The River City is nothing if not consistent. The world could be on fire, and that cool hip-hop collective you’ve heard of would still release four albums in a single year. Half the city could be underwater, and the punk bands that typically play on South Broadway would still know which rooftops to hit up for a DIY show. In a year when the city was rocked by devastating weather, the St. Louis music community got creative in the face of adversity and uncertainty.
While writing, recording, and promoting a single song can be a challenge, putting together a full-length album or EP is a major milestone for any artist of any genre. St. Louis had a wildly prolific 2025, and it’s time to shine the spotlight on our favorite releases from the past year of local music.
Get a guide to the region’s booming music scene
Subscribe to the St. Louis Music newsletter to discover upcoming concerts, local artists to watch, and more across an eclectic playlist of genres.
The following list is not comprehensive, nor is it ranked. Instead, we offer a starting point to explore a wide variety of St. Louis–based musical acts that range from solo performers to full bands and artist collectives across several genres. In short, if you like what you hear, stay tuned for more!
The Albums
Love Bombed (Love, Loss and Lessons) by Morgan Taylor
January 17, 2025
Between releasing her critically acclaimed EP Love Bombed (Love, Loss and Lessons) in January and graduating from the Berklee College of Music only a few months later, 2025 has been a banner year for R&B songstress Morgan Taylor. From producing her very first EP, Jesus Loves Me, at age 11 to her recent collaborations with Grammy Award winners such as Jeremiah Adkins and Carla Carter, the dynamic singer already has more performance experience in her early 20s than most musicians twice her age, earning her the larger-than-life onstage moniker “BIG MO.” As if dropping an EP at the top of the year wasn’t enough, Taylor also put out a number of singles throughout 2025, including “Outside (That’s PeriodT)” and a cover of Christmas classic “Santa Baby.”
Death and the Miser by Fight Back Mountain
February 13, 2025
Death and the Miser is a culmination of Fight Back Mountain’s evolution as songwriters and performers. Named after the painting by Renaissance-era artist Hieronymus Bosch, the new album offers a loose story dotted with deep emotional issues, warped internet culture, and promises of a better life left unfulfilled. Singer and guitarist Adrian Barnello delivers poetic passages with raspy, full-bodied vocals that occupy a unique middle ground between yelling and singing. “The lyrics kind of have a throughline about two characters that are in a relationship, and they have their own stuff going on. You can think of the two characters as being death and the miser,” Barnello says.
READ MORE: Fight Back Mountain blazes a trail with new album Death and the Miser
Whirly Pop in the Burning Abyss by Jenerator Jenkins
February 21, 2025
From the opening riff of “Explosions in the Distance” to the album’s closing track, “Substation Blues,” Jenerator Jenkins wages musical warfare against midwest mundanity. With catchy earworms at the front line, this self-described “nuke punk collective” features nine St. Louis–based musicians playing a wide range of instruments across 14 expansive tracks, including sitar, omnichord, cello, and accordion alongside typical rock staples such as guitars, drums, and synthesizers. The result is a perpetually burning set of songs fueled by radioactive waste and unchecked creative freedom.
March 3, 2025
“I can’t stay stagnant and not create, that would eat me up inside. I gotta be throwing paint on the canvas. Whether it’s one person or one million people paying attention, I’m here,” says hybrid hip-hop artist Steve N. Clair. He considers his new solo album, Aight, Bet, to be like an appetizer platter where each song represents one of his many experiments in hip-hop. With production credits split between his brother Klick Klack and longtime friend Preston Bradley (Clair’s other half in The Domino Effect), the songs on Aight, Bet carry his musical heritage into the future. “Something randomly comes up that puts a damper on your day. Instead of trying to go around each obstacle, I’m gonna take it head on. When something happens, I always find myself saying ‘aight, bet.’ It’s like a mantra, so I created a whole project around that,” he says.
READ MORE: From St. Louis to Atlanta, Steve N. Clair bets on himself
March-November 2025
TreeVilla is nothing if not consistent, which makes it all the more amazing that this creative hip-hop collective put out more than 30 high-quality tracks across four separate projects in a single calendar year. While July’s VILLADELUXE stands out as the only full-length album to be released on vinyl record, the group’s sheer number of drops in 2025 makes TreeVilla the most prolific name on this list. With rappers Cue Coldblooded and Benny Greenheart at the forefront, the multidisciplinary crew behind TreeVilla continues to innovate with a distinct approach to visual aesthetics, live performance, and lush production.
