It’s 2026 and I’m back again to share weekly music picks with you! This week features a couple punk-inspired tracks and a whole lot of metal.
Hit Like a Girl
Song: “Keepsake Theory”
Album: Single
Release Date: December 10, 2025
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Why I like it: The mix of raw, emotional vocals, soaring synths with a reoccurring motive, and a haunting guitar portrays the longing and frustration of missed romantic connections. This track blends sounds of midwest emo, pop-punk, and hardcore to make a truly emotional track tinged with nostalgia.
Listen:
The Fake Friends
Song: “A Sucker Born Every Minute”
Album: Single
Release Date: December 11, 2025
Location: Montreal
Why I like it: Immediately catchy from the first few notes, The Fake Friends utilize their blend of dance-punk energy and post-punk edge to keep the song interesting the whole way through.
Listen:
TRISKELYON
Song: “Major Tom” ft. Amanda Jackman (Peter Schilling Cover)
Album: Maelstrom of Chaos
Release Date: November 28, 2025
Location: St. John’s
Why I like it: TRISKELYON takes this iconic 80s synth-pop track and gives it a fierce metal reimagining. Their melodic thrash metal style fits the original style for a faithful but sonically interesting cover.
Listen:
Symphress
Song: “Ecouri”
Album: Single
Release Date: December 23, 2025
Location: Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Why I like it: From the opening piano solo to the vocal harmonies, there is a feeling of longing and haunting over top of the fierce progressive metal backbone.
Listen:
Alien Orchestra
Song: “Inside the Worn Shell”
Album: Under My Pale Skin EP
Release Date: December 16, 2025
Location: Oslo, Norway
Why I like it: This entirely instrumental track has an expansive soundscape full of emotions layered over a cinematic metal framework. The blend of sounds, textures, and orchestral arrangements allow for both immersive storytelling and introspective listening at the same time.
Listen:
Don’t have time to read through everything? Here’s all five songs on a playlist for ease of listening:
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com ’
