BY: DIGITAL WAX MEDIA STAFF

 

The month of January and the year 2025 as a whole thus far has gotten off to quite a start in terms of new music releases. Iconic names in the classic rock, hip-hop, and alternative genres have been among those to treat longtime fans to exciting new work, along with up-and-comers in an array of genres who are pushing the envelope with exhilarating new concepts and ideas. This is your FRESH WAX RECAP for January 17, 2025 – January 23, 2025.

 

It was a big week for alternative rock as well as for 90s music enthusiasts as “Two Princes” hitmakers, the Spin Doctors announced an upcoming album and accompanying tour, as well as the release of a lead-off single from the record in the form of “Gorilla.” The album, the first full-length project of new material from the band in twelve years, is set for release on April 11, 2025, and is titled Face Full of Cake.

 

 

Toronto duo Goodnight Sunrise also brought some alternative material to the table with their latestsingle, “Never Have Never Will,” which puts a moodier spin on the group’s characteristic alt/pop/rock stylings. With understated verse dynamics which make way for a powerful chorus section, “Never Have Never Will” adheres to a tried-and-true format which shakes up any preconceived notions of the Goodnight Sunrise sound.

 

 

 

 

Glam rock singer and guitarist Gyasi released the second single from his upcoming album Here Comes the Good Part in the form of the frenzied double-time rocker, “Cheap High.” The track follows preceding single, “Sweet Thing” and is the latest release from Gyasi’s upcoming full-length, scheduled for release on February 7, 2025.

 

Folk-rock hero and wide-brimmed hat enthusiast Neil Young has returned with a new single, “Big Change,” which finds the singer songwriter backed by a brand new group of musicians he has dubbed, the chrome hearts. “Big Change” brings Uncle Neil’s characteristic unruly guitar playing in spaces and offers promises – or premonitions, depending on one’s interpretation of the tune’s lyrics – of viable and unavoidable change. An album of new material from Young is expected to emerge in the coming months.

 

One of the most captivating single releases of the week comes from nine-piece jazz/soul/funk outfit, The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble. “Los Olas” marks the first single from the group’s upcoming LP Gemini, and offers up a heaping helping of palatable instrumental jazz with r&b/hip-hop sensibilities and plenty of musical interest. Gemini will serve as the studio follow-up to 2022’s Step Down, and is expected to see release on March 28, 2025, through the Colemine Records imprint.

 

Legendary hip-hop wild man, Busta Rhymes returned on Friday with a six-track EP project, Dragon Season… The Awakening. The record is indicative of Busta’s continued growth as an artist and his career-long journey from animated procurer of party music to a highly skilled veteran in the game who commands respect from peers and newcomers alike. Rhymes’ lyrical ability and penchant for unrelenting flows is on full display throughout the appropriately titled EP.

 

 

Honorable Mention:

 

Beloved Beatles drummer and solo artist, Ringo Starr emerged with a successful new album this month with Look Up. Though the release falls short of the timeframe window of this week’s FRESH WAX RECAP, it’s a particularly noteworthy release in that it not only finds the Liverpudlian legend stepping outside the rock & roll stylistic framework through which he made his name all those decades ago, it has also earned Ringo his very first number one album in his homeland of the UK. Produced entirely by T Bone Burnett and featuring a host of contributing collaborators including Billy Strings, Joe Walsh, and others, Look Up marks the first Ringo Starr album to see release in over half a decade.

 

Released just days prior to the latest from Ringo, instrumental piano-jazz trio Okonski have come through with the lead-off single from their highly anticipated sophomore effort, Entrance Music. Led by the melodic instinct of bandleader Steve Okonski, the namesake trio conjures the emotive spirit of pianist Bill Evans’ in some of his own finest moments amongst trio lineups with “October,” which serves as fans’ first taste from the group’s upcoming LP, set to be released next month through Colemine Records.