SleepMaxxing, LooksMaxxing, FiberMaxxing, GymMaxxing, MoneyMaxxing and even ChinaMaxxing (whatever the hell that is) — everybody is maxing out on everything these days. I guess you could say they’re MaxxMaxxing. And since I never met a stupid trend I didn’t want to mock, I humbly offer you this roundup of new LPs for your SoundMaxxing pleasure. Take them to the… well, you know:
Gregg Allman Band
Great As Ever: Live In Philadelphia ’86
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The one-of-a-kind musical legacy of the late, great Gregg Allman continues with Great As Ever: Live In Philadelphia ’86, a previously unreleased concert recording arriving via the Rock And Roll Hall of Famer’s posthumous label Sawrite Records. Recorded Jan. 11, 1986, before a sold-out crowd at Philadelphia’s intimate Chestnut Cabaret, Great As Ever: Live In Philadelphia ’86 marks the latest in an ongoing series of electrifying live concert recordings from Allman’s personal archives. Despite the frigid temperatures outside the historic venue, the Gregg Allman Band brought the heat that night, as four years of steady touring had turned the group into a taut, well-oiled machine. The road-hardened line-up of Allman (lead vocals, Hammond B-3 and acoustic guitar), the Toler Brothers (Dan on lead guitar, Frankie on drums), Bruce Waibel (bass), Tim Heding (keyboards), and Chaz Trippy (percussion) hit the stage with a purpose, unleashing a 13-song setlist stacked with unforgettable performances of Allman Brothers Band favorites and more, including a nascent version of what would prove Allman’s biggest solo success, the chart-topping I’m No Angel.”
The Arrivals
Payload
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “After a 15-year hiatus, The Arrivals return with Payload, their first new album since 2010’s Volatile Molotov. The long-awaited release marks a confident new chapter for one of Chicago’s most enduring punk bands. Recorded by Joe Gac of Meat Wave at Electrical Audio, Payload captures the band’s powerful, dynamic sound with clarity and force. The recording jumps with urgency and detail, placing melody and grit firmly side by side. “It’s still wild to me how every time we get into a room together, after being separated by large swaths of miles and time, we just pick up exactly where we left off,” says guitarist and singer Little Dave Merriman. “This record definitely captures who we are now. It’s got some flavors we haven’t served up yet. But it’s 100% us. 100% Arrivals.”
Melanie Baker
Somebody Help Me, I’m Being Spontaneous!
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A wily exercise in cartoon realism, Melanie Baker’s debut album sees her turn to absurdist humour, highlighted by the album’s Truman Show-referencing title: Somebody Help Me, I’m Being Spontaneous! With pounding drums, fuzzy guitars, and tender lyrical precision, Baker reclaims the grit and spirit of ’90s alt-rock through a queer, modern lens. Fresh from supporting the likes of The Wytches, Maximo Park and Heidi Curtis, as well as a Mercury Prize Fringe showcase gig in Newcastle, Baker’s phenomenal live prowess is certainly developing at an impressive rate.”
Birdlegs
Visions Beyond The Ape Cave
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “As if spilling right out of some portal from the past and smack into the middle of the 2020s, Birdlegs pairs Jade Puget (A.F.I.), Gary Gutfeld (Corduroy) and Eric Ozenne (Nerve Agents), who came up together in Northern California’s Redemption 87 in the late 1990s, with Ryan Doria (Overexposure) on bass. Together they unleash a barrage of frenzied and relevant new hardcore music into the fray. Puget returns to the dark hardcore-punk guitar found on Black Sails In The Sunset, while vocalist Ozenne’s howls take us to a time when Nerve Agents were one of the best live bands of their generation. Birdlegs‘ aggressive offerings are showcased by Doria and Gutfeld’s rhythmic pounding, which serves to tether what feels like controlled chaos.”
Brown Horse
Total Dive
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Brown Horse return with their third album Total Dive. Their strongest and most grounded work to date, Total Dive showcases a new level of skill and assurance in the Norwich, U.K. band’s thoughtful lyricism and musicality. Leaning away from the playfulness and eclecticism of their previous works, Total Dive sees Brown Horse step forward into the darkness with a cautious optimism. As they move confidently between searing noise and delicate reflection, they take time to note the beauty and agony of the mundane; the death rattle of a vending machine, headlights flashing in the eyes of a road-killed fox, the heather- pink of a winter sky. The new album is the clearest expression yet of Brown Horse’s unique sound: Somewhere between the stark country rock of Uncle Tupelo, the raw intimacy of early Cat Power, and the haunted landscapes of Magnolia Electric Co., while embracing the self-possessed noisiness of alt-rock trailblazers like Built To Spill and Breeders.”
