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100 Favorite Albums of 2025: 75-51

The list rolls on. You can check my coverage yesterday for list positions 100-76. Tomorrow I’ll discuss some duds, but for today, let’s crunch some numbers. As of the time I’m scheduling this, I listened to 399 releases from 2025, which includes LPs , EPs and live albums (not expanded editions or anthologies). I’m traveling over the holidays and coincidentally added one (1) to my playlist planelist, so I should end the year on an even 400.

383 of those were tossed into a ranked playlist, although 66 still remain unranked. 1,384 songs ended up in a general playlist of 2025 songs I liked, and 63 ended up on the longlist of favorites. My playlist of 2025 releases to listen to? It still sits at 134 albums. There’s so much music out there. Here’s 25 more of my favorites.

#75. Anamanaguchi – Anyway

Another surprising indie story, albeit less so than Panchiko. The old Brooklyn heads probably remember Anamanaguchi, the chiptune band from the early ‘10’s. Well after a long break, they’re back, but as a heavy indie band. They’ve ditched the Game Boys for guitars, and recorded a banger album in the American Football house. Imagine telling that previous sentence to someone over 50. Anyways, there are no growing pains, they just nail a heavy indie sound perfectly. No one saw this album coming. 

#74. Tiberius – Troubadour

Boston legends! There’s a handful of local albums on here. Like so many great bands, Tiberius started out as a solo project, for singer Tiberius Wright. What started as a solo country project has quickly morphed into a sort of heavy-indie-but-with-twang thing. I had high hopes for their third album, as an already established fan, but it over-delivered. These songs are fully engrossing, and while most build into surprisingly dense and loud places, some stay on a softer level. This is really a headphones album, one to put on and just get lost in. 

#73. cupcakKe – The BakKery

cupcakKe is usually a shoo-in for this list, and we’re glad to have her back. As just one man trying to keep a tally on 1000 artists, I unfortunately completely missed her comeback album last year (and will listen to it soon). So this was like a long awaited comeback for me (cumback?). Nothing’s changed – these are rap songs that are so hypersexualized that they easily transcend the comedy line. You have to know what you get with songs like “Moan-a Lisa.” And it’s not a gimmick, cupcakKe is a genuinely great rapper and clever lyricist, which blurs the line between genuine and parody. These songs aren’t just funny, they’re bouncy and memorable. Best song title of 2025: “One Of My Bedbugs Ate My Pussy.” Sorry, mom. 

#72. Margo Price – Hard Headed Woman

I don’t like most modern country, but the reason why I can never discredit a genre is because of people like Margo Price. I’m a longtime fan by this point, and Woman delivers what she does best: short, gleeful bursts of high-energy country. There’s no frills and few surprises, just a bunch of fun country tunes and soulful ballads. She’s always had a great voice and an ear for melody, with a lot of personality to boot. I would stop short of calling it true outlaw country – a subgenre I do love – but she’s far more Sturgill than Toby. It’s a real fun record folks, yeehaw. “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down” is the perseverance anthem of 2025. 

#71. Rico Nasty – LETHAL

Listen, I’m a sucker for music that’s fast and loud. That just goes across genres. I like thrash metal more than doom, bubblegum pop more than ballads, Vampire Weekend more than Sufjan Stevens. Rico Nasty tries her hand at a rap-rock album, and it rules. I was already a fan of Nasty’s high-intensity rap before this, and adding some rock elements only increases my personal potential of loving it. It’s a ruthless record that stretches boundaries, as it really does incorporate some of her softer elements too. But those are nice additions to the real attraction, boisterous and big rap-rock tunes. The label she’s on now? Fueled By Ramen.

#70. Modern Life Is War – Life On The Moon

I raised myself on street punk. Modern Life Is War, the legendary hardcore punk group, aren’t really in the same umbrella, but it scratched the itch. The band’s first album in 12 years is not really any less aggressive than before, a collection of urgent, angry but inherently melodic tunes. It’s not just 1234 and moshing to one chord, these are well-developed songs. They just also happen to be crunchy and angsty. Brings me back to my youth!

#69. Sasami – Blood On the Silver Screen

Sasami is nothing if not unpredictable. She’s an alternative musician at her core, which made her sophomore album Squeeze all the more surprising in 2022 – it was made in preparation to tour as an opening artist for a metal band. SIlver Screen overcorrects, with Sasami embracing her poppiest side. There are flares of guitars, but it’s largely poppy love songs, with occasional french horn. Also, it allowed me to get the best photos I’ve ever taken. 

