100 Songs for 2025

 

START HERE. You are at Nando’s. (Of course you are.) It is February 15, 2025.

You are waiting for an extra hot butterfly burger and chips. You have been waiting for a long time.

You are in London to see back to back shows by Welsh indie legends Los Campesinos! This is the most romantic thing you can imagine doing on Valentine’s Day weekend. You went to last night’s show with friends, but this time you’re on your own.

Tonight you’re especially excited about the opening act, Jasmine.4.t, whose single “Guy Fawkes Tesco Dissociation” has quickly become one of your favorite songs of the new year. She usually plays it second in her set. Get there early.

Your plan is to enjoy a relaxing Nando’s meal by yourself (it’s not sad, stop making that face) before walking over to the venue, but tonight the restaurant is apocalyptically understaffed and it seems to get louder and more chaotic by the minute.

You place your order … and you wait … eventually you ask if you can change it to a to-go order … and you wait … and you’re about to cancel your order entirely when a shell-shocked server drops a bag on your table without making eye contact. The show starts in fifteen minutes.

You awkwardly speed-walk through the cold London night, cutting through parks and playgrounds while stuffing your face with chicken. Despite what it looks like on Google Maps, the Nando’s in Whitechapel isn’t really anywhere near the Troxy, but eventually you get there and luckily there aren’t many people queuing outside the venue. You toss the rest of your food in the trash and head inside. There’s no time for the coat check. 

You step out onto the floor wearing your heaviest winter parka, sweating and panting and burping up piri-piri sauce, right as you hear the first notes of “Guy Fawkes Tesco Dissociation.” For a brief moment it feels like you have a form of synesthesia where you can taste music.  

STOP. You made it. You are here. 

***

START HERE. You are at the Fillmore in San Francisco. It is March 28, 2007.

You are at a concert with the coolest girl in your law school class. 

This is technically true. It is slightly more accurate to say that you are at the concert with your friends, and she is at the concert with her friends, but you made plans to meet there and you are now standing in the same area. You are going to count it.

You are here to see TV on the Radio. You have been living in San Francisco for less than three months. You have never been to the Fillmore. You have always wanted to meet a girl who goes to concerts.

You have a fantastic time. The two of you start going to more concerts together. You do it so often that eventually you start keeping a list.

If this all sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve written about it before. You wrote about it on the occasion of your 100th concert together (Bruce Springsteen in San Jose), which also happens to coincide neatly with your wedding a week later (Bruce Springsteen does not attend).

From there, round numbers become signposts, opportunities for reflection. 

Concert #200: Phoebe Bridgers at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, July 2018. 

Concert #250: Kendrick Lamar at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, October 2022. 

Concert #300 takes place on May 26, 2025.

You and the girl from the Fillmore have now been married for thirteen years. You take the train from Amsterdam to Paris. You bring your dog. You rent bikes and cycle across the city to the venue. All of this seems normal to you.

You are there to see two bands. The opening band is Illuminati Hotties. They immediately win over the crowd, like they do with every crowd. 

The headliner is PUP. They are on a very short list of your favorite live bands in the world. They might be at the top of that list. 

Tonight is no exception. The venue is tiny and sweaty and perfect, so small that when Stefan from PUP crowdsurfs it looks like he’s walking on the ceiling. Everyone is locked in. French punk crowds never stop singing, even after the song ends. It’s endearing.

Sarah from IH comes out to sing “Reservoir” with PUP, and everyone from both bands seems legitimately delighted to be there. You are standing next to a French university student and an older German guy who has been telling you stories about going to see the Grateful Dead back when he was a foreign exchange student in the US. They seem nice. Everyone here seems so nice.

It is hard not to be crushed by the enormity of how impossible any of this would have seemed on that night at the Fillmore in 2007. 

You can think about this if it makes you happy. You can allow yourself to be crushed by it. You can try to think about the idea of Concert #400, or Concert #500. Or you can just jump and sing along with everyone else.

STOP. You made it. You are here. 

***

START HERE. You are at Medisch Centrum voor Dieren, the animal hospital in Amsterdam. It is May 29, 2025.

You are here to say goodbye to your dog. 

She has been a part of your life for more than 15 years, which makes this day both inevitable and absolutely devastating. It’s hard to imagine life without her. Time stops, and yet everything happens so fast. Mercifully, everything goes about as well as it can. 

After you leave the hospital, everything fades. The world seems to exist at a distance, more of an abstraction. You don’t eat much for a few days. It doesn’t seem important.

You have tickets to see three concerts in the four days after her passing, including one the day you say goodbye. 

Music becomes your lifeline to the outside world. You fall into a routine. You sit at home all day largely unable to do anything. You go out to a concert. You enjoy the music. You enjoy being around people. You keep it together. You go back home and suddenly you can’t stop yourself from crying. It happens every time. She was such a great dog.

You also have plans to go to Primavera Sound in Barcelona a week after her death. Both physically and emotionally, it feels like a lot. Spanish music festivals go until 6 AM. That’s just a normal thing for them. 

But the lineup is incredible. You make a list of more than two dozen artists you are legitimately excited to see. At the top of that list is Turnstile, a Baltimore hardcore band whose new album has quickly catapulted them from “cool band, maybe not totally my thing” to “absolutely cannot miss under any circumstances.” 

Turnstile goes on at 3:05 AM on the last day. 

Are you still the kind of person who does this?

That’s the nagging undercurrent that keeps bubbling up as you mourn your dog’s passing. There seems to be a hole in everything now. Your daily routines don’t make sense anymore. Even sitting around at home feels wrong. It feels wrong because you haven’t experienced a dog-less world in 15 years. A lot has changed in that time. You are not the person you were back in 2010 when your girlfriend brought home a shy orange foster dog and you quickly decided that she was never going back to the shelter. What else in your life may be ending?

