Youtube recently announced that it's no longer sharing its data with Billboard. While I've personally made no attempts to have my end of year playlists or countdowns match up with Billboard, this does not bode well for the future of the music video industry. The artform was already "dying" in a sense that we don't see auteurs at the level of Spike Jonze and Michele Gondry get their career beginnings amplified by directing the next up-and-coming indie video. That is, unless this latest Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall show gets some grander footage directed by Paul Thomas Anderson or Benny Safdie. With the death of MTV in non-United States territories and the VMAs themselves getting pushed onto the major CBS affiliates instead of giving MTV it's one night of viewership a year, I expect the major cable networks that were once major voices in the platforming of musical acts to disappear by 2030 based on the trajectory of cable television. The future is here now, old man. Maybe it'll inspire more homemade, lo-fi goofiness like the Hotline TNT video for "Julia's War". I'd prefer that to the low-effort "visualizers" everybody and their mother releases now. Just give me a photo of the album cover, accompanied by the music and the tag "(official audio)" if you're putting music on the internet for free, that's all I'm asking for if music videos are truly breathing their final gasps.
All signs point to me eventually changing the format around my end of year Top 40 Songs of (insert year here) countdowns to include non-singles and probably overlapping a ton of my songs and albums list when it comes to the artists/bands included. That's only a hypothetical problem for future Andy. For now... Fuck it, we ball like always.
The cutoff date this year was December 15th, 2025. Any single with an accompanying music video released after this date is eligible for the 2026 Top 40 countdown. As always, eligible songs for this list NEED TO HAVE A MUSIC VIDEO RELEASED BETWEEN mid-December 2024 and mid-December 2025.
Countdown Contenders
Alex G - June Guitar
Clipse featuring Tyler, The Creator - P.O.V.
Everything Is Recorded featuring Florence Welch and Sampha - Never Felt Better
Haim - Relationships
Lola Young - Spiders
Lorde - What Was That
Momma - I Want You (Fever)
Turnstile - Seein' Stars/Birds
Tyler, The Creator - Sugar On My Tongue
Written from the perspective of lead singer Sebastian Murphy's dog, "Uno II" really locks in on it's subject deeper than I ever imagined. Do dogs actually communicate their thoughts on Swedish politics to one another? I hope not because that could result in some Isle Of Dogs-style government takeovers. The music video stars plenty of canines at a seemingly small-scale dog show and has Murphy "interviewing" contestants, probably having the time of his life with man's best friends.
One more thing: Viagra Boys launched their own record label in 2025, Shrimptech Enterprises.
While I slightly preferred her 2023 debut album as Blondshell, Sabrina Tettlebaum's second record still solidified her as one of the 2020's greatest indie rock festival locks. "T&A" in particular immediately grabbed a hold of my brain and hasn't left since If You Asked for A Picture's May release. The song lays out her unfortunate romantic history of consistently falling for men that act mean. For instance, a male friend complimenting her on her figure instead of her personality and the internal struggle she faces in shutting down any possibility of them hooking up in the future so that she is not also viewed as the "mean" girl.
One more thing: I actually bought this cd and could see her getting better acclaim as the decade progresses.
Whether viewed as a hardcore band gone mainstream or a critically acclaimed rock band that is the future of Grammy-bait, Turnstile fucking rules right now. After getting featured in a Taco Bell ad early in the 2020s, Brendan Yates and company's star has ascended to being one of the pillars of the current resurgence in rock music. "Never Enough" leads off their fourth album of the same name and goes from their typical noisy sound to a more atmospheric outro that was a preview of transitions to come on the project. Feel free to go listen to the entire album since the closing drumming really seamlessly feeds into the second track of the project and the whole thing is glued together pretty flawlessly.
One more thing: Youtuber Mic the Snare recently pointed out how Yates' voice is just a tonally more aggressive Sting from The Police and I can't unhear that.
After going back to listen to their album Different Class which came out the year I was born, I really only got into Pulp a couple of years ago. I was a fan of their standalone 2013 single "After You" in the moment but as an American listener, that was my only real-time experience with the band. A 24-year hiatus will do that to a group as their first album since 2001 (this year's More) didn't cause as much of a Britpop revival as the Oasis reunion tour but somebody tell the Gallaghers to get to work on something as fun and danceable as "Got To Have Love".
