Springtime 2025 at IDOL

Photay – Windswept: Expansions / Mexican Summer
Producer Photay returns with Windswept: Expansions, an addendum to his acclaimed, wind-inspired album. Known for blending IDM, ambient-techno and jazz-funk, Photay (aka Evan Shornstein) expands his genre-defying world with two unreleased tracks and a new remix.
“Photay’s ‘Windswept’ Is an Ecstatic Embrace of Power and Wonder”. Pop Matters

Assassin’s Creed Shadows – Kage No Iro (Original Game Soundtrack) / Ubisoft Music
Following the March 14 release of the Assassin’s Creed Shadows soundtrack composed by The Flight, Ubisoft unveiled the album composed by the Montreal-based Japanese psycho-rock band TEKE=TEKE: a powerful dive into post-punk and traditional Japanese influences.
“The album release arrives as both a thrilling new entry in TEKE=TEKE’s discography, as well as an exciting evolution for Ubisoft, with the songs playing in-game for the first time, tied intrinsically to the story to soundtrack key narrative moments.” Broadway World

Dead Pioneers – PO$T AMERICAN / Hassle Records
Dead Pioneers’ new album, PO$T AMERICAN, is a righteous blend of punk and spoken word that confronts oppression with resistance and hope. Inspired by Rage Against The Machine and Public Enemy, it tackles capitalism, colonialism, and white supremacy with force and humor.
“PO$T AMERICAN leapfrogs over that bar with a slick production, thoughtful lyrics and an adrenaline rush of hardcore punk we’ve not witnessed in years.” Louder than War

Salif Keita – So Kono / No Format!
At the age of 75, the “golden voice of Africa” Salif Keita releases his first acoustic album. Recorded in Kyoto, this intimate album reveals a deeply moving voice on pared-down tracks between poignant confidences, radical stripping down and vibrant tributes to his roots.
“Wonderful.” MOJO

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Original Game Soundtrack) – Tape 1 & Tape 2 / Kid Katana Records (Mutant Ninja)
Featuring former members of Chromatics, Milk & Bone and Nora Kelly Band, the soundtrack to the acclaimed video game Lost Records: Bloom & Rage weaves together dream pop, punk and ambient. It’s an ode to teenage friendships steeped in 90s nostalgia.
“This project represents the first collaboration between these former Chromatics members since the band’s dissolution, bringing their signature atmospheric sound to a new audience through this gaming collaboration.” Northern Transmissions

Dublon – Nectar / Délicieuse Records
Norwegian producer Dublon fuses jazz and house, winning over a wide audience in no time. He gained popularity on TikTok with ‘Summer in Marseille‘ establishes himself further with his EP Nectar, combining driving rhythms, sensitive melodies and raw elegance.
“Known for his dynamic sets that seamlessly blend jazz house, deep house, melodic techno, and underground beats, Dublon has captivated audiences across some of the world’s most iconic venues.” XCEED

Enji – Sonor / Squama
Munich-based Mongolian singer Enji explores identity and belonging in her new album Sonor. Fusing jazz and folk, she captures the beauty of cultural transitions, offering music that is both nostalgic and optimistic, enriched by international collaborations.
“There is an immense power and confidence in these consistently elegant performances.” The Guardian

Deradoorian – Ready For Heaven / Fire Records
Former member of the Dirty Projectors, Deradoorian returns with Ready for Heaven, a bold, introspective solo album. A blend of mystical electronic pop, DIY spirit and krautrock influences, the album explores solitude, modern chaos and resistance to the capitalist order with powerful grace.
“The singles so far from Deradoorian’s upcoming album Ready For Heaven, ‘Digital Gravestone’ and ‘Set Me Free’, have been awesome, as expected. ‘Any Other World’, the third advance track, is similarly sublime.” Stereogum

Øystein Skar – Hem / Moderna
Øystein Skar, former member of the band Highasakite, unveils his first solo album. Combining classical and electronic influences, this intimate album explores identity through minimalist melodies and harmonic transitions, creating a musical experience both profound and original.
“Inspired by Nils Frahm and Yann Tiersen, Øystein creates an intimate and profound soundscape that gradually unfolds, from simple chords to rich, layered passages.” Music Dances When You Sleep

Sophia Kennedy – Squeeze Me / City Slang
Squeeze Me, the third album by art-pop artist Sophia Kennedy, explores the complexities and power dynamics of human relationships through catchy melodies and psychedelic hues. Kennedy’s songwriting thrives in its simplicity, and creates a sonic landscape that is both alluring and unsettling.
“Germany-based Baltimore native Sophia Kennedy is the ultimate alt-pop trickster, pinching pieces (aural, visual, lyrical) from here and there and combining them into tracks that are uniquely her own.” Beats per Minute

