Gold Soundz: Best of January 2025
Highlighting the best music releases from January 2025
It feels like January 2025 was one of the longest years on record, so it’s been rather nice to reflect and focus on what might’ve been the only bright spots: some excellent new music. The start to any year can always feel like a bit of a drag with the hangover of the previous twelve months still lingering and with December and January being months many choose to skip when dropping new tunes, it can sometimes be a challenge to find something that stands out. Luckily, there’s quite a few gems worth exploring this month and I hope there’s something here that helps spark some needed joy. Happy listening, y’all!
Album of the Month:
FKA TWIGS | Eusexua
There was a while there when I wondered if we’d ever actually hear the third studio album from FKA twigs. After releasing the mixtape CAPRISONGS, twigs told people she had scrapped work on her third proper record and was starting over after some leaks found their way online. She also was scheduled for festivals in 2020 and never appeared on the make-up dates when things resumed after the pandemic. However, I am so pleased that Eusexua has finally arrived, even after I was worried by the lead singles that this could be her flop. That’s not to say the tracks were bad, but nothing grabbed me in the same way as “Two Weeks” or “Cellophane.” Turns out that’s because this really does work better as an album. Obviously there are standouts and some of these tunes can stand on their own, but as an overall experience, I think the songs here are best when together. This is also twigs at her clubbiest, ready to get down and deep into the mix and as many have already said, it feels a bit like what you’d expect if Björk returned to the vibes on Post or even Madonna’s Ray of Light. There’s also the twinkling keys that recall Aphex Twin’s “Avril 14th” and the closing of “Wanderlust” can stand on its own as one of her best works. Thank you, twigs. The wait was indeed worth it.
EP of the Month
BLUE LAKE | Weft
I guess Blue Lake considers this a mini-album, but with five tracks and a roughly thirty minute run-time, it feels like EP territory to me. The idyllic jazz, but not jazz jazz tones offer a refreshing and cleansing sound, like something you might hear during a well deserved massage or spa treatment. There’s an ideal sense of calmness that presides over these songs, even if the complexity at play might not reflect that on paper. There’s a mix of live recordings as well as layered studio work on here and the use of stringed instruments as well as the release’s name is meant to be a play on the weaving process of his partner, and visual artist, Maria Zahle, whose work “Torso” is featured on the album’s cover. The attention to detail here and the intricacies that permeate each track are mesmerizing and it’s just as easy to get lost in the music here as it is amongst the threads on a loom.
Reissue of the Month
STUDIO | West Coast
I can’t recall exactly when it happened, but sometime in the early aughts, indie music started to get flooded with electronic music that was still music you could easily and enjoyably dance to, but wasn’t the techno, jungle, or big beat sound of the ‘90s and rather something a bit more chill. There was a tropical sort of vibe to the sound as well, like music you’d be grooving to under a moonlit dance party on the beach where effervescent cocktails were flowing. Interestingly, a lot of the makers of this music hailed from Nordic places like Gothenburg, Sweden which is where the duo of Studio happened to call home. Listening to their 2006 album West Coast, now reissued with new mixes and edits, feels like an unearthed time capsule that recalls that era with pristine, glistening wonder. Hinting at the psychedelic influence that you might now associate with groups like DARKSIDE, the nod to drug use here feels more like people smoking a joint at said beach rather than ingesting pills designed to keep you moving all night. This is almost comedown music ready to aid you as you drift off into a dreamy state. Channeling bits of Balearic pop with hints of dubby disco, the slinky grooves and rubbery bass lines make it so you wish the party would never stop even as that gummy starts to really take hold.
Don’t miss:
ELA MINUS | Día
MEMORY PEARL | Cosmic-Astral
MIKE | Showbiz!
MOGWAI | The Bad Fire
THE WEATHER STATION | Humanhood
Concerts (in review):
WIDOWSPEAK at Stone Circle Theatre // 01.03.25
BROOKLYN MARATHON for Winter Jazz Fest // 01.11.25
E L U C I D at Baby’s All Right // 01.18.25
SOCCER MOMMY at Brooklyn Steel // 01.30.25