GIHE: Albums & EPs of 2025

After sharing our Tracks Of 2025 last week, the Get In Her Ears team want to shine a light on some of the brilliant Albums & EPs that have been released during the past 12 months. These eclectic records resonated with us deeply and we hope they’ll do the same for all future listeners.

Huge thanks to all of the bands and artists who have submitted music to us this year. We appreciate how much love, determination, money and admin goes into creating your records and we feel privileged to have been able to share your art with our community.

So, in alphabetical order (and including multiple ‘Honourable Mentions’ at the end because we hate leaving people out) here are our top Albums & EPs of 2025…

ALBUMS

Blonde Maze – Second Sight

It wouldn’t really be an end of year round-up if I didn’t include New York artist Blonde Maze. Since immediately falling in love with her debut EP, Oceans, back in 2015, she’s consistently been my most listened to artist year on year for the last decade. I just find that their music brings such a blissful catharsis and soothing energy every time; whatever mood I’m in, however I’m feeling, it just helps me feel better. The sparkling uplifting splendour of this year’s Second Sight is no exception – it hits perfectly every time.
(Mari Lane – Managing Editor)

Blondshell – If You Asked For A Picture

Since seeing Blondshell live at Electric Brixton back in September, I think I’ve had her second album If You Asked For A Picture pretty much in constant rotation, seeking daily catharsis in the raw emotion and sparkling ‘90s-tinged musicality of each track. Offering honest and heartfelt reflections on both romantic and familial relationships, Sabrina Teitelbaum evokes a beautifully endearing vulnerability and all-too relatable insight into everyday anxieties. (ML)

Blue Loop – Cycles

Cycles is a deeply personal work from London-based electronic musician & producer Emma Hall aka Blue Loop; inspired by her experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Now in remission, Emma spoke candidly to us about the inspirations behind specific tracks when she was a guest on our Soho Radio show earlier this year. Whilst living through a life-altering diagnosis, Emma managed to create this moving, majestic record that fluctuates in mood, volume and tone in order to reflect her feelings during the different ‘cycles’ of her treatment. Whether she’s feeling rightfully resentful on shadowy single ‘The Knife’ or immersed in romanticism on ‘Luxury Chords’, Emma juxtaposes her emotions with precision and passion, reflected in her earnest lyricism and shape-shifting electronics. (Kate Crudgington – Features Editor)

Breakup Haircut – No Worries If Not!

London DIY legends Breakup Haircut formed at First Timers Fest and have been such huge favourites of ours ever since. I’ve lost count of the number of times they’ve played live for us since their first GIHE gig back in 2019. They’re just such a joy every time. Even at our gig with Strange New Places a couple of months back when Ishani was sadly unwell and couldn’t make it; Ripley, Delphine and Jordan still managed to put on an incredible show which I think perfectly epitomises their relentless DIY spirit. Their second album No Worries If Not! only came out last month, but it’s definitely in my top releases of the year. It fizzes with all the playful sardonic wit and scuzzy punk-pop energy we know and love throughout; whilst angst-driven undercurrents and fierce hooks indicate a more honed, sharper sound for Breakup Haircut. They may also win the prize for best song titles, with tracks including ‘The Algorithm’s Trying To Kill Me’ and ‘Two Spaghetti Meals’. (ML)

Daffo – Where The Earth Bends

The songwriting project of Brooklyn-based, Philly-raised Gabi Gamberg, Daffo has been a highlight of the year for me, with their debut album Where The Earth Bends pretty much on repeat since its release in September. Interweaving a scuzzy indie-pop musicality with a searing raw emotion and glistening heartfelt grace, it’s a deeply personal and beautifully resonant collection that showcases Gamberg’s unique gift for writing songs that really do feel like they reach out and gently caress how you’re feeling. The GIHE team also managed to catch Daffo live at The Great Escape in May this year, and watching such a gorgeous set alongside Hanni and Clara from ARXX and Rach from Comic Sans was a definite highlight of the weekend for me! (ML)

flinch. – misery olympian

Having played live for us twice this year – in June at The Cavendish Arms and recently at their special festive Flinchmas celebration at The Ivy House – Glasgow’s flinch. also spent 2025 releasing their second album. Building on the distinctive shimmering emo sound of 2021’s enough is enough, with misery olympian they cement themselves as complete favourites. From start to finish, the album oozes a scuzzy raw emotion and fizzing sense of honesty, with incredibly witty (and long!) song titles like ‘i wonder if colin from endoctrinology remembers me’. It’s one of my favourite albums, not just of this year, but probably from the last decade. (ML)

