’t make Wishy’s debut LP Triple Seven, a couple more and they’d have a compelling full-length follow-up in their hands. Yet this is a band that excels at and experiments with the EP format, as evidenced by 2023’s Paradise, which made our list that year and was compiled with the new one as Paradise on Planet Popstar on sky blue vinyl. As the title suggests, Wishy are on top of the world here – or maybe somewhere on the outskirts of it. Spellbound and starry-eyed, the record approaches euphoria with the shakiness of living in the real world, soaring and shimmering but willing to undercut its own sweetness. It’s elevated, most of all, by Nina Pitchkites and Kevin Krauter’s dynamic interplay, which often frames the songs in conversation with each other. “Book a flight to the sun/ ‘Cause I’d rather be burned alive/ If I thought it would catch your eye,” Krauter sings on the title track, while Pitchkites laments, on the bubbly ‘Chaser’, “I’m just another one of your trips around the sun.” For the listener, at least, the ride’s worthwhile.
For now, Florence Road wear their influences on their sleeves, but few rising acts did so as proudly and confidently as the Irish quartet on their debut release, Fall Back. The EP opens with their poppiest song, ‘Break the Girl’, which is straight out of the Olivia Rodrigo playbook – and the band opened for Rodrigo this year. Rodrigo’s producer, Dan Nigro, is one of a few big-ticket producers who contributed to the EP, co-producing the wistfully lush ‘Caterpillar’. That one remind you of Phoebe Bridgers? That’s her collaborator Marshall Vore in the credits of the theatrical closer ‘Heavy’. But none of those facts are as remarkable as Florence Road’s fine-tuned emotionality, which makes them sound like they’ve been doing it for as long as any of their inspirations. But at their most spiteful, on the breakup anthem ‘Goodnight’, Lily Aron lets the goofiness slip, and you hope this kind of youthful charm never eludes them.
It’s hard to believe that Moin’s debut LP Moot!, given the band’s evolution over the past four years, now almost seems like a conventional post-rock record. Three albums in and the London trio continues disassembling its rhythm-focused experiments, leaning further into jazz and mutating their approach as they bring in new collaborators. Or rather, on the gripping Belly Up EP, bring past collaborators deeper into their world: Qatari-American writer Sophia Al-Maria, who contributed to their previous album You Never End, appears on ‘See’, a killer of an opening track that also features the frantic saxophone of Ben Vince. “To obliterate the edge of my understanding in the way that things oughta be,” as Al-Maria puts it, seems to encapsulate Moin’s M.O.: interweaving the furious with the languid, the way impending doom masquerades as routine. Even when they create a mood of obvious disorientation on ‘I Don’t Know Where to Look’, they’re quick to supplant it with another one. Look at it a few years from now, they seem to suggest, and it’ll sound completely different.
Even if you’re not familiar with the solo music of the two people behind Witch Post – Alaska Reid from Livingston, Montana, and Dylan Fraser from Livingston, Scotland – you can hear them discovering a certain kind of freedom on Beast. Reid, who could have leaned further into pop after two records with production from A.G. Cook – one of which made our EPs list back in 2020 – lets loose with a range of grunge, dance-punk, and ‘90s alt-rock influences, still very dreamlike but less steeped in her diaristic lyrics. And her voice enchants just as much when it intersects with Fraser’s, especially on the stripped-back ‘Spell’, where she responds to his plea for magic by cooing into her verse. “There’s beauty in the rust/ There’s a song in the rust,” they sing on the next song, and polished as its darkness may seem, their raw dynamic has yielded at least a few memorable tunes.
You’d be forgiven for mistaking once more as the work of an unsigned artist. xaviersobased’s dizzying, off-kilter effort is in fact his first as an Atlantic signee, even though there are at least a few moments where you can imagine the New York rapper-producer shrugging off the influence of any major label exec. Who knows about the album on the way, but once more doesn’t dilute so much barrage the listener with his nonconformist attitude, reaching its apex on the OsamaSon collab ‘uncomfy’, which suggests that Deafheaven’s euphoric fusion of shoegaze and black metal wasn’t inventive enough. xaviersobased’s gleeful abandon elicits a smile at the most nonsensical juxtapositions, like the gunshot beats threaded over relatively wholesome rapping on ‘red snapper’. You’re advised not to overanalyze this idiosyncratic flurry; just hope it’s retained in whatever comes next.
