Sound Advice: 05.Sept.2025

The flood of great records continues! Today we're taking a quick look at the latest from The Beths, Suede, Smut, and more!

Longtime readers may recall that I reviewed 100 new (to me) records last year. Because I’m a glutton for punishment love music, I’m doing it again this year. This is the latest in the series.

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Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at the latest from The Beths, Jens Kuross, Suede, Smut, and more!

The boilerplate intro:

Every year, I celebrate all the great music we’ve been gifted while worrying that next year will see the other shoe drop. I first did that in December 2020 and have been proven wrong every month since. Not only are there a ton of releases steadily coming out, but it also transcends genre or any other artificial guardrail we try and put up—

In other words, a ton of good stuff is coming out, and there’s something for everyone. It’s almost overwhelming— but in all the best ways. Below is another batch that caught my attention recently.

A lot of recent releases landed on my radar all at once, and I want to shine a light on them before too much more time passes. Not quite an 88 lines about 44 records kind of deal, but close. More of a clearing the decks, if you will.

Let’s get into it!

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The Beths- Straight Line Was a Lie

As someone now squarely in middle age, I sometimes question writing about new, hip bands. Should a suburban dad be writing about whatever the kids like? I dunno. What I do know is that I like The Beths. I liked Expert in a Dying Field and love this latest release.

The record opens with a familiar ring, landing squarely in that Beths sweet spot: catchy enough to feel like it’s been rattling around your brain for years, but just weird and self-aware enough to ever get filed under “power pop.” But from there, things get… sketchier. Elizabeth Stokes has been candid about her recent health struggles. That shadow looms large here— not a downer per se, but in the gravity of song titles like “No Joy” and “Mother, Pray For Me,” and in the slower, more introspective undercurrent that runs through the record.

In the press release, Stokes noted, "I was kind of dealing with a new brain…it was like my instincts were just a little different. They weren't as panicky.” She also mentioned that many of these tracks were written using a Remington typewriter, which IMO is fantastic. Hammering those keys daily for a month resulted in about 10 pages worth of material, much of which ultimately found its way here.

Still, this isn’t a total pivot. The Beths can still rip. “No Joy” is a sharp track, and “Metal” and “Best Laid Plans” punch through the clouds with bright, hyper-melodic jangle, the latter even flirting with some Day-Glo 80s new wave shimmer. “Roundabout” (no, not that “Roundabout”) feels like a lost gem from a late-night college radio set. As for “Take?” I’m not saying I listened to it 3x in a row on the drive home the other day, but I’m not not sayin’ it, either.

No lie: Look for this to be on a lot of AOTY lists come December/January. (Bandcamp Link)

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Suede- Antidepressants

Suede's tenth studio album is like a lightning bolt. Their first new music since 2022's Autofiction feels less like a continuation and more like an aftershock—proof that this band, after nearly forty years in the game, has no interest in setting the autopilot and coasting along..

The record opens with "Disintegrate," which feels like a rollercoaster drop into chaos. It's loud, frayed, and hella angsty. That sets the tone for everything that follows: songs designed less as comfort food and more as jolts to our already overloaded nervous systems.

“If Autofiction was our punk record, Antidepressants is our post-punk record…It’s about the tensions of modern life, the paranoia, the anxiety, the neurosis. We are all striving for connection in a disconnected world. This was the feel I wanted the songs to have. The album is called Antidepressants. This is broken music for broken people.”

Suede frontman Brett Andersen

I first thought that “Disintegrate” would be the record's feature track…and then track 2 started. “Dancing with the Europeans” is bombastic, theatrical, and over the top in all the best ways, and I'm 100% here for it. 

"Criminal Ways" reminds me of early Smiths (maybe "How Soon is Now?") and is glorious and trashy in equal measure. Andersen is in full voice here, with the band swirling around him with the urgency of people who know time is short. This is Suede mining the same sounds that made them a force in the first place—only now with the added benefit of perspective. 

"Trance State" sounds like something that could have just as easily come from Republic-era New Order. I know, I know. I can see you shaking your head from here. But give it a listen—especially the bass line—and tell me it's not reminiscent of Hooky's work. Regardless, it's an awesome track. 

Back to my original point, what's most striking to me is how much Antidepressants refuse to "settle." The lyrics are heavy with dread and dissonance and are particularly relevant in this moment when everything seems particularly fraught. 