One more thing: Jarvis Cocker (lead singer for Pulp) has appeared on my countdown before at #6 in 2017 on Feist's "Century".
The music industry is notoriously running out of band names for great bands. Not to be confused with the now legendary hip-hop producer Mustard, Ian Cohen of Pitchfork was the first person to recommend this shoegaze band to me in 2025. Not even a month later, they appeared on Later... With Jools Holland and the rest is history. Soothing, somewhat monotone vocals accompanied by some of the noisiest guitar playing has a real hit-or-miss track record for me. Lead singer Katie Ball's vocals remind me so much of a cross between The Cocteau Twins' Elisabeth Fraser and Chvrches' Lauren Mayberry singing over an instrumental that sounds like it was ripped from My Bloody Valentine or a more modern reject from Beach House's immaculate 2018 album, 7. The whole song is one noisy soup with the heat turned up to 11.
One more thing: We Were Just Here is actually Just Mustard's third album.
Spellling just continue to not miss in their enchanting music catalog. "Destiny Arrives" was our first exposure to the prog-pop queen's fifth studio album, Portrait of My Heart and while it fits more in line with the stellar songs she's released up to this point, the lead single was a bit of a red herring. The album itself hops around from genre to genre, seeing songs reminiscent (to me at least) of Evanescence and more rock inspiration. This song is still the highlight however as a show-stopper in vocal exercise with an ascendant tone that really pulls the listener in and takes us along on a journey that I really enjoyed.
One more thing: This is Spellling's second appearance on my end-of-year countdown after 2021's "Turning Wheel" at #23.
Viagra Boys just know how to make ridiculous concepts into kick-ass post-punk music. The entire chorus of this song pokes fun at everyone, including the singer himself. Everything feels so heavily monetized in 2025 that it feels insane to even have to pay for anything anymore, yadayadayada economy talk. Sebastian Murphy and the boys are better at writing about this shit than I am. In many ways (like not having to necessarily work in a factory), the world has improved. In others (the way we exploit other countries' workforces comfortability for our own), it has not. The song also pokes fun at vanity, people searching for quick hits of dopamine and lets Murphy give the performance of his life as he lets his freak flag fly. Oh, and it's catchier than anything else on their great Viagr aboys album, a compliment of the highest honor when "Store Policy" exists.
One more thing: #34 on 2024's countdown? "Cinderella" by Remi Wolf.
I'm not sure what happened in the 2010s that made smooth, throwback, soulful R&B jams seem tacky as all hell. Maybe it had something to do with the types of artists that were adopting one of the greatest styles of music. Durand Jones & The Indications are 100% genuine in their approach to the genre and "Flower Moon" was an absolutely refreshing treat to hear when I gave their fourth studio album, Flowers a listen this summer. It has not left my rotation since as the buttery harmonies of Durand Jones and the band are some of the greatest vocals I heard this year. The 70s style of production fits this track loosely onto any yacht rock playlists as well if you're looking to expand the tastes of any older generation. This is about as uniformly agreed upon "good music" as you'll find on this countdown and anybody that doesn't approve is clearly living a miserable life.
One more thing: Durand Jones & The Indications are signed to Dead Oceans record label, who also have Japanese Breakfast, Dirty Projectors and Wednesday on their roster of modern day indie legends.
Australian electronica musician Mallrat was not on my radar until I first heard "Pavement" back in January. "Pavement" heavily utilizes two completely contrasting samples between fellow Aussie act Cub Sport's "Beg U" and a 1994 southern gangsta rap track "Born To Lose" by DJ Zirk featuring Buckshot and Primo. When I first heard the song, I thought somebody buried Three Six Mafia in a house mix. Alas, Grace Shaw (AKA: Mallrat) adds her own verses and autotuned vocals over the mix and makes a completely frankenstein'ed song of her own that sounds oddly beautiful. Like a walk along the pavement as the night falls, this song hits different.
