While the start of our end of year features usually commands a local flavour, this year we’re shaking things up a little.
It’s just how it’s panned out, and while there have been some great releases out of Liverpool in 2023, in comparison with previous years (for albums at least), in my opinion, there hasn’t been enough diversity to justify a feature that fully represents the city and this publication.
Sometimes it can just shake out that way year on year, and I’m sure 2024 will be totally be different where we can revisit that space and give voice to those producing all ranges of wonderful noise across Merseyside.
It’s provided an opportunity to explore other possibilities. This year has been such a strong one for EPs, so much so that it would have been negligent had we not given voice to the format of brevity. Furthermore, given listener trends and how fast the world continues to move, EPs are a format that could feature more heavily in the years to come.
While several of the releases featured below haven’t adorned these pages up until this point, there are valid reasons for this. With submissions flooding in and with one set of ears and so little time to get across everything without altering our weekly publishing schedule, we found that this was the best possible way to give voice to so many releases that have been overlooked elsewhere.
So with that comes our inaugural Top 25 EPs of the Year. It’s been a challenge whittling down this list to a mere 25, such as the quality that has been produced by so many artists all throughout the world. The biggest surprise is just how many independent releases feature, and – from our perspective – it’s an honour to give each of these artists the column inches their creative endevours deserve.
Stay tuned for our Top 50 Albums of 2023, which is set for publication next Monday morning. (For those new to the site, check out our Top 50 from last year.)
In the meantime, here are our Top 25 EPs of 2023.
25.
Marina Zispin: Life and Death: The Five Chandeliers of the Funereal Exorcisms
Night School
Both originally hailing from England’s North East, Bianca Scout and Martyn Reid join forces for their debut release as Marina Zispin.
Scout, a celebrated musician and dancer with a number of solo and collaborative works in her discography, and Reid, a prominent figure in U.K. noise scene (Depletion) come together for the first time with On Life and Death: The Five Chandeliers of the Funereal Exorcisms. It’s a release that pulls ’80s-inspired synth pop through the mire, resulting in something, well… great!
On Life and Death: The Five Chandeliers of the Funereal Exorcisms is basically a soundtrack to an outliers’ disco. It’s for the coldwavers, the darkwavers and the shoegazers who can all come together and celebrate this new marvel. Let’s hope there’s more of it in the future.
24.
Horsebag: Demo ’23
Self-released
The world needs more bands that don’t take themselves too seriously, and Portland’s Horsebag most certainly respond to that particular siren call.
I’m not sure which is more awesome. The name Horsebag or the moniker of vocalist, Teflon Attackhouse. Either way, their Demo ’23 EP is like a punkish noise-rock cabaret we all need in our lives. Searing noise with the kind of cynicism one finds in the gutter, from Lump Talk to Piss Machine, the Portland five-piece project the kind of bile inspired by The Jesus Lizard and Killdozer.
While Pissed Jeans may not be releasing new music at the rate they once did, there’s plenty of fine alternatives: perhaps none better than Horsebag.
Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp
23.
Jerome: Moving
Maple Death Records
Over their two-album existence which started back in 2020, London-based duo, Jerome have produced some of the most forward-thinking electronica out there.
In particular their debut Moods – a withering dose of tech-house and IDM, taking the genres to wonderful new places, and while LP2 was slightly dialed down in approach, the pair’s follow-up, Moving EP, sits somewhere in the middle.
For those that don’t wish to be ravaged by Jerome’s hard-hitting bunker sonics of their earlier years, Moving is perhaps the entry point for those timid ears. It’s another building block on a foundation of work that continues to produce excellent results, and with the new year around the corner, hopefully there will be some more new music from the duo.
22.
Uniflora: Moving
Self-released
Bands like Uniflora are the breath of fresh air that us older folks sometimes need. A reminder that record-collecting culture and live music remains firmly intact, despite the fierce challenges it faces in a world that is forever changing and moving at break-neck speed.
Uniflora are Quinn Dugan (vocals/guitar), Theo Williams (bass) and Ruby O’Brien (drums). The trio first cropped up earlier this year with the three-song release, Francium, and while those tracks are included on their latest EP, Plastic Sturgeon, there’s a new rush of urgency when combined with the three other tracks that round out this release.
Plastic Sturgeon is a bright start for the Chicago three-piece, and from what is currently a hotbed of gnarly young bands continuing to defy the odds by keeping the torch of DIY culture burning, don’t be surprised if Uniflora follow down that same pathway as fellow Chicago acts, Lifeguard and Horsegirl. Yes, there’s more to come, of that there is no doubt.
