{"id":483323,"date":"2025-12-31T22:12:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T22:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/483323\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T22:12:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T22:12:21","slug":"the-current-picks-san-antonios-best-music-releases-of-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/483323\/","title":{"rendered":"The Current picks San Antonio\u2019s best music releases of 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"VanitaThis year, Vanita Leo confirmed her rep as the city\u2019s cumbia queen this year. Credit: Instagram \/ vanitaleomusic<\/p>\n

San Antonio musical acts had a prolific year, dropping releases across a wide variety of genres, from cumbia and country to metal and alt-rock.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some of those releases did an admirable job representing their genres on an international stage, while others mixed those genres into new and exciting musical fusions. Hell, some even seemed to obliterate genre limitations altogether.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As per usual, we tasked our music writers with selecting their favorite albums and EPs of the year and ended up with this list of 10. Since it was tough to narrow down, we even threw in a list of honorable mentions at the end.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s run them down in alphabetical order.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Calcraft \u2014\u00a0Reborn Through Torture<\/strong><\/p>\n

The brainchild of Jake Wayman and Semir Ozerkan, this death metal outfit named after a famed British executioner made quick headway in the scene, likely due to Ozerkan\u2019s ties to other Texas outfits Oceans of Slumber and Necrofier. Don\u2019t get it twisted, though. As a debut album, Reborn Through Torture holds its own as a solid piece of modern death metal with classic twists. Synths, sampled movie quotes and washes of atmospheric black metal are all part of the album\u2019s slick production. Brutality and beauty dance throughout, just like watching an old-school slasher or giallo movie but in 4K. \u2014\u00a0Brianna Espinoza<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Garrett T. Capps \u2014 Life is Strange<\/strong><\/p>\n

San Antonio\u2019s crown prince of Krautrock-infused cosmic country has given us a Petty-esque Americana confessional with his spring EP Life is Strange. This is also Capps\u2019 darkest release to date lyrically, as evidenced by the tracks \u201cEndless Hole,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m Afraid to Go Outside\u201d and \u201cToxic Serenity.\u201d Even a rollicking fiddle-driven stomper called \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d has the fatalistic refrain \u201cHappy birthday, we\u2019re all gonna die.\u201d But our fave is the title track, which somehow makes all the ennui and paranoia of the album OK with the refrain \u201cLife is strange, but it\u2019s cool.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Stephanie Koithan<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Courtesy Photo \/ Donella Drive<\/p>\n

Donella Drive \u2014\u00a0Axon\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

San Antonio\u2019s resident heavy progressive act Donella Drive continues to surprise listeners with every album release, and this year\u2019s Axon is no different. Left behind is the staccato chord work the band was once known for. Emerging in its place are slow, flange pedal-warped riffs a la Mastodon or Sleep, which melt listeners like ice cream exposed to scorching desert heat. Axon showcases Donella\u2019s technical post-hardcore chops while also turning up the spotlight on the band\u2019s funky and emotionally charged compositions. \u2014\u00a0BE<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Grasshopper Lies Heavy \u2014\u00a0Heavy<\/strong><\/p>\n

The members of this veteran art metal-meets-noise rock act weren\u2019t kidding when they named their latest album. Although past Grasshopper releases tended to strike a mix between the band\u2019s bludgeoning, off-kilter riff workouts and atmospheric tracks that explored a quieter kind of chaos, this release is mostly about the aggression. From the opening track \u201cHuman Claymore\u201d on, this sucker delivers one rhythmically complex, misanthropic gut punch after another. It\u2019s akin to being run over by a dump truck with one square wheel. But, you know, in a good way. \u2014\u00a0Sanford Nowlin<\/strong><\/p>\n

Las Hijas de la Madre \u2014 Diatribas Punk\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Though a late-year release, Las Hijas de la Madre\u2019s Diatribas Punk had time to endear itself, partly owing to the fact that it features five songs released as singles earlier in the year. The feminist, anti-capitalist, queer, Chicanx punk band, helmed by poet and performance artist Amalia Ortiz, is the exact band we need right now. \u201cDayglo\u201d is the standout album track. Its pop-punk bop is the most fun you\u2019ll ever have while lamenting the ubiquity of microplastics. But other standouts include \u201cHocicona, Peleonera,\u201d \u201cToo Drunk to Consent\u201d and \u201cPeriphery,\u201d all of which, steeped in righteous rage, exemplify Las Hijas\u2019 rare ability to make music about issues of dire import which also happens to be fucking awesome. \u2014\u00a0James Courtney<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Courtesy Image \/ Los Juanos<\/p>\n

Los Juanos <\/strong>\u2014<\/strong> La Llegada\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

