THE LOCALIST: 2025 Year in Review

The debut LP from DEW is a collection of loud, lo-fi, DIY basement punk recordings. The members of DEW are part of a growing youth movement within the local music scene and lead the call for more all-ages venues and events. The band announced their final show was played in September at The Union. 

PAPERHATS is a two-piece band formed by the drummer of Toronto band Your Grandad and the guitarist/backing vocalist of local noise band Karloff. DEMAND MORE is an emotional rollercoaster both in its lyrics and sound, resulting in a listening experience that is abrasive, turbulent and uniquely captivating. 

SOLSIC embraces a combination of hardcore and alternative emo influences on their electric six-track EP. With a relentless pace, the band highlights melodic vocals and harsh screaming layered  over a thrashing instrumental performance. The band released a music video to accompany the track “No Loss to Mourn” in October. 

Mooncalf is the sophomore album and second full length release from Liral in 2025. This newest installment in the band’s quickly growing discography explicitly contrasts their first release, which featured an experimental exploration of industrial and harsh noise. Throughout Mooncalf, the band’s poignant lyricism intersects with minimalistic acoustic guitars, resulting in an album that is raw and emotionally honest.  

Conor Gains’ musical growth and experience continue to shine through his songwriting. Gains delivers a simultaneously laid back yet impressively passionate performance across the album. Drawing comparisons to The Allman Brothers Band and Nathaniel Rateliff, Good Time Buddies covers significant musical ground while exploring themes of friendship and personal change. 

Bree Bartha’s captivating voice and intimate storytelling are front and centre on her album Flight Risk. Bartha’s BandCamp bio describes her writing style as “live from her bedroom floor”. The project contrasts familiar and accessible folk pop production with the complicated and bittersweet theme of homesickness. 

Body Minus Head features members from other notable Ontario bands such as Basque, Exalt, Mockingbird, Wish Me Luck and Wayfarer. Their debut album has a total runtime of just under twenty minutes, where the band rips through an absolutely scorching ten track performance packed full of vicious guitar riffs and intense vocals. Physical copies are available via No Funeral Records. 

The sophomore demo release from SIN COLA is a compelling two-track installment featuring only vocals, acoustic guitar and the soft buzz of ambient noise filling the background. The recordings immediately establish a warm lo-fi charm that pairs thoughtfully alongside the intimate lyricism and delicate vocal delivery of Nicolas Couture.   

Curbside’s sophomore return is a fourteen-track high speed album that is an absolute blur in the best way. Consisting of members from other familiar local bands such as Handheld and Frank Dux, this long-awaited album comes thirteen years after their debut and is faster and heavier than ever! Expect blistering drumming, relentless guitars and intense vocal performances. 

Kitchener’s self-proclaimed “best espionage garage rock band” makes their introduction with a three-track EP which is the perfect soundtrack to the grooviest spy film you can imagine. With vibrant 1960s organ, fuzz-laden guitar and overall surfy vibes, the band manages to sound vintage and familiar while remaining fresh and exciting. 

This album was originally released on BandCamp as a direct fundraiser for Rama, a friend of the band, and her family, who currently reside in Gaza and require immediate support. Feeding is a beautifully somber collection of recordings and songs that were created using a phone. The process with which these songs came to fruition causes the collective project to feel innately delicate and vulnerable. 

Two years in the making, Maiden Lane presents their loudest and most intense performance to date. BEDOUIN MEDICINE draws its thematic inspiration from the band’s attempt to capture the feeling of modern-day chaos in an album. Blending the raw energy of punk with the simplicity of garage rock and the sonic experimentation of psychedelia, the band has truly hit their stride.  

Arcade Allstars follow up their 2023 EP Insert Coin with their first full length album Destined for Disaster. Originally formed during the tail end of the pandemic, the group sounds more cohesive than ever. Their project is loaded with catchy, energetic hooks that will invoke an irresistible urge to get up and dance. 

The experimental no-wave duo Frankie Teardrop, known for their unique live performances, have recorded their thought-provoking sound on their debut EP Black Grasshopper Stew. Driven by hypnotizing metronomic drum machines paired alongside guitars and vocals soaked in noise, distortion and feedback, the album is abrasive and anarchic, prioritizing an exploration of musical texture in exchange for traditional melodies. The album is available exclusively on Bandcamp. 

Carry On is the solo project of Anthony Maracek whose sound combines folk storytelling with indie rock’s energy and experimentation. The highlight of the project is Mareck’s songwriting, often finding inspiration from his own stories and life experiences while explicitly leaving room for the audience to create their own interpretations. 

Album artwork sourced from Bandcamp. 

Featured collage made with contributions by Sangjun Han, Keegan Gingrich, Matt Andrew Lewis, Jo El-Deek, Erica Rippon and Harleen Kaur Dhillon.