Welcome to Janky Fresh Friday- the busiest day of the week for artists and labels to drop newly released music. Check in every Friday for a fresh squeeze.
John Maus: Later Than You Think (released September 26, 2025): Young Records
John Maus’ new album Later Than You Think is a huge deal. Like a really huge, massive deal. Personally, his last release in 2011 We Must Become the Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves was a formative album during my high school years and one of my first introductions to goth music or synth pop outside of the mainstream. Almost 15 years later and he’s back with a vengeance; a deeply changed man on a spiritual level, but still bringing the lo-fi dark and gloomy atmosphere to the dancefloor.
Don’t miss John Maus live this October:
Observatory OC – October 20, 2025
The Belasco – October 22, 2025
The lyrical themes have certainly changed quite a bit from 2011’s “Cop Killer” to today with “I Hate Antichrist” and this tone of religious awakening can be felt throughout his newest release. As early as the second track we get lyrics like “Satan, Satan, Satan lies. Turns everything into fucking spite”. You could technically call this a Christian album but he somehow manages to keep his art as subversive and dark as ever, possibly illustrating the isolation he feels as a Christian in the modern world. If you’re a John Maus fan then you know he has some unpredictable and controversial views, but you’re here listening anyways. Nobody else sounds even close to him so you’re stuck here dancing whether you like it or not.
related: Creatures Of The Night – Substance LA 2021
From the opening track, the experience is distinctly Maus and it feels as if he never took a hiatus. The production sounds just as gritty and lo-fi as ever, with Maus‘ deep voice almost acting as an instrument at times with how drowned out he sounds. You hear the important lyrics when he feels like you need to, but you’re deep in this cloudlike haze of bright synths and upbeat drum machines throughout the album. He did incorporate more elements of avant-garde and noise music in this release, with the explosion of laser-sounding bangs in the track “Losing Your Mind” legitimately scaring the shit out of me upon first listen.
There is certainly a lot of pressure on an artist when they take over a decade between releases, but John Maus found a way to keep his sound new and interesting while never drifting too far away from the elements people love about him. He is unapologetically himself at all times and his music reflects that; you almost have to be as offbeat as him in order to pull this off.
Peeling Flesh: PF Radio 2 (released September 26, 2025): Unique Leader Records
On the contrary for September 26, 2025, slam death metal group PeelingFlesh is back with a new “mixtape” PF Radio2 (it’s an album, but they want you to know that you’re in for an experience equally hip-hop as it is heavy metal). It’s an absolute monster of aggression with a bling-era swagger behind it that very few hardcore artists have even dared to try to approach in recent years. This method of calling their releases “mixtapes” also sets the expectations of the listener; this isn’t a new era or transformation of sound. You’re getting all of the blastbeats, growls, Southern hip-hop samples, and absolutely violent breakdowns that we’ve all come to expect from PeelingFlesh. Vocalist Damonteal Harris’ growls have really evolved in how gutteral they sound, and this release does experiment a bit more than previous ones with even more deep cut hip-hop samples and DJ scratching adding some groove to the chaos.
If you were at Sound and Fury this past year, you know that PeelingFlesh is DANCE MUSIC. The consistency of the blastbeat drums and growling vocals in contrast with the unpredictability of the hip-hop samples and breakdowns create a welcoming atmosphere for anyone to jump in the pit. They possibly had the highest amount of mosh pits out of any of the sets this weekend, but many of them resembled breakdance circles more than slam-dancing in any way. Hell, there’s even a chopped & screwed slowed-down version of PF Radio2 that they released as well if you really want to get down and hyphy. PeelingFlesh wants everyone to dance to their music, and this new release commands it.
related: Sound And Fury 2025 – Everybody Spin Kick!
In an incredibly unconventional way, today September 26, 2025 is a prime day for Dance Music releases. Not “Dance” as a genre, but “Dance” as an idea. Both of these albums are cathartic in the emotions they bring out of the listener, but upbeat and extreme enough to keep you moving at all times. Ironically enough they both have cathedral based hymn-sounding songs as well, being the closing track “Adorabo” by Maus and “Flesh Cathedral” by PeelingFlesh.
Don’t miss PeelingFlesh live this October:
Riverside Municipal Auditorium – October 12, 2025
SOMA San Diego – October 13, 2025
Hollywood Palladium – October 14, 2025
We at JankySmooth suggest that the prime way to listen to these 2 releases is back to back. John Maus‘ lo-fi atmospheric tone on Later Than You Think will put you in a dystopian wasteland dancing amongst yourself in the rubble, and afterwards PeelingFlesh will launch you directly into the middle of a rowdy block party with cars spinning doughnuts and illegal fireworks going off all around you; a spiritual cleanse before kicking off your Friday night in the wildest way possible.
Words by Danny Ryan