You shake off the doubts. You get on the plane. You give yourself over to the festival. You pass the time before Charli XCX telling Polish teenagers that you never have to age out of living like this if you don’t want to. You come to believe it yourself. You see band after band after band and just never get tired. Time starts to blur in the best way, and then somehow it’s the last day, and then somehow it’s the end of the last day.

You miss the beginning of Turnstile’s set, not because you’re back at your hotel in bed feeling disappointed in yourself but because you’re still one stage over at LCD Soundsystem arm in arm with people you’ve known for years and people you met the night before. 

You fight through the crowd to Turnstile. You charge into the mosh pit. You let it chew you up for a few songs and eventually spit you out. You regroup at the back. You never stop moving. You charge back in. The vibes are off the charts. Where are your friends tonight? Here. Right here. Where else would they be?

The last song is “Birds,” the best song on their new album. You are drenched in sweat and just trying to keep your feet under you and grinning like an idiot. You are still getting older. That hasn’t changed. Nothing lasts forever. You still miss your dog. But that emotion can sit side by side with this one. 

STOP. You made it. You are here.

***

START HERE. You are somewhere in rural Minnesota. It is probably 1995.

You are 14 years old, and you are about to hear “Wonderwall” for the first time.

Imagine that. You once lived in a world where “Wonderwall” did not exist. 

Like, “Happy Birthday” was written in 1893. There are people who lived in a world where “Happy Birthday” did not exist, and then one day they heard it for the first time, and then they all just collectively decided to sing it at every single birthday from then on, no exceptions. That’s basically what this is like.

Be honest with yourself, though. You don’t actually remember hearing “Wonderwall” for the first time. At some point, it just imprinted itself on your still-developing plastic brain. It was a song you knew. Then it was a song you loved. Then it was something more than that.

Why? What is it about Oasis that breaks through? Decades later, you’ll be no closer to figuring it out, why your teenage self gravitated to two brothers from Manchester living out every cliche of rock star excess while occasionally trying to kill each other. You don’t have a brother. You don’t know where Manchester is. You have never done a single thing in your entire life that could be characterized as “rock star excess.” Somehow none of that matters. 

For the first time in your life, you have a favorite band. You have a favorite album. You have a favorite song.

Time passes. 

So much time passes. 

(Is it possible that too much time passes?)

You may have started too far back with this one. There is a point you’re trying to get to, but it’s so far into the future. Let’s jump ahead and work backward. Here:

It is August 2, 2025. You are singing along to Oasis songs in a packed boxpark beer garden outside Wembley Stadium before the show in London.

This is where you are going. In 2025, you finally see Oasis in concert. Twice.

If you’re still stuck back in 1995, ask yourself: Is there any way to get there from here?

There must be, right? After all, the band made it. They went from the biggest band in the world to a joke almost overnight. They made five albums after (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, one that is seen as an all-time great disappointment and four that no one even cared enough to be disappointed by. “Wonderwall” became meme shorthand for “the overplayed song everyone hates now.” Still, the Gallagher brothers stuck it out through side projects and solo albums and social media sniping and some truly insane interviews, and over time nostalgia did what it does best, and by the summer of 2025 all anyone seems to remember is that these guys wrote some amazing songs a long time ago.

So they got here from 1995. Would it be so hard for you?

You start making the connections. Of course there are connections. “Don’t Look Back In Anger” was the last song at your wedding. That’s one point on the map. It couldn’t be that difficult to come up with a route that gets you from there to here, could it?

Honestly, it feels pretty difficult.

In the days leading up to the shows, you think about the power of nostalgia, how some long-lost version of yourself assigned you a first favorite song and that kicked off a series of events that led to you standing in one of the very worst sections of Wembley Stadium, top deck and almost behind the stage. You wouldn’t trust that kid with anything, but you’re trusting him with this? You worry that nostalgia is just your memory telling you the lies you want to hear. You briefly consider the possibility that maybe “Wonderwall” was your first favorite song because, let’s be honest, you just hadn’t really heard that many songs yet. 

Thankfully, you do not think any of this while you are actually listening to Oasis, and you absolutely do not think any of this while you are literally watching an Oasis concert at Wembley Stadium, something you have dreamed about doing for thirty years, are you not even reading these words as you are typing them? Why are you thinking at all? What is wrong with you? 

If there is a time to think deep thoughts about nostalgia and memory and the ties that connect us to our younger selves, it is absolutely not right now. Right now is a time for hugging strangers and drinking a concerning amount of beer.

In the moment, every song is perfect. In the moment, you love “Wonderwall” because it’s the greatest song of all time, tied with every other song Oasis has played tonight. You knew that at 14. You weren’t trying to contextualize it. You just wanted to hear it again. And you were right. What possible connection could your present day self have with that kid? Look around. If your younger self were here right now, you wouldn’t be having a tense theological debate. You would both be singing.

STOP. You made it. You are here.

***

Music is a destination.

Music is always a destination.

It is a destination if you bought a ticket or if you overheard it at the store.

It is a destination from the mosh pit or from your couch.

It can be a literal destination, whether you are one of 80,000 people in a stadium or 100 people in a club, but it can be a metaphorical destination as well, and it can mean just as much when you’re sitting at home. 

The more concerts I attended in 2025, the more profound experiences I had at concert venues across Europe, the more I wanted to extend that mindset to other musical moments that might have passed unrecognized, to search for similar epiphanies on the train or at the office. 

Music is always an arrival point from somewhere else. This applies to any song, anytime. You can always step outside yourself and think about how you got here, how you came to be listening to this particular song at this exact time, and why it means something to you. 

Even when we find ourselves at the same place, we arrive there by very different routes. 

