Local Music Singles Roundup: September 2025
Local Music Reviews
September is known for its winds of change. Summer is turning into fall. School is back in session. Bikinis are traded out for flannels. However, what remains the same is the constant (and talented) stream of local music. So soak up the sun one last time as we bring you another round of singles!
CAMO
“BEER”
CAMOWORLDWIDE
Street: 06.14.2025
CAMO = Beatsteaks + Catherine Wheel + ½ Jinx
There hasn’t been a better swan song for domestic ale drinking since Psychostick’s “Beer!” until now. Fuzzy and chaotically rambunctious like the European alt-rock wave from the late 2000s, “BEER” pours out the same carefree nature. The sopping wet chords clash with a tsunami of snare drums and near-drowning amps. Laced between every drenched explosion is the hidden rocky shore of the lead singer’s gravelly voice that’s almost lost within the storm. It’s a hearty track that shoots you back to simpler times of finger-banging Tech Decks or getting booted out of local grocery stores and parking lots for loitering. A track like this needs to be the correctly heightened octave to fully penetrate that gray matter of harmony. It’s loud and brutish, of course, but also incredibly nurturing like an ice cold beverage or a reassuring pat on the back to remind you that everything’s going to be just fine. Not bad for their first single! —Alton Barnhart
RALLY
“Color In The Leaves”
Self-Released
Street: 04.05.2025
Rally = Wallows + The Backseat Lovers
Suppose you find yourself alone, pining, yearning or even begging for some sort of reprieve from your sad boi hours. If that’s you, “Colors In The Leaves” is the perfect blend of moody energy and hopeful melodies to bring you back to Earth without giving you whiplash. It feels like coming to life in spring, blooming out of a cold earth, reaching towards something warmer but still finding yourself looking backwards into winter and missing that familiar comfort of heartbreak. The song takes a turn about two-thirds of the way through, shifting from an upbeat tune to a low-key outro that leads the listener back into hibernation. I was left with a feeling of melancholy blended with hopefulness, ready to take on a new day, but hoping somebody will be there to hold my hand. I liked it! You will too. —Grace Simpson
Mopsy
TEETH // PERFUME
Mopsy Records
Street: 07.12.2025
Mopsy = The Growlers + Car Seat Headrest
Mopsy has been delivering swift and catchy garage rock since their conception in 2021. “TEETH” begins with a gentle guitar that almost cries out before listeners are met with a wall of sound from prominent drumming and stout basslines. Expressive vocals elevate the sonic palette. “TEETH” undergoes an evolution midway through the track with an instrumental switch-up and yearning, sorrowful vocal delivery that repeatedly calls out, “You know I’ll wait around.” The sound segues into “PERFUME” with electric guitar scaling in a fun and youthful instrumental. “PERFUME” carries a faster pace, with drum lines full of lively crashes, hi-hats and rides that serve as an excellent base for a song that both sounds and feels like it was made for a movie soundtrack or a lively festival performance. To anyone who is a fan of artists like The Growlers, Car Seat Headrest or Julian Casablancas and isn’t familiar with Mopsy: Start here with “TEETH” and “PERFUME.” —Hans Magleby
Reel Boy
“Something Else”
Plaid Skeleton Records
Street: 06.06.2025
Reel Boy = Dinosaur Jr. + Yo La Tengo
With effortless simplicity, “Something Else” takes you on a cruise through a late ‘90s coming-of-age movie, where the nerdy girl lets down her hair, restoring her sex appeal and becoming the target of a pubescent boy’s attention. The voice of that pubescent boy is Reel Boy, whose vocal timbre is reminiscent of both Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo and J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. Throughout the track, the drums chug along in a constant laid-back rhythm, at times leaving you wanting more variety, but overall doing their job of maintaining the groove. The guitar tone is what really makes “Something Else” sound like it could nestle into the 10 Things I Hate About You soundtrack and feel right at home. It’s overdriven, fuzzy and easily listenable. The short guitar riff, though simple, is effective and catchy. Reel Boy is one to keep on your musical radar. —Hazel Paul
Blindlove
“Armageddon”
Self-Released
Street: 02.28.2025
Blindlove = Sleep Token + Yellowcard
Blindlove has been brewing some major alchemy for local listeners this year. If there were such an official designation as “local alt-pop supergroup,” Blindlove would likely earn the seal. A bench like Blindlove’s tends to indicate that they are likely to endure in the local scene and potentially reach far past the confines of regional listenership. Even if the current popular wave of metal into the pop stratosphere breaks away, Blindlove seems to always offer something fresh and gritty regardless. Their most recent single “Armageddon” is a pop-metal melange with accessible licks and professional chops. Ever-reliable lead vocals by Brogan Kelby and top-shelf basslines by Michael “Paulie” Mervine make this track a radio-competent mix and the band a shoo-in consideration for Sleep Token’s opening act this October. Wishful thinking aside, “Armageddon” gives the listener a glimpse into the sonic palate they can expect ahead of Blindlove’s next album release. —Paige Zuckerman
Chex Max
“For 18”
Script Kitty Records
Street: 07.25.2025
Chex Max = Denance + RŮDE
Close your eyes for just a moment with me and imagine you’re all the way back in 2009. You and your friends have all fallen for the trap known as “trickshotting” in the (now infamous) new game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. You load up YouTube with your friends and click the newest trickshot montage and Chex Max would be “the hit new artist” sweeping the Call of Duty montage community, and taking it by storm. “For 18” sounds like an interesting mix between early SoundCloud emo rap and lo-fi music. On your first listen, it almost feels like you’re diving into an EDM track with the introduction of the beat coming in slow but strong. With somewhat generic lyrics about heartbreak and loving someone who left you, Chex Max’s delivery and wordplay gives those somewhat cliche heartbreak lyrics the breathing room they need to stand out just enough from the others. —Skyler Montalvo
Read more Local Music Singles Roundups here:
Local Music Singles Roundup: August 2025
Local Music Singles Roundup: July 2025
