Here are 50 favorite songs of 2025 that helped me get through the year, available on Apple Music and Spotify. A friendly reminder to anyone who didn’t read Liz Pelly’s excellent Mood Machine: Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist-if you find something you like, please support the artists by buying their music/merch and by seeing them in concert.
It was really hard to narrow down my favorite albums of this past year. Here’s the cream of the crop. Stay tuned for my “Rest of the Best” list soon!
25. Billy Nomates – Metal Horse A solid release from Billy Nomates AKA Victoria Ann “Tor” Maries. Love “Dark Horse Friend,” which features Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers.
24. NewDad – Altar They’re brooding, yet there’s also a lightness. I kept thinking that they reminded me of a darker version of The Glee Club, and it turns out that they’re both from Galway!
23. Anika – Abyss Hearing Anika sing, “Sometimes I know, life can just suck,” resonates with me. Recommended for fans of Broadcast and baroque pop.
22. Juliana Hatfield – Lightning Might Strike Just under the wire, Hatfield’s latest indie rock album came out on December 12. I actually held off publishing this list because I was waiting to hear it. The wait was worth it. If you haven’t kept up with Hatfield’s prolific career, Lightning Might Strike is the perfect album to reconnect with. It’s a nervous breakdown with melodies and hooks for days.
21. Alison Goldfrapp – Flux My favorite dance/pop album of the year.
20. Coach Party – Caramel This album is sweet and energetic. I’m jealous of everyone who got to see the Ash/Coach Party double bill in the UK!
19. Steve Queralt – Swallow Of course, the bassist from Ride released a gorgeous and sublime album of soundscapes. Guest appearances by Emma Anderson (Sing-Sing/Lush) and Verity Susman (Electrelane, MEMORIALS) complete this dreamy concoction.
18. Andy Bell – pinball wanderer Bell is perhaps best known as the guitarist/vocalist of Ride and the bassist for a little act called Oasis. Full of Madchester beats, Andy Bell’s solo foray is groovy.
17. Maria Somerville – Luster A divine album of swirly dream pop.
16. The Cords – The Cords Absolutely charming indie pop from Scotland.
15. Lambrini Girls – Who Let the Dogs Out Fantastic noise-punk from the UK. Be sure to check out the Peaches remix of their instant classic single “Cuntology 101.”
14. Ólafur Arnalds & Talos – A Dawning An understated and gorgeous album of ambient pop.
13. Miki Berenyi Trio – Tripla Former front person of Lush and Piroshka delights with her latest project.
12. Saint Etienne – International Efferfescent pop tunes. Possibly one of the best albums of their storied career.
11. Black Honey – Soak Recommended for fans of Metric and Catatonia. So many great, sing-along earworm tracks like “Insulin,” “Dead,” and “Shallow.”
10. Shame – Cutthroat Ugh. I looooove Shame so much. They’re like a grittier Kaiser Chiefs. Their fourth album is full of vim and vigor.
9. Wolf Alice – The Clearing Upon first listen, I was a bit disappointed, as I felt Wolf Alice had gone in a different direction from their last release. But this album has grown on me, and it’s now in “Bloom Baby Bloom.” It’s full of seventies warmth while still retaining a current edge. They’ve matured and evolved.
8. Goddess – Goddess I am enamored with this project from Fay Milton of Savages. Each track features a different, dynamic vocalist. I sought it out because Ex:Re (AKA Elena Tonra of Daughter) was featured, and I ended up loving the whole album.
7. Deep Sea Diver – Billboard Heart Infectious indie rock! I’m obsessed with this album.
6. Matt Berninger – Get Sunk A stunning sophomore effort from the voice of The National. After releasing his first solo album, Berninger found himself enduring a period of writer’s block. A move from Los Angeles to Connecticut and a new way of writing-scribbling on baseballs-broke the curse. And alas, we found ourselves with two new albums from The National in one year (2023), and with this beautiful, sombre meditation that is Get Sunk. Personal note: Every time I hear “Bonnet of Pins,” I feel happy because Berninger and I sang a few lines from it together at an in-store performance at Rough Trade NYC. He has such a gifted way of connecting with audiences.
5. Nine Inch Nails – TRON:ARES This soundtrack has everything: great score work we’ve come to expect from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, a banging NIN single (“As Alive As You Need Me to Be”), and haunting pieces like “Echoes” and “I Know You Can Feel It.” Do note: “Who Wants to Live Forever?” is not a cover of the Queen song from the classic film Highlander, but rather it’s a duet with Reznor and guest vocalist Judeline.
4. Suede – Antidepressants This album is so good! These songs are anthemic, soaring, and speak to my soul. With lyrics like, “Oh, oh, well it’s broken music and it’s broken people | Who will save the world, oh oh save the world.” Brett Anderson just gets me.
