In the Queue highlights the already abundant list of my most highly anticipated projects that are set to be released in the coming months, with more to come. Only two months in and we have received brilliant albums from Ichiko Aoba, Saya Gray, Horsegirl, Panda Bear, and many more—2025 is already shaping up to be another great year following 2024’s unrelenting showing.
March 6
Come Into The Garden (EP)
Natalie Wildgoose
Very recently coming across February’s “Angel,” my first encounter with the spellbinding sound of Natalie Wildgoose was having queued up the track during a sunset drive home—the perfect setting for such a song. It’s a hushed and ethereal tune, offering a lush softness to meditate on or get lost in the world it offers. Only days out from the forthcoming EP, I can’t wait to hear what else comes with the release.
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March 7
Rift
Clara Mann
Another artist I only recently came across, and again, it couldn’t be anything but perfect timing. With Mann’s debut album less than a week away, each of the 5 singles that precede the forthcoming album have uniquely displayed the delicate, windswept quality that stopped me in my tracks my first time hearing “Remember Me (Train Song).” Tender, elegant, and emotional, there is a soft spirit woven into every offering thus far, providing plenty of anticipation for what else her LP1 has to offer.
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March 14
we owe you an explanation (EP)
PARTYOF2
Their first official track (and lead single) since leaving behind the grouptherapy. tag, “all 4 the best” proves Jadagrace & SWIM won’t be missing any steps as a duo. The EP title alludes to what I anticipate many of the themes on the forthcoming project will address, as the lead single sees PARTYOF2 trading reflective bars about how they became, well, a party of 2. The visuals associated with the record have been striking as well, leading to additional anticipation to see the duo’s interdisciplinary skills venture beyond the music.
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March 28
Plan 75 (EP)
The Orchestra (For Now)
Plan 75 is a long awaited release for me after having to get my TO(FN) fix in exclusively via live shows on Youtube for so long. Now, following the release of singles “Wake Robin” and “Skins,” there is finally a release date in the horizon. Even without a debut project to their name, what makes the sextet so special is a profound ability to play with tension and movement, toying with you as keyboard melodies, propulsive drums, and quivering violin lines undulate with acute accuracy. Stiflingly precise, with a demanding intention behind each note played, The Orchestra (For Now) never leaves anything to question. Their sweepingly dynamic sound pushes this EP as my most anticipated release of 2025.
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March 28
Earthstar Mountain
Hannah Cohen
The two lead tracks released from Cohen’s forthcoming LP don’t give much of a hint towards what we can expect from her fourth full length record, providing a mysterious anticipation. But if there is one constant throughout her previous offerings that is unwavering, it is the ability to deliver enchanting and sincere bodies of work, and Earthstar Mountain looks to be no different early on. “Draggin’” finds a luminous balance somewhere between earthy and groovy as she tries to unlock the burden cast upon a loved one. Meanwhile, “Earthstar” slides into a more ominous, airy space as she tries to find stability amid the dynamic complexities of intimacy.
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April 4
Forever Howlong
Black Country, New Road
As the South London collective nears their first studio album with May Kershaw, Tyler Cryde, and Georgia Ellery sharing vocal duties, I’m fascinated to hear how the individual personalities bring the LP to life. Knowing that we can expect they stay on track with their lush array of instrumentation and fine-tuned interplay, each ensuing project has shown their dynamic ability to evolve—be it conceptually, structurally, or the ever increasing depth and complexity of their arrangements.
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April 4
Trash Mountain
Lily Seabird
How spoiled we are to see another Lily Seabird record just over a year after her brilliant sophomore album was released, not to mention the accompanying reworked acoustic version brought about in the late fall. Back again with another full-length collection this spring, the upcoming album is lead by 3 cutting tracks already. Her nostalgia-laced vocals spilling tales of blanking memories in an overwhelming existence, the wondrous yearning of companionship, and the recalling of an unforgotten presence.
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April 13
Love Your Crooked Neighbour With Your Crooked Heart (EP)
Hope Slide
If their lead single “Midnight Meet (Main Street at Night)” gave any hint as to what can be expected from the Vancouver collective’s forthcoming EP, it’s riveting compositions that are riddled with dynamic instrumentation, a spectacular band chemistry, Vancouver landmarks—all wrapped around lyrics that are heartbreaking and carrying a palpable sense of yearning. Though this current Hope Slide roster doesn’t have a full length release behind them yet, we’ve come to anticipate a bursting ability to always have a grandiose and spirited flair to their sound, hidden away in their pockets, even when you may not be expecting it. A special ability that makes each listen so compelling.
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June 6
Magic, Alive
McKinley Dixon
Thematic or sonic, McKinley Dixon’s brilliance lies in the ambition of his artistry. Whether it is the delicately potent storytelling of “Twist My Hair,” or the emphatic punch of “Live from the Kitchen Table,” his work is consistently compelling—always exciting, always moving. As the story goes, Magic, Alive features three kids trying to bring their friend back to life, and then live forever—a story only Dixon could tell.
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Soundwave Society Music Club 
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