In the age of TikTok, singles and shorter attention spans, it’s refreshing to know that so many artists are still dedicated to crafting cohesive long-form albums. From LPs to EPs, from hardcore punk and art rock to house and hip-hop, these were just some of Bandwagon's favourite records over the past 12 months.
Picks by Hidzir Junaini (staff writer):
Sudan Archives - THE BPM
For her third full-length, violinist and songwriter Sudan Archives transforms the dancefloor into a confessional space — THE BPM pulses with club beats and emotional urgency, merging her trademark strings with four-on-the-floor intensity. Drawing from her family’s Michigan and Illinois roots and the techno/house histories of Chicago and Detroit, she crafts a persona — “Gadget Girl” — to explore autonomy, longing and reinvention. The music that revels in movement and survives in stillness. In a rare feat, Sudan Archives channels grime and euphoria, self-assertion and vulnerability — a dance record that doesn’t just make you move, but makes you think while you move.
Turnstile - NEVER ENOUGH
With NEVER ENOUGH, Turnstile push hardcore into technicolour. The Baltimore band stretch their sound into dreamier territory without losing their punch — equal parts euphoria and eruption. Critics call it their most ambitious project yet: surf-rock guitars crashing into post-punk grooves and danceable chaos. Every song feels massive but deeply human, bursting with feeling rather than fury. Where GLOW ON hinted at expansion, NEVER ENOUGH delivers it — a record that thrives on connection, movement, and pure joy. It’s still punk, but with sunlight breaking through the noise.
Geese - Getting Killed
On Getting Killed, Geese sharpen their wiry, art-rock instincts into something leaner, stranger, and far more combustible. The band have always thrived in chaos, but here the chaos feels weaponised — riffs snapping like exposed wires, rhythms lunging forward with post-punk urgency, and Cameron Winter’s vocals shifting between anxious murmurs and full-body catharsis. Critics have praised the album for its unhinged energy and shift toward darker, more theatrical territory, noting how the band tap into dread without losing their knack for hooks. Getting Killed feels like a fever dream of modern rock: tense, unpredictable and thrilling.
DjRUM - Under Tangled Silence
DjRUM returns with his most intricate, emotionally charged work to date — a sprawling 75-minute labyrinth shaped by eight years of writing, improvisation, and rebuilding. The album leans heavily into his classical training: live piano threads through nearly every track, while harp, mbira, bass clarinet, and cello add organic resonance to his trademark drum & bass, footwork, and broken-beat structures. Rather than locking into loops, the songs unfold in long, free-flowing arcs — rhythms mutating mid-phrase, melodies resurfacing in unexpected places, arrangements shifting like weather systems.
Picks by Sharvamaya Mohan (editorial intern):
The Last Dinner Party - From The Pyre
Jesters, queens, kings, gather around the flame and dance the night away to The Last Dinner Party’s eclectic and poignant sophomore album From The Pyre. Each track either brings the heat of a burning ember or the toil of internal reflection and nostalgia. The record entails the vengeful and flamboyant heartbreak anthem 'This is the Killer Speaking' that traverses the murderous thirst for revenge after being wronged by a former lover. Switching gears, it also presents the heartwarming tearjerker 'The Scythe' — focusing on processing the grief of a relationship breaking apart that almost feels like that person is dying, saying, “…I’ll see you in the next one”. Since their debut album Prelude to Ecstasy to the release of this album, they showcase their distinct sound and style that comes through in their medieval melodrama.
Djo - The Crux
The Crux is Djo’s testament to being more than just a one-trick pony. After his smash hit ‘End of Beginning’ he brought his indie rock sensibilities back tenfold. The album embodies the confusion that comes with graduating from adolescence and navigating the disorienting hurricane that your 20s and 30s can be. No one really writes a manual about how to survive each day staying positive and not caring how people perceive you. It’s wired into humans to perform and act a certain way in public to be considered “normal” and “acceptable”. This record captures how hard it is to fit into the archetype and how ludicrous it is that despite the irrationality of the sentiment, people strive to fit in. Tracks like ‘Basic Being Basic’ and ‘Egg’ resonate directly with the album’s narrative while ‘Charlie’s Garden’ reveals a vulnerable side of him that explores joy in just spending time with your friends without a care in the world.
Men I Trust - Equus Caballus
Translating to “domestic horse” Equus Caballus gallops into the horizon basking in the glorious glow of alternative indie perfection. The record is Men I Trust’s second release of 2025 following the release of its equally magnificent counterpart Equus Asinus. The album opens with the ambient chimes of ‘To Ease You’ that paints the rest of the album in rays of melancholy and introspection. The layered and delicate nature that comes through with each track helps the album build an immersive soundscape. The record shines with emotional honesty and vulnerability, with tracks such as ‘Another Stone’ capturing the hollow feeling of detachment that takes over with never really finding your place in the world. Equus Caballus takes listeners on a cathartic journey that explores heavy themes enveloped in delicate strums, light synths, and a vocal that barely floats above the mix.
Picks by Aisyah Azlan (social media manager):
pH-1 - WHAT HAVE WE DONE
It’s 3AM in Kuala Lumpur, I’m half-asleep in my Airbnb, and I suddenly remember pH-1 dropped a new album. I hit play and the intro alone had me sitting up like, “Ooh?" With 15 tracks that move effortlessly between chill tracks like ‘PARTY PPL (Feat. Min Jiwoon)’ and ‘ERYKAH BADU (Feat. CAMO)’ to the heavier sound of ‘CRASHINNN OUTTT!!!’, this is a no-skip album that genuinely has something for every mood.
Crush - FANG
Crush remains one of K-R&B’s most consistent heavy-hitters, and FANG is further proof. Led by the house-leaning ‘UP ALL NITE (Feat. SUMIN)’ and supported by smoother, sultry tracks like ‘FREQUENCY (Feat. Loco)’ and ‘OVERLAP’, this EP is the perfect entry point for anyone who still doesn’t know who Crush is (which… why?).
KAI - Wait On Me
I’ll admit: I’m biased. But this is the K-pop album of the year in my humble and extremely correct opinion. Another no-skip release from start to finish. ‘Wait On Me’ and ‘Pressure’ will have you whining your waist without even noticing, while ‘Walls Don’t Talk’ and ‘Flight to Paris’ teleport you to a beach club in Bali. KAI’s best work to date. I said what I said.
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