March 21, 2025
The self-titled debut album by Seashine is, in many ways, a culmination of an entire decade of songwriting for guitarist/vocalist Demi Haynes and bassist/vocalist Paul Rieger, who started the band way back in 2015. Seashine’s first full-length was sculpted over several years of live performance and studio production, as each of the seven tracks throughout have been carefully crafted to reflect the band’s evolutionary sound. This pristine and densely layered set of shoegaze songs kicks off with “Shangri La,” a meditation of melodic vocals, dream pop, and blissful guitar noise.
READ MORE: Miasma and melody meet on Seashine’s long-awaited debut album
Phantom Power by Future/Modern
April 20, 2025
“Our process is from all over the board. Sometimes, one of us will have parts come together from improv sessions. One thing I appreciate about this band is that we don’t rush the process. If someone wants to scrap everything they’re doing and start over with their parts, that is completely okay. We don’t play it until we’re all happy with it,” says Matt Derouin, founding member of eclectic post-rock outfit Future/Modern. The power trio, which also features St. Louis music scene veterans Harold Covey and Stephen Favazza, had an especially prolific year: In addition to releasing their first full-length record, Phantom Power, Future/Modern also dropped the remix album The Things We Found In The Snow, as well as a collaborative cover of B’rr’s song “Varda” with singer 10.
READ MORE: Future/Modern mixes atmospherics with murky melodies on Phantom Power
Might And Might Alone by Direct Measure
May 30, 2025
Might And Might Alone is a fitting title for the debut full-length album by Direct Measure, a metallic hardcore band that started life under the name Brute Force. “Proelium” kicks off this powerful collection of songs with an iron curtain of guitars and an impassioned vocal delivery that sets, then maintains, a high level of intensity throughout the record. Closing track “GCHC” is a punk-rock love letter to St. Louis that includes guest vocals by many members of like-minded bands in the music community such as Drop the Blade, Maladjust, Squint, Time and Pressure, and Volition.
READ MORE: Direct Measure plants a flag for St. Louis hardcore with Might and Might Alone
June 10, 2025
From organizing community events such as Music From a Tent to co-headlining the groundbreaking Materia series every month, St. Louis native Pajmon Porshahidy has built an unmistakable aura around his brand and moniker Umami. Now the supernova DJ is reminding the world that he’s also a producer with a six-track EP named Pajmon, a callback to the electronic music artist’s Iranian-American roots. “If I can listen to something hundreds and hundreds of times and still like it, I’m happy. A big thing with this project is that I needed to put something out that represents who I am now,” he says. With cover art by Porshahidy’s partner, Rebekah Shields, Umami’s new release is a deeply personal effort inspired by his upbringing and an adventurous approach to songwriting.
READ MORE: Umami reaches new heights with the release of deeply personal EP Pajmonby
Love After Death by ¡Cazadores!
June 23, 2025
“The initial vision was to create a band that could be a regular artist on Swami Records—something that is a touch of punk, surf, and garage rock,” says Ryan Hunter, bassist and founding member of ¡Cazadores!. “When we started writing, we were playing around with some rockabilly-esque licks. … It all merged seamlessly. Later, we decided to add keys to the mix. This allowed us to expand our sonic palette. It’s all happened with low effort. It just worked.” Love After Death is a tight-knit trio of songs that showcases ¡Cazadores! ability to transmute surf rock and psychedelic punk into a genre-bending blend that feels strange and nostalgic.
READ MORE: ¡Cazadores! step into the spotlight with a new brand of theatrical psych-punk
The People’s People by Midwest Avengers
June 23, 2025
From the project’s early start in 1992 at a basement party on the South Side to performing in front of 10,000 people in 1994 at a rave in Minneapolis, Midwest Avengers spent its first few years as a group freestyling for every show. The band hit a major milestone in the mid-’90s, when they wrote their first real song with an intro, verse, bridge, and chorus. Since then, founder, rapper, and community organizer John Harrington’s crew has released 10 studio albums, three mixtapes, and one compilation, including their latest EP, The People’s People. In its 33 years as a band, Midwest Avengers has opened for Afrika Bambaataa, De La Soul, Crystal Method, Tech 9, The Roots, Digital Underground, and Insane Clown Posse, just to name a few. Harrington had this to say: “This is our 33rd year of releasing music and performing under the MWA crew name. We plan to keep releasing music and touring until the next generation of musicians step up and fill the void of a live hip-hop/rock/metal band. I’m personally excited to keep experimenting with mixing genres and creating new sounds and styles to stretch the limits of St. Louis music. And I hope to be here in seven years for our 40th anniversary show!”