Full review
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21.
Perfect Actress: Perfect Actress
She’s A Perfect Actress
Comprising of Naomi Kent, Darren Lesaguis, Gus McGrath and Marcus Whale, on their self-titled debut EP, Perfect Actress showcase a Dirty-era Sonic Youth barrage of noise better than most.
Occupying a similar space to fellow antipodeans Civic and Mope City, Perfect Actress are the next generation. The new breed, carrying the torch for a scene that has been one of the most prosperous over the past two decades.
Four songs and 12 minutes of diesel-powered post-punk, Perfect Actress is a bright start for the four-piece, and with plenty more to come, 2024 is shaping up as an exciting year for the most promising new act out of Sydney.
20.
The Hubert Selby Jr. Infants: Good Evening Pricks! It’s…. The Hubert Selby Jr. Infants
SuperFi Records
It’s not Slint pastiche that Dublin’s Hubert Selby Jr. Infants really echo on their debut EP, Good Evening, Pricks! It’s the Hubert Selby Jr. Infants, but the preceding band also featuring Brian McMahan: the equally fantastic Squirrel Bait.
Recorded live one day in February this year, on Good Evening, Pricks! It’s the Hubert Selby Jr. Infants, the four-piece – Jamie Grimes (guitars/ vocals), Peter McNally (guitar), Andrew Bushe (drums), and Kunal Nandi (bass) – show us how you to garner the best results from the belief of “first thought, best thought”.
Ireland has produced several fine releases so far this year, led by Hands Up Who Wants to Die’s Nil All, and, equally, the brilliantly coined Hubert Selby Jr. Infants continue to thrash around the flag from across the ditch.
Full review
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19.
Karen Vogt: Losing the Sea
Mare Nostrum Label
It’s been some year for Paris-based Australian artist, Karen Vogt. With a slew of releases under her belt, which included the wonderfully inventive Le Mans (Waxing Crescent Records) and most recently All the Time in the World, remixes from the brilliant GALÁN / VOGT 2020 release, The Sweet Wait, earlier in the year Vogt released the EP, Losing the Sea.
Six tracks that are like a specter’s whisper cutting through the night, the floaty dreamscapes that comprise of Losing the Sea showcase some of Vogt’s finest works.
There’s a spiritual element that underpins Losing the Sea, and through this journey there are a range of emotions that run as deep as any other of Vogt’s releases. It’s another string to her bow in what has been a prolific year.
Interview
Listen
Purchase from Bandcamp
18.
BAu: Indifferentemente
Aagoo Records
Teramo, Italy-based BAu are purveyors of intangible post-hardcore, and on their latest release, Indifferentemente, the four-piece (Danilo “Bau” di Francesco – guitar; Stefano Galassi – drums; Gianluca “Mastino” Rosato – guitar; Eugenio “Barabba” Barracchini – vocals) take us around the houses on nostalgic trip through the ’90s.
And while clearly influenced by that period, BAu bring their own tricks to the table, with blues-tinged noise-rock you may have expected Helmet to master in a room with End Now should the two bands had reached their peak in the same era.
Indifferentemente is a record that may not change the world, but BAu have an uncanny knack of conjuring up the kind of sound waves that continue to pull you in. They are essential in their own way, and your life will be far better off with this record in it.
17.
Ordos Mk.0: Echoes
Self-released
Bournemouth producer, Ordos Mk.0 has been one of many gems that have been unearthed since the inception of this publication, and the shapeshifter continues new ways to present their art with Echoes.
One seemingly immune from mediocrity, the producer manages to blend meditative passages with futuristic sound portals, and out of the all the independent artists across the electronic terrains, I can’t think of another that is so cleanly produced.
Yes, Echoes is sonic purity, and while Ordos Mk.0 has flirted with the dancefloor in the past, this is well away from it. Think of something poolside with pian colada in hand. In a good way!
Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp
16.
Lifeguard: Dress in Trenches
Matador Records
Of all the bands that have featured throughout these pages over the past three-and-half-years, perhaps there’s no better ‘success story’ than Lifeguard.
From the embers of Chicago’s underground scene, the three-piece have been catapulted into a new stratosphere since signing with Matador Records. Fear not, though, dear cynics: the tunes haven’t suffered as a result, and have actually got better. On Dressed in Trenches, Lifeguard reaffirm their position as one solid unit indeed, showcasing their artistic growth with songs that really are tight as fuck.