I now arrive at PUP via the literal and metaphorical distance between San Francisco and Paris. I now arrive at Turnstile via the wonderful life of a shelter dog from Martinez, California. I now arrive at Jasmine.4.t via Nando’s. None of that was there the first time I heard those songs. But it’s all there now.

You could listen to those same bands and find completely different connections in your own life, the unique web of synapses in your brain that fire when you listen to a song that means something to you, the elaborate backstories and connections that led to your decision to press play.

Let’s do one together. Let’s start from a common end point and figure out how we all got there. Ready?

My Song of the Year is “Taxes” by Geese. Let’s listen to it together. Go get the good headphones. Put it on the good speakers. Turn it up. Close your eyes. We’re doing this as a group. We are building to one specific moment.

I’ll tell you right from the start that I have never seen Geese in concert. I do not have some transcendent live music experience to share with you. I do not have an elaborate back story connecting this song to disparate events dating back to my childhood. I do not have a tangled web of connections radiating out from this song to all of the important people in my life. I’ve never even listened to them while enjoying fast casual piri-piri chicken.

I come to this song from roughly the same place as many of you do: In 2025, every single music critic in the world would not shut up about this band. They are going to be at the top of a lot of year-end lists, and this is one of them. This year, the critics are right. I love this song and I don’t care if it makes me a music-loving white dude cliche.

So let’s start there. Unanimous critical consensus. Does that help? Are you intrigued about the band that literally everyone loves, or does that make you suspicious of it? If you find out that a bunch of music journalists can’t stop talking about an album, does that make you think it’s going to be revolutionary or pretentious? Have you been burned in the past? Did you believe the hype about the Next Big Thing only to find that you couldn’t really get into it? Are you worried that’s going to happen here?

How much do you know about this band? Would it help to know more? Would it help to see a picture of them? It’s too late now. You know what you know. You’ve seen what you’ve seen. Are you already sick of this song? Did you like their previous album better? You’re bringing all of that with you.

Press play. Open on syncopated percussion. Add humming background vocals. How are we doing so far? What is your relationship to the Talking Heads? What is your relationship to TV on the Radio? Do you already have a sense of where we’re going?

Add lead vocals. Are you familiar with Cameron Winter? Do you love Heavy Metal as much as everyone else? How do you feel about a distinctive and potentially divisive vocalist? What is your relationship to Jeff Magnum? What is your relationship to Leonard Cohen? What is your relationship to Julien Casablancas? What is your appetite for sacrilege? Should Cameron Winter in fact burn in hell? Does he deserve this?

Add secondary percussion and acoustic guitar. Does it feel like we’ve taken a sharp turn away from something darker? Does it feel like some light is getting through? What is your relationship with the adjective “jangly”? Do you mind if your pure indie is cut with a little classic rock?

Does it remind you of the music your parents used to play at home? Does it remind you of the music your high school art teacher used to play during your free period? Does it remind you of the music that one weird kid used to play in the dorms? Isn’t it interesting that you can associate distant memories with a song that came out in July?

What is your relationship to the Rolling Stones? What is your relationship to Radiohead? Would that change if they were from Brooklyn? Would that change if they were born after the year 2000?

We’re almost there now. “Taxes” is three minutes and seventeen seconds long, and everything is building to the 1:33 mark. 

You better come over with a crucifix

You're gonna have to nail me 

Down

Winter hits the last word in the phrase and the floodlights come on. 

The song instantly transforms into something bigger. 

Does it feel like the room you’re in just got a little bit brighter? Are the colors sharper? 

This is the destination. This, for me, is what music is supposed to do. It makes you stop whatever else you were doing. It makes you sit up and pay attention.

The song wraps itself around you. For the last ninety seconds you are inside of it, looking out. Honestly, maybe you hate this song. Maybe you can’t wait to get out. It’s possible. But we’re inside of it together.

STOP. You made it. You are here.

***

100 Songs for 2025: Notes on the Process

Only 2025 releases are eligible.

Singles released in 2024 from albums released in 2025 are eligible if they weren’t on my 2024 list. Courting’s “Pause at You” is eligible, Momma’s “Ohio All The Time” is not.

I have imposed a limit of two songs per artist. Even beyond that two song limit, I used artist diversity as a tiebreaker for making tough cuts. I generally avoid covers and live material, though I will make exceptions. There are two covers on the list this year, and somehow they’re both by MJ Lenderman. The man knows how to make a song his own.

Finally, I tried to shut everything else out and make this a list of my favorite songs, nothing else. I chose album tracks over singles if those were the songs I liked the most, and I tried to avoid making this a Year In Music survey. Plenty of interesting, important work by talented artists didn’t make the cut if, for whatever reason, it just didn’t resonate with me personally. Apologies to Nourished By Time, Dijon, FKA Twigs, Addison Rae, and, of course, Taylor Swift. I guess you’ll have to settle for near-unanimous acclaim from publications that people actually read.

As always: Thanks for listening, thanks for understanding.

***

(1) Geese - “Taxes”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

Here’s an underrated part of getting older. In my 20s and 30s, if I found out that a band was super young, sometimes it would make me feel bad about myself, like their youth was somehow a referendum on my own life choices and overall coolness. In my 40s, that train of thought never even gets started. Oh, the members of Geese are 23 years old? That sounds great for them. What, did I expect them to be my age?

(2) Snocaps - “Coast”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

Crutchfield Supergroup! You know I love MJ Lenderman, and Brad Cook has worked on some great records over the last decade, but the Snocaps project is this high on my list because I’m so excited to see Katie and Allison making music together again. The specific phrasing of each individual line of this song is equally perfect in its own way.

