With seemingly endless album releases these days, it can be easy for some to slip through the cracks. For the August sampler, a delightful selection of dreamy indie synths, a final track that could close out a Muppet movie, a sludge-rock band obsessed with pro wrestling, and so much more.
magic America — ‘Get in the truck’
Magic America is a trio from Philadelphia consisting of Evan King, Joey Ginaldi, and Evan Lynch. They released their debut full-length album on August 29. Get in the Truck is a trippy, shoegazey, dreampop endeavor. It meanders from wispy repetitive vocals (“blursday”) to a glitchy and rhythmic synth landscape (“Get in the Truck”). They possess an impressive show of technique on synthesizers combined with the familiarity of guitar and drums. On Get in the Truck, Magic America created a love letter to the uncanny.
superstar crush — ‘way too much’
Superstar Crush released their debut LP, Way Too Much, on August 5. Hailing from Ontario, The Crush is a four-piece formed by Marzieh Darling, Chloe Butler-Stubbs, Sam Hansell, and Truaxe Fox. The opening track “U Fold, I Fold” features a morsel of ripping sax right off the bat. Then, it eases into jangly guitar and vocals that feel simultaneously sultry and bright (“Silk N’ Sleaze”). For the rest of the album, The Crush takes listeners on a journey of baroque-pop bangers (“Disco Heartbreak”) and a sentimental toy piano ballad (“This Night Has Been Unkind”) before ending with a soaring Muppet Movie-like closer (“Your Next Mistake”).
Ganser — ‘Animal hospital’
Chicago trio Ganser, consisting of Alicia Gaines, Sophie Sputnik, and Brian Cundiff, released Animal Hospital on August 29. Their unique blend of post-punk, no wave, and art rock sets them apart, refusing to define them. The opening track, “Black Sand,” explodes into a clicky beat like a Geiger counter going off in the background. It’s something slightly unsettling, an unnerving stare on the back of your neck. From there, Ganser offers up moments of industrial noise undercut by sick riffs and droll vocals (“Ten Miles Tall”). Animal Hospital is a feast of derisive whispers, (“Half Plastic”), of the sound sheet metal makes when you shake it (“Discount Diamonds”), and guitar like running from cops who will never catch you (“Plato”).
gag salon — ‘you have been killed’
London-based four-piece Gag Salon began in 2021 and released their debut album You Have Been Killed on August 19, 2025. They then called it quits shortly after. Their final show (ever) was on September 6. While I shed a tear for the loss of this chaotically theatrical art-rock masterpiece, it will have to be enough that we existed in the world at the same time, however brief. Anyway, the album is a mess of solid riffing, nonsensical narrative lyrics invoking a certain Will Wood je ne sais quoi with a bit of (dare I say) City Pop influence (“The Butler, James Petite”), and seven minutes of jangly jamming with vocals that sometimes sound like they’re about to reach through the speakers and strangle you (“Gravedigger”).
jobber — ‘jobber to the stars’
Jobber released their debut album, Jobber To The Stars, on August 22, and it’s a sludgy romp that sounds kind of like how mud wrestling feels. From guitar squeals and heavy sustained riffs backing Kate Meizner’s sweetie-heart vocals (“Raw Is War”) to wavering tones threaded through a solid rock foundation (“Clothesline From Hell”), to fiery raw phrasing that reads Hole but more ethereal (“Summerslam”). Aesthetically, Jobber has a thing for pro wrestling, as evident in their song titles and album name. According to Meizner, “In pro wrestling, a ‘jobber to the stars’ is a performer who always loses to big names, but not to total unknowns.”
Photo by Miles Kalchik
The post August’s Best Indie Rock Album Releases You May Have Missed appeared first on VICE.
