The Punk Site 2025 Top 40: Part One – 40-31

It’s that time of year again and The Punk Site is doing its annual countdown of our favourite albums and EPs from the past twelve months. It’s an almost impossible task in whittling down the collective releases from another impressive, at least musically, year, so we are going to feature forty of the album’s that really caught the attention of our collective of contributors. Today features the countdown from 40 to 31 with all the handy links you need to check these releases out for yourself, with the rest of the countdown set to follow in the run up to Christmas. So without further ado here’s the first clutch of releases that we collectively think are highlights from 2025, along with a few images from festivals and gigs where we’ve caught some some of the bands gracing our countdown

40. SPACED – No Escape EP (Pure Noise Records)

Buffalo, NY Hardcore upstarts SPACED released their new EP, No Escape, in October. The EP features five songs that are packed with stomping riffs and psych tinged aggression that offers a perfect introduction to SPACED‘s unique brand of self-proclaimed “far out hardcore”, showcasing both the swirling textures and eye-bulging ferocity that define the group. No Escape pushes the heaviness and their unique effects-drenched textures further than ever before. Recorded by producer Jay Zubricky, the EP captures the band’s freewheeling sonic attitude but also the defiant core at the center of Lexi Reyngoudt’s lyrics. 

39. Bad Sam – Trauma (Property Of the Lost Records)

“Coming in from a place loaded with dark matter and, at times, an off-the-wall observational libretto, Bad Sam are a great example of a duo who mean serious business. Before listening to this album, I took a deep dive into the back catalogue of this rather brilliant surrealist outfit. On this album, it does not elude me that the writers and purveyors of chaos, Dean Bessie and Richard Glover, are the atmosphere-led protagonists of post-industrial Grit-Pop, purveyors of pentatonic twists that take you down dark corridors in order to meet a plethora of contagious ear-worms, sometimes lined with thought-provoking terror and underpinned by thought-provoking hooks.” (Samantha Jade)

38. Split Dogs – Here To Destroy (Venn Records)

“Split Dogs are a UK rock ’n roll band, not in the throwback to the 50’s sense, but in the stripped down full tilt life affirming sense, who took their name from the early moments of that cult classic zombie movie. A band having a name inspired by a horror movie might have you thinking this is another Misfitsinspired outing, well it isn’t, maybe there are parallels to the Danzig eras approach to recording, as this album was swiftly laid down live, but that’s about it. This is no house of horrors, quite the opposite. Split Dogs take the spirit of rock ’n roll and supercharge it in a way that few have managed. This is a flat out 22 minutes of four on the floor full tilt rock n fucking roll.” (Phinky)

37. Demented Are Go – Psychotic Mutilation (Sunny Bastard Records)

Nearly four decades after their debut full length and thirteen years after last album, one of the most notorious original Psychobilly bands are still around. Led by charismatic founder Mark “Sparky” Philips, the band presents thirteen new songs that still combines their unique style that blends elements from Rockabilly, Punk, hellish Rock ‘n’ Roll, Country and dark Blues, all delivered with Sparky’s venomous vocals. A wild and weird musical journey through human abysses, madness, and dark desires. Psychotic Mutilation brings you the songs that this sick world deserves.

36. Machine Gun Kelly – Lost Americana (Interscope Records)

Machine Gun Kelly, or mgk to his fans, released his seventh studio album, Lost Americana, in August. It is his own rediscovery of the American dream, a journey to find what has been lost. With help from his longtime collaborators, he reaffirms his signature alt-pop rock sound uniquely layered with guitars that are coated with emotion and cinematic sonics, this is an emotionally honest new chapter that reflects on his past.

35. Nervous Twitch – The Day Job Gets In The Way (Spinout Nuggets)

“Nervous Twitch are a North Of England band on a mission to bring you more than barm cakes and brass bands, this is CBGBs meets The 100 Club in their heyday, this is music to catch your anger and throw it back at you with some added Glam. That’s not to say this is an album that will sort your world out, in fact it might pose more questions than answers.” (Mark Cartwright)

34. The Wildhearts – Satanic Rites Of The Wildhearts (Snakefarm Records)

“The Wildhearts pull off the brilliant and quite mesmerising trick of being the musical chameleons of our age while remaining utterly original and unique. This album is not entertainment. It’s not willowy young women with an acoustic guitar. It’s Ginger Wildheart and his viking horde, pillaging the hearts and minds of the music-loving world. Do not resist.” (Peter Hough)

33. OORYA – Who Are Ya? (Self Released)

Forged from a mind of boundless positivity and invention, OORYA brings fresh perspectives and an otherworldly experience. Not so much a collection of songs as it is like opening a book of spells. This album’s sound is both ancestral and futuristic. A transformative sonic ritual powered by guitar, synth, driving beats, and a voice that shifts from whispered incantations to visceral howls. OORYA blends vulnerability and fury with chaotic precision.

32. CLAMM – Serious Acts (Meat Machine)

Melbourne trio CLAMM delve into the tumultuous experience of youth striving to lead an authentic and principled life in an increasingly chaotic world. Their music confronts the challenges of navigating entrenched systems of power and oppression while striving to preserve mental well-being and a strong sense of self. Through their raw and visceral sound, CLAMM aspire to foster community, ignite creativity, and provide a channel for catharsis. Serious Acts continues the band’s signature raw intensity, with frontman Jack Summer’s commanding vocals and incisive lyricism delving deep into the highs and lows of human existence.

31. Good Charlotte – Motel Du Cap (Atlantic Records)

Good Charlotte are back and they’re bringing their rawest, most authentic energy yet with their album, Motel Du Cap. The band have spent nearly three decades crafting anthems for the underdogs, the dreamers, and the broken. Now, they’re channeling a serendipitous moment into their most genuine and honest work since their early days. The spark for Motel Du Capignited when the band played a private gig at the iconic Hotel du Cap in France for a friend’s wedding in 2022. The surreal beauty of the venue, the raw emotion of the occasion, and the freedom of performing without expectations lit a fire under the Madden brothers.