These three EPs range from alt-rock to punk to no-wave experimentation, but they’re all worth hearing. We dug up a couple of short and sweet throwbacks, but also included something brand new. Whether or not you’ve heard these before, you’re going to want to hear them again.
‘Dippity Do-Nut’ by Emily’s Sassy Lime
Emily’s Sassy Lime is an essential yet short-lived band of the early riot grrrl and DIY punk scenes. But you wouldn’t know it by looking at their small discography. However, Emily’s Sassy Lime embodied the true DIY ethos of punk not just in their spontaneously lo-fi recordings, but in their entire approach to playing live. They often had to borrow instruments from other bands, making every show a different experience out of necessity, not aesthetic.
The trio, which formed in high school, released one album in 1995. They released the EP Dippity Do-nut in 1996, featuring the tracks “Bait and Switch”, “Sneaking Into Yer House”, and “Dippity Do-nut”. This three-song EP is delightfully jangly, unpolished, and totally raw, a hallmark of Emily’s Sassy Lime.
‘Pre Teenage Jesus & The Jerks’ by Teenage Jesus & The Jerks
This Lydia Lunch-fronted band was a pioneer of New York’s no wave scene, despite being a short-lived group. Of course, Lydia Lunch went on to become even more influential throughout her career. But her early work in Teenage Jesus & The Jerks helped set an entire scene in motion. Their 1979 EP, Pre Teenage Jesus & The Jerks, is a quick offering of the band’s earliest work from around 1977.
“The Closet” opens with discordant saxophone and staccato breaks that create a jarring sense of not knowing what’s going to happen next. The overblown sax aligns with the slam piano to create a cacophony of noise that’s surprisingly well contained. As much as they were chaotic art-rockers, Teenage Jesus & The Jerks knew exactly when and how to use it.
‘Powder’ by The Jewelry
For something a little more recent, emerging alternative band The Jewelry released their debut EP Powder in June 2026. The trio has a delightfully nostalgic 90s alt-rock sound that frays and fuzzes out before expertly reigning itself back in. Solid bass lines under distorted guitar highlight the drawn-out, sedated vocals longtime fans should love.
Even though The Jewelry is pulling styles from alt-rock scenes of decades past, this EP doesn’t get buried under nostalgia. It’s still thoroughly modern and youthful, making its influences known but still offering a unique collection of songs. Essentially, Powder has a great balance that doesn’t veer too far off in any single direction, keeping it from becoming derivative.
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