My Favorite Music of 2025

And That's A Wrap

With the year winding down, I thought it would be a good time for self reflection. I started writing a section on my favorite music of the year and it somehow became its own post.

Oops!

How Did This Happen?

I really didn't intend for this to become it's own post. I had planned to highlight one or two of my favorite songs of the year, but that proved impossible.

It was tempting to just drop a link to my Spotify Wrapped and call it a day.

But then I realized, why rob myself of the opportunity to write a bunch of words about music I really like?

So, on with it...

Javelin

Earlier in the year I became enamored with a new-to-me release, Javelin by Sufjan Stevens. It was released in 2023, so it had flown under the radar for me.

The more popular Will Anybody Ever Love Me contains deliciously whispery, melancholy melodies layered over the gentle guitar picking and soft piano notes. And though the chorus echoes the words of the title, it still feels like a triumph.

But my two favorite tracks are Everything That Rises and Goodbye Evergreen. The former creates a soothing tapestry, enhanced by the enigmatic—yet strangely relatable lyrics. The latter rides the metaphor of letting go, with a sweetness of grief, eventually sliding into a cacophony of voices, music, and percussive propulsion.

Straight Line Was A Lie

Later in the year, I spent a lot of time acquainting myself with music from The Beths. This was in preparation for their release at the end of August titled Straight Line Was A Lie.

It took me a few listens to really get into the album, but also, I couldn't stop listening to it.

The raw energy of many of their tracks is held together by their insistence on adding Beach Boys'-like backing vocals. These are a joy to hear throughout the album.

But that's not all. The lyrics are as raw and incisive as the instrumentation.

Lead singer Elizabeth Stokes was diagnosed with Grave's disease in 2023, a condition that affects the thyroid gland, creating a host of mental and physical health issues.

The title track starts with a reflection I'm sure many can relate to.

I thought I was getting better, but I'm back to where I started, and the straight line was a circle, yeah the straight line was a lie...

Lovely writing.

Also want to highlight the track, Mother, Pray for Me, which stands out not only for the way it interacts with heartache, but somehow in how it manages to stay hopeful. Most tracks by The Beths tend to be energetic and up-tempo, so the soft guitar-picking stands out among their repertoire.

Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party

These songs all dropped during the summer (all released as standalone singles), but officially, Hayley William's album, Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party, was released on August 28.

First of all, Williams has a fantastic website.

Secondly, even though she's had quite a career as lead vocalist for the band Paramore, I knew very little of her until this latest release.

This collection is tinged with punk, synth-pop, and gritty heartache. (You may notice a pattern of melancholy in my choices so far...)

Williams' exploration of voice and theme is brave and incisive. It doesn't hold back, but also doesn't pretend behind a shield of invulnerability.

A song like True Believer rips apart the hypocrisy and racism of mainstream, Southern-tinged religion.

They say that Jesus is the way but then they gave him a white face... so they don't have to pray to someone they deem lesser than them... The South will not rise again, till it's paid for every sin.

For those times where I want just a few more major chords, I'll turn to the 2/4 snare of Whim, with the lovely line...

"I want to be in love, to believe in us, sans sabotage..."

Using the word sans so effortlessly... Just lovely!

LUX

Um. I don't even know how to describe this album by Rosalía. It features the London Symphony Orchestra. She sings in 13 different languages! The record is big, bold, classic, and genre-defying.

The album LUX was released early in November, but it's breadth and style makes it feel as if it's always been there.

Impressively, in spite of its late release in 2025, it was still named NPR Music's No. 1 album of 2025.

Rosalía has admitted to admiring and being inspired by Björk, which appropriately means that her collaboration on the song Berghain is epic and jaw-dropping in its audacity.

The second track of the album, Reliquia, is lovely and enchanting, putting in full display the sweetness, delicacy, and powerful command of her voice.

But one of my favorites is sung in Italian. The track, Mio Cristo Piange Diamanti, a delicate meditation on love through friendship and non-possessive love.

Her voice at the start, sometimes barely squeaking past a whisper, perfectly complements sparse piano notes. But her confidence never wavers. Her energy at the end of the song is a wonder to experience. (I also like how she enunciates certain words for emphasis... a tactic used by Regina Spektor in many of her songs—another artist I love, by the way.)

Honorable Mentions

Weezer: Okay, okay. I'm a Weezer fan boy. I used to listen to the Blue Album on cassette, and wore that thing down till it was wobbly.

I admit that I lost track of them over the years, but I got back into them about a year and a half ago and have been enjoying all their stuff, new and old.

I always love going back to the classic Pork and Beans, especially the music video that is a museum of early Internet memes.

Most recently, they went on tour celebrating the 30th (⁉️) anniversary of the Blue Album, but before that, they released a series of EPs corresponding to the seasons, aptly titled, SZNZ.

I keep coming back to several tracks there, but one that continually gets play is I Want A Dog, which is both whimsical and oddly introspective.

I want a dog 'cause sometimes humans hold it all inside, I need to feel connected... I made the wrong choice, now I must pay the price...

And the very quiet "meow" at the conclusion of the song is just perfect—chef's kiss ending.

K-Pop Demon Hunter Soundtrack: Look, I know my highlighted tracks above are melancholy AF. Sometimes I can be a glutton for punishment.

Now, ordinarily I don't connect very well with pop music because, well, I'm still a card carrying music snob, from back in the days when "selling out" was a thing...

But this soundtrack is pretty much near perfect, as far as pop music goes. I'm not 100% sure that I would enjoy the songs as much, if not connected to the fantastic world of the movie—but then again, these songs are just very good.

Though they all have their own charm, I really like What It Sounds Like. It was such a good song to cap off the climax of the movie, but it also has really great lyrics.

I broke into a million pieces, and I can't go back. But now I'm seeing all the beauty in the broken glass...

Summary

I've still been using Spotify (ugh) for my music needs, but I'm hoping to get off the platform eventually...

As I was looking through my stat-filled Wrapped review, I realized that the app was trying really hard to tell the story about what music was important to me this year, but I found that it's not up to snuff.

Sure, it told me that I'm part of Weezer's 0.01% global fan base, and that my most-listened to song was by Sufjan Stevens.

But those stats don't tell the whole story. A few late releases in the year means that Rosalía didn't make a showing, even though to me, that album is just as important as the others I've highlighted here.

Laundering some stats through some sort of algorithm and splashing some paint into the experience is not the same thing as taking your own time to reflect.

Hopefully this inspires you to do the same.

Take back the time these apps are trying to steal from you and do some self-reflection—you might even enjoy it!