Floralis – Saboteur Club Anthems Vol. 1

Brighton-based artist Floralis makes dismantling fascism sound like a total BLAST on this eccentric and essential record. On the superbly titled Saboteur Club Anthems Vol. 1, the British born, Indo-Trinidadian transfeminine artist blends stomping dance-inspired rhythms and chant-worthy lyrics to create a collection of “anarchist electro punk” anthems that confront and reject capitalism, transphobia, misogyny and racism. From the bold opening beats of ‘black combat boots’ right the way through to the euphoric electronics of closing track ‘YOU’RE NOT DEAD’, Floralis is committed to sabotaging fascism in their own defiant style. She said that her “blood, sweat and tears” were poured into this record and that shines through on every track. (KC)

Jacob Alon – In Limerence

Although I was pretty late to the Jacob Alon party, from the moment I heard the Scottish artist speaking to Annie Macmanus and Nick Grimshaw on the BBC Sidetracked podcast earlier this year, I immediately felt drawn to their beautiful sensitivity. Then, on listening to their exquisite album, In Limerence, I found myself completely spellbound. I was lucky enough to catch them live at Deer Shed festival, where they delivered each of their strikingly stirring offerings with a shimmering heartfelt splendour against a poignant backdrop of the Trans Pride and Palestinian flags; filling me with a warm sense of hope that the young people in the crowd were able to absorb the uplifting sense of queer joy and subtle resistance that radiated from the stage. Both live and on record, I can feel the raw emotion of each and every word of the entirety of In Limerence, inspired by Cob’s insight and conviction. I’m excited to be charmed by more of their captivating creations next year. (ML)

jasmine.4.t – You Are The Morning

Having featured as one of my Ones To Watch for 2025, jasmine.4.t has certainly been worth watching this year. With the release of her debut album, You Are The Morning, back in January on Phoebe Bridgers’ label Saddest Factory Records, sold out tours across Europe, Australia and the US and numerous support slots with Lucy Dacus; it’s been such a fantastic year for jasmine and every success is so, so well deserved. The album has probably been my most-listened to of the year. It’s just an exceptionally beautiful reflection on trans identity and queer belonging and a truly necessary and heartfelt ode to community and solidarity. I’ve been lucky enough to catch jasmine live a few times over the last couple of years – each time has been such a wonderfully moving and empowering experience and I can’t wait to see her again at Deer Shed festival this summer. (ML)

Lōwli – Window In The Woods

A moving, introspective offering that sees her processes unsettling memories and emotions with true serenity; Window In The Woods is the beautiful debut album from Irish composer & songwriter Lowli. Released via VETA records in October, through her tender keys, crystalline vocals and atmospheric electronics, Lowli gracefully guides listeners through her magnetic musical ruminations. I’ve mentioned (multiple) times both on air and online that she is one of my favourite new music discoveries this year and my admiration only increases each time I revisit Window In The Woods. It’s a record that’s equally as laced with melancholy as it is with hope and love, which means something new is gained from every listen. (KC)

Mae Martin – I’m A TV

I’ve been such a huge fan of Mae Martin since watching Feel Good five years ago helped me discover things about myself that I don’t think I’d realised yet. And then, since last year, I’ve been completely addicted to the Handsome podcast which they host with Tig Notaro and Fortune Feimster. It’s one of the few things I’ve ever come across that literally makes me laugh out loud every time. It’s just so deeply comforting and relatable and so, so silly in the best possible way. So, when they shared that they were going to be announcing their debut album, it felt perfectly serendipitous and I was intrigued. A stirring collection of lilting alt-folk reflections on relationships and identity, with I’m A TV, Martin proves themselves to not only be a fantastic actor, screenwriter and comedian, but also an accomplished musician and beautifully reflective songwriter. (ML)