3. Pulp – More I did, indeed, want More from Pulp. I’m glad the Sheffield Britpoppers got back together for their first album in 24 years. More, their eighth studio album, ranks up there with Different Class, His ‘n’ Hers, and This Is Hardcore, and is sort of a mix of the three.
2. Ash – Ad Astra A power pop opus is how I described the ninth studio album from Ash in my full review.
1. Garbage – Let All That We Imagine Be Light Garbage’s eighth album picks up where No Gods No Masters left off, and is, dare I say, optimistic? The whole album sounds fantastic. The quartet, led by the indomitable Shirley Manson, is not going down without a fight. For example, a portion of the lyrics to “Chinese Fire Horse”: “You say my time is over. Over, over. That I have gotten old. So old. That I no longer do it for you. And my face now leaves you cold … And I should just retire. Retire, retire. Just a fucking minute. Who you talking to?”
There was so much brilliant music that came out in 2024! I’m having the worst time narrowing down my list of faves. Luckily, my two cats, Candy O. and Ada Monroe, have been assisting me.
It’s my hope that at least one person finds something they dig through this post. If you’re a Spotify person, do check out my “Best of 2024” playlist. Then go buy some music and/or merch. Or go out and see some live shows! Or do a shot every time I’ve written “dream” or “shoegaze.”
Without further ado, here’s my top 36 releases of 2024. Why 36? Why not?
36. fifi knifefight – I’m Not Mad, Just Disappointed Self-described “glam punk” from Austin, TX that channels a mighty ferocity.
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
35. Camera Obscura – Look to the East, Look to the West A confection of twee goodness. Recommended for fans of Isobel Campbell and Belle & Sebastian.
34. Mo Dotti – Opaque These Los Angelenos are one of my favorites in a new wave of dream pop/shoegaze. Opaque was even mastered by Mark Gardener of shoegaze godfathers Ride.
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
33. Ride – Interplay Speaking of Ride … Some of the newer generation of shoegazers sound more like early Ride than current Ride does. But that’s not a bad thing. I think it’s good for bands to expand their repertoire.
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
32. Bryce Dessner – Solos Dessner (guitar/piano/keyboards for The National) has created an album of sublime, elegiac, neo-classical pieces.
Apple Music • Pandora • Spotify
31. Chrystabell & David Lynch – Cellophane Memories This album feels like dream. Chrystabell’s vocals dance hypnotically around haunting soundscapes.
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
30. Wishy – Triple Seven Power pop mixed with shoegaze! I can’t wait to see the Indianapolis band at February’s “Something In the Way” festival at Roadrunner in Boston.
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
29. Jack White – No Name To quote the great Huey Lewis, “The heart of rock and roll is still beating,” and Jack White’s blues-rock No Name is the proof.
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28. Conan Gray – Found Heaven I’m a sucker for this pop opus despite my age.
Apple Music • Pandora • Spotify
27. Charli XCX – Brat My top pop/dance album of the year. It’s filled with ear worms.
Apple Music • Pandora • Spotify
26. Beabadoobee – This Is How Tomorrow Moves Charming pop that reminds me of Frente and Natalie Imbruglia.
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
25. The Marías – Submarine A lush and dreamy album. Perfect for bedtime.
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24. deary – Aurelia EP Pretty much anything from British label Sonic Cathedral is a winner in my book! Aurelia is some pretty swell, shimmering shoegaze.
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
23. Gift – Illuminator Sweet, swirling dream pop that’s reminiscent of The Primitives with a dash of Curve.
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22. Phantogram – Memory of a Day It has a good beat and I can dance to it. But seriously, it’s a damn fine album and I’m upset that I still haven’t seen the New York duo live.
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21. Redd Kross – Redd Kross Power pop at its finest with this double album.
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20. Attic Ocean – Retriever EP Lovely shoegaze from Germany.
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19. Idles – TANGK Alt-rockers Idles sucked me in with the bop “Dancer” (featuring LCD Soundsystem).
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18. Pet Shop Boys – Nonetheless Another fantastic album from the duo that’s been generating hits since 1981 (!).
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
17. Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology Swift ventures into synthpop with delicious results.
Apple Music • Pandora • Spotify
16. Old 97’s – American Primitive “You’ve got to dance like the world | Is falling down around you | Because it is” – Old 97’s, “Falling Down” The alt-country rockers’ 13th (!) album is a barn burner full of vim and vigor.