#68. Scowl – Are We All Angels

Scowl have been one of the bands at the forefront of the unexpected hardcore revival, which makes this album all the more shocking. Not far into their careers at all, Scowl have matured their sound, stretching songs out and softening them. It’s similar to Mannequin Pussy’s 2024 album of the year candidate I Got Heaven, which saw the punk band embrace indie. This is still a little more hard-edged, but it’s less outwardly hardcore. I don’t actually think I like it as much as their previous releases, but that speaks more to how much I love Scowl. In a year where bands have expanded hardcore in multiple directions, this is the genre moving tenderly. 

#67. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – IC-02 Bogota

This is a bit of a weird entry, especially considering that UMO released some more “standard” music this year too. This is the second release in a series of instrumental albums, following an equally great Hanoi release in 2018. UMO have always balanced traditional pop songwriting with experimental noodling, sometimes moving way in either direction. This is the latter, a collection of songs – some quite lengthy – that work as melodic, fun jams. It’s the type of thing one can imagine being played at a festival, but not at a regular show. Much like many other artists on this list, UMO also released a follow-up EP. But it was, uh, fine. 

#66. Pissgrave – Malignant Worthlessness

I was iffy on the inclusion here – Pissgrave have stoked controversy in the past, and not in the good way. But when an album is this good, it deserves it. This is extreme death metal at its very peak, a relentless onslaught of riffs, scowls and graphic violence. In terms of pure, unfiltered metal, it’s maybe the best of the year. The only ones surpassing it are deeply ambitious releases, this is no-nonsense brutality. 

#65. Alien Boy – You Wanna Fade?

The shoegaze revival is here to stay, and Alien Boy are proof of it. Quite frankly, there’s multiple proofs of it across this list. Alien Boy have been around for a hot minute, but had a minor breakthrough in 2025 (at least from my vantage point, as a new fan). Their music is heavy, melodic and patient, with great vocal melodies mixed against walls of guitars. Like most revival bands, it isn’t strictly shoegaze, but something that ropes old school into more traditional alternative music. 

#64. Ursula – I Don’t Like Anything

Sometimes I have a lot to say about albums on this list. Other times, I can’t muster much beyond “this is some good ass hardcore.” Well, this is some good ass hardcore. In an era where hardcore is suddenly being thrust into the spotlight, mostly by bands trying to advance the genre, it’s great to have some good, new base-level standards. That’s not an insult, I’ve listened to more new ‘traditional’ hardcore in 2025 than I have any other year…ever? The revival needs the old style to bolster the new. 

#63. Danny Brown – Stardust

As Brown’s struggles with drug addiction worsened, he lost his identity some; he was stuck in a paradox where it was killing him, but fueling his creativity. Now clean, Brown has grabbed a new identity, surrounding himself with hyperpop musicians he has influenced over the years. He’s always had the nerdy, electronic element to his music; it’s just as easy to imagine Brown reblogging nightcore remixes as it is to imagine him in a club. He’s finally fully embraced it, eschewing traditional rap for EDM- and hyperpop-tinged hip-hop with guest spots reserved for artists with names like underscores and femtanyl. It’s his most eclectic work and, perhaps, his most unpredictable. The elder statesman accepts the understudies. Brown is best when he’s being insane, and this whole record is bonkers. He’s found a new identity, and it suits him well.

#62. The Swell Season – Forward

The score (soundtrack?) to Once is one of my most pivotal albums. It kept me going during a very tough mental health period in high school. Then a few years later, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová released a snoozer of a follow-up and broke up their romantic relationship, and I kind of stopped thinking about it all. I didn’t miss anything – Forward is their first release since 2009, and it almost recaptures the magic. The slicker production and additional musicians lose the sort of spontaneous feel of Once, but the songwriting is just as gorgeous. The two continue to harmonize or grab full songs beautifully. There’s a lot of surprises here, from songs that build unexpectedly to late-album tracks that still try to prove a point. It’s beautiful folk music, and it’s still kinda weepy. Not that this matters, but as a fun tidbit: this was the very last album I listened to before I decided to close off my lists officially. I really didn’t expect it to be this great.