Franck Carducci
Sheeple
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Known for his electrifying live performances, virtuoso guitar work, and theatrical progressive rock sound, Franck Carducci has successfully melded classic and progressive-rock influences with a powerful modern approach to his music and intelligent lyrics throughout his career. Since 2011 he has recorded albums and toured as a proudly independent artist, enjoying a formidable reputation as one of Europe’s most compelling live performers, attracting a dedicated loyal and ever-increasing following, with praise from artists such as Steve Hackett and Sting, who he opened for in June 2022. Sheeple is a wonderful record of musical and lyrical ingenuity and his most ambitious album to date. It may be Carducci’s finest work — and another impressive step on his remarkable musical journey.”
The Features
Exhibit A (Original Sweet Tea Mix)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Features formed in the small town of Sparta, Tenn., in the mid-’90s. By the time they got to Sweet Tea studio in Oxford, Miss., in 2003 they had experienced lineup changes, recorded two albums that had never been released and had amassed a litany of demos that deserved a proper home. The upside to their tribulations was that they’d also garnered a passionate fan base and refined their songwriting into a uniquely contagious combination of rock, pop, and indie influences. At the time, they were cast as “a head-on collision between Ray Davies and Elvis Costello with the Elephant 6 Collective picking up the pieces and putting them back together in the American South.”
Femur
Tales From The Alley
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The fourth full-length from Femur, Tales From The Alley confirms the band’s steady rise within the Iberian garage underground. Sharper, heavier, and more focused than ever, this is a record that shows a band fully aware of its strengths — and pushing them hard. Across 14 new tracks, Femur deliver a direct hit of rage, garage-rock savagery and fuzz-drenched psych. Gritty riffs cut through thick layers of distortion, wah-wah lines twist into hypnotic spirals, and the rhythm section drives everything forward with raw insistence. The songs hit fast but reveal depth: strong structures, tight execution, and a clear sense of purpose from the opening track to the final blast.”
Gretel
Squish
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Squish is the debut album from London’s Gretel, a grungy and expressive guitar record inspired by artists like PJ Harvey and Sonic Youth.Packed with hooks and raw energy, the album introduces a bold new voice in the UK alternative scene. The grungy goth-pop / indie artist is one of the U.K.’s most exciting new artists. Her debut EP Slugeye came out in 2022 to rapturous praise. Unsurprisingly, when she came to play her first London show the week after her EP came out, it sold out in minutes. The hype around that debut show led to a summer of festivals. She graced the stages at Coachella, Glastonbury, Green Man, Wilderness, Blue Dot, London Calling in Amsterdam and Pitchfork in Paris and London.”
Hawel / McPhail
Sorrow Wonderland
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans — rarely has a frequently used phrase been more apt than for this second album by Hamburg musicians Rick McPhail (Mint Mind, Tocotronic) and Frehn Hawel (Tigerbeat). Their acclaimed debut album Transmissions From The Upper Room, released in 2021, was an ode to McPhail’s refuge and studio, where the two longtime friends met regularly, checked out new fuzz pedals — and at some point began writing songs together. Sorrow Wonderland, on the other hand, is a different animal, in parts even a beast. The Upper Room once again serves as the creative headquarters, with McPhail on drums and recording controls and Hawel as songwriter on guitar and vocals — but that’s where the similarities end. On Sorrow Wonderland, listeners experience two men who have learned that life can take turns that no one asked for, but that sometimes leave them with no choice but to put music on the back burner.”
