2025 Lame-O Year in Review
Thanks for listening.
Hello dear readers & listeners,
We’re closing the door on 2025, but not before one last re-listen and reconsideration of all the great Lame-O records that came out this year.
Lily Seabird’s third record, Trash Mountain, was released in early April. When we first heard the batch of new songs that would become Trash Mountain sometime in the fall of 2024, we were immediately struck by how much growth was happening, and how quickly. Sitting with a new equally striking batch of demos from Lily right now, we can confidently say this is a deeply talented, hardworking and promising songwriter.
Lily also wins the Lame-O superlative for being the biggest road dog this year, touring with Mikaela Davis, Florry (whose new record is a favorite of the year), Hemlock, Thomas Dollbaum, and Robert Lester Folsom! Not to mention Doing Texas™ in March, and a first trip to the UK, including a slot at End Of The Road Festival, a Norwich show with Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse band, and multiple headlining shows.
Oh yeah, and Rolling Stone called Lily “an unflinching songwriter who’d make Leonard Cohen proud.”
A brand new Lame-O artist appears! WPTR, the solo project from Peter Gill (of great bands 2nd Grade, Hour, and Friendship - another 2025 fave) released his debut Redness and Swelling at the Injection Site this summer.
Here the pastoral four-track arcana of Bill Fox meets the harmonically restless jazz-pop refractions of Chris Weisman and Antonio Carlos Jobim. The feeling is introverted, casually moody, elegiac in an offbeat way, and altogether more John than Paul. The more time you spend with it, the more it keeps pulling you in.
Deeply funny, whimsical and sad, I find myself turning the dial to WPTR often. I’ll leave you with a quote from the great Rosy Overdrive.
“If WPTR is looking for number one hit singles from a distant galaxy, Redness & Swelling at the Injection Site has ‘em”
What a record! I know I speak for a lot of Golden Apples heads wondering how 2023’s Bananasugarfire could possibly be topped, but the truth is, none of us saw Shooting Star coming. The band’s psychedelic flourishes come fully into focus here, executed expertly without sacrificing their signature concise song lengths. Shooting Star is a sprawling new work packed to the brim with playful eccentricities and dynamism, drawing as much inspiration from mid-century folkies like Michael Hurley and Karen Dalton as it does from alt-rock of the nineties like Yo La Tengo and Stereolab. Golden Apples hit the road to support the release, playing shows Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, Joyce Manor, Marietta and will hit the road again in the new year with Antarctigo Vespucci - don’t miss em.
This year, it was a great honor to welcome one of our long-time favorites, Saintseneca, to the Lame-O roster. After a seven-year album gap, the Ohio band continues to redefine modern folk. Highwalllow & Supermoon Songs is nothing short of an epic statement: a 21-song double album, with Side D (“the cinnamon moon,” tracks 16–21) exclusive to the physical album or a bandcamp purchase. This record feels like a universe unto itself.
Made with longtime collaborator Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes), Highwalllow delivers the lush sonic landscape we’ve come to expect from Saintseneca. Lyrically, Zac Little’s pen is clever as ever, and in dark times, the spiritual companionship of this band feels especially welcome. Their tour this year with Radiator Hospital was a highlight for me, don’t miss them when they come near you.
There’s a noteworthy sample in the song Bad Penny by Dazy when Kim Deal (of The Breeders & Pixies) is asked about her songwriting process, and what she’s trying to achieve. She responds simply, “to make it sound cool,” kicking off the longest Dazy song to date - about six and a half minutes of truly the coolest sounds.
The surprise Bad Penny EP feels like a sizzle reel, highlighting James Goodson’s imaginative production, and an endless run of hooks that refuse to be placed in any one box.
Fingers crossed for more of the songs clogging hard drives in Richmond to see the light of day in 2026.
What a joy to celebrate ten years of Modern Baseball’s Perfect Cast with the anniversary re-release: MOBO Presents: The Perfect Cast LP feat. Modern Baseball (30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition.)
Originally released in 2015, between You’re Gonna Miss it All and Holy Ghost LPs, The Perfect Cast quickly became a cult favorite in the band’s catalog. The re-release shares live performances from this era at The Wonder Bar and Exit/In, mixed by longtime collaborator Jake Katz, alongside newly remastered (by the band’s Ian Farmer) video sessions from Sunday Night Salad and Altered Course.
Packaged with new artwork by longtime MoBo collaborators Jess Flynn and Perry Shall, this re-release is a special treat for longtime fans who were there, and for the millions (!) who weren’t lucky enough to get to catch the band back then. Also worth noting: this re-issue became Lame-O’s first billboard charting release, landing at #22 Top Catalog Albums, ahead of Nevermind, but behind 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
We’re coming for you next time, Tay.
Marietta’s Summer Death became a Lame-O Record this year! Intermittently out of print for years, this emo-punk classic is now in print to stay. Which is ironic to say when a new pressing is shipping to Lame-O HQ as I write this and it’s currently out of stock on Bandcamp. Still available from independent record shops, though!
Marietta reunited this year to play some shows on the East Coast, and at Best Friends Forever Fest in Las Vegas and really brought the house down.
If you haven’t caught them yet, be on the lookout for more dates next year. It’s a reunion you don’t want to miss.
The Glaswegian indie-pop duo U.S. Highball have blessed us with three songs this year, with more on the way. Don’t miss I Want A Beatle For Christmas, the band’s annual Christmas song for charity, with all sales going to the Ayrs Guinea Pig Rescue - the only rescue center of its kind in Scotland.
We love this band.
An expanded version of Trace Mountains’ fantastic record from last year, Into The Burning Blue, was released this summer. It includes demos for seven songs from the record, which you should go back and listen to. I (Eric) spent part of June on tour with Trace Mountains in the UK supporting MJ Lenderman, and it was a true joy to watch them play these songs night after night.
Finally we have Guess I Started A Band by Slippers, a heater of a track from a heater of a group. Don’t miss the great animated video by band leader Madeline BB, and if you’re in New York City - head on down to Rough Trade and see if they have any limited 7”s left. Super rare!
Thank you for listening and thank you for reading. It sounds simple and obvious, but keep sharing the music that you love with your friends. Let’s keep art human. Buy a record from a band on tour. Happy holidays and happy new year from your friends at Lame-O 😘