May 19, 2025 1 min read

CMU Selects - the last week’s standout releases

This week: sea monsters, diaristic doom-pop, whisper-sharp collabs and post-punk with no time for nostalgia. King Gizzard wash up something orchestral and oceanic, RUBII x AMARIA BB bring late-night heat, and more - here’s what stood out from the past week’s releases.

CMU Selects - the last week’s standout releases

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s new single ‘Grow Wings And Fly’

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard return with a beachy psych-prog cut that finds Ambrose Kenny-Smith transformed into an aquatic being, returned to sea in a surreal video by Hayden Somerville. The second single from upcoming album ‘Phantom Island’, it pairs orchestral ambition with lyrics about transcendence and sea creatures. Proto-prog-pop at its most barnacle-encrusted.

Joy Crookes’ new single ‘Carmen’

A tightly drawn character study from Joy Crookes, ‘Carmen’ explores mental health, racial identity and the resilience of female friendship circles. There’s humour and heaviness here - framed by a woozy beat that nods to Frank Ocean’s ‘Super Rich Kids’, though Crookes’ perspective is distinctly South London. Smartly styled and sharply observed.

EKKSTACY’s new album ‘FOREVER’

A lo-fi journal of love, loss and general existential weight. ‘FOREVER’ channels a homespun simplicity, with looping guitar lines and diaristic lyrics across a run of mostly two-minute tracks. Bleak, romantic, effective.

RUBII and AMARIA BB’s new single ‘Keep Hush’

This low-lit collab walks the line between R&B and rap. RUBII’s flow is soft-spoken but sharp-edged, weaving between beats with layered ease. One for late-night listening with bite.

M(h)aol’s new album ‘Something Soft’

M(h)aol continue to cut against the post-punk polish with ‘Something Soft’ - a record that’s raw, unfiltered and fiercely intentional. There’s no nostalgia here, just noise, purpose and a sharp sense of timing. 

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