Iguana Death Cult
Guns Out
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Iguana Death Cult’s latest evolution finds the Rotterdam band reflecting on hardship and doubt while facing a burning world. The result channels their early punk and garage roots, powered by Tobias Opschoor’s razorsharp riffs, Uri Rennert’s relentless drumming, Jimmy de Kok’s groovy rhythms and Jeroen Reek’s raw, emotive vocals. Formed in 2014, the band have grown from a group of friends into a renowned international act, touring with Osees and Frankie And The Witch Fingers, supporting Jack White, and appearing at SXSW, Levitation and Desert Daze. Their new album Guns Out marks a return to punchy garage-rock, exploring escapism, mental strain, and creative renewal. Tough yet introspective, the record captures a band coming to terms with its own evolution and the world around it.”
Joe Jackson
Hope And Fury
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Often labeled a musical chameleon, Joe Jackson insists that most of his work belongs to his own ‘mainstream’ — sophisticated pop songs with ever-shifting rhythms and textures. After his playful detour with What A Racket! (a 2023 side project exploring early 20th-century British entertainment and music), he now returns to that core territory. Hope And Fury was recorded between Michael Tibes’ Fuzz Factory in Berlin-Kreuzberg and Reservoir Studios in New York, with Grammy-winning co-producer Patrick Dillett. The album features Jackson’s trusted core lineup: Graham Maby on bass (with Jackson since Look Sharp!), Teddy Kumpel on guitar, and Doug Yowell on drums (both part of the team since 2015’s Fast Forward), joined by Grammy-winning Peruvian percussionist Paulo Stagnaro.”
Cody Jasper
Rock Is Dead
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Texas-bred musical powerhouse Cody Jasper delivers his third album Rock Is Dead, a bold, genre-spanning statement that reclaims rock as a living, evolving art form. Says Jasper: “It’s raw, loud, and unapologetic. It’s rebellion without a hashtag, grit without a filter. As long as there’s a guitar, a heartbeat, and something worth fighting for, rock will never be dead. It just refuses to behave.” Rock Is Dead, produced and engineered by Aleks von Korff (Coldplay, U2) and recorded at Red Room Studio, the home studio of Muse’s Matt Bellamy, showcases the rising rocker’s mastery of guitar and vocals coupled with a keen songwriting ability. Rather than adhering to one lane, the 10-track collection — which includes a guest appearance from legendary guitarist Warren Haynes — takes the listener on a sonic journey through alternative, hard rock, punk, classic rock, blues, and beyond. Recorded with a focus on performance and energy, the forthcoming album offers something for everyone. Each track on Rock Is Dead is a masterclass in rock attitude and fearless creative exploration — eschewing genre expectations while demonstrating a prowess of his craft.”
Lime Garden
Maybe Not Tonight
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Brighton four-piece Lime Garden’s self-reckoning second album Maybe Not Tonight unfolds as a full night out, charting the pleasures and perils of partying and impulsive decisions. “The album is about a night out, from start to finish,” singer-guitarist Chloe Howard explains. “As the night progresses, you’re having a great time, until your ex walks in with someone else. You hate the way you look but rather than going home, you press the big red button and get even more drunk. Eventually, you take yourself home full of melancholy, chaos and anger.” Written in the aftermath of a period of intense personal upheaval, described by the band as a collective “mass breakup”, the album finds Lime Garden grappling with grief, drinking, body image and self-esteem, while leaning into a shared, self-aware hedonism. Early uncertainty fuelled a creative urgency that runs through all 10 tracks.”
The Lords Of Altamont
Forever Loaded
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Lords Of Altamont are back with another blast of gasoline-soaked rock ’n’ roll. The long-running garage psych rockers are about to release their eighth album Forever Loaded. With 10 tracks and no brakes, the record captures the raw pulse that has powered the group for nearly three decades. The new album dives straight into the grit. Riffs grind. Organs howl. Rhythm sections hit like engines firing to life. Forever Loaded moves from dive-bar chaos to full-throttle psychedelic drive, keeping the group’s signature swagger intact. The music lands hard and loud, a sharp reminder of why The Lords Of Altamont remain one of garage-rock’s most relentless forces.”
Love Rarely
Pain Travels
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Emerging from the heart of Leeds’ flourishing alternative scene, Love Rarely have rapidly carved out a reputation as one of the U.K.’s most emotionally fearless math-rock outfits. Their debut album Pain Travels captures the fullest picture of who they’ve become: shaped over the course of a year in spare bedrooms and improvised recording spaces, the record chronicles the band’s collective experience of family trauma, toxic households, and the complexity of navigating adulthood with scars that shape but no longer define them.”