It’s 2025. Streaming platforms are algorithmic slot machines. Vinyl is backed up for six months. CDs are a meme. And yet — underground labels are still dropping limited-run cassette tapes, and not as a throwback gimmick. This isn’t nostalgia. It’s strategy.

As the mainstream doubles down on frictionless consumption, tape remains a contrarian ritual. A tactile way to say: “This release matters.” Here’s why.