When a song of the summer failed to emerge in 2025, I wondered how that would shape year-end lists. With no definitive anthem to define the best time of year, what songs would rise to help capture the moment, allow us to reflect back in the future, or guide us all together towards a new year ahead? Would there be a consensus towards a genre at least? Hip-hop had its weakest showing on the Billboard charts in decades, there were no record breaking bangers racking up weeks at number one or seemingly blasting out of every public speaker no matter where you turned up. While this year may not have been connected by a universal musical theme, it was still a lot of fun to see the pop girlies have their time in the sun this summer and I hope we get a lot more of that in the future. In addition, it really felt like guitar-music was back in the fold and a ton of new bands have cropped up as candidates to lead the younger generation. Regardless of where you may have fit into any of this, these were the songs that meant the most to me in 2025, whether I was raging in the pit, crushing the dance floor, or holed-up with my headphones on. I hope something on this list strikes a chord with you just like it did for me.
100 SAM GENDEL / NATE MERCEREAU | "The Village"
099 CHICAGO UNDERGROUND DUO | "Hyperglyph"
098 SPRINTS | "Descartes"
097 CHARLI XCX | "Chains of Love"
096 SHARP PINS | "Queen of Globes and Mirrors"
095 MESSA | "The Dress"
094 509 BMG | "Special Request to All Nice and Real Niggaz (Stop Hatin)"
093 JAY SOM | "What You Need"
092 STEPHEN VITELLO / BRENDAN CANTY / HAHN ROWE | "Last Minute Guitar"
091 DJ PYTHON | "Besos Robados" (ft Isabella Lovestory)
090 MEN I TRUST | "Paul's Theme"
089 YELLOW EYES | "Forgotten Corridor"
088 ELA MINUS | "QQQQ"
087 ALABASTER DEPLUME | "Oh My Actual Days"
087 ALABASTER DEPLUME | "Oh My Actual Days"
086 EXUM | "Losing Focus"
085 DRAIN | "Who's Having Fun"
084 MIKE | "man in the mirror"
084 MIKE | "man in the mirror"
083 MAKAYA MCCRAVEN | "Boom Bapped" (ft Theon Cross & Ben LeMar Gay)
082 THE WEATHER STATION | "Mirror"
081 SAY SUE ME | "In This Mess"
080 DEAN BLUNT | "4" (ft. Elias Rønnenfelt)
079 BLUE LAKE | "Flowers for David"
078 SAY SHE SHE | "Under the Sun"
077 SABRINA CARPENTER | "Manchild"
076 BARKER | "Fluid Mechanics"
075 NATION OF LANGUAGE | "Inept Apollo"
074 SPIRITUAL CRAMP | "Automatic"
073 NO JOY | "My Crud Princess"
072 THESE NEW PURITANS | "Bells"
071 CLOAKROOM | "Bad Larry"
070 KING PRINCESS | "Cry Cry Cry"
069 GREET DEATH | "Country Girl"
068 NAVY BLUE | "24 Gospel" (ft Earl Sweatshirt)
067 PANCHIKO | "Shandy in the Graveyard" (ft billy woods)
066 SAM PREKOP | "Light Shadow"
065 AXEL BOMAN | "Twinkle Twinkle"
064 CHAT PILE / HAYDEN PEDIGO | "Radioactive Dreams"
063 DUTCH INTERIOR | "Fourth Street"
062 AFTER | "300 Dreams"
061 SML | "Taking Out the Trash"
060 BILLY MOHLER | "Hawk Wind" (ft Jeff Parker, Damion Reid, Devin Daniels)
059 JEFRE CANTU-LEDSMA | "The Milky Sea"
058 AGRICULTURE | "Bodhidharma"
057 UHLMANN JOHNSON WILKES | "Marvis"
056 DJRUM | "Three Foxes Chasing Each Other"
055 MARSHALL ALLEN | "New Dawn" (ft Neneh Cherry)
054 HATCHIE | "Only One Laughing"
053 BIG THIEF | "Grandmother" (ft Laraaji)
052 FORTH WANDERERS | "7 Months"
051 SUDAN ARCHIVES | "MY TYPE"
050 DARKSIDE | "S.N.C"
049 SHARON VAN ETTEN | "Afterlife"
048 VINES | "I am my home"
047 ORCUTT SHELLEY MILLER | "A Star is Born"
046 TORTOISE | "Organesson"
045 STEREOLAB | "Melodie is a Wound"
044 ANTHONY NAPLES | "Scanners"
043 MK VELSORF / AASE NIELSEN | "Opening Night"
042 NIGHT TAPES | "pacifico"
041 BLOOD ORANGE | "The Field" (ft The Durutti Column, Tariq Al-Sabir, Caroline Polachek, Daniel Caesar)
040 FINE | "I could"
039 MARIA SOMERVILLE | "Garden"
038 ERIKA DE CASIER | "Delusional"
037 MILITARIE GUN | "B A D I D E A"
036 HAIM | "Take Me Back"
035 COLE PULICE | "After the Rain"
034 DEAFHEAVEN | "Magnolia"
033 DAVID BYRNE | "Everybody Laughs"
032 MILEY CYRUS | "End of the World"
031 AMAARAE | "S.M.O."
030 DISCO LINES / TINASHE | "No Broke Boys"
029 LORDE | "What Was That"
028 LIFEGUARD | "It Will Get Worse"
027 HORSEGIRL | "Switch Over"
026 WATER FROM YOUR EYES | "Life Signs"
025 MODEL/ACTRIZ | "Cinderella"
024 CLIPSE | "Ace Trumpets"
023 WET LEG | "mangetout"
022 TYLER, THE CREATOR | "Ring Ring Ring"
021 MOMMA | "I Want You (Fever)"
020 ANNAHSTASIA | "Believer"
019 PULP | "Spike Island"
018 FKA TWIGS | "Wanderlust"
017 CHAPPELL ROAN | "The Giver"
016 CRYSTAL STING | "Octopus Jam"
015 BILLY WOODS / KENNY SEGAL | "Misery"
014 HOTLINE TNT | "Julia's War"
013 PANDA BEAR | "Praise"
012 ROBYN | "Dopamine"
011 WEDNESDAY | "Elderberry Wine"
10 TURNSTILE | "NEVER ENOUGH"
09 SMERZ | "You Got Time and I Got Money"
08 JAMES K | "Play"
07 ALEX G | "Afterlife"
06 NOURISHED BY TIME | "9 2 5"
05 ARMAND HAMMER / THE ALCHEMIST | "Dogeared" (ft Kapwani)
04 BON IVER | "Everything is Peaceful Love"
03 LADY GAGA | "How Bad Do U Want Me"
02 ROSALÍA | "Berghain" (ft Björk & Yves Tumor)
01 GEESE | "Taxes"
---
No comments:
Post a Comment