(3) Alien Boy - “Pictures of You”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 2

⏵ Highest Ranking: #42 (2021, “The Way I Feel”)

My favorite genre is “Classic Alt-Rock Signifiers in the Hands of People Who Traditionally Didn’t Have Access to Them.” Like, I don’t know if I need another round of straight white dudes taking inspiration from Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins, Third Eye Blind, etc. Give those same reference points to Alien Boy’s Sonia Weber, though, and it’s magic.

(4) Turnstile - “BIRDS”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

I used to get self-conscious when I was late to the party for the breakout band of the year, but it turns out that it’s awesome and I don’t feel bad at all. If you’re a longtime Turnstile fan, you got one new album this year. I got five! Like, “Birds” is great, but do you guys know about “Blackout”? (You do. It is four years old and their most-streamed song. Still, new to me this year, and I’m still excited about it.)

(5) Momma - “Bottle Blonde”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 2

⏵ Highest Ranking: #32 (2024; “Ohio All The Time”)

The first day of summer vacation in song form.

(6) The Callous Daoboys - “Distracted by The Mona Lisa”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

As of this moment, the next band on our concert calendar (Melkweg, February 4), this one starts by asking the question, “What if Fall Out Boy was a hardcore band?” and just keeps getting weirder from there.

(7) Jasmine.4.t - “Guy Fawkes Tesco Dissociation”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

Am I just an Anglophile? Would I still love this song if it was called “Fourth Of July Safeway Freakout”? Impossible to say.

(8) Cain Culto - “KFC Santeria” (Sudan Archives Remix)

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

One-time evangelical worship pastor and Christian rock frontman turned all-purpose agent of chaos. Cain Culto is a lot in the best way.

(9) Militarie Gun - “Kick”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #39 (2023, “Do It Faster”)

I think it’s a little condescending when pro sports leagues give out a Most Improved Player award, so when I say that in my mind Militarie Gun is the band that made the biggest leap this year, I am aware that my compliment comes from the same place. Militarie Gun has appeared on this list before, they are generally beloved by critics, they have a devoted fan base, they don’t need me to pat them on the head and tell them they’re doing better. All of that aside, earlier Militarie Gun albums could be a little one-note for me. I like the one note, but it could get exhausting. God Save The Gun is the furthest thing from exhausting. The songwriting here is incredible, adding different layers and textures and styles without compromising what made people love the band in the first place.

(10) Lady Gaga - “Shadow Of A Man”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 2

⏵ Highest Ranking: #33 (2020: “Rain On Me”)

If you listen to indie music, you’ve probably found yourself in a position where you’re talking about one of your favorite lesser known songs by an obscure artist and you say something like, “I can’t believe this wasn’t a bigger hit!” But, be honest, you can believe it. You aren’t really shocked that, like, “Bobby” by Camp Trash didn’t debut atop the Billboard Hot 100. You understand that there is a pretty well defined market for guitar-driven melodic punk with power pop elements, and it’s not multi-platinum.

This one, though. This is Lady Gaga. This is one of the biggest stars in the world. She just headlined Coachella. It’s not really a question of getting people’s attention. There is a market here. So, I’m saying it honestly this time: I can’t believe this wasn’t a bigger hit. 

(11) Perfume Genius - “It’s a Mirror”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 2

⏵ Highest Ranking: #18 (2020: “Describe”)

Maybe the only show I went to in 2025 that was appropriately loud. Look, if I didn’t want to worry about the structural integrity of my internal organs, I could have just stayed home. 

(12) Tyler Childers - “Eatin’ Big Time”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

I’m not sure why, but somehow I got it in my head that Tyler Childers was in that Jason Isbell line of country singer-songwriters that critics refer to as “emotionally devastating” and mean it as a compliment. I respect the craft, but sometimes I don’t really want to be emotionally devastated. Imagine my surprise when “Eatin’ Big Time” turns out to be a party. We are eating the rich and loving every minute of it.

(13) Alex G - “Afterlife”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #47 (2017: “Bobby”)

Let’s do back to back artists that have been kind of a big deal for years but I only started listening to in 2025. Like Childers, I don’t know what I was expecting with Alex G (I think something more lo-fi, aesthetic signifiers at the expense of songcraft), but I’m thrilled to be wrong.

(14) LaRussell - “I Got Flavor!”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

By my count, LaRussell put out seven albums in 2025, one more than the six he put out in 2024. (“The Guided By Voices of Rap” is something that absolutely no one is calling him.) So I don’t really know if this is the best LaRussell song of the year. I’m pretty sure it’s the best song he did with Lil Jon, though “Havin or Not” is also great. All I can say for sure is that I don’t know if I heard another song in 2025 that was this much fun. (His Tiny Desk Concert is also excellent.) Is there anything better than bouncy Vallejo hip hop? There is not.

(15) Charli XCX - “Chains of Love”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 12

⏵ Highest Ranking: #3 (2024: “360”)

We will always be thankful for Brat, but remember: True Romance Charli remains the best Charli, and this is as close to that sound as she’s been in a decade.

(16) Robyn - “Dopamine”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 8

⏵ Highest Ranking: #4 (2010: “Dancing On My Own”)

Robyn knows that sometimes we need new music that challenges our expectations and pushes the boundaries of genre. Robyn also knows that sometimes we just need that drum break. Once again, her instincts are correct.

(17) Dim Wizard - “Stoicism” (feat. Katie Dey)

⏵ Previous Appearances: 2

⏵ Highest Ranking: #14 (2023: “Ride The Vibe”)

(David Combs has also made 6 appearances with Bad Moves)

It certainly won’t go down as the greatest tragedy of 2025, but this year marked the final shows for longtime 100 Songs favorites Bad Moves. I did not travel to the US to see these shows because I am not a crazy person, but I spent more time researching this than I probably should have. Luckily, Bad Moves frontman David Combs is still out there making music as Dim Wizard, a series of one-off collaborations with other artists like this one with Katie Dey, a hyperpop adjacent track that sounds nothing like Bad Moves but still sounds great in its own right.

