Over the past two years I’ve made a conscious effort to “get back into music”. After once being the friend-group pick for music trivia questions, I dropped off the cutting edge and only found new music through explicit recommendations from friends. But I always missed that feeling of being in on the ground floor with new bands, and following their progress.
Armed with an Apple One subscription and saddled with a noisy coworking space, I felt like the fates were aligning to get me back into music in 2024. I started listening to Apple playlists, and had a fun summer of Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan. But 2025 was the year where I started digging into genres, and I discovered a new twist on an old style that forever speaks to my heart: femme-led punk and shoegaze.
The next couple of sections explain more about my journey, but please feel free to jump straight to the recommendations!
The origins of a music lover
As a teenager I listened to a lot of radio, particularly the BBC’s Radio One, and followed the charts as well as listening to specialist programs such as the Evening Sessions and John Peel. Since singles were cheaper than albums, I amassed a large collection, which exposed me to B-sides and lesser-known band trivia. This was at the time when Britpop and guitar-driven indie music dominated the charts, so pop music was relatively cool and the scene felt fairly local to someone in the UK.
As my life changed and technology progressed, my radio-listening was replaced by iPod time. I filled mine with songs either ripped from CD or traded with friends, and I lost my focus on bleeding-edge releases. I discovered seams of treasure in older bands, including grunge, metal, and punk acts, which also often happened to be American.
But this dislocation in time and space made music feel less present and immediate, and also less discoverable. When a reasonable subset of the whole history of musical recording is available to you, how do you even begin? It’s much easier to wait for it to come to you, in the form of a recommendation from a friend. Of course, this also meant that I was listening to less music, and relying more on known artists, and I could feel myself getting into a musical rut.
A transformative experience
When the lockdowns of the early 2020s lifted, I was craving experiences where I could be with other people, but also be outdoors. I went to more concerts at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage in one year than I had at all venues in the previous decade. While I saw a mix of newer and more established acts, one in particular stood out: I had an almost spiritual experience during the Boygenius concert.
Reflecting on those gigs afterwards, I realized that I miss the feeling of finding a band as they’re just cresting the wave. There’s a level of energy and determination that you get from a new band finding their feet and shaping their sound, which is very infectious and activating.
So I made a conscious effort to listen to new music. I started with the charts, like I did as a teenager, although this time the vector was curated Apple playlists instead of radio shows. After a year I was starting to spot the trends, and finding acts and tracks that I preferred over others. But it took another 6 months before I discovered a rich vein: a small collection of bands working in a genre that really gets my body moving and ignites my soul.
Some excellent bands I discovered this year
I was delighted to discover there is a new wave of women-fronted punk bands, often from the UK, producing music that is raw, funny, and clever. It’s a cleaner sound than Riot Grrl of the past, while covering a variety of political concerns big and small, from the impossibility of meeting beauty standards, to the lack of pockets in women’s clothing.
So here is a set of recommendations for albums you should check out, with specific gateway tracks highlighted. I can’t wait for these bands to tour near me!
My absolute favourite: Panic Shack
Panic Shack released their first album this year, also titled Panic Shack. Every track is a total hit, but here is a sampling of two of my favourites: “Tit School” and “Gok Wan”.
(“I learnt this from you, Mum”: ooft! Vicious!)
Only a hair behind: The Lovely Eggs
This is maybe more shoegaze than punk, but has the energy and anger than connects with me. While they released an album in 2025, I actually prefer their 2020 “I Am Moron”, and this is where these two picks are from. “You Can Go Now” comes first because it’s more like their typical style, but “Long Stem Carnations” is haunting, and a good opener for the album!
Wet Leg
Wet Leg released their second album “moisturizer” this year, which was my gateway into this whole new field of modern punk. Please enjoy “catch these fists”.
M(h)aol
A late entry, as I discovered M(h)aol in the second week of December, but their debut album “Something Soft” was an instant download. They’re listed as Mhaol on Apple Music, but interviews put the brackets around the h. I dare you not to dance to “1 800-Call-Me-Back”.
The Lambrini Girls
The Lambrini Girl’s debut “Who Let the Dogs Out” is very similar in style and subject matter to Panic Shack. I love how “Cuntology 101” highlights the impossible standards women are held to, because everyone’s impression of reasonable behaviour is different. Ultimately, other people’s reactions are their own problem!