Words by Jonathan Stout
When not doing freelance writing, Jonathan Stout is heavily involved in the NKY and Cincinnati music scenes as the Marketing Manager for Kentucky based venue The Southgate House Revival and founder of DIY Recording label Lo Fi City Recordings. He’s also an active musician, performing and recording with Sleepy Drums, Mutt Fuzz, Burnt Cabins and gewgaw.
Happy new year… I guess? Since there aren’t a ton of new releases yet, and since we never really did a 2025 wrap up, this month’s edition both looks at three fresh 2026 releases as well as some of our favorites from last year!
Altin Gün’s experimental vision of rock and folk music has led them to world tours, opening slots for Tame Impala and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Coachella and Primavera festival stages, and even a GRAMMY nomination. Out on February 20, their newest offering, Garip (ATO Records) — which translates to “strange” in English — combines lush Arabesque string arrangements, bursts of saxophone, glimmering synth balladry and tightly executed rock ’n roll. Throughout the release they maintain a distinct cinematic scope, equal parts Bollywood and spaghetti western. Filled with warm, soaring vintage flavored lead synth melodies, pulsing rhythms, lush guitars and airs of mystery abound, Garip never fails to pull the listener into its uniquely amorphic dimension. It is, in the end, an album of painstaking attention to detail. From the sweeping string arrangements, dialed in guitar tones, carefully sung vocal melodies, proggy tempo changes and more – these are compositions that weren’t rushed. They took their time to release a sonic journey that sounds both professional and imaginative, which can sometimes be hard to achieve.
Austin brother duo Gran Moreno have announced their forthcoming debut studio album El Sol, for release on January 17. El Sol delivers a thick mix of textures spanning the various flavors of modern psych rock. From the heavy “Aztlan” (which could’ve fit on an early album by The Sword), to the mellow, introspective blues of “Huracán,” the huge grooving Wolfmother-like riffs of “Temple of Fire” and more. Their sound confidently pivots from one muse to another while weaving everything together in a warm Tex-Mex blanket that Billy Gibbons would be proud of. If those descriptions don’t interest you, let me add that El Sol is also a conceptual two-part release: Side A: El Sol and Side B: La Luna. Each side represents a different emotional plane — El Sol radiates urgency, energy and clarity, while La Luna leans into shadow, mystery and reflection. It’s a fun mix of flavors for anyone interested in heavy psych/stoner rock that shows a lot of promise for future releases.
Arbor Labor Union released Out To Pasture (Sophomore Lounge) late last year, though many are just noticing now as it hit most streaming services this month. Sonic cousins to Silver Synthetic, Glyders and Dead Meadow, this band’s mellow yet driving take on classic-rock inspired grooves never fails to be as fun as it is mysterious. The recording sounds very natural and the band performances are loose but confident. Great for either a lazy Sunday or a road trip in the fall (and basically anything in between) there’s a comfortable assuredness to these songs that both rocks and soothes. Their classic touchstones of The Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead and Crazy Horse are evident, although this isn’t a schlocky tribute, but a fresh application. As those influences may have at some time been avoided by elitists, old is new once again and it’s finally time for indie rock to invite some classic riffs and incense into the modern repertoire. All I can say is – I’m here for it!
Believe it or not, even though we may normally cover 4-6 releases per Head Space column, many more releases are given listens in preparation of writing. Oftentimes, I really enjoy a release, but can’t think of the right words to describe it. Or I simply run out of time and space. As a result, many fantastic releases fall through the cracks of coverage, so I’d like to partially amend that now by providing a list of honorable mentions for 2025.
2025 Honorable Mentions
Ritual King – The Futureworks Sessions (Ripple Music)
Osees – ABOMINATION REVEALED AT LAST (Deathgod Corp Records)
John Dwyer – Pilot, original soundtrack (Castle Face Records)
Hooveriii – Manhunter (Levitation)
Howling Giant – Crucible & Ruin (Magnetic Eye Records)
Psychedelic Source Records – Psychedelic Riffage From Under the Ground of Budapest Vol. 4
Chris Ballew – Ready to Pop
Fish Basket – …and his second album (Interstellar Smoke Records)
Oruã – Slacker (K Records)
My Morning Jacket – is (ATO Records)
Håndgemeng – Satanic Panic Attack (Ripple Music)
Steven R. Smith – Anacapa (Worstward Recordings)
Kaki King – Tutto Passa
Motorpsycho – Motorpsycho (Det Nordenfjeldske Grammofonselskab)
The Thing – The Thing
Spilly Cave – Sixty-Four
Jake Borgemenke – Time Will Fly
The Limiñanas – Faded
Post Animal – Iron (Polyvinyl)
Bike – Noise Meditations
Ring Van Mobius – Firebrand
The Re-Stoned – Dreams from the Outside (Olde Magick Records)