READ MORE: Midwest Avengers hosts release party for The People’s People
Skwäd Goals: Vol. 1 by Anthony Lucius
July 11, 2025
On Skwäd Goals, Anthony Lucius works as a powerful conduit between hip-hop scenes by bringing on rappers and like-minded artists from both sides of the Mississippi. While Lucius’ prime production and fervent flow cannot be overstated, this communal album features a staggering number of talented producers and emerging voices in the music scene such as Oso Valley, Brock Seals, Arshad Goods, Jerei, Che Sanchez, Cs, 4Cus, Tony L, Khiro Kano, Phonzz, RT_FAQ, StiXx, and Rachel Bouzier. Vol. 1 implies that a Vol. 2 is on the way, and we can’t for the sequel.
Reliable Brake Service by Jesus Christ Supercar
July 21, 2025
“We always want people to have the freedom to fluctuate between face-melting, high-speed riffs and the scattered coolness of the light bouncing off a spinning disco ball,” says Tom Blood, drummer of Jesus Christ Supercar. “If there’s one thing we’re committed to sonically, it’s a dance-pop cheese base with indie-sleaze sauce. We want to be able to explore deeper feelings in our new songs, expressed in an overture to the raunchy indie stars of the early aughts.” Reliable Brake Service is proof positive of the band’s genre-blending approach, which features pristine production and catchy vocal hooks across this pitch-perfect set of songs.
READ MORE: “French Girls” is a taste of what’s to come for Jesus Christ Supercar
Nite Sprites by Nite Sprites
July 26, 2025
“I’ve met most of my close friends through playing music in one form or another. By extension, the bands I play in are just a really good excuse to get together with people that I like. I just feel like it’s easier to find the type of nerd that I am in the music world,” says Matt Stuttler, bassist of rock outfit Nite Sprites and member of many other local bands such as Shitstorm, Cyanides, Losing End, Boreal Hills, and Dock Judson. Stuttler splits his time between band practice and running The Sinkhole, a combination recording studio, concert venue, and record label located on South Broadway. Released on 12” vinyl through Sinkhole Records, the cover of this debut album by Nite Sprites shows a close-knit friend group in the midst of a fever dream—no doubt preparing to blaze through a searing set of rock ‘n’ roll songs at the edge of the world.
August 15, 2025
There’s a reason why Daemon’s work can be heard across shows on Netflix, FOX, and TBS as well as ads for Mini Cooper and Sephora. The St. Louis native bobs and weaves between retro rap vibes and cutting-edge production, bridging the gap for those stubborn “golden-era only” hip-hop heads to step into the future. Every track on Euphonic feels elevated by Daemon’s dense lyricism, where he delivers complex bars with a precise flow that feels effortless—in short, he doesn’t just make it look easy, he manages to make it sound that way too. And how does the man follow up such an auspicious debut? With KILLJOY, a collaborative seven-song project with Trackstar the DJ (of Run the Jewels) only one month later.
The North Remembers by Trifeckta Presents, Rockwell Knuckles, Pimerica Keem
August 29, 2025
Trifeckta shines in his debut full-length production, The North Remembers, a high-concept record of beats and bops that explores the expanse of St. Louis hip-hop alongside Rockwell Knuckles and Pimerica Keem. From the opening track with Damon Davis to the summer single “Unanimous” featuring the phenomenal Trixie Le’Ray, this album blends a brainy approach to production with pop-sensible songcraft for a diverse track list that also includes collaborations with Trackstar the DJ, Indiana Rome, and Tef Poe. Shoutout to Rockwell Knuckles who, in addition to working on every song here, also dropped his very own album earlier in the year titled KING OF THE VOLCANO.
