🎶 June 2025 Roundup
Summer is finally here, and my own personal summer vacation has just started. Three weeks of (hopefully) good weather, time with the family, and of course some vidya games.
Fair warning though; this particular roundup will not feature any new games. Shocking, I know, but I simply haven't had the time in-between everything else that's happened this month to spend the proper time trying anything new (of which there's been plenty). I've attempted to start Clair Obscur Expedition 33 and I've gotten maybe four hours in, but that's it as far as new gaming experiences go. I've become invested already though so, hopefully, when July's roundup comes around, there will be some more meat on that bone.
On the topic of games however, I would be remiss to not mention that the first new class DLC for Darktide dropped recently, and it has just further cemented my opinion that this game is the best coop horde shooter around. It continues to be fun and engaging, especially with friends who like to get a little sweaty. The dodging and parrying system combined with the first class audio cues can get you into a flow state like no other game I've ever played except for their previous game Vermintide 2, which I also was a huge fan of. You should check it out, and definitely get it if it's on sale during the summer.
When it comes to personal stuff, we've had some trouble with the house which has set us back a bit financially. An issue with the pipes has backed up our sewage twice in the last two months, and we had to get an inspection done. Long story short, the original builders of the house made some weird choices and routed the pipes from the sewage and the drainage around the house together which basically comes together in this four-way cross a few meters from the access drain. Stuff snags in the sharp corners of this cross every once in a while and then we get some backflow into the house. The insurance company have said that they will pick up what's left of the bill for the inspection and the pipe cleanings, but they won't give us any money for a permanent upgrade to the system. Considering how much work that would actually take, that could take us a while to afford.
But enough about that, I also have some good news!
As of August 4th I will be starting a new job. I've been working in retail for the past twelve years, and I finally have an opportunity to try something else, with way better hours - and pay! My impression is that it will be quite a challenge for the first few months as I learn the ropes, but my reward will be a consistent 8-to-16 day job with the possibility of working from home when the need arises. I will also be sharing my workplace with two of my favorite cousins who are doing development and IT for the same company, and my hope is that I can pivot from the department I'm starting in and move over to IT after a year or two. Time will tell!
One more thing: I finally have my own domain! You can update your bookmark for this site (if you have one) to blog.beanis.eu. I might make an entire self-hosted website eventually, who knows. For the time being, I'm quite happy with Bearblog and will continue to use it for the foreseeable future.
I've had plenty of great music to listen to this month. In fact, way too much (again), so I've not had the time to let most of it sink in. As such, it would be disingenuous of me to feature something that I can't claim that I've actually sat down and listened to more than once. I do have two albums that I certainly feel confident recommending though. 😁
Let's get into it!
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The Music
NET-RUINER - Prototype
Instrumental Cyber Metal, 2025
One of the few albums this month that actually kind of blew me away. Imagine the driving rhythms of the industrial techno soundtrack of Cyberpunk 2077 combined with the ferocity and chug of the DOOM soundtrack by Mick Gordon, and you should already have a pretty good idea of what this sounds like.
From what appears to be a solo project based in the UK, this has production quality way beyond what you would expect. It's consistent from start to finish over the brisk 32 minute running time, and there is absolutely no filler to be found. It has just the right amount of punch, grit, roughness, atmosphere and attention to detail that's needed to make this genre work.
Definitely my favorite release this month. I highly recommend checking it out on Bandcamp and tossing a few dollars their way if you end up buying the album like I did. I can't even decide on a favorite track here, it's just all so good.
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Oklou - Choke Enough
Dream Pop, 2025
It's a nice feeling when you start the first track of a new album and it just immediately sucks you in with its atmosphere. It's even nicer when it keeps you there until the album is suddenly over and you almost feel sad that you have to go back into the real world.
This record makes you feel like you're floating through some undefined liminal landscape where nothing exists but sound, but despite a feeling of solitude there is a constant human connection through all the electronics and weirdly inorganic sounds that surround you.
If you end up giving this a listen, make sure you're in a quiet place where you won't be interrupted and that you're using good headphones for maximum immersion.
I have to say, despite my gushing, there is a single track on the album (no. 8) which features a guest male vocalist which completely ruins the entire vibe of the record for me, and I wish they'd omitted that particular feature because the track itself is still good.
Anyway, you can get it on Bandcamp for a tenner if you vibe with this.
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Not a very exciting entry for June I'm afraid, but I hope that my summer vacation will afford me the time I need to actually digest some of the amazing media that came out in June (cause there was a lot). I'm already eager to start writing the next entry, so I'll see you again at the end of the month.
Cheers! ✌️