NYX – NYX

By harnessing the sublime power of the collective human voice, the NYX drone choir have crafted a unique form of “psychedelic rebellion” on their eponymous debut album. Released via their own label, the ensemble – led by New Zealand-born composer & director Sian O’Gorman and made up of multi-talented vocalists & musicians – use electronics to manipulate their vocals and create their own idiosyncratic sounds; expanding the realms of what a traditional choir is capable of. I have been fortunate enough to witness the immense musical alchemy of NYX’s live performances several times; something which they have now truly harnessed on this debut solo offering. Inspired by Sian’s holistic and deeply human approach to singing, NYX have developed a collection of sounds that enrapture, inspire and intrigue the more that you engage with them. This is a profoundly moving record, best appreciated when listened to in one full sitting with headphones on and eyes closed. Total bliss. (KC)

Pigeon Dog – Beaks

Pigeon Dog’s debut album Beaks channels ’90s grunge with raw, Brody Dalle–esque vocals that grab you from the first note. The London three-piece blend warm tones with gritty guitar riffs and playful, tongue-in-cheek lyrics; proving they know how to have fun. The band mix catchy riffs and ear-wormy vocal hooks with rich harmonies, layering in ’60s psych-inspired synths for added texture. Their songs balance grit and groove perfectly, resulting in tracks that are both sultry and irresistibly catchy. Pigeon Dog know how to craft bangers that stick in your head while keeping the spirit playful and engaging.
(Ella Patenall – Contributor)

Roller Derby – When The Night Comes

I was lucky enough to work with German dream-pop duo Roller Derby helping them to spread the word about their second album, When The Night Comes, earlier this year; a task which wasn’t hard to do, as the album is just completely exquisite and impossible not to like. Showcasing the duo’s ability to meticulously interweave the luscious celestial vocals of Meyer with glistening multi-layered soundscapes and raw textures, it offers a truly captivating listen throughout. One of my definite highlights of the year was hosting not one, but two sold out shows with Roller Derby back in May. It was such a joy to be able to facilitate them being able to share their immersive, spellbinding sounds with adoring crowds at The Lexington in London and The Rossi Bar in Brighton, with perfect support from other favourites CATBEAR. A completely dreamy weekend. (ML)

Scrounge – Almost Like You Could

The follow-up to their debut mini-album Sugar, Daddy (2022), Almost Like You Could is the first full-length offering from South London post punk duo Scrounge. Together, lead vocalist & guitarist Lucy Alexander and drummer & vocalist Luke Cartledge move through chaos and despondency towards hope and redemption on this biting, vital collection of tracks. Whether Lucy is reflecting on the never-ending process of “coming out” as an queer person on ‘UTG’, or Luke is lamenting about urban isolation on ‘Nothing Personal’, Scrounge manage to hit the right nerve every time. Released via Ba Da Bing! Records, Almost Like You Could is a potent reminder that Scrounge remain driven by the desire to create meaningful art that represents who they are, as well as the voices of the allies and DIY communities they’re part of – something that we back all the way at GIHE. (KC)

Snocaps – Snocaps

Being a huge fan of both Waxahatchee and Swearin’, I was pretty exited to hear about new supergroup Snocaps. Featuring Katie Crutchfield and her twin sister Allison, along with MJ Lenderman and Brad Cook, this collaboration really is the stuff actual dreams are made of. This debut album flows with such a gorgeous, fuzzy allure and gloriously twee folk-strewn musicality and I cannot get enough of its beautiful, lilting energy. (ML)

Strange New Places – Second Puberty

The debut record from Belfast queer punks Strange New Places, Second Puberty has definitely been one of my most listened to albums of 2025. Another band who I was lucky enough to be able to host in both London and Brighton back in October, live they brought a joyous queer energy and a really life-affirming sense of unity, whilst the album as a whole offers a fierce celebration of queerness and neurodivergence. From heartfelt odes to friendship in the form of ‘Coraline’ and ‘YATPYFL’ to ‘Sleep For Dinner’s scuzzy reflection on burnout and depression and the empowering self-love anthem ‘Full Of Myself’; it celebrates the power of community, offering a a reassuring voice of solidarity and unity at a time when we so desperately need it. (ML)

Wombo – Danger in Fives

Kentucky-based, art-rock trio Wombo blend prog, indie, experimental, and psych influences with intelligent musicianship and bold artistry. Their tracks range from accessible to delightfully challenging, with soft, airy vocals floating over unusual, wonky guitar parts and driving basslines. Nothing is straightforward or predictable, yet the band manages to keep even their most experimental moments melodic and earwormy – with the occasional touch of dissonance, keeping you on edge. Angular and gritty guitars and inventive melodies mark Wombo as a band unafraid to push boundaries while still creating music that sticks. Danger in Fives is a great portrayal of what they are capable of. (EP)

EPs

Junk Whale – See you around, I guess?