Coasting would've been easy—and I don't think anyone would've blamed them. Instead, they've doubled down on urgency and almost dare people not to pay attention. I know I’ve (over)used that word here plenty, but listening to the record, it’s the theme I keep coming back to.

Ten albums in, Suede sounds like a band running out of time but unwilling to slow down. The ultimate winner in all this? Us. The world might be coming apart at the seams, but at least we can say we were around to see some of Suede's best work. (Suede’s website)

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Jens Kuross- Crooked Songs

Kuross’s story is a familiar one: singer-songwriter decamps to LA with bright eyes and hope for the future, only to be chewed up and spit out by the machine. Sick of being on the fringes eking out a living as a session musician, he returned to Idaho and returned to basics. In this case, that means an entire record of just his vocals and an electric piano. The kind of thing you listen to with a glass of whiskey while you dream of going off the grid and building a boat by hand in a garage somewhere. On paper, this sounds like a solid concept. To be fair, this isn’t really in my wheelhouse, but even with that aside, I couldn’t get past the muddled mix. I’m sure that was intentional and meant to give the whole thing some sort of mystery or whatever, but Kuross’s voice is already an acquired taste. Doing this in a much more straightforward manner would have really gone a long way. With only his voice and the piano, you can only go so many directions, and Crooked Songs quickly falls into the sameness trap. If you like this sort of thing, it’s a fun place to be. For most of us, though, this is music best consumed in small doses. A song here or there is plenty. (Bandcamp link)

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Smut- Tomorrow Comes Crashing

A lot has happened since Smut released their previous record, 2022’s How the Light Felt. The record had a poignant, almost ethereal quality, informed by the death of singer Tay Roebuck’s sister. At the risk of being too clever by half, in many ways, the record felt like the low light of autumn (not derogatory).

In the meantime, the band has moved, Roebuck and band member Andie Min married, and the lineup has changed, with John Steiner and Aidan O’Connor joining on bass & drums. That rhythm section sets an excellent foundation for a louder, cleaner sound. Think less Saint Etienne or Sundays and more Hole. It’s as if they’ve realized that the amps actually go up to 10. Andrew Rogers and Sam Ruschman are both on guitar, and while their presence is certainly out front, the ferocity never overtakes the sound. They alternate between clean hooks and blast furnace power chords at the right time/pace. Roebuck’s voice is the secret weapon here. She’s equally at home singing in an almost lullaby to a full-throated scream and everything in between. It not only keeps the gutiars in check, it elevates them.

Writing about the band in 2023, I noted:

You're out of luck if you’re looking for a heavier, sludgy sound. You've hit pay dirt if you like your indie rock jangly with bright, clean vocals. And if you like all of that tinged with a 90s influence? Well, you might have a new favorite record on your hands.

Tomorrow Comes Crashing has something for both camps. (Bandcamp link)

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Also awesome:

Planet Smashers-On the Dancefloor: Solid ska out of Montreal. I run hot and cold with this genre. I love first wave stuff, but have no taste for the unserious stylings of bands like Reel Big Fish. Not everything needs to be a joke! Thankfully, the band’s 10th record is enjoyable. Neville Staple of The Specials makes an appearance here as well. Rad! (Bandcamp link)

Mo Lowda & The Humble- Tailing the Ghost: Fun fact: These guys headlined the first show I saw post-COVID, and it was worth the wait. At any rate, Tailing the Ghost is More of the soulful sound you've come to expect from these Philly-based groove merchants, with tracks like “Canary” leading the way. Looks like they’re on tour again. If they’re comin’ your way, make a plan to check ‘em out! (Shopify link)

Terminal Buildings- Belles of the Bucket: The second of a 1-2 punch of records released nearly simultaneously. While A Binful of Bells was a sprawling affair, this is much more compact, and the tunes are much more economical. Speaking with frontman Finlay via email, he described the record as “[taking] the cast-offs that were too punchy to fit in with the rest of that album. The songs were written and recorded on either side of a move back to my home city of Aberdeen, which is why it took so long.” This is a fantastic dose of straight-ahead lo-fi power pop. Imagine a slightly more wistful version of GBV, and you‘ve got the gist. Also worth noting that these records are priced at Pay What You Can, with all revenue going to charity. (Bandcamp link)

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these records! Did I get it right, or am I way off the mark?

Thanks for being here,

Kevin—

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