(18) Martha - “1978, Smiling Politely”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 7

⏵ Highest Ranking: #1 (2022: “Baby, Does Your Heart Sink?”)

The first song Martha ever recorded back in 2012, “1978, Smiling Politely” finally gets a remaster and an official release on 2025’s Standing Where It All Began- Singles and B-Sides (2012-2025). It is the greatest song ever to reference both Audre Lorde and the episode of The Simpsons where Homer meets Billy Corgan.

(19) Ratboys - “Late Night Mountains All That”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 3

⏵ Highest Ranking: #10 (2023: “Black Earth, WI”)

The sound of a band evolving, this one is bigger and more intense than we’re used to from Ratboys but in a way that still fits within the rest of their catalog. Sounds incredible live and I can’t wait for the new album.

(20) KNEECAP - “THE RECAP”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

The wildest mosh pit I experienced in 2025, and I saw Turnstile three times.

(21) Oklou - “Harvest Sky” (feat. Underscores)

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

The two main Amsterdam concert venues both have a big room and a small room, so sometimes you can watch an artist’s career take off without changing location. Back in February, I grabbed a last-minute ticket to see Oklou in the small room at Melkweg. In November, she sold out the big room. Choke Enough is going to be on a lot of year-end lists, and deservedly so. That Oklou concert I went to was memorable for two reasons. One, it was the darkest concert I went to all year. Just shadows on stage. Kind of a cool effect. Two, she actually played “Harvest Sky” twice - the album version as part of her set and then a remix as the encore. I don’t think the crowd would have complained about a third version.

(22) Jay Som - “Float” (feat. Jim Adkins)

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #93 (2017: “The Bus Song”)

Melina Duterte got Jim Adkins to guest on her album and basically wrote him a Jimmy Eat World song. That’s hospitality.

(23) Wednesday - “Townies”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 2

⏵ Highest Ranking: #1 (2023: “Chosen To Deserve”)

Karly Hartzman, poet laureate of those who are always down.

(24) Craig Finn - “People Of Substance”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 10

⏵ Highest Ranking: #4 (2022: “Birthdays”)

(Finn has also made 23 appearances with the Hold Steady)

For years, Finn has played a turquoise Telecaster with a Dancing Bear sticker on it, but it would have been a stretch to claim any musical connection between the Hold Steady and the Grateful Dead, so I certainly didn’t expect Finn to go full “Touch of Grey” on the first single from Always Been. It works, though. I wouldn’t say no to his take on “Uncle John’s Band.”

(25) Hotline TNT - “Julia’s War”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

One of a wave of bands leaving Spotify in 2025, because we live in an age where bands have to decide if they want to stay on a streaming platform whose CEO invests hundreds of millions of dollars in AI weapons technology. In a statement on their decision, frontman Will Anderson said, “a cooler world is possible,” and I want to believe him, but it feels a long way off. In the meantime, go buy Raspberry Moon on Bandcamp.

(26) JADE - “Plastic Box”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #22 (2024: “Angel Of My Dreams”)

(JADE has also made 3 appearances with Little Mix)

“Angel Of My Dreams” is ten ideas smashed together in a way that feels like it shouldn’t work but it does. “Plastic Box” is exactly one idea, but it is executed perfectly. Which one of those do you think is more difficult? I go back and forth on it.

(27) This Is Lorelei - “Dancing In The Club” (MJ Lenderman Version)

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #27 (“Dancing In The Club”)

Let’s make it a tradition: Any time there is a new version of “Dancing In The Club,” it goes on the list at #27. See you back here next year.

(28) Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band - “The Simple Joy”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

We had so much fun seeing Davis and his band open for MJ Lenderman that we went back to see him headline the same venue a little over two weeks later.

(29) Fust - “Spangled”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

Incredible demonstration of conveying emotion through guitar. By the time we get to the opening lyrics I’m already heartbroken about the hospital out on Route 11.

(30) Neko Case - “Wreck”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #29 (2013: “Man”)

(Case has also made 12 appearances with the New Pornographers)

(Case has also made 1 appearance with case/lang/veirs)

There are a lot of incredible young artists on this list, but it’s also worth pointing out that Neko Case is 55 and still operating at an extremely high level.

(31) Split System - “No Cops In Heaven”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

It’s amazing how far an Australian band can get with little more than a 10/10 song title and pure, undying devotion to the Clash.

(32) Radio Free Alice - “Toyota Camry”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

It’s amazing how far an Australian band can get with little more than a 5/10 song title and pure, undying devotion to the Smiths.

(33) Clipse - “P.O.V.” (feat Tyler, The Creator)

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #49 (2009: “Kinda Like A Big Deal”)

(Pusha T has also made 2 appearances as solo artist)

Let God Sort Em Out is such a cohesive project that it feels wrong to single out one song, and then one verse in that song, and then one line in that verse, and for it to be a guest verse on top of everything, but Tyler’s verse building to the line “I came to terms that I’ma probably outgrow my heroes” is just a standout on top of standouts.

(34) Ethel Cain - “Fuck Me Eyes”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 2

⏵ Highest Ranking: #3 (2022: “American Teenager”)

Say a prayer for Ethel Cain, who has a generational gift for writing perfect pop songs and yet seems to hate doing it.

(35) My Wonderful Boyfriend - “I’m Your Man”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

First of all, horrible band name. Just generationally bad. So bad I almost respect it. Second, you’re borrowing the name of one famous Leonard Cohen song but then you sing parts of a different famous Leonard Cohen song. It’s confusing. Third, it feels like you just really get a kick out of singing the word “beaujolais.” Maybe too much. And yet, despite all of that, I am still completely on board with the My Wonderful Boyfriend experience. I want more of this immediately. Let’s get a full album out there in 2026.