Having been big fans of Oxford’s grunge-pop faves Junk Whale since first hearing their 2022 debut, the fantastically named Caught In The Act Of Looking Weird, I was super excited when they released a gorgeous new EP back in May. Since then, See you around, I guess? has been another collection I’ve found myself playing non-stop, unable to get enough of its scuzzy raw emotion and lilting indie-pop energy. Despite covering poignant themes such as grief and mental illness, the EP as a whole oozes an uplifting effervescent spirit, each track offering an instantly catchy jangly earworm (and not a repeating chorus in sight!) The band supported Strange New Places at their London gig for us and really are a true force to be reckoned with live – there was “hairography” and everything. (ML)

THE NONE – CARE

I chose Birmingham-based experimental punk supergroup THE NONE as one of my Ones To Watch for 2025 after hearing their abrasive, politically driven cacophonies in the flesh at Supersonic Festival the previous year. CARE is the follow up to their debut EP, MATTER, and it’s another ear-eroding collection of visceral vocals, hefty riffs and pulverizing percussion. Front person Kai Whyte has a formidable voice; paired with a talent for writing engaging lyrics that cut through the masterfully intense, frenetic sounds that their bandmates Gordon Moakes, Jim Beck and Chris Francombe create. From the rallying cry of opening track ‘My People’ to the relentless riffs of closer ‘On Automatic’, CARE is both an assault on the senses and a vital reminder to aggressively challenge the status quo. I urge you to go and see this band live. You will be blown away by their talent. (KC)

Problem Patterns – Boring Songs For Boring People

Equally informed by their desire for provocation, self-deprecation and amplification; Boring Songs For Boring People is another urgent and essential offering from Belfast queer punks Problem Patterns. Released via Alcopop! Records, the EP sees the four-piece reflect on the trials and tribulations of being in a DIY band and their frustrations at the performative behaviour of industry officials and musicians in the spotlight. In true Problem Patterns style, they tackle these subjects with cathartic screams, witty lyrical refrains and relentless riffs; undermining the idea that Alanah, Beth, Bev and Ciara could ever be accused of living up to the EP’s title. Whether they’re overcoming burnout on the record’s title track or shouting back against noisy neighbours on ‘Classic Rock Has Become My Prison’, Problem Patterns transform the mundanity of everyday life into intensely catchy punk anthems that provide the necessary rage, joy and catharsis we’ve been craving. (KC)

Sijya – Leather & Brass

An idiosyncratic blend of digital and analogue synth textures and drifting atmospheric vocals; Leather & Brass is the second EP from South Asian composer and producer Sijya. Released via One Little Independent Records, this collection of tracks is a testament to her artistic resilience and experimental energy. Across the EP, Sijya’s immersive electronics intuitively expand and contract, providing her with the much-needed emotional space she craves in her music. Her ambiguous lyrical motifs afford listeners the same catharsis, as they float seamlessly over shape-shifting soundscapes like ‘I only want to crash’ and ‘Why do you fight me’. Leather & Brass is an essential listen for anyone who is looking for escapism through eccentric, intriguing electronica. (KC)

TTSSFU – Blown

By opening her second EP with a track titled ‘Cat Piss Junkie’, Manchester-based artist Tasmin Stephens aka TTSSFU has cemented herself as a candid new icon of guitar music. Full of her lush vocals and dreamy, shoegaze-inspired sounds, Blown is an ode to Tasmin’s growing pains as both an artist and a young woman; full of her reflections on friendship, unrequited romances and messy nights out. She is adept at tackling shame, humour and vulnerability in her lyricism; underscoring this with hazy, reverb-strewn guitars and heady dream-pop melodies. From the lush sounds of ‘Forever’ and ‘Call U Back’ through to the sweet discordance of ‘Being Young’, she faithfully captures the indecisive and exciting energy of being in your 20s and navigating the uncertain world around you. She is also just really funny, which you’ll see if you read this conversation I had with her for The Line Of Best Fit earlier this year. (KC)

