Manic Street Preachers, Raven, Los Lobos & Metal Albums of 1985

Catch up on the week in new music and Dig Me Out podcast

Latest Podcasts

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New Releases

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Manic Street Preachers – Critical Thinking

If you were glued to The Holy Bible’s bleak brilliance or felt the widescreen rush of Everything Must Go, the Manics’ latest, Critical Thinking, might hit you differently. Released February 14, 2025, the album marks a first: longtime bassist and lyricist Nicky Wire steps into the lead vocal role for the track “Hiding in Plain Sight.” Given how Wire’s writing has shaped the band’s most thought-provoking work, this is a moment worth hearing.

Neil Young – Oceansize Countryside

Neil Young’s archive is a goldmine, and 2025 unearths another long-lost gem. Oceansize Countryside, out March 7, is a never-before-released album originally recorded in 1977. Sitting somewhere between Comes a Time and Rust Never Sleeps, the album captures Young in transition, balancing warm folk melodies with his raw, electric edge. It’s a time capsule, finally cracked open nearly 50 years later.

Gary Louris – Dark Country

As the voice behind Blue and I’d Run Away, Gary Louris helped shape The Jayhawks’ alt-country legacy. Dark Country, out February 14, 2025, is his first album recorded entirely at home, playing every instrument himself. It strips things down to the bare essentials—just like those Jayhawks harmonies that first pulled you in.

Raven – Can’t Take Away the Fire

Before thrash took over, Raven was out there setting the stage for it, delivering speed and chaos on albums like All for One. Now, over 40 years later, they’re still at it. Can’t Take Away the Fire was recorded live in the studio, aiming to capture the energy of their late-’70s and early-’80s heyday. Old-school NWOBHM heads, this one’s for you.

Twiztid – Welcome to Your Funeral

If you ever had a Mostasteless or Freek Show poster on your wall, you know Twiztid built their own lane in the horrorcore world. Welcome to Your Funeral, released February 14, 2025, doubles down on their eerie, cinematic storytelling with a first for the duo—an entire album co-produced with longtime horror composer Joseph Bishara (The Conjuring, Insidious).

OK Go – “A Good, Good Day at Last” / “Going Home” (Single)

Sure, you know OK Go from their viral music videos (Here It Goes Again, This Too Shall Pass), but they’ve never been just about the gimmicks. Their new double single, out February 14, is their first new music since 2017, with “A Good, Good Day at Last” marking the longest time between releases in their career.

Lacuna Coil – Sleepless Empire

Remember blasting Heaven’s a Lie and Swamped back in the early 2000s? Lacuna Coil is bringing that energy back on Sleepless Empire, their heaviest album in years, out February 14, 2025. It also features their first-ever guest vocalist on a full studio album: Ash Costello of New Years Day joins Cristina Scabbia on the crushing track “In the Mean Time.”

Tobin Sprout – Bevil Web EP

For Guided by Voices fans, Tobin Sprout was always the melodic counterpoint to Robert Pollard’s raw energy (Atom Eyes, Gleemer). His new Bevil Web EP, out February 14, was recorded entirely on four-track cassette—his first time doing so since the Alien Lanes days. If you love lo-fi charm, this one’s calling your name.

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Worthy Reading

Green Day once blasted the “redneck agenda.” Now, they’re tweaking American Idiot’s lyrics to take shots at Elon Musk—while still posting on his platform.

This sharp, no-nonsense read questions whether punk rock’s biggest names—Green Day, The Offspring, Rise Against—are staying true to their anti-establishment roots or just playing the game. Meanwhile, R.E.M., Trent Reznor, and Robert Smith are bailing on X altogether.

If you love debates about music, authenticity, and where the line should be drawn, this one’s for you.

Green Day and the Elon agenda