New Music for 2025: Lovejoy Recommendations & Beyond

Nostalgia seeps into our day-to-day life now. And COVID made it that way. 

For almost three years, life was at a standstill as the governments who swore to protect us mismanaged a pandemic, and all we could do was sit there and watch, through our phones. To some people, it’s innate to try and find ways to soothe a situation that makes us ripe with anxiety and about to pop at any second. With limited physical resources, what else is there to tap into? Memory, feeling, emotion, lived experience – nostalgia.

Instagram accounts titled ‘nostalgiacore’ began popping up left, right and centre, tapping into that desire for something a little more hopeful than what was littering our screens. People began revisiting old social media sites, digging through crates of CDs and vinyl, finding the things that brought them joy. From that, so many people returned to their alternative music roots.

Yet, it’s no secret the alternative scene started falling off post-2015 from the high it was riding from the beginning of the 21st century. The scene had become so popular in the early 2010s that major labels wanted a piece. So, some bands signed, put out the worst music of their career and fans gravitated elsewhere to different genres.

Come 2020 and the years of the pandemic, artists were released from their major label contracts, returned to their roots who left their major label contracts, returning to their roots, and producing some of the best music of their career.

Combine that desire for nostalgia with the bubbling tension of the alternative scene in the early 2020s and 2024 and 2025 is what you’re left with. Bands like blink-182 going mainstream and bringing Pierce the Veil along as openers, Bring Me The Horizon’s newest record winning accolade after accolade, Warped Tour making a return – it feels like we’re kids again.

And with such a renewed interest in the scene, with so many releases under 2024’s belt and on 2025’s horizon, it’s bound to be a hell of a good year for new music. And whether or not you’re a Lovejoy fan, here’s some alternative music – both new and old – for 2025. 

If you like one of these bands, try this Lovejoy song.

If you like Two Door Cinema Club, try ‘Model Buses.’

If you like The Smiths, try ‘You’ll Understand When You’re Older.’

If you like (... older) Arctic Monkeys, try ‘Portrait of a Blank Slate.’

If you like Catfish and the Bottlemen, try ‘Cause for Concern.’

If you like The Cure, try ‘One Day.’

If you like The Smashing Pumpkins, try ‘Consequence.’

If you like one of these Lovejoy songs, try listening to these bands.

If you like ‘Portrait of a Blank Slate,’ try Friday Pilots Club. Starting as a duo in Chicago, the band has grown along with their sound. A bit more pop than Lovejoy, but their chunky bass lines make up for it.

If you like ‘The Fall,’ try Teenage Dads. An Aussie quartet that enjoys playing with theatrics and different storytelling elements.

If you like ‘Oh Yeah, You Gonna Cry?,’ try Good Kid. A Canadian quartet specialising in math rock with a Japanese flair.

If you like ‘Call Me What You Like,’ try The Brobecks. An American quartet that gives you the chunky riffs you’re looking for.

If you like ‘Normal People Things,’ try iDKHOW. An American solo project, the eccentricities and complexities in NPT can be found throughout iDKHOW’s discography.

If you like ‘I’ll Look Good When I’m Sober,’ try Viagra Boys. Eccentric, resonant, in your face… It's a good fit.

If you like a certain Lovejoy EP, try listening to a few bands from this genre.

If you like Are You Alright?, try math rock. Known for its complex form and riveting guitars, artists like Delta Sleep, Valerian Swing, and TTNG are dominating the genre.

If you like Pebble Brain, try some other indie rock bands. We know – not the most creative suggestion – however, Pebble Brain is just a good indie rock EP. The Kooks, Squid (who could also fall under both the math rock and post-punk categories), and English Teacher are sure to give you a good feel of what else lies within indie rock.

If you like Wake Up & Its Over, try post-punk. A personal favourite genre of ours, post-punk is a very loose term, similar to the song structures, and Dead Poet Society, Fontaines D.C., and IDLES are at the forefront of this revival.

In the meantime, you can keep up with Lovejoy on Instagram, TikTok, their new official Subreddit, their official YouTube, and their vlog YouTube channel.

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