Lot of fun weird number stuff going on here. This is the last episode of the 5th season of ph5...5x5=25. This episode covers my top 25 record of 2025. So yeah! That's a thing I noticed. Cool right. But anyway that's it, the year's over, and that means a podcast about lists could only end with one thing - one more list, but a bigger one this time. Overall, 2025...pretty solid. Lots of great records with a few potential all timers.

In the past I've been a dick about it and made you listen to the episode to see the list but I've softened in my old age so here it is below. See you next year.

25. Militarie Gun - God Save the Gun

24. hell - submersus

23. Anxious - Bambi

22. Armand Hammer - Mercy

21. Blood Orange - Essex Honey

20. Lamp of Murmuur - The Dreaming Prince in Ecstacy

19. Kathryn Mohr - Waiting Room

18. Yellow Eyes - Confusion Gate

17. Oneohtrix Point Never - Tranquilizer

16. Dean Blunt - lucre

15. The Mars Volta - Lucro sucio

14. Deafheaven - Lonely People With Power

13. La Dispute - No One Was Driving The Car

12. aya - hexed!

11. Sudan Archives - The BPM

10. Turnstile - Never Enough

9. Nourished by Time - The Passionate Ones

8. billy woods - GOLLIWOG

7. Sanguisugabogg - Hideous Aftermath

6. Bad Bunny - Debir Tiras Mas Fotos

5. Rosalia - Lux

4. Purelink - Faith

3. Los Thuthanaka - Los Thuthanaka

2. Deftones - private music

1. Oklou - Choke Enough

Putting out a best of November episode in the midst of the week where every publication is releasing their year end lists makes this whole thing feel about as futile as you can imagine. But the year's not over yet!! Like I've seen so many pubs putting the Cameron Winter album and songs on their year end lists and its like yo! That album came out last year! Maybe if you hadn't jumped the gun on your round ups you wouldn't be in this ridiculous situation. Anyway. November was absolutely stacked. Albums discussed below.

Armand Hammer - Mercy

The Avett Brothers & Mike Patton - AVTT/PTTN

Bell Witch & Aerial Ruin - Stygian Bough Vol. II

Ben Quad - Wisher

Blut Aus Nord - Ethereal Horizons

Lamp of Murmuur - The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy

Oneohtrix Point Never - Tranquilizer

Rosalia - Lux

The only thing spookier than Halloween is when Halloween falls on a Friday, adding another slate of releases for me to get through before I can sufficiently start recording. Not to make it sound like a chore or anything! In fact, October was one of the strongest months of the year in terms of new releases. I'm just making excuses for my lateness. I was doing so good for like, a month or two there. This was another one of those months where any number of records could've hit that number one spot and I had to make some really tough decisions that I will probably regret later. That's what life's all about though really. Albums discussed below!

AFI - Silver Bleeds the Black Sun

Blawan - SickElixir

Chat Pile & Hayden Pedigo - Into the Earth Again

Militarie Gun - God Save the Gun

Sanguisugabogg - Hideous Aftermath

Stay Inside - Lunger

Sudan Archives - The BPM

Yellow Eyes - Confusion Gate

I can't remember the last time I actually dropped an episode on the first of the new month. Is it because I'm that eager to talk about September's music? I just have nothing better to do? A healthy mix of both? I'm back in the right headspace to really enjoy new music again, so September's episode was a lot of fun for me! With only a few solid months of new releases left, each passing month has more pressure on it to deliver the goods. How did September do? Tune in and find out. Albums discussed below!

Ariel Pink - With You Every Night

Cardi B - Am I The Drama?

Deaf Club - We Demand A Permanent State of Happiness

Doja Cat - Vie

Geese - Getting Killed

Joanne Robertson - Blurrr

La Dispute - No One Was Driving The Car

Maruja - Pain to Power

Timbaland voice It's been a long time...I shouldn't have left you....that's right folks after a delayed absence we are BACK! Why the absence? Well you'll just have to go ahead and listen to find out won't you? Given the delay I am a bit rusty, so what better way to shake that rust off by doing a deep dive on my favourite thing in the entire world to talk about. That's right, this month's episode is a bit different as instead of rambling about new music releases, I am rambling about my all time favouite band Deftones, as I look to determine where their new record sits along their all time great discography. We'll pick up traditional ph5 format episodes next month, but for now this is kinda all I really wanna talk about okay?