Honourable Mentions

adults – the seeds we sow are sprouting buds nonetheless
Agnes Haus – Inexorable Ascent
BACKXWASH – Only Dust Remains
Bonnie Trash – Mourning You
The Dead Zoo – Suspects
Eilis Frawley – Fall Forward
Ethel Cain – Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You
feeo – Goodness
Glixen – Quiet Pleasures
Hilary Woods – Night CRIÚ
Japanese Breakfast – for melancholy brunettes and sad women
Jessica Winter – My First Album
Julien Baker & Torres – Send A Prayer My Way
Kae Tempest – Self Titled
Kathryn Mohr – Waiting Room
Klein – Sleep With A Cane (Mixtape)
Lucy Dacus – Forever Is A Feeling
Mari Somerville – Luster
Nastazia Bazil – From Beirut To Anywhere
The New Eves – The New Eve Is Rising
Penelope Trappes – A Requiem
The Schla La Las – The Schla La Las Are Out To Have Fun
Slung – IN WAYS
Various Artists – vari/ations – Ode to Oram
WISP – If Not Winter

December 23, 2025December 31, 2025

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FIVE FAVOURITES: Leah Levinson (Agriculture)

Bassist and vocalist Leah Levinson from Los Angeles black-metal noise merchants Agriculture is a potent voice in the heavy music scene. Sharing songwriting and vocal duties with guitarist Dan Meyer, Leah’s guttural screams permeate the band’s diverse, doom-laden sounds; now coined as “ecstatic black metal”. It’s not just the physical volume and sheer power of her voice that has garnered Agriculture such a loyal following though. On the band’s most recent album, The Spiritual Sound, Leah’s raw lyricism tackles transphobia, queerphobia and misogyny; highlighting how vital her voice as a trans woman truly is.

Released via The Flenser in October this year, The Spiritual Sound is a culmination of both Leah and Dan’s dismantling of the human experience, in both its most simplistic and most complex forms. Take the deeper, more personal cut ‘The Weight’ for example, on which Leah explores both the triumphs and the traumas of queer life.

“‘The Weight’ was written reflecting on a particular month last year when so much seemed heightened,” Leah explains. “It seemed like many of my friends were being harassed in public – both verbally and physically – for being trans, for being queer and/or for being women (it’s not always clear which). This was also a time when I was feeling a lot of love and a lot of community. I wanted this song and the songs around it to honestly reflect both these elements. I wanted to write about transness, but didn’t want to rely on political aphorisms and indulgent images of suffering. I wanted to paint a holistic portrait of queer life.”

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with Leah to ask about her “Five Favourites” and she picked five albums by an eclectic range of artists who have inspired her songwriting techniques. Check out her choices below and scroll down to watch the official lyric video for Agriculture’s single ‘The Weight’ too…

1. Lou Reed – Transformer
I don’t shut up about this album. I discovered it when I was about thirteen and have regularly rediscovered it throughout my life since. The songs here are odd, lopsided, messy, and sometimes overly simple. I think they reflect Lou finding himself as a solo artist and coming to understand (alongside the society and culture around him) many aspects of himself, from gender and sexuality to drug use and spirituality. It’s an album about being in the world that sounds like it comes from the pitch black of nowhere. The production and arrangements by David Bowie and Mick Ronson hardly nod to rock music; letting chamber, jazz, and symphonic instrumentation flirt alongside Lou’s gravelly voice while more traditional rock instruments are mainly used in less conventional ways. I sometimes think of these songs as nursery rhymes and lullabies for addicts and queers, and, in that way, so many lyrics from this album exist in my mind as riddles, koans, and mantras that I’m sure I’ll never solve. This album has shaped my life and output as an artist in immeasurable ways.

2. Laurel Halo – Quarantine
This album came out when I was at the formative age of eighteen and hasn’t left me in the decade-plus since. I think it has one of the greatest covers of all time and somehow manages to live up to it. As a collection of deconstructed ambient pop songs, I find this album difficult to ever really grasp. At the same time, that ungraspable, atmospheric quality feels at odds with its earworms and its moment-to-moment intrigue. It’s a beautiful instance of an album that feels like an entire world, perfectly paced and thoroughly explored. Any time I hear it I feel I am home without ever really knowing (or having to know) what it’s about in the first place.

