Welcome to AP A-sides, where we’re highlighting the very best songs from the past week. Every Friday, the AP editors will wade through the daunting number of tracks released daily, narrow down their favorites, and give them to you in one playlist. Because the definition of alternative is constantly in flux, there are no rigid parameters to our selections — just tracks we’re obsessively talking about and listening to on repeat. This week’s playlist features artists diverse in genre but singular in sound, including Princess Nokia, hemlocke springs, Destiny Bond, Fleshwater, Karen Dio, and more.
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Check out our picks below, and stay informed about everything coming out in September with our monthly album release calendar.
AP A-sides – September 5, 2025
- Destiny Bond – “Peace as a Punchline”
- Fleshwater – “Endless Sky”
- hemlocke springs – “the beginning of the end”
- Just Penelope – “June, July”
- Karen Dio – “Cut Your Hair”
- Her New Knife – “kittyriff” (They Are Gutting a Body of Water remix)
- The Orchestra (For Now) – “Hattrick”
- Pain Magazine – “Horse Song”
- Princess Nokia – “Blue Velvet”
- Sword II – “Even If It’s Just a Dream”