One more thing: #32 in 2024? "Squabble Up" by Kendrick Lamar.
Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party was one of the more unexpected releases of 2025. Generally speaking, there were no signs of a follow-up to the Paramore lead singer's 2020 & 2021 solo albums outside of the band themselves going radio silent after their excellent 2023 record, This Is Why. After she individually released all 20 songs from her new album as single files weeks before re-releasing them in the standard album format, listeners picked and chose the standouts. Some liked the title track for calling out Morgan Wallen, others were intrigued by The Bloodhouse Gang interpolation on "Discovery Channel". Me, I liked "Parachute" for sounding like a song from Paramore's 2013 self-titled. You can really sense the emotion breaking in Williams' voice on this one as she presumably sings about her real-life divorce from the lead singer of New Found Glory.
One more thing: The Hayley Williams at a Bachelorette Party tour runs from March 28th through June 29th of 2026.
In my year-long process to fill up this countdown with 40 songs, "12 to 12" is the one that had the most growing on me to do in order to actually make it. Over the course of the fall, headed into the winter, I revisited Sombr's debut album I Barely Knew Her enough that the obvious hit hiding in plain sight that this song was finally grabbed a hold of my brain over the prior two singles prior to anybody really understanding how impressive this guy is. Then 18-year old Shane Boose wrote and recorded "12 to 12" with only the help of Tony Berg on production.
One more thing: Sombr's muse in the music video? Fellow 2025 pop star breakthrough artist Addison Rae.
The song on this countdown that could perhaps most easily soundtrack a sporting match. Wet Leg spent the past three years fine-tuning their original sound and while much of their sophomore project sounds like a "Wet Leg album", I don't think enough credit has been given to this band on getting more aggressively fun on their poppier tracks and even softer/more melodic on their quieter tunes (see "Davina McCall". "Catch These Fists" rejects the rando at the bar trying to hit on Rhian Tisdale during a casual night out with her friends. As someone that's never had the medicine balls to interrupt a stranger's night of fun, good for her.
One more thing: Wet Leg's second album, Moisturizer was nominated for both Best Alternative Music Album and the inaugural Best Album Cover awards at the upcoming Grammy Awards.
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| Wet Leg's Moisturizer cover. |
"Not Broken" is exactly what I told myself my heart was after hearing Sparhawk and the late Mimi Parker's daughter Hollis sing the chorus of what would have otherwise still been a lovely Low track. Instead, it's a devastating song reflecting on how emotions can fluctuate from rage to sadness in times of grief. Two indie masterminds from Minnesota couldn't have had a more impactful first sample for their 2025 side-project.
One more thing: The only Low song to ever make my end of year countdown was "I Can Wait" at #22 in 2022. This also marks the first ever appearance for Trampled By Turtles.
The song of the Summer for people that never had to hear Alex Warren's "Ordinary" at a wedding. Man's Best Friend did not have any purpose seemingly besides cementing Carpenter as one of modern America's hardest working pop stars and this song was probably the only highlight that could've fit on 2024's Short n' Sweet. With all that said, it's a pretty strong B-side to one of the decade's rare smash hit albums from someone not named Taylor. "Manchild" is a light-hearted song that shows how low expectations are for men right now on lines like "I like my men all incompetent" but don't worry, Sabrina is very much wearing the irony on her sleeve once again like she was for much of her last album and the joke at least works when the song is as catchy as this one. I'm not sure an entire album of this material was a good idea but, "Manchild" was pretty much undeniable from first listen onward.
One more thing: I'm pretty sure this is the only Jack Antonoff (co-writer/producer) representation on this year's countdown.
On the opposite side of polarizing lead singles, the title track from Miley Cyrus's ninth album really brought back the rock music that she kicked off the decade promoting before disappearing into the mainstream pop that earned her a first grammy for one of the decade's biggest hits, "Flowers". "Something Beautiful" was supposed to be a massive tonal shift for Cyrus, now freer than ever to record and promote a sound that she's probably more passionate about. Instead the album covered a vast array of genres, nothing quite as effective as "Something Beautiful". Many considered this to be a "flop era" for her but shit, I bought the CD and I thought I was done buying CDs once my car came without a player.
