Last year I only wrote about two EPs and I feel like I barely scratched the surface. The changing nature of music consumption continues to fight against the album format. Whether it’s shorter attention spans (guilty) or the need to please streaming algorithms with a steady supply of bite-sized releases, the EP is more prevalent than ever.
Honourable Mentions
Last Drag – Epitaphs and Lyfe Sk!llz – Demo 01
Both of these releases are debuts from new groups featuring punk rock vets. Last Drag (ex-The Victim Party, Closet Monster) and Lyfe Sk!llz (ex-Father Bodies, Yeah No For Sure) deliver quick n dirty punk rock gems. Lyfe Sk!llz’s Demo 01 runs through six songs in eleven minutes while Last Drag’s Epitaphs packs a staggering eleven songs in eleven minutes. My appetite has been whet. More in 2025, please.
Top 5 EPs of 2025
#5 Lovers
Lovers I
Self-Released
London, Ontario’s loudest trio Lovers released a pair of spectacular self-titled EPs this year, each one expanding on their already expansive sound. But it was Lovers I that won me over on the strength of the Sabbathian sludge of lead-off track “Saturn” (featuring guest appearances from members of MVLL CRIMES and Polluted) the fury of hellish lava-surfer “Full of Hate” and the joy of head-bobber closer “Cosmic Cafe”. Lovers continue to be the coolest thing coming out of the 519.
#4 Less Than Jake
Uncharted
Pure Noise
At their best, ska/punk quintet Less Than Jake provide the audio equivalent of a bottle of caffeinated soda: not particularly nutritious, but can always be depended upon for a quick pick-me up. I found new release Uncharted to be sufficiently saccharine with its melodic-midtempo pop-punk hooks. The seven-song EP collects the Broken Words/Walking Pipebomb and Not My Problem/Brand New Day singles and adds three new songs. It’s the extra tracks “Sunny Side” and “Dead Days (Over and Over)” that stick with me the most.
#3 Glitch Kingdom
Glitchy Kong Country
Self-Released
I wrote about Glitch Kingdom’s two 2023 singles in last year’s rundown, likening the pair to the sensation of walking into a video arcade for the first time. Like a pinball bouncing from flipper to bumper and back again, mastermind Miller Marshall’s arrangements bounce giddily between punk, ska and metal. This stylistic direction continues on Glitch Kingdom’s debut EP Glitchy Kong Country. The new release adds five new tracks to last year’s “Candy’s Save Point” (“Millstone Mayhem” is tragically excluded from the set). This highly technical affair is full of surprises and begs for repeated listens.
#2 Dance With The Dead
Dark Matter
Self-Released
I’ve been guilty of lumping Dance With The Dead in with other instrumental synthwave/darkwave acts such as Perturbator and Carpenter Brut. But 2024’s release Dark Matter EP finds the Los Angeles-based duo leaning hard into their metal side. Tony Kim’s guitar heroics take centre-stage on opener “Cold as Hell” and guest guitarist Cole Rolland lends his guitar to riff-tastic closer “Dust”. Further setting Dark Matter apart from past releases is the presence of guest vocalists. Brandon Saller (Atreyu), Shaun Phillips (Lebrock), Gunship and Kat Von D each take on vocal duties throughout the record. I was skeptical at first, as Dance With The Dead’s “80’s movie soundtrack” vibe has always been their selling point, but the experiment works. Dark Matter is a blast.
#1 Skid Palace
Love Is A Broken Record
Self-Released
I wrote about Life Is A Broken Record at length earlier this year. You can read the full rundown here. I still find myself taken aback by unassuming singer/songwriter Skid Palace’s ability to project vulnerability and emotional resonance whether it’s via his minimalist live performance (solo electric guitar) or his polished studio release. Life Is A Broken Record is an infectious piece of electro pop/rock that I just can’t get enough of. I listened to “Room To Breathe” more than any other song this year. Get this record.