3. The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico
I have a hard time choosing a favourite between The Velvet Underground’s first three albums, so I’m going with this one because it was my introduction to them and in many ways, it feels like it’s got it all in one. The repetitive, minimal song structures on this album influenced me at a pretty young age; an early lesson that less can be more. Moe Tucker’s drumming is an important contributing factor for that, and I think deserves greater acknowledgement as a major innovation in rock, pop, and underground music. Beyond that, the arrangements on this album showed me both how little you need to make something work, and how much noise and complexity a listener can tolerate when there’s a strong song at the center of it. I’ve also always loved that the album has multiple voices on it, with Lou Reed and Nico alternating leads. That’s something Agriculture has and something I try to do in some way on most albums I make. I think it makes an album more vibrant and less lonely and monolithic. This album laid the format for so much music I love that comes after it, from the Ramones to My Bloody Valentine to Godflesh and others. It’s the foundation.

4. Entombed – Left Hand Path
This is my obligatory metal choice for this list. It’s unlike any other metal album I’ve ever heard, but in such a subtle way. Entombed formed in 1987 from members of Nihilist and helped establish the early Swedish death metal scene. This album is sort of the ultimate demo of the drop tuning and “Swedish chainsaw” sound of the maxed out HM-2 pedal that together came to define the Swedish death metal sound. To me, that sound is heavy in a warm way. Feelings of both dread and comfort coexist on this album, like there’s this push and pull around a fear of death and a complete acceptance of mortality and fate. I think this is emphasized by the material on the album which feels much more serious and mature than the slasher, sword and sorcery, vampire, and simplistic satanist imagery that permeated metal at that time. This is one of the few metal albums that feels like it’s about death in a real way. That its guitar solos, demon growls, and headbanger riffs don’t detract from that, but rather add to it, makes it all the more special.

5. Albert Ayler – Love Cry
The Albert Ayler Trio’s Spiritual Unity was one of the first and furthest out pieces of experimental/avant garde music I was introduced to. The song ‘Ghosts’ was kind of an anthem for Ayler – there’s two versions on that album alone and he continued to revisit throughout his career – and it’s the song that drew me to Ayler for years and years to come, while I puzzled over the cacophony that surrounded it. Ayler’s project is one centered around collective improvisation and the asynchronous comingling of spirits through music. What makes ‘Ghosts’ so great is its tuneful, almost naïve melody that is defiantly bright and strong. It provides coloration and structure to the unbound playing that delivers it while giving a strong footing for its improvisers to take off from. That song is revisited early on Love Cry, an album that adapts Ayler’s early vision and imagines a way forward with it. Love Cry has some of the most innovative arrangements in jazz for its time in a way that still sounds fresh today. Beyond that, it expands on the compositional conceit of ‘Ghosts’ in its many songs without ever repeating itself. It’s an album that shows Ayler searching spiritually in every direction and finding answers only transmissible through music.

Thanks to Leah for sharing her favourites with us!
Watch the lyric video for Agriculture’s single ‘The Weight’ below.

Follow Agriculture via bandcamp, bluesky, Facebook & Instagram
Check out Agriculture’s official website too

Photo Credit: Olivia Crumm

November 21, 2025November 21, 2025

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FIVE FAVOURITES: Jouska

Using her music to break the cycles of self-doubt and anxiety, Norwegian songwriter and producer Jouska creates shape-shifting alt-pop with deep emotional resonance. Her latest album, How Did I Wind Up Here?, is a thoughtful extrapolation of grief, distance and time; showcasing her ability to move through heavy emotions with impressive charm and grace.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with Jouska to ask about her “Five Favourites” – and she picked five albums by an eclectic range of artists who have inspired her songwriting techniques.

Check out her choices below and scroll down to watch the official lyric video for Jouska’s tentative single ‘California’ too…

1. The Books – Lost and Safe
I discovered this album when I was around sixteen, and listening to it now immediately takes me back to high school. I would listen when I was heartbroken, when I felt alien and alone, and I used to dream about leaving the small town in Norway I was from, about going to New York or somewhere far away. It kind of feels like the soundtrack to a version of myself I don’t really remember clearly anymore, but still feel connected to. It’s full of imperfections and warmth and I love the little details, the humour and the sadness underneath. It has this strange calmness to it, even when it’s chaotic. It was a big inspiration for me long before I even started producing my own songs, and their use of sampling, spoken word and cello has always been especially inspiring for my own music.