At four tracks and 15 minutes, the La Llegada EP hits like a Tejano tornado, wild on arrival and not letting up until it\u2019s over. It colors exuberantly and defiantly outside the lines of the golden age Tejano blueprint that serves as a launchpad for Los Juanos. For this first extended release, which follows a slew of stellar singles, producer David Beck did a masterful job of capturing all that\u2019s best about the band. What stands out most, however, is the masterful songwriting, which is pure nuevo-Tejano gold. Right now, \u201cRaz\u00f3n Suficiente,\u201d a big-vocals waltz about existential crisis, is my favorite track, but they take turns \u2014 por la neta, every track here is a standout. \u2014\u00a0JC<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vanita Leo \u2014 Cumbiamante\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the EP Cumbiamante, Vanita Leo cemented her rising star status in the most satisfying way, delivering a song set that feels cohesive in both music and sentiment. My favorite local song of the year, Leo\u2019s unstoppable banger \u201cCumbia Wepa,\u201d isn\u2019t even on this EP, and yet it\u2019s still perfect \u2014 that\u2019s the kind of run this cumbia queen is on right now. This one features the hometown love letter \u201cSan Antonio,\u201d a stunning bolero, and other fast favorites \u201cCaballito\u201d and \u201cKais Mal,\u201d both killer cumbias. \u2014\u00a0JC<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harvey McLaughlin \u2014 Pe\u00f1a<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many people best know Harvey Mc-Laughlin for his keyboard contributions\u00a0to SA bands including the Hickoids and\u00a0Eddie & The Valiants. Turns out the guy\u00a0can also uncork darkly funny material of\u00a0his own that hits like a lost lo-fi record-ing of Warren Zevon fronting Tom Waits\u2019\u00a0band circa\u00a0Bone Machine. Demented\u00a0blues, off-kilter New Orleans grooves\u00a0and raw energy pervade in songs such as\u00a0\u201cA Bag of Shrunken Heads\u201d and \u201cA Dead\u00a0Body in the Backseat\u201d \u2014\u00a0all showing off\u00a0McLaughlin\u2019s chops as both a musician\u00a0and a storyteller. \u2014\u00a0SN<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Courtesy Image \/ Sunjammer<\/p>\n

Sunjammer \u2014 Sunjammer<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s appropriate that this country-rock jam band\u2019s fourth album is self-titled, because with this release, it feels like the collective has gelled and truly arrived at its quintessence. This album is all killer, no filler, so we recommend listening to the whole thing straight through, but we\u2019re kind of partial to \u201cLunch Break,\u201d \u201cStep Outta Line,\u201d \u201cI Wanna Quit\u201d and \u201cReal One.\u201d Homegrown like a pot plant poking in the backyard, this group is somehow supremely chill and rock \u2018n\u2019 roll at the same time. Not quite cosmic cowboys, they veer in the indie-Americana direction with more than a microdose of psychedelia thrown in.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0SK<\/strong><\/p>\n

Virtual Limbs \u2014 Big Time Crime<\/strong><\/p>\n

The biggest crime we see here is that more people don\u2019t know about experimental San Antonio noise and Krautrock duo Virtual Limbs, which released its EP Big Time Crime this spring. Standouts on the release include \u201cRoach Neck,\u201d \u201cReasonable Grandmother\u201d and the album\u2019s eponymous track. Josh Borchardt lays down harsh, looping guitar effects and monotonous spoken vocals while Mason Griffin Macias absolutely annihilates the drums.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0SK<\/strong><\/p>\n

Other 2025 San Antonio favorites:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tenure \u2014\u00a0Aspects Of<\/p>\n

Mexstep \u2014 Tr\u00e1fico<\/p>\n

Street Lamp \u2014\u00a0Guillotine<\/p>\n

Joaquin and the Glowliners \u2014 \u2018\u00a1Hijole!\u2019 (Single)<\/p>\n

New Attractions \u2014 Holding Onto You (Single)<\/p>\n

Very Old Morris \u2014 Last of the Rodeo Clowns<\/p>\n

Chavela \u2014 s\/t<\/p>\n

Favorite Son \u2014 Juniper<\/p>\n

Elnuh \u2014 Entropy<\/p>\n

West of Rome \u2014\u00a0Keep It Fly in the Negative Zone<\/p>\n

Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Follow us:\u00a0Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>| Twitter<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0RSS Feed<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"San\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tThe band will perform this Saturday at Lonesome Rose with the same lineup that kept the St. Mary\u2019s Strip bumping along to its original tunes. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Live\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSan Antonio\u2019s own Dirty River Brass Band also is playing a pair of shows at Jazz, TX.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Live\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSA\u2019s Kitten Mitten is also performing at Echo Bridge. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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