One more thing: Ryan Beatty ("God In Jeans" was my #39 of 2018) earned a songwriting credit on this track.
Less raspy but with loads more attitude and lyrical mastery, Karly Hartzman wrote the second single from Wednesday's sixth album Bleeds. This track is another excellent showcase for the band's tendency to shred behind some of the more creative, matter-of-fact, slice-of-life, oft-times disturbing songs of 2025. A body is found face-down in a river, pitbulls pissing off of balconies, staying in your hometown for reasons unknown other than it's what you've always known despite it's occasional dissent into unflattering reality. "Wound Up Here (By Holdin On)" is one of the more vivid songs to come out in 2025.
One more thing: Hartzman was inspired to learn how to play the guitar from watching a pre-fame Mitski on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts back in 2017.
Ben Kweller lost his son in a car accident in 2023. I have no idea how much of his seventh studio album, Cover The Mirrors is about his son but the listener can sense the presence and the tragedy in many spots on the album besides the track "Oh Dorian (ft. MJ Lenderman)" (named after his child). "Dollar Store" is a bit more obscure in its meaning beyond boredom and philosophizing that we're all living in a simulation. Dollar Stores are very relatable places, gaining relevance as the prices of groceries skyrocket and every vacant field just outside of smalltown, USA builds a Dollar General overnight. The opening guitar riff has been in my head since February and Waxahatchee syncing up her vocals with a counterpart never seems to miss (see last year's duet with MJ Lenderman, "Right Back To It").
One more thing: Chris Mintz-Plasse (AKA: McLovin from Superbad) plays bass all over Cover The Mirrors.
I admit that my admiration for this track was enhanced by the John Wilson-directed music video. I recommend everybody stops reading this, logs onto HBO Max and checks out How To With John Wilson ("Hey New York"). The song itself was the first "Fable" track after the soft-launch of Bon Iver's Sable, Fable album last year saw his more acoustic works like "Speyside" and "Awards Season" get their chance to shine before Justin Vernon and company decided to get a bit groovier and lift our spirits this year. "Everything Is Peaceful Love" sounds like falling in love and finding peace. Well shit, song titles don't get much more literal than that interpretation but then again, that's sort of the magic of a John Wilson project as well in a way. Talk about something surprising? Here's an image of somebody with overly drawn on eyebrows. The two are an oddly fitting pair of outsiders making art I will always admire.
One more thing: #23 in 2024? "Nasty" by Tinashe.
The second appearance by MJ Lenderman (the first being as the guitarist in Wednesday) is the lone "leftover" from 2024. What I mean is that typically there are a few singles every year that end up on my year-end countdown as a result of the music video coming out after the window in which the album came out the prior year. Manning Fireworks was my 17th favorite album of 2024, "She's Leaving You" was my #1 song of 2024. This is essentially the second best song on that album and it's Lenderman flexing all that he's earned through his run of indie fame up to this point. It'd probably be therapeutic if it weren't sung as such a sarcastic tune and ended up with Lenderman all alone. Whether it's genuine or not, "Wristwatch" is a damn good tune to play for the haters that don't get this brand of folksy, alt-country slacker-rock.
One more thing: The Lance Bangs-directed music video was filmed at a notoriously low overpass in North Carolina. Chaos ensues.
I had Olivia Dean on my radar in time for her solid 2023 debut album, Messy. It was enough for me to tune into her Coachella set last year. I was stunned at how small the crowd was and am so happy to see the viral glow up she has had in popularity this year. It's a real full-circle, James Murphy "I was there ___" moment. "So Easy (To Fall In Love)" was not her first or largest song from her breakthrough year but much like Amy Winehouse had "You Know I'm No Good" before yet simultaneously accompanying "Rehab", Dean had this song along with another coming later on in the countdown. "So Easy" cooly sways as a bossa nova track with a catchy, jazzy chorus that could soundtrack a day window shopping in the city and projects the idea that London really is beautiful this time of year.