2. Bon Iver – Bon Iver
I first heard this album in high school. I would sit in class with my headphones on, zoning out, trying not to cry. It was the first time I heard something that sounded so big yet so fragile. Everything about it felt like winter. I think that’s why it resonated so much with me at the time. I was so fragile myself, so unsure of who I was or what I wanted. This album held me through some rough years when I was trying to find myself and also through a horrible teenage heartbreak. Even now, when I listen to the Bon Iver album, I get that same knot in my stomach. It’s like an old memory that never fades. It still feels like something to return to when I don’t know where else to go.

3. The Radio Dept. – Pet Grief
I started listening to The Radio Dept. in high school, mostly songs from Clinging to a Scheme, but Pet Grief became really important to me later on. For the last few years, it’s been one of those albums I keep coming back to. There’s something about its world that feels endless. Everything sounds soft, distant, and nostalgic, like it’s covered in a thin layer of fog. It’s been a huge inspiration on my album. It’s melancholic but comforting. I love the vocals and how they’re processed – that hazy, detached sound that somehow makes everything feel even more emotional. They’re Swedish and I’m Norwegian, and somehow it feels like we’re connected in a way, like the same kind of melancholy runs through the songs and through where we’re from, haha! There’s something familiar about it that I can’t really explain, but I always feel at home when I listen.

4. ML Buch – Suntub
I discovered Suntub last year, and it completely blew me away. It’s rare for me, as an adult, to find something that makes me feel the way music did when I was a teenager. ML Buch’s songwriting and guitar playing is intricate,and the sound is just otherworldly. This album reminded me what it feels like to be obsessed with music again. Every time I listen, I notice something new: a texture, a chord change, a detail I missed. It’s so fluid and detailed, like a dream world that keeps shifting. It gave me a sense of creative hunger I hadn’t felt in a long time. It’s one of those albums that just makes me want to go home and make more music.

5. Jenny Hval – Blood Bitch
In 2020, when I was struggling a lot, this album became my soundtrack. I would walk around in the Norwegian winter, completely wrapped up in it, feeling sorry for myself. Blood Bitch is dark, mysterious and ethereal; it feels like being inside a dream that’s both beautiful and unsettling. Seeing her perform this album live was one of those moments I’ll never forget. I remember standing there, completely stunned. I love how she mixes the personal and the abstract, how she makes something so strange feel so familiar. At the time, I think I needed something that matched the chaos in my head. This album did that – it was sad but also comforting. It made me feel seen in a weird, indirect way.

Thanks to Jouska for sharing her favourites with us!
Watch the lyric video for her track ‘California’ below.

Follow Jouska on bandcamp, YouTube & Instagram

Photo Credit: Hans Olav Settem

November 10, 2025November 10, 2025

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

FIVE FAVOURITES: Me Lost Me

By exploring the binary oppositions of hope and despair, experimental Newcastle-based artist Jayne Dent aka Me Lost Me pushes herself to her emotional limits. On her most recent album, This Material Moment, released in June via Upset the Rhythm, she examines the power of “words as a material”, how we interpret them and their contrasting abilities to physically soothe or sting us in life’s rawest moments.

She was inspired to write her fourth record after she attended a workshop with Julia Holter, where she explored the catharsis of automatic writing techniques and “chance-based writing strategies,” resulting in her most personal and vulnerable offering to date.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with Me Lost Me to ask about her “Five Favourites” – and she picked five albums by an eclectic range of artists who have inspired her songwriting techniques.

Check out her choices below and scroll down to watch the official video for Me Lost Me’s single ‘A Painting of The Wind’ too…

A note from Me Lost Me: I’m an album listener through and through. I love being lost in another world for 30-60 minutes, popping my headphones on, going for a walk and being whisked away. I chose these 5 album specifically because of the lasting impact they’ve had on the music I make as Me Lost Me, from when I was a teenager to just after I’d released my first record, when I was figuring out where I wanted to go with my music.

1. Patrick Wolf – Lycanthropy
Patrick Wolf has a lot to answer for! I grew up with the folk music my parents loved and then suddenly, here was someone drawing on that tradition and screwing with it. Crunchy intense pop electronics with these melodic motifs that felt so rooted in the music I knew and loved, but fresher, weirder and darker.