Melding ’90s-inspired indie-rock with a blistering brand of post-punk, Dressed in Trenches is Lifeguard’s finest release yet. A band clearly hungry for more, expect the ascendency to continue into the new year, with that much anticipated debut long-player in the offing.
15.
Cowboy Builder: Organs
PX4M
Edinburgh’s Cowboy Builder were one of the first under the stable of Edinburgh’s PX4M label, and following their 2021 release, The Name of the Demon Is… Cowboy Builder, they return with another beauty in the realm of utter weirdness with the Organs EP.
While billed as an EP, it unravels more like an LP, with half of the songs recorded between a charity shop basement and several flats at once. I’m not really sure how that works, but holding an ear to these seven tracks and, well, it makes sense!
If the Berlin-era Bad Seeds and Crime and the City Solution ever formed as one, then it would have sounded like this. All told, Cowboy Builder are a melting pot for miscreants, and the Organs EP is the latest release to frazzle the mind. It’s great stuff.
14.
Blimp: Egg
Self-released
Over the last couple of years, the next generation of punk and post-hardcore artists have slowly spawned from the woodwork. The West Coast has boasted impressive acts, with Sprain, Bondo and Pardoner leading the charge. Now we can add another to the list: Blimp.
The band maintain an aloofness and a two-finger salute to self-promotion (simply known as Will – guitar /vocals; Chobi – bass/ vocals; Ren – guitar; Lucas – drums). Having spent their formative years raiding record collections from gurus and parents-alike, it’s all splayed across the canvass on their debut EP, Egg.
Slowcore in essence, there’s a swirling intensity that dances around the fringes of what Brian McMahan delivered all those years ago with Washer. As the static wisps of feedback slowing bleed from speakers, few young bands have delivered something so emotionally raw.
Full review
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13.
Eijra Woon: Sophia
Cruel Nature Records
Brittany, France noise agitator, Eijra Woon, covers a lot of ground on his latest release, Sophia.
Pitting lush acoustic arrangements against blistering black metal assaults, think Alcest and Wolves In The Throne Room getting in a room together and jamming at half speed. In fact, it’s quite a surprise that no one else has tried something similar, however Eijra Woon nails it.
While black metal can sometimes seems over-bloated, Sophia doesn’t outstay its welcome. At four tracks clocking in at under 25 minutes, it’s a wonderful appetiser that showcases hard-nosed aggression and warm tender acoustic passages in equal measure, and while some may believe the two sound worlds shouldn’t coexist, with Sophia Eijra Woon blows that theory out of the water.
12.
Trusted Arcs: Static Projections
Self-released
Where this list is concerned, Bristol’s Trusted Arcs threw a spanner in the works with their debut EP, Static Projections. That’s the beauty about lists, there’s always something that throws you off track, and, well… here we are.
Led by Rhys Eggleton, Trusted Arcs take the softer side of post-metal and produce the kind of atmospherics that drift through the alt-rock broad church. Think ISIS’ more tender moments after listening to Alice In Chains’ MTV Unplugged.
Timing is everything, and with the recent alt-rock revival, Trusted Arcs operate within the margins of it. Whilst Static Projections was only released last week, already the next instalment is an exciting one, and it will be very interesting to see where the Bristol band take us next.
11.
Uriel: Divinity Reset
PNEUMATIC
Sometimes all it takes to capture a vibe is a quick glance at an album cover, and Uriel’s Divinity Reset is a bit like that.
The project of San Francisco electro oddity, Jonathan Benz, Divinity Reset is 16 minutes of futuristic synth madness. In fact, it’s filled with so much urgency that anymore of it would reduce its impact. Just imagine Fennesz on the uppers and you won’t be far off the mark.
While it could be considered an EP, Divinity Reset is seven songs that are essential in any crate digger’s sonic arsenal. Here, Benz produces the kind of sinewy psychedelia that is simply future proof, because, well… it is the future! I can’t wait to hear what comes next.
Adzes Interview “I was heavily influenced by early Mastodon and Kowloon Walled City”
10.
Sexores: Sexores
Buh Records
Following a three-year absence, Mexico City’s Sexores mark their return with a release that simply floors.
A mysterious odyssey (the duo performing under alias “2046” – voice, guitar, programming; and “606” – drums, electronic percussion), whilst we’ve heard the origins of shoegaze and darkwave combined before, on their self-titled return, perhaps none have accomplished such force as Sexores.