One more thing: Dean is nominated for Best New Artist at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
I am nothing if not a biased Wisconsinite with a heart. Automatically, that makes me a Bon Iver fan through birthright, no? Anyways, "From" is the most straight-forward adult alternative single that Justin Vernon has ever put out. It's also by far his sexiest love song? Yeah, I was caught off guard by how the sad folk singer from the late-00's that fashioned a guitar out of an old canoe (This is a reference to the time Justin Timberlake portrayed Vernon on an SNL skit) was making music more palatable for the mass public, all while not selling out on his original sound somehow? Maybe we have advanced in some ways.
One more thing: "From" features the very in-demand rising star of 2024 mk.gee on guitar.
Now entering the discourse void... Geese rule. After the New York outfit made their countdown debut in 2023 with the unforgettable "Cowboy Nudes", their reputation only grew after the band spent a year apart and lead singer Cameron Winter dropped a widely acclaimed solo album Heavy Metal. The influence that album had on the band was most clearly felt on a song like "Au Pays du Cocaine", a song where Winter repeats a line like "you can change" to the point of it feeling like a true mantra. The instrumentation is also just so much more muted than anything off their breakthrough third record from a couple years ago that it's clear why their 2025 project Getting Killed resonated with so many.
One more thing: Much of Getting Killed was co-produced by hip-hop producer Kenny Beats. Not quite sure where he fits in the equation but it's one hell of a cool co-sign if nothing else.
The opening seconds of a vocal sample from Saudi Arabian musician Talal Maddah ("Maza Akoulo") sold me on this song before it even started. Pharrell Williams has had an incredible run as a producer and didn't need to validate his legacy any further after he's achieved so much more in the business world after emerging from his Virgina skate scene upbringing. The fact that he's probably crate-digging in between trips to the Middle East is uhh... Culturally Inappropriate? Unless he's trademarked that too. I don't know, all I know is this Travis Scott diss kicked off the Let God Sort Em Out rollout on a most hype note.
One more thing: #18 in 2024? "Capricorn" by Vampire Weekend.
Modern monetary concerns have been somewhat of an underlying theme to some of my favorite music of 2025. Whether it's the simplicity of some of these alt-country acts going back to good old classic guitar-based rock music because these Saudi samples cost too much bank or a band as well off as Geese telling the government to nail their frontman down if they want his tax money. Much like "Au Pays du Cocaine", the lead single from Getting Killed is a very unassuming track at first with some haunting background vocalization buried in the mix until the chorus blows up to the forefront of it all.
One more thing: "Taxes" was NME magazine's #2 song of 2025. Honk, honk, the geese are taking over.
Featuring contribution from the London Symphonic Orchestra, "Berghain" was the "Holy &$%!" lead single from Rosalía's fourth album, Lux. Plenty of singers on here are classically trained but none of them actually go back and try to craft a song over an orchestra, flexing their vocal ranges as hard as she does on this track. Long gone are the industrial reggaeton mixes of 2022's album of the year, Motomami. Named after a Berlin night club, "Berghain" continues Lux's exploration of the spiritual lifestyle as the 33-year old Spanish singer expresses the difficulty in sharing everything with a partner including emotions and spirituality. It's some thrilling music that eclipses it's full power the second Bjork comes in, in English and exclaims "This is divine intervention", "The only way to save us is through divine intervention". Chilling stuff when the song opens with the most aggressive violin playing and German choir I've maybe ever exposed my ears to.
One more thing: Yves Tumor's spoken outro is a take on a 2002 Mike Tyson clip where the boxer got into a tiff with a reporter prior to fighting Lennox Lewis.
Aussies have always had an underrated reputation for their musical contributions over here in the US. Ninajirachi has been tinkering around on the internet her whole life (being born in 1999 does that) and experimenting with electronic music publicly since 2017. After nearly a decade, she finally felt comfortable enough putting a concept through and releasing her first album this year, I Love My Computer. In what is a very modern day "zag" to everyone's anxieties around artificial intelligence and the "enshittification" of the modern-day internet where only a few websites are actively usable, Nina Wilson uses the runtime of her debut praising the time she's spent with modern technology, including her iPod Touch. It's bizarre to hear someone release a nostalgia-infused banger about something so seemingly recent that we can all relate to since iPod Touchs were everywhere. When we've grown so accustomed to tossing aside the outdated tech, it isn't that absurd that someone would want some time to slow down and proselytize this amazing innovation that we've set aside for the hot new thing.