September 5, 2025
Eldraco turned a lot of heads in 2025 when their band FreeNation performed a standout set at the MATI Festival and Conference, but then the singer returned later in the night to join the legendary Patti LaBelle onstage and it became evident that St. Louis has a star in residence. While MATI was a breakout show for the soulful, dynamic singer, the release of Glitter was also a watershed moment, because the world now has a recording that artfully captures the unbridled energy that explodes and expands during a live performance of Eldraco and FreeNation. Start with “The Ballad of Ronnie James,” a mini pop-rock opera that carries narrative weight alongside catchy vocal hooks that dig deep.
September 5, 2025
Fister makes the kind of sludgy death metal that actual, literal 300-foot giants might play if they actually managed to find guitars and drums that were big enough for them to use. Of course, we’re talking about the loudest musical performance that anyone has ever heard—a show that would wipe out entire towns and several rare species long before the end of the set. And while that reality might be preferable to whatever the future has in store, it’s not likely to happen in your lifetime. Thankfully, Graceless by Fister is available on multiple streaming platforms, and playing excellent doom metal in your car or home stereo system probably won’t end western civilization. Although you could probably scare the bugs out from under your fridge by playing “Nightmare Visitation” full blast at 3 a.m.
The Terrible Tales of Mother Goose by Bates
September 30, 2025
Many nursery rhymes contain carefully concealed references to history, societal issues, or esoteric cultural practices of an age long passed, yet some songs and poems sit dormant in our collective psyche, reinforcing both ancient wisdom and dated views. It’s fitting that, for her fifth studio album, songwriter Bates would look to Mother Goose and the horror genre for inspiration. The St. Louis–based producer and promoter wears many hats, and after the release of The Terrible Tales of Mother Goose, she can add prophet to the list. In “Ring Around the Rosé,” she completely flips the acutely morbid “Ring Around the Rosie” into a bouncy, old-school banger that features prominent local rap trailblazer Ebony Eyez. Bates is a sharp-shooting wordsmith who takes aim at a wide range of hip-hop subgenres, which is fitting, because this expansive album features a diverse cast of collaborators and characters such as Louis Conphliction, Klick Klack, Justice LaRue, Alayna Lovely, Matthew Sawicki, Thr3D, Valencia Rush, Tef Poe, and LL Manny. With respect to local hip-hop history, this record looks to a future where fanatic production and poetic storytelling have real staying power.
October 3, 2025
The guitars here are speaking in a language that only the drummer seems to understand, as the beats deftly negotiate an argument expressed only in fractured riffs. Isolating any single instrument in this power trio would be like listening to one side of an alien litigation taking place on one of Jupiter’s moons 2,000 years from now. For Yowie, context is key, and the intended audience for Taking Umbrage includes a sect of hyperactive record collectors looking for the most complex, over-composed rock music of all time. With more timing changes in a single song than most prog-metal bands have throughout an entire album, Yowie stares down at every jocky guitar shredder with the energy of an airbrushed grim reaper shirt that says “Death waits for no man.” This is deadly serious avant-garde math rock, and while it’s unfathomable that Yowie would also release a split EP with French experimental duo Pili Coït in the same calendar year, that’s exactly what happened.
The Law Is Not In Heaven and HOOF! by Inner City Witches
October 10, 2025
The Law is Not in Heaven is a concept album that traces the origin of a fictional tyrant to one of two possible ends. That’s right, there’s a bad ending and what singer/guitarist Addison Wicks refers to as a “better ending,” where the subject of the story reflects on the choices he made throughout the journey. The band also recorded five songs that didn’t quite fit with the themes of the new record, and those tracks were released back in April as a separate EP titled HOOF! “I guess that’s a strange way to do things. Usually the B-sides come out after the album, but we decided to do that because I just wanted to get music out so bad,” says Wicks. The Law is Not in Heaven was developed in a patient and gradual process with help from Spencer Soracco, Charlie Harly, and Mikail Deondre Sarich—friends of the band who also happen to be audio engineers. The cover design and additional collages were put together by the duo of Catherine and Tyler Hare, two visual artists whose textural sensibilities pair well with Inner City Witches’ dark and intricate aesthetic. The new album is a true communal effort with a close-knit crew of creatives at the center.
