The August Sweatdown 2K25 is here to give you something to sweat about for the last run of summer. We got a few weeks. Probably goes right through September. But you know. August.

The Sweatdown has existed since April of 2018 as a monthly collection of music I’ve been listening to. Sometimes it’s old tracks but it’s usually new music. Everything from indie to synthwave to rock to alternative and more. Every December is a culmination of the music I’ve listened to.

What’s Here For August

Some thoughts on the songs picked for August. And yes, it’s still a go to eventually transfer away from Spotify. Likely end of 2025.

Big return from Nine Inch Nails with one of the best songs I’ve heard from them in a very long time. I did like ISN’T EVERYONE but that’s more a HEALTH track. Less Than was great, but other than Less Than? It’s the best Nine Inch Nails song since 1,000,000 and Discipline on The Slip. I’ll be seeing Nine Inch Nails later this month.

Also great return from Deftones as well. my mind is a mountain is heavy as hell.

It might be strange to have Lies by Culture Wars on here after they were on playlists as far back as the August Sweatdown 2K18 with the song but this is a new arrangement for their upcoming album. They still haven’t released their first record! I prefer the original, but this version sounds like what they played live. Still good.

I have really enjoyed Tyler Childers new album Snipe Hunter, and Eatin’ Big Time is my second favourite song. I already had Nose on the Grindstone last month. Eatin’ Big Time is a nice little ditty about sharing the spoils with friends while keeping away the leeches. In a way it’s a lot like, well, a lot of hip-hop songs about enjoying the spoils of your work and I’m not going to say it’s better than those songs, but I will say it’s just as good in its own way.

Great remix by Wuki and Lee Foss for IDFWU. I almost don’t miss Kanye West saying FOCUS in the music video.

Goodnight by Florence Road snuck up on me. I had it on my liked list but I forgot about it and when I was assembling the playlist I listened to it again and I was like oh right, that’s why that’s here. This song is a bop. Just a nice upbeat song about breaking up.

I’ll keep adding Emi Grace on my playlists. She’s consistent as hell.

I didn’t know where to put Cross The Street by Junior Varsity since it’s a nice little song with a good energy but I’m not sure if I love the song or I just love the lady singing the songs. She’s so pretty. I hope all the success in the world for them. The chorus is great so it’s not just the hearts in my eyes.

I’m not that much in love with the actual song Bully by DURRY but the lyrics are fantastic. The chorus is great. The line, “You want the truth but you refuse to do the work it takes to learn” is so on point.

The new album by Clipse is everywhere right now and for good reason. Some excellent tracks on it. The first track The Birds Don’t Sing makes me cry when it gets to Malice’s verse so that doesn’t really work for Sweatdown. Chains & Whips though? I get so pumped in it.

August Sweatdown 2K25 Features:

Nine Inch Nails – As Alive As You Need Me To Be
Deftones – my mind is a mountain
Culture Wars – Lies
Tyler Childers – Eatin’ Big Time
Wuki, Lee Foss – IDFWU
The Royal Foundry – I Give Up
Florence Road – Goodnight
Social Order – Mistake
Emi Grace – Talk About It
Suki Waterhouse – OMG
The Dirty Nil – Fail in Time
Rich Aucoin – 303
Nieve Nella – Good Grace
Junior Varsity – Cross The Street
Fake Shark – Monster
DURRY – Bully
Clipse, Kendrick Lamar – Chains & Whips

Thank you for reading and thank you for listening. Photo by me the beach in Belle River, Ontario.