Winspear Delivered in 2025

We covered dozens of albums and singles in 2025, and it’s tempting to rank our favorite stuff like many other blogs tend to do at the end of the year. There’s a common denominator across many of our favorite releases, though, and it seems fitting to call attention to it (versus saying one artist or release is better than another).

So, let’s do that.

Throughout 2025, we were totally captivated and surprised by the Los Angeles-based record label Winspear. Although they aren’t based in the Southeast, they’ve released some stellar stuff from southern artists, including Birmingham-based power alt-rocker Jahnah Camille, New Orleans pop curveballers The Convenience, and melodic brooders Teethe from Denton, Texas. Also, they signed shoegazer Winter (who’s played some great shows here in Birmingham), as well as the hooky Indianapolis band Wishy (which played Seasick Records’ 12th anniversary show this past fall). They’ve also put out a handful of other great releases, but these are the five that we’ve spent time with and (aside from Winter) written about.

It’s tough to be a label in this moment — the margins are razor thin and the investment can be steep (particularly for vinyl and marketing). So, cheers to Winspear for taking chances on emerging indie bands and for doing so with a point-of-view. Check out their site or Instagram to learn more about their roster, and stream a few of the aforementioned releases below.