(36) PUP - “Hallways”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 5

⏵ Highest Ranking: #2 (2022: “Matilda”)

As John Donne so eloquently put it, “And therefore never send to know who will look after the dogs; the dogs will look after thee.”

(37) Girl Scout - “Same Kids”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

Due to the tireless evangelism of Guest List mainstay Carl Anderson, we saw Girl Scout three times this year in three different cities, including once on a boat. Never underestimate what you can make your friends do if you set your mind to it.

(38) Camp Trash - “Cousin Zach (Born Lucky)”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 5

⏵ Highest Ranking: #4 (2021: “Bobby”)

Impossible to pick a standout from Two Hundred Thousand Dollars, another remarkably consistent record from Camp Trash where many of the album tracks are better than the singles.

(39) Liquid Mike - “Groucho Marx”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 3

⏵ Highest Ranking: #7 (2024: “K2”)

Hell Is An Airport is the band’s sixth album in four years and somehow they have still never made a bad song.

(40) Caroline - “Total Euphoria”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

I don’t know how well it comes across on the album, but Kevin talked me into seeing these weirdos in concert and, I gotta say, I felt things. Every review of this band says something along the lines of “it sounds like they’re all playing different songs, but it’s perfect,” so I had my doubts, but whatever they’re doing here, it’s powerful. 

(41) Bad Bunny - “NUEVAYoL”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

Do I know one single thing about Dominican dembow music? I do not. Does that matter? Not in the slightest. 

(42) Little Simz - “Flood” (feat. Obongjayar)

⏵ Previous Appearances: 2

⏵ Highest Ranking: #29 (2021: “Introvert”)

Sinister and hypnotic. This is what Massive Attack’s Mezzanine would sound like if it were made in 2025.

(43) Geese - “Cobra”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

I’m hoping to get this post up before the majority of the big year end lists, so we can speculate on which song from Getting Killed will bring home the most accolades. I think it’s probably “Trinidad,” though a lot of people really seem to love “Au Pays du Cocaine” as well. You’ve already heard my argument for “Taxes,” and for my second pick I’m going with “Cobra,” which might not be as dynamic as some of the others but I just love imagining it as a really weird Rolling Stones song.

(44) ROSALÍA - “Reliquia”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #10 (2019: “Milionaria”)

Pop music should be big and weird, and so here you go. I love that an interview with one of the biggest stars in the world can end with this correction: “This article was amended on 7 November 2025. An earlier version incorrectly said that Santa Olga de Kyiv was a Protestant.” Of course. Tate McRae would have known that.

(45) Turnstile - “NEVER ENOUGH”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

First song on the album, first song in their live show, at this point it’s a pure Pavlovian trigger, hear those synths and get ready.

(46) Sharp Pins - “Queen of Globes and Mirrors”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

For decades, scientists have struggled with the question, “What if Guided By Voices was British?” In 2025, that question has finally been answered, surprisingly by a dude from Chicago.

(47) Magdalena Bay - “Second Sleep”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 2

⏵ Highest Ranking: #37 (2021: “Chaeri”)

Getting to the point in writing these blurbs where I am starting to feel insane because I’ve just spent ten minutes reading about “biphasic sleep.”

(48) First Rodeo - “Nothing”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #15 (2022: “Pucker Up, Amelia”)

Two dudes from Portland and the year’s best alt-country chorus. Just so we’re clear, when they sing the line “Now I’m back to the chorus,” (a) that is not the chorus, (b) they have not yet sung the chorus, so there’s nothing to go back to, and (c) we are still about twenty seconds away from hearing the chorus for the first time. But, once you get there, it’s worth it.

(49) Snocaps - “Cherry Hard Candy”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

“Fire” by Waxahatchee is the Greatest Song of All Time. “You” by Allison Crutchfield is the Greatest Song of All Time. “Kenosha” by Swearin’ is the Greatest Song of All Time. “Sore Subject” by P.S. Eliot is the Greatest Song of All Time.

(50) Pulp - “Spike Island”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

There’s no doubt that this was the Year of Oasis, but it’s worth remembering that Pulp was the legacy Britpop band still making interesting new music in 2025. 

Note: This is not a challenge to Oasis. Please do not make any new music. Just let us have our memories. Don’t ruin this.

(51) Doja Cat - “AAHHH MEN!”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

The Knight Rider theme song was composed by a man named Stu Phillips. He started composing music for TV shows in 1958. He’s still around, 96 years old. I don’t know if he’s heard “AAHHH MEN!” but I am choosing to believe that he has and that he loves it.

(52) Joyce Manor - “Well, Whatever It Was”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 2

⏵ Highest Ranking: #48 (2022: “Don’t Try”)

Elite live band. I’m excited about the new songs but I’m more excited about the possibility of a European tour in 2026.

(53) Confidence Man - “Gossip” (feat. JADE)

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

If you’re willing to be vulnerable, and you’re willing to admit that you still remember where you were the first time you heard “Like I Love You” by Justin Timberlake, well boy do I have a song for you.

(54) Julien Baker and Torres - “Sugar In The Tank”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 2 (Baker), 4 (Torres)

⏵ Highest Ranking: #3 (Baker, 2021: “Hardline”), #1 (Torres, 2021: “Don’t Go Puttin’ Wishes In My Head”)

(Baker has also made 3 appearances with Boygenius)

Two gifted songwriters team up on a duet that sounds instantly familiar in the best way.

(55) Star 99 - “Kill”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

For sure the best band on this list to be named after a porn store in Campbell, California.