READ MORE: Inner City Witches channels punk ethos on sophomore album
October 12, 2025
It’s no wonder that Silly Dreams is an ethereal experience driven by the melodic interplay between Aida Ade’s singular voice and crystalline guitar playing. When she’s not practicing, recording, or performing music, the St. Louis singer-songwriter spends much of her time working as a school-based trauma-informed therapist. Each carefully crafted song on Silly Dreams comes across as heartfelt and sincere, striking a delicate balance of sound, art, and storytelling. Her album release show was a donation-based, pay-what-you-want party at House of Soul with all proceeds going to Sumner High School, which was displaced by the tornado that rocked the region in May 2025.
October 24, 2025
“I’m just sharing my life through my music as I go along,” Alexandra Kay says. “When I was writing the songs, I was in the middle of my divorce. But as the album goes along, you literally hear as I become 100 percent confident in my own skin. I think that Rocko [Beall, Kay’s boyfriend and guitarist] really brought that out in me. That’s what you hear once you get to the second half of this album.” The Waterloo-native singer-songwriter returned home to do a bit of soul searching between her breakout 2023 record All I’ve Ever Known and her new full-length album, Second Wind. From pristine production to clever songcraft, this late 2025 release represents an evolutionary step forward for Alexandra Kay.
READ MORE: Alexandra Kay is ready for her Second Wind
November 7, 2025
Squint snuck in one last kick to the head to end the year, and this succinct set of songs hits even harder than expected. Big Hand was one of St. Louis’ best punk records in 2024, yet Drag ups the ante by dialing in a more dynamic approach to its blistering rock. Whether it’s the fiery vocals searing on top or the brutal lyrics that read like a punch to the gut, Squint feels even more intense and deliberate with its controlled chaos. Forget earbuds, bring a mouth guard—these are the kind of songs that make you grit your teeth, you know, to brace for all the headbanging. Released by San Antonio, Texas-based DIY label Sunday Drive Records, Drag can be purchased on limited edition vinyl in two colorways: violet and half green / half purple.
December 16, 2025
When “BABY I CAN BOOST YOUR SELF-ESTEEM” comes across the screen in Zado’s new video for “ZEEZY HEEM,” the rapper is telling you exactly who he is, and what he’s here to do. While the deft lyricist has been producing music since 2016, ZADO not zaydoe marks the hip-hop artist’s most ambitious and artful project to date with six songs that incorporate production by Raasquiat, K Kudda Muzic, Tristano and Mad Keys—five formidable world builders. While Zado flows with a deep undercurrent on every cut, Khiro Kano, Marvell Cue, Be.Be The Neosoul, and Sir Eddie C are all given space to be expressive as featured vocalists.
Bonus Tracks
A few additional favorite releases outside the realm of full albums.
Top Singles: KVtheWriter
“Lover Girl” (February 14, 2025), “Love That Dog” (February 28, 2025), “Put That Shit On” (April 8, 2025), “Pray” (July 15, 2025), and “Feel Good” (September 29, 2025)
While KVtheWriter didn’t release a full-length album in 2025, her constant stream of singles kept us on the hook all year long.
Best Live Album: Still Shining, Still Becoming (Live) by Latoya Sharen
October 24, 2025
Layota Sharen’s live album showcases the soulful singer’s acrobatic voice with top-tier production that is a cut above most concert recordings.
Best Compilation: St. Louis Secret Admirer by Various Artists
February 14, 2025
St. Louis Secret Admirer is a cool, recurring cover band project where local musicians sign up to be randomly (and secretly) covered by other local artists. Proceeds from 2025’s compilation went to benefit Tent Mission STL, an initiative in St. Louis that supports homeless individuals, particularly those living in encampments, by providing resources and assistance.
Best Reissue: Action Pants (30th Anniversary Edition Reissue) by Bunnygrunt
August 8, 2025
Local indie rock darlings Bunnygrunt made good this year by re-releasing their beloved ‘90s record Action Pants! and hitting the road for a short tour.
READ MORE: Bunnygrunt celebrates the 30th anniversary of Action Pants! at The Heavy Anchor
Best Mixtape: Place No Faith in Me by Shinra Knives and Tenshi
September 12, 2025
This experimental electronic mixtape by Shinra Knives and Tenshi is a boiling cauldron of fractured beats and spliced samples punctuated by a cool and hypnotic visualizer.