Grumpy make sure we remember their unnerving idiosyncrasies first. Their new EP Piebald, which doubles down on the contradictions of last year’s Wolfed, is bookended by its most eerie, glitchy songs, affirming the grotesque aesthetic of the band’s visuals. Make no mistake, though: these songs are about love, though the kind that’s warped in unconventional, often uncomfortable shapes. Sandwiched between them, though, are tracks like the infectious and uncomplicated ‘Crush’, which delights at the thought of complete lack of supervision, and ‘Proud of You’, which soars like a surefire hit. But it still doesn’t get better than Grumpy at their absolute rawest, a vulnerability rooted in their dynamic as a band: Like a darker spin on a Katy Kirby song, ‘Knot’ finds Heaven Schmitt singing “Holding you last night was worse than holding no one” as if inside the belly of a beast. That’s where the horror spawns.
Glixen’s take on shoegaze is crushing, ethereal, lustful – and it’s the delicate sensuality of their music, especially on Quiet Pleasures, that separates them from many of their contemporaries and connects them intimately to their forebears. With production from Sonny Diperri (My Bloody Valentine, DIIV, M83), the follow-up to 2023’s She Only Said finds the Phoenix band moving in a more abrasive direction, but in “chasing subdued feelings,” as Aislinn Ritchie sings on ‘avoid’, you can also hear the subtle nuances they introduce to their sound, which is subsumed by the eponymous quiet on the closing track, ‘lick the star’. “She wants a taste of the noise,” it goes, “forever drowning for more.” Let’s hope we get more Glixen sooner rather than later.
Love Is a Kingdom, asserts Tems on her latest EP, and it can be a lonely one. A year after coming through with her official debut Born in the Wild, the Nigerian star surprised fans with a seven-track effort produced almost entirely by herself, and inward-looking as it may be, its production is as multi-dimensional as her singing – not to mention her depictions of love. The tempo may not vary much, but you can hear the quiet determination of ‘First’ blossom into the steeliness of ‘Big Daddy’, the tender uncertainty of ‘I’m Not Sure’ breeding the bemused desperation of ‘What You Need’. Even when coasting on sumptuous, uncomplicated romance, there’s a palpable temperature rise between the neighboring ‘Lagos Love’ and ‘Mine’, and it’s not long before she gets existential about it on the acoustic closer. When she sings about all the emotion at her disposal, you know she’d travel great lengths not just to protect it, but keep its borders fluid and soft.
Scarlet Rae’s debut EP gets heavy pretty fast, both musically and emotionally; the opener, ‘A World Where She Left Me Out’, was the first song Rae wrote after her sister died. The collection finds bliss in radiant, ethereal hooks while avoiding the cloudy lyricism that often pervades them, bluntly enticed, depressed, and disoriented by the range of emotions that accompany grief. “Hope and doom, they tend to balance, right?” she sings on ‘The Reason I Could Sleep Forever’. That balance hardly ever checks out, but what’s striking about No Heavy Goodbyes is how total depletion can act like a light switch, teasing the words and melodies out of the darkness. Read our Artist Spotlight interview with Scarlet Rae.
Jane Remover’s Revengeseekerz has been cemented as one of the best albums of the year, with the artist’s Venturing record Ghostholding earning at least an honourable mention. But they couldn’t help but close out the year by unleashing the project with such pop potential that they were hesitant to flesh it out into a full-length. Still, ♡ (pronounced 🫶, per the artist) arrived to the delight of fans holding Jane Remover’s 2024 singles in high regard, giving them a home by slightly working them and adding two new songs to the mix. “I build a home from every vision,” they sing on the fantastic ‘Magic I Want U’, meaning they’re free to tweak and explode it at any moment. But more than anything, ♡ benefits from the blissful marriage of these songs, which are high on infatuation and playful irreverence: frying laughter and fireworks, pasting blink-and-you;ll-miss-it samples, splicing a reggaeton beat to a shoegaze song for the hell of it. Even reduced to an EP, it boasts hooks for days. “Said, ‘I wanna make it to Christmas’/ But I fall off the bone,” Jane sings of a relationship on ‘Dream Sequence’. At least when it comes to her music, emotional preservation appears effortless.