(56) Courting - “Pause at You”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

A love letter to early 00s NYC from some dudes in Liverpool.

(57) Alien Boy - “Changes”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 2

⏵ Highest Ranking: #42 (2021, “The Way I Feel”)

With apologies to Camp Trash and Liquid Mike, who remain awesome, 2025 was the year that Alien Boy jumped to the top of the list of Bands I Have Never Seen In Concert But Would Do Almost Anything To See.

(58) Spiritual Cramp - “Young Offenders”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 2

⏵ Highest Ranking: #4 (2023: “Talkin’ On The Internet”)

Every Spiritual Cramp song takes place in a cartoon version of San Francisco. It sounds amazing. I would love to visit someday.

(59) Great Grandpa - “Doom”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

Dutch crowds tend to get a bad rap, and I think a lot of that is overblown, but they did talk over the entirety of Great Grandpa’s set at London Calling and I’m still mad about it.

(60) Nihilistic Easyrider - “Getaway Plan”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

A surprise top-five album of the year for me, I always love a side project when I know absolutely nothing about the main project. Oh, this is Jacob Duarte from Narrow Head? Those words mean nothing to me, but I do love this record.

(61) Ada Lee - “Bob Dylan’s 115th Haircut”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

I thought it was going to be a metaphor but no, it’s really a song about Bob Dylan getting a haircut. And listening to a Bob Dylan song at the barbershop. Which it does seem like something he would do.

(62) Bartees Strange - “Ain’t Nobody Making Me High”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 4

⏵ Highest Ranking: #7 (2022: “Wretched”)

A busy year for Bartees, he put out a full length album in February and he’s already back with a new EP featuring more high-quality tracks like this one.

(63) Guided By Voices - “Lucy’s World”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #84 (2013: “Flunky Minnows”)

Now that we’ve referenced GBV in two other blurbs, it’s time for the real thing. They only put out two albums this year, which for them feels like a sabbatical. This brings their total to 43 full length albums, not counting solo and side projects. Is “Lucy’s World” in the top 50 GBV songs of all time? There’s honestly no way to know.

(64) Whitney K - “Something Strange”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

Hearing Things called this High Fidelity-core, which is a genre I’m interested in hearing more of in 2026.

(65) Graham Hunt - “Spiritual Problems”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

I think every indie musician should have at least one interviewer tell them that their music sounds like it could be on the soundtrack to The O.C. to see how they respond. Graham Hunt responded, “That’s awesome,” so we’re allowing him into the club.

(66) Doja Cat - “Jealous Type”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

Here’s another great Doja Cat single that doesn’t use the Knight Rider theme, which seems like a much higher degree of difficulty.

(67) Saja Boys - “Your Idol”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

As I have already written about an inferior song, “The most important lesson of KPop Demon Hunters is that you should never be ashamed of who you really are. The second most important lesson of KPop Demon Hunters is that demons make better music.”

(68) Momma - “Rodeo”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 2

⏵ Highest Ranking: #32 (2024; “Ohio All The Time”)

We saw Momma twice this year and the sound was terrible both times, which means you can just enjoy the consistently excellent Welcome to My Blue Sky from the comfort of your own home and not miss that much.

(69) Ex-Vöid - “Swansea”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #66 (2018: “Boyfriend”)

Sadly, another cool band who played their final shows in 2025, but everyone in Ex-Vöid has like six other side projects so I’m confident we will be hearing from them again.

(70) Joel Cusumano - “Two Arrows”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

Cusumano showed up at the top of a recent Rosy Overdrive monthly mix and I thought, “That’s interesting, I follow a guy on Spotify named Joel Cusumano who makes these fascinating ‘ODD POP’ playlists.” Turns out, same guy. He’s in multiple bands and has been making music for years. It’s fun when the people who make music just obviously really love music.

(71) Djo - “Potion”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

Djo gets a lot of attention because it’s a project from Joe Keery, one of the actors from Stranger Things. I stopped watching the show a few years ago, so I’m not sure which one he is. Still, I understand why music blogs think that “Guy From TV Show Makes Music” is a more interesting headline than “Guy Who Obviously Loves Big Star Makes Music,” even though the second one is also true and would be more interesting to me personally.

(72) Ratboys - “Anywhere”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 3

⏵ Highest Ranking: #10 (2023: “Black Earth, WI”)

Always here for a song about the guitarist’s family dog.

(73) Now, Now - “Talk To God”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #84 (2018: “AZ”)

Not enough Minnesota bands on the list this year, will do better in 2026.

(74) JADE - “IT Girl”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #22 (2024: “Angel Of My Dreams”)

(JADE has also made 3 appearances with Little Mix)

“Plastic Box” intermission aside, we now return you to our regularly scheduled chaotic pop maximalism.

(75) Caroline - “Tell Me I Never Knew That” (feat. Caroline Polachek)

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

Thinking about starting a band called Carly Rae just to see if I could get a novelty collaboration out of it. Would not be anywhere near as good as this song.

(76) Wet Leg - “Catch These Fists”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 2

⏵ Highest Ranking: #39 (2021: “Chaise Lounge”)

It’s possible there has always been a simmering menace under Wet Leg. The first time we saw them in concert, back in 2022, the band was still marketing themselves as something like twee absurdism, wearing bonnets in their press photos and lobster claws in their music videos. Still, the crowd went nuts, bouncing and thrashing like a hardcore show. Three years later, their music seems to have caught up with that initial reaction, and their stage show is all strobe lights and smoke machines and powerlifter poses and near-constant reminders that you do not, under any circumstances, want to catch Rhian Teasdale’s fists.

