New Music Sampler: March 2025
With over 40 releases sampled in March, here are fifteen albums that caught and held my attention over the last month.
The New Music Sampler series is a monthly snapshot of new albums that grabbed my attention during the prior month . While there’s no guarantee that any of these releases will make my Album of the Year list come December, they all make a strong case for inclusion.
If you’ve been following Joy in the Journey for any length of time, you’ll know that my wife and I retired in June and have been traveling for the last 9+ months. Not only did we retire, but we also sold our house and most of our possessions (we stuck a few pieces of art and a couple suitcases in storage) pending a relocation to the United Kingdom to live. For most of January and February we were ensconced at an Airbnb in Kendal near the Lake District in Northern England as we searched for a new home. During those first two months of the year I was able to spend more time with new album releases than I ever had, giving each album a thorough listen and gaining a full understanding of what each offered.
At the end of February we left the UK for five weeks in the Canary Islands, spending a week hiking in four of the islands in the archipelago (El Hierro, La Gomera, Lanzerote, and Tenerife). On the last three islands we were on group hikes that significantly reduced the amount of available down time as we were in the company of others for the better part of 12 hours each day. This significantly curtailed the amount of time I was able to spend enjoying music. So, while I was able to add over 40 new releases to my “2025 Music” playlist during the month, I wasn’t able to enjoy and comprehensively evaluate each of them. It says an awful lot about the quality of the March releases that I discovered fifteen that really grabbed my attention.
Tina and I returned to the UK this past weekend; tomorrow we take the train north to take possession of our new home (a stone cottage that began life as a barn in the 17th century) in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed the 1,000+ miles of hiking that we’ve done since June, but we’re both very excited to put down some roots, to establish some structure and build new routines, to explore our local area, and to get involved in our new community. Personally, I’m also looking forward to being able to spend more time listening to and reading/writing about music, one of the greatest passions of my life.
As mentioned earlier, there were fifteen releases in March that really grabbed hold and wouldn’t let me go; I could certainly see at least 4 or 5 of these being AOTY candidates by the end of the year. As usual, this month’s selections are not ranked, but instead are listed by release date and alphabetically by artist.
Lust For Youth, Croatian Amor - All Worlds
Genre: Indietronica, Synth Pop, Experimental
Release Date: March 7
Selected Track: Passerine (feat. Emma Acs)
Pale Blue Eyes - New Place
Genre: Dream Pop, Shoegaze
Release Date: March 7
Selected Track: The Dreamer
Circuit des Yeux - Halo On The Inside
Genre: Art Pop, Darkwave, Post-Industrial
Release Date: March 14
Selected Track: Canopy of Eden
Throwing Muses - Moonlight Concessions
Genre: Alternative Rock, Singer-Songwriter
Release Date: March 14
Selected Track: Summer of Love
Beatrice Melissa - Secret
Genre: French Indie, Trip Hop
Release Date: March 21
Selected Track: Wrong Turn
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Glazyhaze - SONIC
Genre: Shoegaze, Dream Pop
Release Date: Release Date: March 21
Selected Track: Slap
Greentea Peng - TELL DEM IT'S SUNNY
Genre: Neo Soul, UK Hop Hop, Psychedelic Soul
Release Date: Release Date: March 21
Selected Track: One Foot
My Morning Jacket - is
Genre: Indie Rock, Alt-Country
Release Date: Release Date: March 21
Selected Track: Time Waited
The Horrors - Night Life
Genre: Goth Rock, Post-Punk, Darkwave
Release Date: Release Date: March 21
Selected Track: The Silence That Remains
girlpuppy - Sweetness
Genre: Alt-Pop, Indie Rock
Release Date: Release Date: March 28
Selected Track: Champ
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Lucy Dacus - Forever Is A Feeling
Genre: Indie Folk, Singer-Songwriter
Release Date: March 28
Selected Track: Ankles
Perfume Genius - Glory
Genre: Chamber Pop, Art Pop
Release Date: March 28
Selected Track: No Front Teeth (feat. Aldous Harding)
Postcards - Ripe
Genre: Indie Rock, Dream Pop, Shoegaze
Release Date: March 28
Selected Track: Dust Bunnies
Sam Akpro - Evenfall
Genre: Post-Punk, Trip Hop
Release Date: March 28
Selected Track: Death By Entertainment
The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble - Gemini
Genre: Jazz Funk, Retro Soul
Release Date: March 28
Selected Track: Las Olas
As always, I’d love to hear what you think about these albums. When you’re finished reading, listening and watching, please hop into the comments.
Anything new for you here? Did you like it? Love it? Hate it?
Which of the fifteen tracks is your favorite?
Do you feel compelled to check out any of these albums?
What did I miss in March? Hit me up in the comments with some of your favorites from last month!
What new releases are coming up in the next few months that I should be looking out for?
I just hit play on the playlist so I'll give my impressions later, but I am impressed at how many artists you have here that I have never heard of. I do listen to a fair bit of new stuff but even the few I knew of (Throwing Muses, The Horrors, Lucy Dacus, Perfume Genius, My Morning Jacket), I haven't listened to yet. Most of March was listening to Violent Femmes for my album of the month discussion (it was fun! 16 folks showed up!), but now I'm playing newer stuff again.
What stood out for me in March were: Bob Mould, Divorce, The Tubs, Will Stratton and the 20th anniversary super-extended rerelease of Of Montreal's The Sunlandic Twins. It was one of my favorites from 2005.
Some great selections here! I missed the new Pale Blue Eyes one - I must check that out, especially with their Sheffield connection. Glazyhaze was another favourite of mine and a huge leap from their debut.