Helado Negro’s latest project is generally uptempo and beat-forward, but those qualities dissipate right when Roberto Carlos Lange seems to be answering its titular prompt. The last sound you hear before you die may resemble ‘Zenith’, the EP’s ambient, celestial highlight, which could also be the sound of the world dawning in. “When I wake up in the morning, I can listen to my ears tuning in to the world around me,” the musician said in press materials. “It feels like a blanket being pulled off my eardrums.” The first three songs on The Last Sound on Earth may be jittery and spaced-out, but they exude a blanketless kind of comfort, the way a day in shambles can still inspire hope. It doesn’t end with the last sound, after all. Lange smoothly picks up the groove again on ‘Don’t Give It Up Now’, holding the listener by the hand: “Let’s go.”
A lot of Lise Ivanova’s erratic non-sequiturs may be too esoteric to decode even with a lyric sheet in your hands, but it doesn’t take long for her to wield the word that could sum up joy is no knocking nation: relentless. (It’s how “john the conqueror” is described on the opening ‘it’s a whole “who shot john” story’.) The Chicago post-hardcore outfit’s nervy, pummeling follow-up to their debut EP compound turbulence flexing for the heat is bound to stop you in your tracks, even if you’re very well-versed in the hardcore tradtionsit trades in. Its radical spirit isn’t so straightforward, its jazziness freer than that of contemporaries like Maruja. Jill Roth’s saxophone can be groovy or merely percussive, expressive or eruptive; Ivanova’s delivery isn’t just incendiary, but capable of making the music’s abrasive feel physical. No song on joy is more astounding of an exercise in the band’s extreme dynamics than ‘new guy (big softie)’, the EP’s centerpiece: relentless, yet thrillingly exacting.
Instead of a traditional press statement, DJ Python announced i was put on this earth with a philosophical conversation between two unnamed people – yearners, if you will – one of which says, “I wish we could all just lay around, do nothing, talk about ideas that lead to nothing, not bothered by conclusion, not driven by production.” The languid beauty of the EP feels like a direct expression of that desire, putting it more in conversation with the vaporous electronic pop of the producer’s Natural Wonder Beauty Concept project than the reggaeton and dembow experiments that put him on the map. On his first release for XL Recordings, he tries out singing with the same hazy intentionality, swooping so low on ‘Coquine’ that his voice nearly rubs against the bass. Even when he collaborates with reggaeton star Isabella Lovestory on ‘Besos Robados’, he sticks to the barren yet beautiful mood. And when his vocals are nowhere to be heard on the closer ‘Elio’s Lived Behind My House Forever’, his synth tapestry sounds like a dozen shades of the letter z. You could never call it sleepy, though – just hypnotic.
Love Is a Dog From Hell is as wickedly strange as its title suggests, no less cutesy than its cover art, and way catchier than you’d expect from indie rock this spiked with hardcore and metal influences. From the breathy heaviness of ‘Liadfh’ to the irresistibly cacophonous banger ‘commie bf’, forty winks own their aimlessness by snapping it into easily digestible songs that are collectively more endearing than the mess that’s inspired them. It’s effective thanks in part to its short runtime, but the mathy catharsis of the closing Noise’, complete with frantic guitar soloing, hints at the band’s grand ambitions. If you can’t change hell, you might as well broadcast it.
