Mishael Lee

When Geese released 3D Country in 2023, it was a breath of fresh air for a genre growing increasingly gutless and reliant on algorithm slop, and it quieted the constant discussion of whether rock music had died. The album offered a revitalising novelty in the way it functionally and tastefully drew upon numerous shades, sounds, and ideas from eras of hard rock, blues rock, and classic rock.

Irk's "weird" identity remains at the forefront on sophomore record The Seeing House, which is bound to garner a lot of skepticism but might also be one to careen pessimists, sending seismic shock waves down their spinal cords in the process. Irk's brand of "weird" music has allowed their career to thrive in unconventional ways over the past 11 years. Since their establishment in 2013, the band have described themselves as "Leeds' normalest weirdos".

While this might seem like mainman Gautier Serre is moving in a familiar direction to longtime Igorrr fans, Amen sees him wholeheartedly pushing his work to its absolute maximum in an incredibly ambitious way. My first encounter with French jack of instrumental trades Gautier Serre—the main man behind Igorrr—wasn't intentional, it was a happy accident born from a typo.