One more thing: At least her home country recognized Ninajirachi's I Love My Computer, nominating her for eight separate awards at the 2025 ARIA Music Awards.
Ireland's own Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson (AKA: CMAT) has made quite the name for herself in her home country with three out of three albums going for the #1 spot on their charts. Over here, it took a couple of years before I found her through her duet with John Grant back in 2023 called "Where Are Your Kids Tonight?". It was a delightfully campy video starring two vocal powerhouses that I put in consideration for my 2023 countdown but, I did not imagine she'd ever actually get here considering what a niche artist she seemed like. The title track from her third record kicks off with her singing in her native language so it took a listen or two for this one to grow on me as it has but the longer the song goes on, the deeper it gets. As it turns out Ireland has had similar financial struggles post-2008 as CMAT grew up around houses being built that nobody could afford and a mental health crisis that's gone relatively unaddressed with suicide being a commonplace result of the economy. The need for her home country to improve its way of living has kept her loyal to Ireland, even though songs like this cross so many borders, uniting us all.
One more thing: Euro-Country was nominated for the 2025 Mercury Prize.
I think this sounds like Bruce Springstreen, which is likely what Fender was going for. My dad thinks this sounds like Brandon Flowers of The Killers, which is oftentimes what The Killers are going for. Produced by Adam Granduciel from The War On Drugs (a band notorious for successfully cribbing The E Street Band's sound and modernizing it since the mid-2010s), "People Watching" was the hit from Fender's third album of the same name. His voice reminiscent of Jeff Buckley if he ever got to thrive in the pop-rock scene, Sam Fender wrote this song as a tribute to a late friend of his about his time daydreaming to and from her healthcare facilities as she eventually passed. He wrote the song envious of the innocent passersby, going through their day-to-day life with more hope in their eyes than he could see in his or her own. I'm glad I never stop hearing this song at work because it's moving, inspired and better than 99.9% of the other records on their pre-programmed playlists.
One more thing: Sam Fender's People Watching WON the 2025 Mercury Prize.
Originally debuted during a Louis Vuitton show in 2023 (Again, may we all thrive as well as modern day Pharrell Williams is thriving), "Chains & Whips" is the only inclusion of Kendrick Lamar on this year's countdown after his cultural domination of the past year lead into his Super Bowl Halftime performance in February 2025 (may we all thrive as well as 2024-25 Kendrick Lamar). Needless to say, this song's official release was long overdue. The double entendre work around the chorus is legitimately impressive and the beat is arguably the hardest to highlight off the duo's comeback record Let God Sort Em Out.
One more thing: After 15 years apart, this was the first song the Thornton brothers recorded as Clipse for their fourth album.
We all knew a Lady Gaga album was coming after "Disease" came out around Halloween 2024 and the Bruno Mars duet "Die With A Smile" stuck around just long enough to be Billboard's #1 song of 2025 despite it's '24 release date. What I did not know was that the term "reheated nachos" would become temporarily popularized because of how much this song resembles the greatest of Gaga's early work like "Bad Romance". Even the music video is classic Gaga with its bizarre post-apocalyptic setting and incredibly choreographed dance routines involving crutches and the most out-of-this-world costumes. The chorus is borderline non-sensical and I wouldn't have it any other way. This "spell" worked better than anything off of K-Pop Demon Hunters for me. Job well done on bringing the mayhem to the mainstream in time for Mayhem, Gaga.
One more thing: Rolling Stone named "Abracadabra" it's #1 song of 2025, which might just be their least controversial #1 choice... ever?
Wednesday are not a country band and yet, they absolutely could get away with it in the long-term if they so choose. "Elderberry Wine" is a post-breakup song that sees former couple (lead singer) Karly Hartzman and (guitarist) MJ Lenderman harmonizing their unique and 100% not classically trained vocal stylings to make one delicious soup of a song. Perfect back porch music for a day spent out on the yard. As long as it doesn't make the listener too parched.