With guitars that ring with purity and a new vibrant energy that carries the torch of Saint Etienne and Sarah Cracknell whilst also extracting the ghouls from the Twin Peaks’ Black Lodge, Sexores take core of ideas of the past and present them in the kind of ways that are futureproof.
9.
Hell on Hearth: One Hundred and Six
Self-released
It’s been another prolific year for Hell on Hearth’s Sean Wárs. The Liverpool experimentalist celebrated the hundredth release in what has been a brutal, unsettling world of recordings that feed into the dungeonwave aesthetic.
One Hundred and Six is one of the shorter releases within the Hell on Hearth sound world and continues the haunting mind-grind the former Bodies on Everest architect has cultivated over the past two years.
Wárs is one of the most forward-thinking minds across Liverpool’s underrated experimental scene, and with his most recent releases, it’s a project that is getting stronger, making 2024 an exciting year both artist and listener.
8.
Hualun: The Minor Trio I
Katuktu Collective
Following their wʌndərlænd series, Chinese collective, Hualun (花伦), have taken things to another level with their latest release, The Minor Trio I.
While it’s been another heavy year for Hualun on the new release front, there’s a lot going on throughout the three compositions that make up The Minor Trio I. Through the lens of improvisation, the three-piece are completely locked in the groove with jazz-laden dub passages that hit in all the required places.
Through a range of samples, hip-hop-inspired drum machines, shimmering synths and piano minimalism, The Minor Trio I is something that those drawn to experientialism need in their lives. Yes, it is simply that good.
7.
The Reds, /Pinks and Purples: Unloveable Losers
Burundi Cloud
Under The Reds, Pinks and Purples moniker, Glenn Donaldson started the fun earlier this year with LP, The Town That Cursed Your Name – a release which followed last year’s excellent run of form that saw him release a string of long-players, Summer at Land’s End, They Only Wanted Your Soul and Mountain Lake Park.
It continued in 2023, with the surprise release of the Unloveable Losers EP – a collection of prior singles, which quickly followed his latest LP, The Town That Cursed Your Name.
With the Unloveable Losers EP, just think of nipping into the local for a quick half. Only it’s too good, so you to stay for another. And another. Then, well…. you get the picture.
Full review
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6.
Great Falls Funny What Survives
Total Dissonance Worship
While Great Falls’ latest record, Objects Without Pain, is one of 2023’s most intense and beautifully chaotic moments etched to tape, in many ways the fury began with the preceding release, Funny What Survives.
With the addition of new drummer, Nickolis Parks (Gaythiest, Bastard Feast), his presence has seemingly opened up a new portal of malevolence for the Seattle trio who, at three songs and seven minutes, simply capture lightning in a bottle right here.
Whether you see Funny What Survives as a precursor to Objects Without Pain or not, both are essential listening for those who like their noise on the fault lines, and if it wasn’t confirmed before, then it should be now. Great Falls are the architects of some of purest form of guitar-based music out there.
Interview
Listen
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5.
Dragged Up: Hex Domestic
Cruel Nature Records
Glasgow’s Dragged Up seem like your band’s band. A humble collective going about their business in no frills fashion, which has seen them support the likes of Loop, The Unit Ama, No Age, and basically any band worth their salt who has rolled through the North East since Dragged Up’s inception in 2018.
On Hex Domestic, the five-piece continue by putting their best foot forward, creating the kind of slacker sounds that cure hangovers. Songs that combat fumbling through pitch-black hallways consumed by A.M dread with sleepy harmonies and a scuzzed out an alt-rock aesthetic that teleports you back to your youth.
A coalition of oddball sonics with each member bringing something completely different to the table, and the result is an interesting concoction of ideas from a band that is essential to any DIY scene up and down the country.
Full review
Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp
4.
Cober: Beautiful Dissent
East Cape Calling
A veteran throughout the underground over three decades, Sheila Bommakanti’s band, Cober, rose to prominence at the turn of the century, with the alt-rock verve of Crashpilot (2000) and The Breaker, which followed two years later.
After the release of The Breaker, Bommakanti decided to fly solo with the project, and as Eulogy (2006) and The Western Cutter (2009) ascended towards those spatial atmospheres not heard on the preceding Cober releases, it wasn’t until Bommakanti’s album under her own name the wonderful 2016 release, Begin Again, that the picture became clearer.
Seven years later we are greeted with Beautiful Dissent. A sonic voyage across vast terrains where time is of no essence whatsoever. For even the casual listener, Cober has always created music that instantly unlocked certain parts of the mind, and for those who engage with music on a regular basis, Cober’s creations fully consume you.