Everyone heaping praise on this year’s releases from Water From Your Eyes and This Is Lorelei should show some love to fantasy of a broken heart, whose latest EP is even better than their frenetic 2024 debut Feats of Engineering. Mixed by Nate Amos (Water From Your Eyes and This is Lorelei), of the aforementioned bands with which the duo have spent months on the road, Chaos Practicioner refines the rhythmic and melodic puzzles of their songwriting – solving more than it leaves in pieces – without compromising on its oddball humour; the bossa nova-inflected ‘Victory Path’ begins interpolating ‘La Vie En Rose’ to court the opening line “Swish me around like Listerine.” As densely colourful as the collection is, vocalists Al Nardo and Bailey Wollowitz earnestly embrace not just the dynamic interplay of their voices but a pervasive darkness; the final track and standout is called ‘We Confront the Demon in Mysterious Ways’, but their music has never been more transparent in its exorcism of toxic human forces. “I don’t know what I want from the moment/ I say softly as I trace your eyelids,” Wollowitz sings, in striking vulnerability that contrasts a boisterous moment like the Brutus VIII’s guest spot. But it’s true, what the Slow Hollows member joins in to say: You’ll want just a little more.
If MSPAINT’s debut album, Post-American, was synth-punk with an emphasis on punk, the No Separation EP leans harder on synth – which doesn’t say much coming from the proudly guitarless band from Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The bass is distorted, the drums electrifying, Dedee’s vociferous delivery and self-reflective lyrics turning every song into an anthem – but they all started as demos from synth player Nick Panella, and you can tell. As brief as this record is, Panella’s wide-reaching experimentation stretches the boundaries of MSPAINT’s sound in ways that should energize their sophomore full-length, especially as it’s amplified by production from Julian Cashwan Pratt and Harlan Steed of Show Me the Body. It swirls and screeches around the acceptance, on ‘Surveillance’, that we’re “living on a scorched earth,” perhaps the most hair-raising moment in the band’s discography. Emphasis on living.
2025 was almost as big a year for seven-piece bands that invited comparisons to Black Country, New Road as it was for that band itself. At least for two of them: one, a Michigan-based outfit that put out its self-titled debut album, and the other – the one that actually sprung from the same Windmill scene as BC,NR – which released two great EPs. While their name may allude to the often volatile nature of such explosive, emotionally intense post-rock acts, there is certainly a sense of continuity between Plan 75 and Plan 76, whose ambition never masks their framing as scene-setters for an even bigger project. Here, dramatically baroque instrumentation meets modern references to Jubilee YouTube series, Zadie Smith books, Skins, and potentially the now-Windmill-adjacent Caroline Polachek and scenemates deathcrash. From the theatrical flair of a murder ballad like ‘The Strip’ to the 8-minute epic ‘Wake Robin’, both the nerve and craft behind Plan 75 feels deep-seated; even if the music sometimes evokes a sinking ship, you hope they’ll bear out the storm.
Tracey – “two friends making music,” according to their Bandcamp bio, looking like “ヽ(•‿•)ノヽ(•‿•)ノ” – waste no time delivering the rush. ‘Sex life’ slides in all harsh and playful, an obvious banger of an opener that knows it’s got your attention, even if you know little to nothing about the people who made it. But then the track augments its hyperpop cheekiness with a dreamy sensuality, its crystalline keys broadcasting its signal off into the ether, where the rest of the EP coasts. Lush, cloudy, and intoxicating, these four songs cover more ground than most of the year’s albums but present a unique sensibility, painting with the sky as its canvas. In just over five minutes, they’ve ventured so far that when one voice sings “look down,” the distance seems incalculable. But every song here warms itself up to you like it could be your next favorite, never appearing too alien or enigmatic. Even as a massive synth yearns over chugging guitars, which erupt into fireworks, closer ‘Take Care’ feels palpably human. Coming from Pitchfork’s label of the year, AD93, we can expect way more from Tracey, ヽ(•‿•)ノ or not.
It would be natural to view Perverts, the daring follow-up to Ethel Cain’s 2022 breakout Preacher’s Daughter, as a response to, and rejection of, everything about success that might register as noise, not least because it was accompanied by a Tumblr post entitled ‘The Consequence of Audience’. Preacher’s Daughter amassed a fervent following, and Perverts no doubt poses a challenge to the segment of Cain’s audience that has trouble engaging with the artist’s persona in the absence of unambiguous lore and soaring melodies. Yet the 90-minute project – released at the start of the year but hardly overshadowed by the proper album that succeeded it – doesn’t feel like a departure so much as an opportunity for Hayden Anhedönia to home in on the esoteric darkness she holds a deep reverence for, the eerie dissonance and muffled silences that were seen tangential rather than core to her songwriting. Read the full review.
Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan has stayed relatively quiet since their debut album, 
she’s green make the kind of shoegaze that tends to melt into the atmosphere, not quite as noisy or hooky as their recent tourmates in Glixen and Softcult. But on their latest EP 
Dancing Shoes 
We 
lucre
The EP format is a great vessel for left-field electronic music; last year, releases by Djrum and Verraco earned a spot on 
Though these six songs are technically B-sides that didn’t make Wishy’s debut LP 
For now, Florence Road wear their influences on their sleeves, but few rising acts did so as proudly and confidently as the Irish quartet on their debut release, 
It’s hard to believe that Moin’s debut LP 
Even if you’re not familiar with the solo music of the two people behind Witch Post – Alaska Reid from Livingston, Montana, and Dylan Fraser from Livingston, Scotland – you can hear them discovering a certain kind of freedom on 
Grumpy make sure we remember their unnerving idiosyncrasies first. Their new EP 
Glixen’s take on shoegaze is crushing, ethereal, lustful – and it’s the delicate sensuality of their music, especially on 
Love Is a Kingdom
Scarlet Rae’s debut EP gets heavy pretty fast, both musically and emotionally; the opener, ‘A World Where She Left Me Out’, was the first song Rae wrote after her sister died. The collection finds bliss in radiant, ethereal hooks while avoiding the cloudy lyricism that often pervades them, bluntly enticed, depressed, and disoriented by the range of emotions that accompany grief. “Hope and doom, they tend to balance, right?” she sings on ‘The Reason I Could Sleep Forever’. That balance hardly ever checks out, but what’s striking about No Heavy Goodbyes is how total depletion can act like a light switch, teasing the words and melodies out of the darkness. 
Jane Remover’s 
Helado Negro’s latest project is generally uptempo and beat-forward, but those qualities dissipate right when Roberto Carlos Lange seems to be answering its titular prompt. The last sound you hear before you die may resemble ‘Zenith’, the EP’s ambient, celestial highlight, which could also be the sound of the world dawning in. “When I wake up in the morning, I can listen to my ears tuning in to the world around me,” the musician said in press materials. “It feels like a blanket being pulled off my eardrums.” The first three songs on 
A lot of Lise Ivanova’s erratic non-sequiturs may be too esoteric to decode even with a lyric sheet in your hands, but it doesn’t take long for her to wield the word that could sum up 
Instead of a traditional press statement, DJ Python announced i was put on this earth with a philosophical conversation between two unnamed people – yearners, if you will – one of which says, “I wish we could all just lay around, do nothing, talk about ideas that lead to nothing, not bothered by conclusion, not driven by production.” The languid beauty of the EP 
Love Is a Dog From Hell
Everyone heaping praise on this year’s releases from Water From Your Eyes and This Is Lorelei should show some love to fantasy of a broken heart, whose latest EP is even better than their frenetic 2024 debut 
If MSPAINT’s debut album, 
2025 was almost as big a year for seven-piece bands that invited comparisons to Black Country, New Road as it was for that band itself. At least for two of them: one, a Michigan-based outfit that put out its 
Tracey – “two friends making music,” according to their Bandcamp bio, looking like “ヽ(•‿•)ノヽ(•‿•)ノ” – waste no time delivering the rush. ‘Sex life’ slides in all harsh and playful, an obvious banger of an opener that knows it’s got your attention, even if you know little to nothing about the people who made it. But then the track augments its hyperpop cheekiness with a dreamy sensuality, its crystalline keys broadcasting its signal off into the ether, where the rest of the EP coasts. Lush, cloudy, and intoxicating, these four songs cover more ground than most of the year’s albums but present a unique sensibility, painting with the sky as its canvas. In just over five minutes, they’ve ventured so far that when one voice sings “look down,” the distance seems incalculable. But every song here warms itself up to you like it could be your next favorite, never appearing too alien or enigmatic. Even as a massive synth yearns over chugging guitars, which erupt into fireworks, closer ‘Take Care’ feels palpably human. Coming from Pitchfork’s label of the year, 
It would be natural to view Perverts, the daring follow-up to 