2025 was a strange year for music. Most of the major pop releases were underwhelming, especially after 2024’s fantastic slate of mainstream pop material, but digging a little deeper turns up an array of gems. Plenty of indie and rock bands that have been on the cusp of greatness and recognition broke out last year, while established voices turned in essential additions to their catalogs. These are just a few of the best songs of 2025.
“For the Cold Country” by Black Country, New Road
Black Country, New Road’s multi-instrumentalist May Kershaw has dedicated the last few years to proving that she is one of the greatest musical talents in the world, from her stunning piano work on “Haldern” to her jaw-dropping composition “Turbines/Pigs” from “Live at Bush Hall,” which I wouldn’t hesitate to call the best song of the last five years. With “For the Cold Country,” though, she’s come close to outdoing herself. Her lyrical style and gorgeous voice are as distinctive as ever, and the song’s sinuous, evolving structure captures the listener and doesn’t let them go until its beautiful outro, a chorus of three layered voices intoning wordlessly, fades away.
“Bow Down” by Geese
It’s impossible to choose a favorite track from Geese’s “Getting Killed” — it’s one of those albums that’s so consistent that I can’t imagine elevating one song above all the rest. If you put the gun that Emily Green wields on the album cover to my head and forced me to choose, though, I think I’d eventually settle on “Bow Down.” It’s a perfect encapsulation of what makes Geese such an exciting band, combining a wide range of influences into a form that sounds familiar yet completely new. On “Bow Down,” the band’s Gang of Four-esque post-punk melds with bossa nova rhythms and anthemic vocals. Cameron Winter’s lyrics are as inscrutable yet as plainly stated as ever, narrating the experience of a sailor who’s “kneeling on the turnpike with an angel down my throat.”
“Husbands” by Geese
“Husbands” is one of the most underrated tracks on “Getting Killed,” an early album highlight featuring a slow but insistent drum and bass groove that builds to a climactic full-band cacophony. Winter makes exceptional use of his distinctive falsetto on the song’s unconventionally catchy chorus, accented by Emily Green’s delicate guitar work. “Will it wash your hair clean,” he asks, “when your husbands all die?” Album producer Kenny Beats reportedly wept at Winter’s lyrics while mixing the track, and it’s easy to see why.
“Diva” by Model/Actriz
New York dance-punk outfit Model/Actriz’s second studio album, “Pirouette,” foregrounds the queer origins of dance music, integrating sounds from disco and house that meld with frontman Cole Haden’s vulnerable, volatile songwriting. “Diva,” the final single from the record, is a lyrically clever and sonically off-kilter banger. “I’m such a f**king b*tch, girl, you don’t even know,” Haden sighs dramatically, describing the tribulations of trying to balance love with being a touring musician. It’s funny and irresistibly groovy without losing the noisy edge that makes Model/Actriz great.
“Farmers Market” by Pulp
After a 24-year hiatus, Britpop’s elder statesmen returned with “More”, their calmest and most mature album yet. While it doesn’t aim for the euphoric pop heights of “Different Class” or “His ‘n Hers,” and it shies away from the lush sleaziness of “This is Hardcore,” “More” carves out its own identity. This new, more assured version of Pulp is at its best on “Farmers Market,” a tender ballad narrating the day that frontman Jarvis Cocker met his wife. Its middle-aged romance is a far cry from the youthful lust that animated “Acrylic Afternoons,” but its sweetness is touching, and the string-laden instrumental arrangement is exceptional.
“Code” by clipping.
One of the only songs on clipping.’s “Dead Channel Sky” to feature a prominent sample, “Code” weaves in dialogue from the Afrofuturist film “The Last Angel of History,” synthesizing 1970s techno-anxiety with its contemporary analogue. It draws on movies like “The Matrix,” “Johnny Mnemonic” and “World on a Wire” to visualize a digital world that allows downtrodden future people to escape into cyberspace and forget their worldly burdens. It’s closer to the smoother, more melodic side of West Coast hip-hop than clipping.’s usual horrorcore-adjacent material, featuring a funky bassline overlaid with some of Daveed Diggs’ sassiest rapping, which he plays up in live performances of the song to great effect. Jonathan Snipes and William Hutson’s production is reliably great, with clever sample integration and pitch-shifted percussion.
“Playing Classics” by Water From Your Eyes
The witty, innovative musical duo Water From Your Eyes has finally begun to receive its due in the past few years, and their new release, “It’s a Beautiful Place,” is a slight but consistently fantastic record. Its centerpiece, the sprawling indie-dance epic “Playing Classics,” slyly references Charli XCX’s “Club classics” in its opening seconds before vocalist Rachel Brown, in their requisite deadpan, puts a stop to the interpolation. “Wait,” they insist, “I’m concerned, as a matter of fact.” From there, the song goes off to the races, built upon a synth-bass groove and Nate Amos’ virtuosic guitar playing.
“Romeo” by Pinkpantheress
Pinkpantheress, one of the breakout pop stars of the 2020s, dropped her second full-length record, “Fancy That,” in 2025. Calling it full-length is maybe a stretch, since it only runs around 25 minutes, but it’s all killer, no filler. Pink’s biggest hits of the year, “Stateside” and “Illegal,” are both generational bangers, but my favorite track on the record is “Romeo,” a sleek pop tune featuring Frusciante-esque guitar and an infectious dance beat. Her characteristically breathy, autotuned delivery hits every time.
“What Is The Reason For It?” by David Byrne & Hayley Williams
David Byrne’s new record, “Who Is the Sky?” is a lighthearted but worthwhile addition to the new wave legend’s oeuvre. The single “What Is The Reason For It?” featuring Hayley Williams is one of the album’s standouts, featuring Latin-influenced horns and percussion and typically plain-spoken, inquisitive lyrics about love.
“Tambourine” by The Dare
In the face of widespread doubt about his dance-music bona fides, The Dare turned in a straightforward four-track EP this year, reframing his sound as more in line with Soulwax than the grimy, shallow simulacrum of LCD Soundsystem that many — including myself — accused him of being. “Tambourine” would fit in perfectly on Soulwax’s seminal remix album “Nite Versions,” twisting pop into something dancier and more club-ready.
“Mouth Man” by This Is Lorelei
In addition to his work with Water From Your Eyes, Amos releases music under the name This Is Lorelei. He’s one of the best American songwriters working today, and his new album “Holo Boy” is a sampler of some of his best work. Among the strongest of the sonically diverse re-recorded tracks on the record is “Mouth Man,” originally released in rougher form on “Falls Like Water Falls.” The song’s rhythmic groove has always been great, but it’s elevated by the more polished “Holo Boy” sound, which suits its motorik drive.
“Dancing in the Club” by MJ Lenderman
One of Amos’ most acclaimed This is Lorelei tracks is “Dancing In the Club,” a sad-sack ballad told from the perspective of a lovelorn loser who’s his “own worst enemy.” It’s perfectly suited to a cover by MJ Lenderman, indie rock’s patron saint of downtrodden ex-boyfriends. Lenderman dispenses with Amos’ autotuned synth-pop, reworking the song’s irresistible melodies in his signature overdriven southern rock fashion.