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
15. NewDad – MADRA Dream pop with a hint of goth. Right up my alley.
Apple Music • Pandora • Spotify
14. The National – Rome I’m a little obsessed with The National. I listen to them A LOT. I’m in the Sad Dads Book Club. I saw El Vy (IYKYK) at The Sinclair in Boston by myself in 2015. This past fall, I went and saw The National by myself in the middle of nowhere in New Hampshire (Hey-Neal Katyal was there!). In Massachusetts, I braved the Great Woods parking lot with my husband and friend. To have a career-spanning live album from The National is a dream come true. Rome does an excellent job of capturing how brilliant they are live.
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
13. Ekko Astral – pink balloons Driving punk/garage/noise rock from Washington, DC.
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
12. Billie Eilish – HIT ME HARD AND SOFT Billie Eilish’s third album does not disappoint. It’s wistful, it’s hopeful, it’s sublime.
11. Francis of Delirium – Lighthouse Gauzy, soaring dream pop from Luxembourg’s Jana Bahrich. Check out “Blue Tuesday” to get hooked.
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
10. Sprints – Letter to Self Honest to goodness anthemic, alt-rock from Dublin. I got reeled in by the pulsing “Heavy.”
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
9. Chalk – Conditions II EP Industrial, gloom pop from Belfast that has flashes of The Final Cut. Would’ve fit in perfectly on the Wax Trax roster in the nineties.
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
8. Emma Anderson – Spiralée: Pearlies Rearranged The reimagining of Anderson’s Pearlies is effervescent and beautiful. It’s my favorite reworking since Nine Inch Nails’ Further Down the Spiral (1995).
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
7. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross & Boyz Noize – Challengers [Mixed] I haven’t heard an album that’s such a seamless dance gem since Donna Summer’s On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II (1979). With touches of Pet Shop Boys and New Order, I recommend this as an exercise companion. Which is not something I ever thought I’d say about Reznor’s music!
6. English Teacher – This Could Be Texas I love this stellar debut album from the British group. Something about them reminds me of more rockin’ Black Box Recorder. Another fave from this year is their Live From BBC Maida Vale EP, which includes a great cover of Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather.”
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
5. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – Woodland When I younger, I got to work with this pair and it was an honor. Woodland is timeless and haunting. If you get the chance to see them, go!
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
4. Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven The Philadelphia outfit is a force to be reckoned with. I Got Heaven straddles pop and rock with aplomb.
Apple Music • Bandcamp • Spotify
3. Garbage – copy/paste On this Record Store Day Black Friday exclusive, Garbage collects ten gorgeous covers (nine of which were previously released). A favorite is their cover of The Jam’s “Butterfly Collector.” Something I really appreciate about this record is that Garbage includes detailed information about the original versions. An abridged digital version with six of the tracks was made available after Black Friday.
2. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Wild God This is such a joyous album. Some Bad Seeds fans may take umbrage at its joy, but I love it and need it.
1. The Cure – Songs of a Lost World I think this is The Cure’s finest release since 1992’s Wish, which is interesting because the album has this “Edge of the Deep Green Sea” vibe to it, with a lovely dash of 1987’s Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me.
It’s already Bandcamp Friday again! On Friday, October 4, 2024, Bandcamp waives their revenue share and pass the funds directly onto artists and labels. Here are some tunes I implore you to check out!
Attic Ocean – the heavy blue and then after dark New shoegazers from Düsseldorf, Germany enrapture with this EP from 2023 as well as on their brand new single “Young Again.”
Glare – “Mourning Phase” The Texan outfit has released this new single that harkens back to ‘90s dream pop and shoegaze. Catch them next year at the Something In the Way fest at Roadrunner in Boston on February 2.
Wishy – Triple Seven Brazilian illustrator (and my pal!) Luciano introduced me to Wishy based on our common love of Ash. He was right; they sounded excellent! Full of power-pop vim and vigor. And then I realized that I’d be seeing them in February at Something In the Way. Lucky me!
Gillian Welch – Woodland Studios Another brilliant album of timeless bluegrass/folk from Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. See them on tour if you can. I was fortunate to work for their label’s distributor eons ago and every time I saw the duo was magical. I’m looking forward to seeing them in New Hampshire in December.
NewDad – Banshee EP Ireland’s NewDad released their debut album, MADRA, in January. This charming, indie pop EP is from 2022. Looking for something to celebrate casting your vote on Election Day? Go see them at the Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, MA. Reminder: check to make sure you’re registered to vote at Vote.org.
Winter Gardens – “Moon Jockey” Britain’s Winter Gardens released this single last year. It sounds like Ladytron and Ladyhawke had a baby and I love it! They also have a smashing brand new single called “U/U.”
Ken Andrews – Secrets of the Lost Satellite The lush solo album from the man behind Failure is a must. It’s just been released as a high resolution download.
Year of the Rabbit – Year of the Rabbit Another Ken Andrews selection! This stellar album has also just been released as a high res download and it’s one of my all time favorite albums.
Pop Culture Omnivore 