(77) Indigo De Souza - “Be Like The Water”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 3

⏵ Highest Ranking: #2 (2023: “Younger & Dumber”)

If I was in a yoga class and the instructor was talking about “being brave and protecting your energy” and how “life is too precious to waste your spirit,” I would probably be looking for the exits, but when De Souza says things like that, I’m diligently taking notes like “yes, yes, of course, so important.” It is one of her greatest skills.

(78) Saturdays At Your Place - “Waste Away”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #73 (2023: “It’s Always Cloudy In Kalamazoo”)

Midwest Emo will never die.

(79) HAIM - “Down To Be Wrong”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 10

⏵ Highest Ranking: #7 (2013: “The Wire”)

On a long enough timeline, we all become cringe. The Haim sisters were the coolest girls in indie for over a decade, but now they’re doing a weird onstage gimmick where they have long, awkwardly flirty conversations with an LED sign. I Quit isn’t their best, but it still has some moments.

(80) MJ Lenderman - “Just Be Simple”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 4

⏵ Highest Ranking: #5 (2024, “Wristwatch”)

(Lenderman has also made 2 appearances with Wednesday)

I want to come up with a word for the unsettled feeling of hearing a cover song before the original. I have now learned quite a bit about Jason Molina, and Songs: Ohia and I’ve heard the version of “Just Be Simple” on The Magnolia Electric Co. and I like it, but my brain is never going to switch. This is an MJ Lenderman song to me.

(81) Militarie Gun - “God Owes Me Money”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #39 (2023, “Do It Faster”)

Synth Gun!

(82) Lady Gaga - “Killah” (feat. Gesaffelstein)

⏵ Previous Appearances: 2

⏵ Highest Ranking: #33 (2020: “Rain On Me”)

I get it, Gaga. I can never choose between Bowie and Prince either.

(83) Hayley Williams - “Mirtazapine”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #94 (2020: “Over Yet”)

(Williams has also made two appearances with Paramore)

Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party is easily the best album title of 2025.

(84) Daffo - “Dagger Song”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

Dropped out of college two years ago to pursue music full-time and she’s already opened for Illuminati Hotties, Blondshell, and Wednesday. 

(85) Future Teens - “Harm Production”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #46 (2021: “Guest Room”)

On some level, every rock song is about the desire to punch God in the face.

(86) Home Front - “Light Sleeper”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

Turns out if you Google “home front light sleeper” you get a bunch of sponsored listings for lamps. Does that happen to everyone or is it just because I’m currently in the process of trying to furnish an apartment? 

(87) The Beths - “Straight Line Was A Lie”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 4

⏵ Highest Ranking: #8 (2022: “Expert In A Dying Field”)

The best band in the world who also operates a blog where they review breakfasts on the road.

(88) Illuminati Hotties - “Skateboard Tattoo”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 8

⏵ Highest Ranking: #2 (2018: “(You’re Better) Than Ever”)

Sarah Tudzin’s production credits are fascinating because it’s just a list of cool indie records and then, out of nowhere, Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres. I hope she made a billion dollars from that.

(89) Bar Italia - “Fundraiser”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

A “Don’t You Want Me” for our times, an adversarial duet where an impassioned British guy says things like “When I don’t have your love, it’s a lonely war” and a deadpan Italian woman responds with “I don’t think I’ve actually met you.” Seems like she’s winning this argument.

(90) HLLLYH - “Yellow Brick Wall”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

Once upon a time, there was an LA art-rock band called the Mae Shi. I don’t know that much about them. Pitchfork called them “spaz-rockers.” They wrote a song called “Run To Your Grave” that I really like. Anyway, that song was on their 2008 album HLLLYH, which was the band’s last. 17 years later, they have re-formed, but now the band is called HLLLYH and their album is called URUBURU. I guess get ready for a band called URUBURU to put out an album in 2042.

(91) Dove Ellis - “Pale Song”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

Just finished opening for Geese, actively applying for any open Indie Rock Breakthrough Act roles in 2026. 

(92) Rachel Chinouriri - “Can We Talk About Isaac?”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

Just finished opening for Sabrina Carpenter, actively applying for any open Indie Pop Breakthrough Act roles in 2026.

(93) Weakened Friends - “Tough Luck (Bleed Me Out)”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #65 (2021: “Tunnels”)

Still the best band in the history of the state of Maine.

(94) Teenage Tom Petties - “Hotmail”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 2

⏵ Highest Ranking: #16 (2024: “I Got Previous”)

Consistent lo-fi power pop excellence.

(95) Dazy - “Pay No Mind (To The Signs)”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 3

⏵ Highest Ranking: #29 (2022: “Pressure Cooker”)

Consistent fuzz-rock excellence.

(96) Hatchie - “Lose It Again”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 3

⏵ Highest Ranking: #20 (2018: “Sure”)

Consistent dream-pop excellence.

(97) Lande Hekt - “Favourite Pair Of Shoes”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #69 (2023: “Pottery Class”)

(Hekt has also made 1 appearance with Muncie Girls)

Consistent jangle-pop excellence.

(98) Jimmy Eat World - “Failure”

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #24 (2022: “Something Loud”)

Seems like a one-off single along the lines of 2022’s “Something Loud.” I love that Jimmy Eat World has arrived at the point in their career where they just put out a song when they feel like it, apparently without any pressure to follow it up with an album, or a tour, or really anything they don’t want to do.

(99) Jay Som - “Past Lives” (feat. Hayley Williams)

⏵ Previous Appearances: 1

⏵ Highest Ranking: #93 (2017: “The Bus Song”)

Jay Som opened for Paramore in 2018, so this song is apparently seven years in the making and worth the wait.

(100) Cheekface - “Living Lo-Fi”

★ 100 SONGS DEBUT ★

This year’s answer to the question, “How high can I rank a band that Ilana absolutely hates?” Turns out, not that high!