Gold Soundz: March 28, 2025

This week's suggested new music, curated by omg!nyc

Mar 28, 2025

We are so back, baby! In this case, the we is Deafheaven and what’s back is their seismic, monumental anthems of surging black metal full of raging vocals. After a move towards shoegaze on their last album, these titans are back and have returned to form with this towering new record that showcases the best of their past work while still progressing their sound as they continue to defy the expectations of metal and reach for something more accessible while remaining as intense as ever. It’s thrilling to have them back in the pocket, delivering crushing tunes with the sonic roar of a jet engine, they’ve learned how to best incorporate risks while still remaining true to their core and sounding more confident than ever in the process.

On her first album in four years and first since boygenius reached the status of playing the world’s most famous arena, Lucy Dacus offers up more of the expected emotional tunes, but without any of the heaviness or weight of her prior work. Melodies and arrangements continue to shine on these tunes, but for the first time the anticipation and hype might not live up to the final results.

Dan Bejar has been releasing music as Destroyer since the mid ‘90s and this week he adds another record to his sprawling discography. Lead by the excellent early single “Bologna,” this one is shaping up to be another solid album in his growing streak of hits.

Over the past decade, Perfume Genius has risen in the ranks to become one of indie music’s most consistent artists with a stellar run of highly successful albums full of illustrious synth-pop that hits like titanium; light yet powerful. Glory marks yet another example of the undeniable songwriting skills that have helped make the act one their generation’s most consistently strong talents.

In his main gig as the vocalist and guitarist in Agriculture, Dan Meyer makes excellent blackgaze metal that certainly channels the energy of the band at the top of this newsletter. On his own, he’s made a record that divides itself into two halves, the first is one full of weird biblical imagery that was inspired by sobriety and the second focuses on atmospheric black metal that is more inline with what you’d expect based on his band’s objectives.

Back in February, I incorrectly announced the release of new music from Unknown Mortal Orchestra a month ahead of schedule. Well today actually see the release of the band’s new record and this one is a follow-up to 2018’s instrumental record AC-01 Hanoi. The first single pulled from electric-era Miles Davis vibes with some krautrock jams thrown in as well making for a heady experience of prime psychedelia.

Post-punk band Model/Actriz shared the second single from their upcoming album and this one is another striking tune that comes with a grinding, serrated melody and groove that add punishing textures to the otherwise soaring, ballad-like vocal work. It’s an industrial dance number that cuts like a knife.

As the drummer of Big Thief, James Krivchenia is an active member of the band’s familial writing process that has been a foundation in quintessential indie rock for the past half-decade. On his own, he’s making exciting jazz that floats between acoustic and electronic elements and on his new track “Bracelets for Unicorns,” he’s enlisted two of the genre’s best current musicians in Sam Wilkes and Joshua Abrams.

We’ve been hearing a lot about the upcoming collaboration between Julien Baker & Torres since last year and in a few weeks they will finally release their first album as a duo. This week, they shared the fourth single from the album, the raw and intimate “Dirt” which finds Baker front and center as she describes an all-time familiar feeling of barely hanging on with the emotional weight of the world around us.

When you think of post-rock these days, you tend to think of the soaring epics and the quiet-loud-quiet motifs ever-present in the likes of Explosions in the Sky, Sigur Rós, Mogwai, or Godspeed You! Black Emperor. However, ‘90s institution Tortoise bring more jazz and electronic elements to their style and this week they shared their first new song in nine years and announced a move to the new jazz vanguard of International Anthem.

Earlier this year, Maria Somerville caught my attention with her song “Garden,” a humming, dreamy tune that hit hit with a dreamy yet substantial sound. She’s back this week with another glowing gem that continues to build upon her ethereal layers and blankets of warm textures.

Shinichiro Watanabe is the acclaimed director behind one of the biggest anime hits of all time, Cowboy Bebop. He’s now back with a new series and has enlisted the likes of Kamasi Washington, Floating Points, and Bonobo to help out with the soundtrack. Washington hits with a quintessential and lush jazz number full of sweeping orchestrations and padded funk, Floating Points builds dizzying techno rhythms for the dance floor, and Bonobos brings minimal guitar work backed with chilling vocals on the first offerings from this upcoming series.

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If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs (and more from 2025) here!

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