Another year has come to an end and 2025 marked 15 years of Disconnect Disconnect Records, with our first official release, Rebuke’s “Wouldworks” all the way back in April 2010. Since then we’ve seen markets grow and fall, with the rapid rise of vinyl around 2012 onwards to the market dropping off significantly over the last few years with the digital single being king. This has led to physical releases slowing down a bit and that’s been shown with probably our quietest year release wise for the past decade.

With a busy year personally, (including putting a few bits off I would’ve normally jumped on due to moving house and not wanting to put my money into the ever unpredictable world of punk rock), the first half of the year was especially quiet. Having ended 2024 with a bang with excellent albums from King Thief and American Thrills in November 2024, we had to wait until October 2025 for our next release, the excellent “Pyramid Scheme Of Grief” by Atlanta’s melodic punk rockers The Carolyn. Having first discovered the band with their excellent second full length “Rhythm Of My Own Decay”, it was the “Harmful History” EP in June 2023 which started my obsession with these excellent songwriters. It was the same feels as when I first heard The Lawrence Arms and Alkaline Trio Asian Man Records releases all those years ago – songs with a lot of heart and energy thrown into a nice melodic punk mixing bowl. Having been given a sneak peak of album opener (and first single) “75mg Prologue”, I knew I had to get involved in the release and have been really happy to help get the album out over here in the UK, with an exclusive Jade coloured variant of the record. The album has rightly received great praise throughout the scene and winning sets at Manchester Punk Fest and The Fest in Florida solidifying their status as one of the best melodic punk rock bands doing the rounds at the moment. It was also our first team up with the nice team at 59X Records in the States, who have some great other bands I thoroughly suggest you check out like Rough Dreams and Harpoon, The Whale.   

Following shortly on from, we had the long awaited new LP from Sydney’s Nerdlinger, “Growing Up Is Getting Old”. These 15 tracks of melodic punk rock / skatepunk  have the same catchy punk rock hooks, breakneck speeds and witty lyrics from predecessor “Happy Place” (2018) and solidify Nerdlinger as one of Australia’s best punk rock bands. The band produced a bunch of videos to support the release (as they should for keeping us waiting 7 years!) and these really highlight the fun loving nature of these Aussie punks. The question remains, can we ever get them over to the UK? We teamed up once again with Australia’s premier punk rock label Pee Records for this one, continuing our more than decade long partnership with the label and killer releases from bands like The Decline, Local Resident Failure, All Hope Remains and more!  

We wrapped up the year with a new single from UK punk rock legends 4ft Fingers, and a very welcome return with the excellent melodic punk banger “Better Days”. The single was the bands first output since 2008 and has left fans hoping 2026 sees a lot more new tunes and activity from the band. If you’re yet to check it out, go get this in your ears right now!

Alongside the releases, our bands continued to tour throughout the year, with All Hope Remains coming over for their first UK and European tour. I had the privilege of meeting and seeing the guys on the London date of their tour, where my own band Diagnostics opened. It’s been great to be playing in a band again and watch this space for new tunes! Our London favourites Modern Shakes also played some cool shows, including their first time over to the States culminating in an appearance at the legendary The Fest, alongside friends like The Carolyn, Harker, ONE FALL, Oh The Humanity!, Omnigone and lots of other bands I’m forgetting. Talking about festivals, King Thief were busy playing Music 4 Cancer and Envol et Macadam and opening for greats like Comeback Kid, Tom Morello and .moneen.

I’ve probably forgotten a lot of stuff, but it’s getting late, and I need to go and get away from a computer screen! A few things in the works for 2026, so am keeping my fingers crossed it’s a good one, and if some of the new tunes I’ve been hearing are anything to go by, look out for some great new punk rock records coming your way very soon.

As always, thanks for all your support – please keep on passing on those links to your friends and shouting about great bands so they can get out there and do what they love. John DD