When I was a teenager I had a ukulele that got accidentally smashed to the point of it being unplayable. Later that year, I won tickets to a gig and meet ’n’ greet in London. A friend and I travelled down from Chesterfield, and I took what was left of this ukulele for him to sign (I didn’t have a record player at the time so I figured there was no point getting a vinyl for the signing). When we spoke, I told him I wanted to write music and remember him saying basically, “well, do it then, start right now”, and on the ukulele he wrote “Jayne, follow the star” (quoting some of his lyrics). I still have it.

I think I needed the permission, perhaps, to just go for it. His first few albums really presented me with the idea that you can play with older forms and ignore genre boundaries. I think that was massive for me then, and clearly stuck with me.

2. Bjork – Homogenic
I struggled to pick a Bjork album, but Homogenic was probably the first one I really fell in love with. In the end, I also had to choose this one because the “emotional landscapes” line in ‘Joga’ is something I’ve held onto as a conceptual ideal of the music I want to make – emotional landscapes – and I still go back to this idea when I write and arrange stuff.

The blend of organic and electronic sounds is so well done, it’s a proper cyborg album, fleshy and robotic in equal parts. Its hard to pick a stand out track, they are all amazing for different reasons and speak to me differently on each listen through. You have songs like ‘Unravel’, so intimate and vast at the same time and the simple visual metaphor in the lyrics is beautiful. Then tracks like ‘Bachlorette’ so full of this angry feral beauty, not as many belt-along tunes as other Bjork albums but they still get me going.

She manages to express this messy, tangled web of emotions and make me feel them along with her. I’ve always thought if I could ever make someone feel that way with my own music, I’d be so happy.

3. Einsturzende neubauten – Ende Neu
There’s a theme emerging here perhaps, artists that capture a multitude of things at once. The reason I love this album isn’t how well knitted together these different elements are, however, the thing I love most about Ende Neu is how the different flavours clash up against each other, it’s delightfully jarring. Its got that classic Einsturzende Neubauten intensity, but it manifests differently in each track. It’s got chant-along tracks like ‘Was Ist Ist’ and the creeping menace of ‘The Garden’, industrial moments, classical moments, and Blixa’s voice – super sweet one moment and pig squealing the next.

I love this album because it’s proof that you can lean into different feelings and flit around. You can be extremely serious and intense and then also be daft, give people whiplash if you like – an album doesn’t need to be a vibe-monolith. ‘The Garden’ is the stand out track for me. It’s the track that made me fall for Einsturzende Neubauten in the first place, it’s so simple but insistent. The lyrics are almost amusingly mundane “you will find me if you want me in the garden / unless its pouring down with rain” but then suddenly expanded out into this abstracted, time-stretching poem.

4. Laurie Anderson – Big Science
When I was studying fine art as an undergrad, I was playing around with musical forms, making sound art and performance art. In a tutorial, I was advised to listen to Laurie Anderson. This album completely blew apart my idea of art and music as separate entities, and rightly so – why would they need to be separate? Why did I ever think they were?

It changed how I framed my work completely and the whole Me Lost Me project came out of this desire to blur art and music – folk and electronic, past and future – and this album was so important for that. It’s a delirious dizzying and surreal experiment in storytelling. It gives snapshots into these strange narratives that are just out of the reach of reality, echoed by the combination of her voice and vocoder, such an uncanny valley feeling. It still gives me goosebumps.

5. Jenny Hval – Blood Bitch
I heard this album after I’d released my first record, Arcana, while I was putting The Good Noise together. It was the first of Jenny Hval’s work I’d come across and it instantly hooked me. It has everything I love: surprising twists, moments of jarring collage, of softness, of raw emotion, moments of addictive, euphoric pop choruses, lyrics I want to investigate, to know intimately. It’s a journey through so many emotional states, it’s the kind of album you want to crawl inside of.

I’ve been a huge fan of her work since and every record is stunning in different ways. I appreciate an approach to album-making that is almost like a collection of related art pieces, not necessarily the same medium, but linked with a through line. It’s like a concept album, I guess, but not in a classic “this has a linear narrative” way. Jenny Hval’s albums instead feel like explorations of an idea and an investigation into something, asking questions that are too messy for a simple answer.