Alright, I've got three weeks of RTO for the holiday break and I'm two and a half beers down. Here's one last one release radar for the road, to celebrate the end of 2025!

STERÖID - CHAINMAIL COMMANDOS

This band is absolutely fucking insane. If you've ever listened to Devo or Alvin and the Chipmunks and thought to yourself, "man, I wish there was a bit of this in the form of trad metal!" then look no further than Sydney band STERÖID.

A good mate of mine put me onto these guys, and they've been on heavy rotation ever since. They're loose, silly and fun, but highly curated to a very specific audience. You know what they'll look like as soon as you hear their name.

There's a lot of larrikinism deeply ingrained into Australian culture, especially in our music, and STERÖID are drawing from the likes of cult legends This Is Serious Mum!, with the modern sensibility of Amyl & The Sniffers, the best rock export we have going right now.

While you may initially consider STERÖID to be a gimmick band, if you have a well attuned ear to metal, you'll soon learn these guys are the real deal. There's something so hilariously Australian about putting chipmunk vocals over a contemporary NWOTHM album, and I know this won't be for everyone, and that's okay. If I haven't lost you, then kick back with some booze and give them a fair go.

I personally love Through The Night and Desert Storm, full of catchy 70s riffs that sound like prime soundtrack material for low quality street skateboarding footage uploaded to instagram. Watch these guys appear in Thrasher mag soon, if they haven't already.

And yes, if you were wondering, they wear chainmail when they perform live. Go see them if they roll through your city, you won't regret it.

OKLOU - CHOKE ENOUGH

Bloody hell.

It's perfect? I could honestly stop myself here.

I'm not one of those people who are fussed on a no-skip record even though you'll often see me singing praises of what I believe to be no-skip albums - I'm not taking it too seriously. But this is genuinely fuckin' no skips. Very emotional and introspective, which I love to hear in electronic music - especially as someone who once ran a fan blog archiving all things Posh Isolation.

This is probably one of the coolest records I've heard all year - or, hell, in the past decade. Insanely well curated in terms of aesthetics and sonic landscape. There is a lot of electronic music out there hell bent on tapping into a nostalgic 00s landscape that never quite existed at the time, and perhaps there's elements of that on these tracks. To me, though, Oklou is rocketing towards the future.

There is no doubt in my mind that we'll start hearing the sheer impact of this record in the next decade or so. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for Oklou! I'd love to see her live sometime, but for now I'll settle with the small dose I got during one of Busy P's DJ sets on his recent Australian tour with Justice.

BERGFRIED - ROMANTIK III

What can I say, it has been an absolute banger of a year for metalheads.

Romantik III is the debut album for Austrian-Hungarian heavy metal duo Bergfried, and the album sounds exactly the way you imagine it would based on the cover art.

This one is for all of you who love sweeping 80s metal bands with a heavy dose of folk-inspired influence, something you'd attribute to Lord of the Rings, and perhaps a bit of Warlock/Doro Pesch.

Sometimes it ventures a little too far into that campy, heroic realm, but honestly, I'm just here for a good time when the mood hits.

PERFUME GENIUS - GLORY

I've been a fan of Perfume Genius ever since I first heard Too Bright in 2014, and his music has certainly helped me through the darkest times of my life. His music always sounds so raw and unfiltered, making for the perfect songs to ugly cry to. I often find those are the best types of indie albums.

But what I love the most is how every album cycle, Perfume Genius finds a way to reinvent himself. None of his records sound remotely alike, yet his artistic vision is so powerful and distinct. There is no one else in this universe who could sound remotely like him.

My jaw is always on the floor whenever I listen to a new Perfume Genius record. You'll want your best pair of headphones or sound system for this one. The instrumentation is phenomenal. I think the diehard Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Chelsea Wolfe fan within me is heavily drawn to Perfume Genius for similar reasons - they are all artists who create without caring for trends or success, drawing you in with a false sense of simplicity, only to journey towards more experimental, complex songs where melodies are polarising and haunting.

There is a lot of 90s influence on this record. Admittedly, I'm the last person to write home about Radiohead - they're a band I never got into but I certainly hear elements of The Bends throughout this, along with a healthy dose of bluesy, country-rock. That may sound a little conflicting, and I was surprised to hear that on this record. I'll admit it took me more than one listen to fully understand it.

I could honestly wax poetic all day about how insanely talented this man is! Easily one of my Top 10 favourite releases of this year.

MIAMI HORROR - WE ALWAYS HAD TOMORROW

Am I dreaming?

I get to write about a brand new Miami Horror record? I used to fucking pray for times like this!

This is their first album in 10 long years and I love everything about it. It was well worth the long, highly anticipated wait. We Always Had Tomorrow is meticulously crafted, presenting a very mature and refined sound. When it comes to Miami Horror, you're always in for a wonderful time: melancholic disco, soul and funky synth influence drips through every track.

We Always Had Tomorrow is an impeccably warm, feel-good record about love, life and coming of age. Listen to this with your family, your friends, your romantic partner. These songs are meant to be shared - so get out there and share it, right now!

I was surprised to see a long list of wonderful Australian collaborators on this record too, Telenova, Alice Ivy, Tim Ayre, Woodes - this record is absolutely stacked. It feels like a perfect snapshot in time.

Hearing Tame Impala give Together a bit of a spin during his DJ sets for Justice was honestly a bit of an out of body experience for me, but was also the perfect reminder of that sentiment too. I love music, but most of all, I love to share it with others. It was utterly wonderful to find myself in a beautiful overlap in fanbases, hearing people recognise a new Miami Horror track.

The standout tracks for me are Together, Don't Leave Me (In The Sunshine) and We're All Made Of Stars.

Thank you, Miami Horror. I'm so glad you guys are still around.

On a more personal note, I want to take a moment to say that We Always Had Tomorrow album has been the single most life-affirming thing in the past chaotic week. The recent tragedy at Bondi, here in Australia, was too close to home for me. It was meant to be a time of peace, love and joy, and that was so cruelly taken from innocent people and resulted in an outpouring of unjustified hatred.

I want to remind everyone that love and empathy is all we have as humans. We are responsible for each other. Allow yourself some time to grieve, to hurt, but most of all, try remember that there is a lot of love and compassion still in this world.

Music can heal you, and at times like this, it brings us together. Each of these albums I have recommended here are deeply vulnerable records, but most of all, they have taken me on a personal journey and brought me immense joy.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season, if you celebrate!