Phi-Psonics – Expanding To One / Gondwana Records
Phi-Psonics’ third album explores spiritual and communal connection through live improvisations. The album blends jazz and classical elements, creating a meditative soundscape that encourages introspection and a transformative listening experience.
“Their deeply soulful music draws on jazz and classical influences together with Ford-Young’s own musical experiences, relationships, and his introduction to spirituality, yoga and philosophy at a young age, to create something uniquely its own.” All About Jazz

Miynt – Rain Money Dogs / B3SCI Records
Stockholm-based psych-pop singer MIYNT unveils her second album Rain Money Dogs. She explores a psych-pop sound with influences from the 70s and 2000s, with groovy lo-fi elements, retro keyboards and dreamy melodies, to deliver an album that is both offbeat and captivating.
“Swedish psych-rocker and producer MIYNT oscillates between spacey, scuzzy psych-pop and indie propulsion.” Complete Music Update

Dam Swindle – Open / Heist Recordings
Amsterdam-based duo Dam Swindle unveils their first album since High Life in 2018. Exploring varied sounds ranging from synthwave to ambient, this intimate opus includes collaborations with Faye Meana, Haile Supreme and Joep Beving.
“Dutch duo Lars Dales and Maarten Smeets aka Dam Swindle have been consistently swindlin’ with their signature brand of feel-good grooves and high-calibre club sounds.” fabric London

Hayden Pedigo – I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away / Mexican SummerHayden Pedigo concludes his “Motor” trilogy with a maximalist and psychedelic instrumental album. Between guitar virtuosity, distorted Americana and raw introspection, he mixes tradition and experimentation with a rare intensity.
“But what’s even more gratifying is that his quality/quantity ratio is perfectly saturated, as every record arrives brimming with impossibly good and intricate guitar compositions.” Paste Magazine

McKinley Dixon – Magic, Alive! / City Slang
Chicago-based rapper and literary lyricist McKinley Dixon returns with a vibrant journey through grief and wonder. Featuring guests like Blu, Pink Siifu, and Shamir, the album redefines magic through lush, collaborative storytelling and genre-bending soundscapes.
“An immensely musical wordsmith.” Clash

Jools – Violent Delights / Hassle Records
Jools, a punk collective from Leicester, delivers a striking and visceral first album. Between social rage, intimate pain and cathartic fury, the band establishes itself as one of the most essential voices on the current British post-punk scene.
“It’s raw, and unapologetically confrontational, reflecting an unyielding determination to rise above challenges, criticism and creative constraints.” Soundsphere

Ambre Ciel – still, there is the sea / Gondwana Records
Ambre Ciel, composer and multi-instrumentalist from Montreal, releases a debut album of poetic, neoclassical pop—blending strings, ambient textures, and voice recordings into spacious, contemplative soundscapes full of grace, quiet intensity, and emotional depth.
“Catchy melodies, contagious hooks, and emotionally resonant lyrics are the hallmarks of Ambre Ciel’s music.” Viberate

Lucy Gooch – Desert Window / Fire Records
Lucy Gooch unveils a captivating debut album blending ambient, folk and electronic music. Guided by an airy and narrative voice, she explores the intimate and the dreamlike in dense compositions, inspired by poetry, cinema and inner landscapes.
“An unusually developed aesthetic vision, one that joins the atmospheric quality of ambient music with the structure of choral composition and effortlessness pop.” Pitchfork

Theo Croker – Dream Manifest / Dom Recs
Multiple Grammy Award nominee, trumpeter Theo Croker releases a visionary album that blends jazz, hip-hop and neo-soul. The work is an odyssey that explores dreams, ego and creative freedom, accompanied by stars like Estelle and Kassa Overall.
“Theo Croker finds a path to jazz greatness on Dream Manifest by unlearning the rules of the genre.” Los Angeles Times

Tropical Fuck Storm – Fairyland Codex / Fire Records
Genre-bending and wildly inventive, Tropical Fuck Storm return with Fairyland Codex — a searing, surreal plunge into societal collapse. Fusing punk-funk energy, apocalyptic wordplay, and chaotic grooves, the Australian quartet delivers a ferociously unique soundtrack for the end of times.
“Tropical Fuck Storm are masters of tension and release.” The Guardian

Rival Consoles – Landscape from Memory / Erased Tapes
Known for his atmospheric, synth-based albums, Rival Consoles has crafted soundtracks for ‘Black Mirror’, performed at major venues, and pushed the boundaries of electronic music. This new album, created after overcoming a creative block, is characterized by its propulsive and experimental style.
“One of the UK’s most influential creators of electronic music.” Resident Advisor