Insanely late again ok but at least I have a good excuse this time. What's the excuse? And what's this so called 'twist' I'm referring to in the episode title? Listen and find out! I can't be giving everything away in these little blurb things. I already tell you the albums I talk about which in my opinion is more than enough. I actually started doing that back in the first season of the show when my friend Will politely asked me to include them and I don't think he's listened to the show in years. Oh well old habits die hard or whatever. Plus including them gives me an opportunity to tag the artists I talk about when I post about it. Although honestly some artists probably wish I didn't. Anyway. Albums discussed below!

Addison Rae - Addison

Higher Power - There's Love In This World If You Want It

Joliette - Pérdidas Variables

Lorde - Virgin

Purelink - Faith

Putridity - Morbid Ataraxia

Turnstile - Never Enough

Two things! Firstly, yes ok this episode is very late. Maybe the latest ever. But at least it's here ok? I'm busy! Sorry! Secondly, I have no idea where the Mentions soundbite has disappeared off to. I'ff track it down for next time. Ok now that we've got those out of the way, hi and welcome back to ph5! This time around we're talking about May 2025 releases. May is a special month for me because I was both born in it and it's my last name. That said, May kinda sucked. But the music didn't! Take a listen to the episode and see for yourself. Albums discussed below!

Alan Sparhawk - With Trampled By Turtles

billy woods - Golliwog

The Callous Daoboys - I Don't Want To See You In Heaven

Emma Goldman - all you are is we

Miley Cyrus - Something Beautiful

Model/Actriz - Pirouette

These New Puritans - Crooked Wing

yeule - Evangelical Girl Is A Gun

Wherein I go in way over my head and talk about shit that I have absolutely no business talking about. But that's part of the fun of this whole thing isn't it? How can you best articulate what is swirling around in your head, even if you barely understand it yourself? I had to bend some of the sacred rules in this episode and I'm sorry about that but I would have truly been remiss to not talk about a few of the records I missed last month. Don't worry I filed a complaint with management on all of your behalf. Albums discussed below!

aya - hexed!

Djrum - Under Tangled Silence

Heavy Heavy Low Low - Pain Olympics

Jane Remover - Revengeseekerz

Los Thuthanka - Los Thuthunaka

The Mars Volta - Lucro sucio; Los ojo del vacio

Snooze - I Know How You'll Die

Viagra Boys - viagr aboys

Shit was looking pretty dicey for a minute there I'm not gonna lie. The very fate of ph5 podcast hung by a thread...would it survive or would it perish after four long, fruitful years? Thankfully, March came ready with the goods. March was easily the best month for new music yet in 2025, with the return of some old favourites and some promising new upstarts. It was also the month with the most significant amount of new heavy music release. Surely just a coincidence. Repeat after me: everything is going to be just fine. Albums discussed below:

Backxwash - Only Dust Remains

Corpus Offal - Corpus Offal

Deafheaven - Lonely People with Power

Imperial Triumphant - Goldstar

Mikau - Agartha

Playboi Carti - Music

Teitanblood - From The Visceral Abyss

YHWH Nailgun - 45 Pounds

Who named this dumbass month though? Seriously? I stand by February is the worst month of the year and its ridiculous name doesn't really help its case. Did the music of February redeem it? Well...kind of. There were a bunch of good to pretty good records out this month but we're two months into the year and I can't honestly say I've heard anything GREAT yet. Really selling this episode aren't I! It's still worth a listen I swear! Albums discussed below:

Anxious - Bambi

Darkside - Nothing

oklou - choke enough

Panda Bear - Sinister Grift

Pissgrave - Malignant Worthlessness

Richard Dawson - The End of the Middle

Vacuous - In His Blood

venturing - Ghostholding