One more thing: MJ Lenderman is no longer touring with Wednesday full-time as his own solo career has begun to take off.
The closest song on here to an acapella performance, "Remember My Name" was written by Sam Fender for his grandparents. Accompanied by little more than a few horns, Fender wrote the song from his late grandfather's point of view as he watched Fender's grandmother (his wife) slowly lose pieces of herself to dementia. Not much more needs to be said about this devastating song other than I can think of no better album closer to come out this year.
One more thing: Other album closer contenders from 2025? "Long Island City Here I Come" by Geese, "Gary's II" by Wednesday and "David" by Lorde.
A viral hit that seemingly came from nowhere. The now 20-year old Shane Boose's first single ended up being one of the most played songs on mainstream American radio in 2025 and with good reason, the song is actually kind of excellent! For the longest time, I thought that distorted guitar-strumming in the instrumental was some sort of blown-out horn. When Sombr appeared on the Song Exploder podcast and broke it all down, I was quickly reminded why I am not a musician because what do you mean that's a guitar!? "Back To Friends" is an instant classic with it's chorus lamenting the modern "situationship" where two friends share a bed and it means nothing more and nothing less, potentially dissolving the relationship that existed in the first place. A modern love tragedy of sorts.
One more thing: Sombr is nominated for Best New Artist at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Elderberries, cranberries, it was a big year for big juice corporate entities. Conan Gray should be a bigger artist. This is his third appearance on my end-of-year countdown this decade off of three separate albums and outside of 2020's "Heather", he's never had a song chart on the Billboard Hot 100. What exactly is going on here? It's not like he's some acquired taste from the UK. He's a Texas born-and-raised pop singer with an incredible penchant for writing ballads and bops alike. Oh and that falsetto near the end of "Vodka Cranberry"? Forget about it, the man's vocal chops are better than most of the biggest male pop stars of the 2020s (at least the few that remain, which is a whole other fascinating development of this decade). Pop music justice for Conan Gray, Troye Sivan and all the other LGBTQ+ artists out there who aren't as commercially successful as the mediocrity we've been force-fed lately. At least his album sales are doing well.
One more thing: The "Vodka Cranberry" music video is part of a trilogy with the songs "This Song" and "Caramel".
Co-written by Adele's sidekick Tobias Jesso Jr., "Man I Need" has become one of the biggest songs in the world (non-Christmas edition) at the time of publication. It has a throwback vibe to the soulful days of Ronnie Spector and The Ronettes. There's not a single timeline post-1950 where this song is not a certified smash hit. Dean's voice is so smooth and confident that it penetrates any doubt that this might just be a one-off or knock-off of some bigger name from a previous generation. It is entirely her own and much in the way that everybody knows the biggest names to graduate the BRIT school system by their own names and not their inspirations or producers, Olivia Dean is a superstar come 2026.
One more thing: #6 on last year's countdown? "Guess" by Charli XCX featuring Billie Eilish.
The goofy viral internet personality turned serious singer/songwriter pipeline is becoming a trend that I personally enjoy (who doesn't love positive character development?). Whether it be Joji ("Glimpse Of Us" was my #3 song of 2022 and shout out to his new song "Past Won't Leave My Bed") or this absurdist dry Tiktok comedic personality Petey USA, the land is fruitful with wit and creativity. 34-year old Peter Martin originally got his start as a musician in the band Young Jesus, now solely helmed by John Rossiter. "Breathing The Same Air" is a song about male friendship in the 2020s. Why do all these people go to the local bars all the time? Well, outside of work there's not much keeping people together in the real world anymore and sometimes breathing the same air needs to be enough. Knowing someone has your back when it's needed. That's very pure for someone with such a history of playing with irony.
One more thing: Martin only adopted the "Petey USA" moniker after his 2023 album, Petey USA.
