April's Best New Releases

The focus is on quality over quantity this month

May 02, 2025

It’s hard to write about new music when you aren’t listening to much of it. Sharp Pins’ Radio DDR dominated April’s first few weeks and when I finally managed to set it aside, another two dominant records entered the fray to monopolise my listening time.

While I don’t have a lot for you this month, the albums I have chosen to highlight are truly excellent. Two of my top three records of 2025 so far.

I'm Hopelessly Addicted to Sharp Pins' "Radio DDR"

David Coleman

Apr 18

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At the end of this post, you’ll find a few additional picks on a briefer-than-usual playlist. For those who like numbers, every song included comes from a release that I would rate as 7/10 or higher.

SUNFLOWER BEAN
“Mortal Primetime”
(Lucky Number)

Sunflower Bean’s fourth record — their first self-produced effort — is a quantum leap forward for the trio, who had previously seemed incapable of maximising their obvious individual talents. The Sunflower Bean of old were often considered a promising band, but did anyone think they had a record like Mortal Primetime in them? Really? I certainly didn’t, but I’m delighted to be proven wrong. There are flashes of soft-rock excellence — at times they resemble a slightly vampiric Fleetwood Mac — along with shades of power pop and some harder rock, too. Nick Kivlen’s guitar tone is just wonderful throughout. In terms of their evolution, Sunflower Bean remind me a little of Alvvays — their early indie-pop, charming yet hardly earth-shattering, has gradually given way to a sumptuous, widescreen take on alternative rock. There’s a swaggering confidence and perhaps even a whiff of pretentiousness about this version of the band, and I’m all for it. They’ll need to contain the latter on future releases, but on Mortal Primetime at least, the balance is just about perfect.

ALBUM OF THE MONTH

VIAGRA BOYS
“Viagr Aboys”
(Shrimptech Enterprises)

Now here’s one I did see coming. 2022’s Cave World made a huge impression on me, especially the triumphant, ridiculous, and frankly hilarious “Punk Rock Loser”. Single of the decade, for my money. Viagr Aboys — I mean, come on, take my money — doesn’t have a standout with the universal appeal of “Punk Rock Loser”, but its eleven tracks showcase a greater range and consistency. And no one else is writing lyrics quite like Sebastian Murphy.

The darkly humorous “Man Made of Meat” sees a belching Murphy (with echoes of Rick Sanchez) riffing on the grisly demise of Chandler Bing, your mum’s OnlyFans, and foot fetishes. The lyrics beg to be repeated, like a classic comedy sketch, but only Murphy can do these lines justice, and part of the thrill is their sheer shock value. Did he really say that? Of course he did — the guy has the Swedish word for “loose” tattooed on his forehead.

Elsewhere, he’s gaslighting his girlfriend about a preserved corpse, imagining the world through the eyes of his Italian greyhound, and even out National-ing The National on the genuinely beautiful finale, “River King”. And it’s not all about Murphy; the rest of the band are on fire throughout.

Viagr Aboys is a modern post-punk masterpiece and the best funny album (or the funniest best album?) I’ve heard in years. They are simply untouchable.