rex Album of the Year #3

1/8/2026

rex Album of the Year #3

NATION OF LANGUAGE
“Dance Called Memory”
(Sub Pop, 2025)

The LP above is my choice for 3rd fave LP of 2025. The LP is entitled “Dance Called Memory”, recording by Brooklyn, New York outfit NATION OF LANGUAGE 🇺🇸 on the Sub Pop label.

In 2023, the 3rd LP by this electronic/ post- punk band “Strange Disciple” was named #1 LP of the year by my friends at the Rough Trade Record Stores.

NATION OF LANGUAGE, “Strange Disciple” (Play It Again Sam, 2023)

I must admit that this selection surprised me. While I liked this LP a bunch, I didn’t rank it in my Top 20 that year.

After that, Group Member (and musician) Lee from Austin, TX shared his admiration for the music of these guys.

On June 24, I excitedly posted their song “Inept Apollo” – an early single from this forthcoming LP which was released in September.

On repeated listens over the balance of the year, this record has continued to dazzle and inspire.

I find the first 9 songs to be a masterpiece of songwriting genius. I still haven’t fully warmed to the acoustic final track “Nights Of Weight” but that matters not.

I recently fell in love with the penultimate track “In Your Head” and can’t get it off “repeat.”

Play the song a few times and it will make you feel privileged to have been exposed. It builds to an utterly remarkable crescendo at the 2:47 mark, then takes a breath like it might end prematurely and then revives and glides to a perfect end.

I sure hope they do a remix LP of this classic like Rough Trade did for Strange Disciple and a 10 min remix appears…