Nominated for Record of the Year at the upcoming Grammy Awards, "The Subway" marks the first appearance for Chappell Roan on my end of year countdown. It took me a minute to warm up to her music but between the retroactive success of "Pink Pony Club" and her lead-up to a sophomore album coming at an unknown date, Roan has "it". "The Subway" flirts with dream-pop and is reminiscent of a Cocteau Twins track. Sure enough, Roan cited them as inspiration behind her new early-nineties sounding track in which she tries to let time heal all wounds until her ex is just another girl on the subway.
One more thing: Along with #7 "Vodka Cranberry", this is the second song solely produced by Dan Nigro in the top ten of 2025. He's made a huge name for himself after working on the first two Olivia Rodrigo records.
I nominate "You sent my nudes around, I never yelled at you about it 'cause you died" as lyric of the year. Much in the same vein as "Breathing The Same Air", this song has a small-town feel to it that I'm more accepting of as I age. The people at that same bar in the Petey USA song are either talking shit about or participating in the extracurricular activities going on in "Townies". In what is a highlight off the band's 2025 album Bleeds, Karly Hartzman has her catchiest and lowest-effort chorus yet. These guys just know how to craft modern day rock bangers.
One more thing: This is the 3rd and final appearance for Wednesday on this year's countdown, their fifth overall. This is also technically MJ Lenderman's 4th and final appearance this year, his seventh overall.
The Alex G ascension continued in 2025 as he released his first album on a major record label with his tenth album, Headlights. It was a relief to hear that outside of a bit finer tuning on a couple of tracks that the delightful oddities and lo-fi, off-beat eccentricities of Alex Giannascoli still lay within his newer releases. "June Guitar" has a strange chipmunked backing vocal and an accordion, "Bounce Boy" is the first forray I can remember him taking into dance music and "Afterlife" is the greatest Alex G song to date. A perfect mix of clean production, mandolin and that "eEEeeeee" really elevate this track above the rest for him. Too bad I still think the best song titled "Afterlife" was by (a since aged weirdly band) Arcade Fire. If it weren't for sharing a song title with one of my favorites ever, maybe it would have stood a chance?
One more thing: #2 in 2024? "Not Like Us" by Kendrick Lamar.
#1 songs of year's past
2006. P!nk "Stupid Girls"
2007. Amy Winehouse "Rehab"
2008. Kanye West ft. Dwele & Connie Mitchell "Flashing Lights"
2009. Santigold "L.E.S. Artistes"
2010. Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Skeletons"
2011. Adele "Someone Like You"
2012. Santigold "The Keepers"
2013. Arcade Fire "Afterlife"
2014. St. Vincent "Birth In Reverse"
2015. Courtney Barnett "Depreston"
2006. P!nk "Stupid Girls"
2007. Amy Winehouse "Rehab"
2008. Kanye West ft. Dwele & Connie Mitchell "Flashing Lights"
2009. Santigold "L.E.S. Artistes"
2010. Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Skeletons"
2011. Adele "Someone Like You"
2012. Santigold "The Keepers"
2013. Arcade Fire "Afterlife"
2014. St. Vincent "Birth In Reverse"
2015. Courtney Barnett "Depreston"
2021. Alt-J "Get Better"
The #1 Song of 2025
The grip that this song held on 2025 was quietly massive. It opens the biggest comeback album of the year, the best rap album of the year, the only rap album to chart on my end of year songs countdown and if all that weren't enough, Malice and Pusha T got the opportunity to perform the song at the Vatican. The first rappers to ever perform in Vatican City. Even in the most ideal timelines, most must bury their parents. The fact that the two Thornton brothers had to bury theirs fourth months apart drove home the relatability and impact that this extraordinary song about grief had on most listeners. The John Legend feature may have been seen as "too obvious", "corny" or even unnecessary. I wholeheartedly disagree. To me, this feels like the closing of an era where hip-hop was dominated by soul samples and occasional gospel rap fusions, led by artists like Outkast, Kanye West , Kendrick Lamar and Drake. What comes next in music or in life? I have no idea but for now, as Stevie Wonder states in the outro "make sure you love every single moment that you have with them, you show them love... you'll see".
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| Photo by Megan Elyse Wednesday |
Merry Christmas 2025 to all who celebrate!