Full review
Interview
Listen
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3.
Southpacific: Radar Road
Self-released
20 years on since their landmark release, Constance, Southpacific teased us with new music with the standalone single, Depths. Over the last three years, the track has fermented and places nicely amongst Radar Road – Southpacific’s comeback EP which has arrived like a beautiful bolt from the blue.
Despite the blustery drones and carefully sculptured dreamscapes that this 21 minutes offers, like the band’s persona, Radar Road arrives with little fanfare.
A wonderful resumption from a band that should have reached far more ears in their prime, and with some luck, that may change with Radar Road: a scrupulously plotted marvel that maintains the sublime essence of Southpacific.
Full review
Constance lost albums feature
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2.
Bad History Month: True Delusion
Julia’s War/Exploding In Sound
Under the Bad History Month guise, Sean Sprecher – who has also operated under different aliases, including Sean Bean and Jeff Mefff – is a self-effacing songsmith that has helped underpin the foundations of stalwart label, Exploding In Sound, also providing a nice foil to fellow labelmates, Pile and their wonderfully ragged post-hardcore walls of sounds.
Bad History Month’s latest offering comes in the way of True Delusion, via Julia’s War. Recorded with Sun Organ’s Tim Jordan and Dan Angel, while the EP clocks in at just over 15 minutes, so concise and pressing, one could argue that it’s the gateway for those not yet acquainted with the project.
Sprecher’s songs consist of morose tales that not only make the mundane seem like magic, but also hold a glorious cynicism that few can match.
Full review
God Is Luck album review
Listen
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1.
Mila Cloud: Long Way Back from the Familiar Place We’ve Never Been To
Self-released
Said to be “the ghost of a housewife”, Warsaw’s Mila Cloud is immersed in a world of ambient, doomgaze sonics. And the results are beautiful.
Mila Cloud’s latest release, Long Way Back from the Familiar Place We’ve Never Been To is a string of compositions that sees the artist recounting those tender moments of Boris’ Pink, and for those also yearning to remain in the sound world creating someone like, say, Bonnacons of Doom, it’s essential to follow up their latest record, Signs, with this.
Majestic, spatial, and atmospheric, Mila Cloud creates the kind of slow-motion drone that draws you into its clutches. And once you’re in its control, there really is no better place to be.
Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp
Top 25 recap:
25. Marina Zispin: Life and Death EP (Night School)
24. Horsebag: Demo ’23 (Self-released)
23. Jerome: Moving (Maple Death Records)
22. Uniflora: Plastic Sturgeon (Self-released)
21. Perfect Actress: Perfect Actress (She’s A Perfect Actress)
20. The Hubert Selby Jr. Infants: Good Evening Pricks! It’s…. The Hubert Selby Jr. Infants (SuperFi Records)
19. Karen Vogt: Losing the Sea (Mare Nostrum Label)
18. BAu: Indifferentemente (Aagoo Records)
17. Ordos Mk.0: Echoes (Self-released)
16. Lifeguard: Dress in Trenches (Matador Records)
15. Cowboy Builder: ORGANS (PX4M) ‘
14. Blimp: Egg (Self-released)
13.Eijra Woon: Sofia (Cruel Nature Records)
12. Trusted Arcs: Static Projections (Self-released)
11. Uriel: Divinity Reset (PNEUMATIC)
10. Sexores: Sexores (Buh Records)
9. Hell on Hearth: One Hundred and Six (Self-released)
8. Hualun: The Minor Trio I (Katuktu Collective)
7. The Reds, Pinks and Purples: Unloveable Losers (Burundi Cloud)
6. Great Falls Funny What Survives (Total Dissonance Worship)
5. Dragged Up: Hex Domestic (Cruel Nature Records)
4. Cober: Beautiful Dissent (East Cape Calling)
3. Southpacific: Radar Road (Self-released)
2. Bad History Month: True Delusion (Exploding In Sound)
1. Milla Cloud: Long Way Back from the Familiar Place We’ve Never Been To (Self-released)
20 replies on “Sun 13’s Top 25 EPs of 2023”
Anyone naming themsleves Teflon Attackhouse is worth a listen,pity you didn’t deem Deary’s Beauty in Blue Satin worthy of incusion, yep absolutely derivative but derived from stuff what i like🤣
[…] Sun 13’s Top 25 EPs of 2023 […]
[…] Sun 13’s Top 25 EPs of 2023 […]
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[…] Sun 13’s Top 25 EPs of 2023 […]
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