1st Drop Music in 2025: the Tucson move, new artist identities and plans beyond 2026.
The year 2025 was a significant one for 1st Drop Music. It was characterized by new releases, an expansion of Bear Cole’s artist identities, and a substantial geographical transition; therefore, 2025 represented a reset that helped strengthen the foundation of the label rather than slowing it down.
While the last quarter of 2025 was deliberately slowed down as the label finished moving to Tucson, the larger trend of 2025 shows a history of growth, collaboration and preparation for a very active 2026. At the close of 2025, 1st Drop Music was operating between Tucson and Flagstaff, more connected, more diverse and more forward-thinking than ever before.
Output and intent in 2025
Instead of focusing on quantity, 1st Drop Music concentrated on releasing meaningful records in 2025; albums that mattered, singles that created worlds and collaborations that spanned genres. Hip-hop, electronic, alternative and folk were able to coexist under the same banner, joined by their independence and regional identity.
Albums, singles and creative arcs in 2025
Bear Cole - Butterflies
Butterflies was a defining release for 1st Drop Music in 2025. Bear Cole solidified his position as both a sonic architect and an emotional storyteller with this record. Butterflies is a complete album statement; genre-fluid, introspective electronic dance music, and expertly produced. It fuses electronic textures with songwriter instincts, and allows vulnerability to exist without sacrificing motion. As a complete record, it acted as the anchor for the 2025 catalog and established a creative standard for future cycles. In conjunction with this record, Bear Cole has also released the core of his pop record Love in the Time of A.I. Bear Cole continues to use his electronic production skills throughout this writing project and is filled with love songs from a variety of genres.
WUUYUH - high volume experimentation
WUUYUH made a significant arrival to 1st Drop Music in 2025. During 2025, WUUYUH released: • multiple singles • numerous collaborations • several remixes • early releases and concept work related to three future albums: WUU GIRL$, Chewing Nails featuring Bear the Astronot, and Sweet Treats Vol.1. Stylistically, WUUYUH traveled freely across EDM, phonk, trap, bass music, ambient and hybrid electronic forms. The output was not random; it was experimentation and development for distinct album identities with release dates still to be confirmed.
Turntable Kachina - Arizona singles
Bear the Astronot released multiple singles featuring Turntable Kachina in 2025 related to ARIZONA. The full album was released September 1, 2026. These singles were released under the name Bear the Astronot featuring Turntable Kachina and explored regional identity through electronic music; desert rhythms, wide open spaces and cinematic pacing. Rather than rushing the album, these singles served as world building pieces, each one expanding upon the sonic language of Arizona while building upon the collaborative nature of the roster. CORE has been developing through snowball releases; future additions do not have confirmed dates.
Collaboration over isolation
Bear the Astronot released ARIZONA singles featuring Turntable Kachina in 2025. Both credits are artist identities of Bear Cole. His lyrical contributions provided narrative gravity and grounded perspective, further defining the collaborative DNA that defines 1st Drop Music. Bear the Astronot’s solo snowball album DUST also added multiple new song entries in 2025.
Building Sanpaku Eyes
Feral Business released multiple singles in 2025 as part of the rollout for their upcoming album Sanpaku Eyes. Each release refined the project’s alternative dance-rock identity; dark, rhythmically driven and emotionally confrontational. Rather than flooding 2025 with content, Feral Business focused on precision; allowing each single to breathe while creating excitement for their full-length record to be released later.
The complete collection of Flower Power by Sagebrush & The Little Flowers
In addition to releasing records by new artists in 2025, 1st Drop Music also released a singer-songwriter based record titled Flower Power (Complete Collection), a full-length record that brought together singles and additional material into a single work. Combining elements from folk tradition, indie rock sensibility and desert storytelling, Flower Power (Complete Collection) brought an entirely new emotional range to the catalog of 1st Drop Music; proof that 1st Drop Music is defined by authenticity rather than by genre.
Two artist identities with one expanded vision
The most notable development for 1st Drop Music in 2025 was the official welcoming of two artist identities to the roster: Sagebrush & The Little Flowers WUUYUH Although on paper these projects appear to be at opposite ends of the musical spectrum – one grounded in organic songwriting and folk tradition and the other steeped in electronic experimentation and digital sound design – 2025 revealed the connection between them.
Unexpected collaborations
Both identities belong to Bear Cole, whose work found creative overlap through: Remix projects Cross-genre reinterpretations Experimental collaborations that re-contextualized songs rather than reducing them to their simplest form These collaborations serve as a micro-representation of what 1st Drop Music does best: creating an environment where unlikely sounds can coexist and influence one another.
The Tucson move and q4 slow down
During the final quarter of 2025 there was a deliberate slowdown as 1st Drop Music completed its move to Tucson. This pause enabled 1st Drop Music to: Create new studios and work flow Reconnect Northern and Southern Arizona pipelines Organize catalogs, metadata and release infrastructure Plan multiple album campaigns simultaneously In independent music sustainability is strategy – 1st Drop Music chose longevity over noise.
Heading into 2026 – we've already got plenty of noise
With the move complete, work continues across these Bear Cole identities: Bear Cole Bear the Astronot Turntable Kachina Feral Business WUUYUH Sagebrush & The Little Flowers Michael Patrick Ceol From Tucson's desert streets to Flagstaff's mountain air 1st Drop Music enters 2026 united, energized and ready for full speed ahead releases. 2025 laid out the runway. Release dates remain unconfirmed for the WUU GIRL$ deluxe EP, the new WUUYUH bass/phonk album, Chewing Nails and the full-length DUST. These projects are still planned and may arrive in 2027.