#61. Algernon Cadwallader – Trying Not to Have a Thought

This might just be the most unexpected record of 2025. Cadwallader were basically The Beatles of short-lived mid-10’s emo bands. If you weren’t in the loop, yes, that was a specific thing – bands that only existed for ~2 years, put out one album, and then would shuffle members with other bands to make new ones. Snowing were my favorite, but Algernon were the kings. They hung around longer than most, but still split in 2012. They’re back, and they sound exactly like they would if they had stayed together and ignored all other musical trends. It’s the same kind of emo, but poppier, more patient, and a little slower. To be honest, that’s usually the kiss of death for me, but it works incredibly well here. 

#60. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Phantom Island

It appears that the quantity-over-quality days in the Gizz factory have ended. The band spent the early COVID years releasing tons of albums, many of which were decent but nothing more. Phantom Island is the only album the band released this year, similar to 2024’s sole offering Flight b741. This album was recorded in the same sessions and follows the same boogie, roots rock inspiration of Flight – except this release was recorded with an orchestra. It’s not faultless, but it’s one of their most fun records. Sometimes, Gizz are best when they don’t overcomplicate things and just jam out. Of course, “not overcomplicating” still involves an orchestra, because this is Gizz after all. Who knows what 2026 holds for Gizz, maybe we’ll get one groove record. Or maybe we’ll get five nu-metal albums. 

#59. Editrix – The Big E

Editrix are just cool, that’s all. The local post-punk group have released their best album, a work that’s wildly unpredictable and always fun. The name of the game is curveballs, with constant shifts in tempo, tone, and volume. Sometimes melody is sacrificed, other times not. These songs are very fun though, and when the melodies do shine through they just add some real spice. If you’re into the more fun, adventurous post-punk revival bands like Cheekface, then save room for Editrix. 

#58. Rosalia – LUX

If you’re reading a year-end list then chances are you’ve already got thoughts on this one. Rosalia has quietly become a global powerhouse, and albums like LUX easily highlight why. Her voice is operatic, and yet more than half the time she opts for a more sultry way of singing. Some of these songs are pop ballads, some are nightmarish indie, some are borderline a capella. It works best as a collection, different ideas battle each other. Rosalia is simply unafraid to take chances here, and nearly all of them pay off. This isn’t really a traditional pop album; it’s something much more than that. 

#57. The Beths – Straight Line Was A Lie

I have an interesting relationship with the Beths. I cite them as a band I love, and two songs on their first album – “Future Me Hates Me” and “Not Running” – I place among my top 30 or so all-time favorite songs. Yet, I wasn’t completely wowed by their first three albums. I love all of them, but I never go back to more than a few songs. I think that’s changed. The Aussie indie rockers have put out what is easily their most ambitious and adventurous record, one that isn’t afraid to go all out punk, or melancholic coffeehouse. The band doesn’t really leave their comfort zone but expand it, taking the ideas of their previous songs to further conclusions. It’s a well-balanced, emotional indie record. 

#56. Leikeli47 – Lei Keli ft. 47/ For Promotional Use Only

No, no, that’s the actual album title. A quick new release from Leikeli47, one of our nation’s more fun rappers, is also the first where we get the “real” Leikeli. She’s never really done any public appearances and has never divulged her real name – and only recently started performing without a full face covering for the first time. The aura complements the bouncy nature of the music well, adding intrigue to very straightforward tunes. It’s just very fun, big and loud. Sometimes we need that. 

#55. Pink Siifu – BLACK’!ANTIQUE

This is an artist I was not familiar with prior to 2025, and haven’t listened to anything beyond this album (yet). The formatting of title lives up to what this album sounds like – maximalist, dense rap. It’s dumbfounding, there’s always one too many things going on. I had to work to make my brain focus on any central melodies in some songs. It’s experimental to a fault, and ambitious as all hell. I’ve never really heard anything like this and I immediately wanted to dig deeper, even if it often made my tinnitus upset. And it isn’t a gimmick, there’s powerful and insightful music here, it’s just that some of it is hidden under a veil of misfiring noise. 

#54. Hallelujah the Hills – DECK

I went back and forth on how exactly to approach writing about HtH, a criminally-undiscovered Boston indie group who just celebrated their 20th anniversary. DECK is not one album, it’s four; the band released albums in 2025, all 13 tracks, with every card in a deck covered in the titles. It’s a cool concept, and obviously a hefty one, however I don’t think they’re all equal. “Clubs” was my favorite, and this placement represents where it would stand solo. But they’re all brilliant and if you like one, you’ll like the whole suite. All four albums hearken back to the days of Death Cab and Decemberists, indie bands that have some quirk, but don’t lean too much into the cutesy humility. These are patient, adult songs that happen to have some seriously catchy rhythms. The band isn’t afraid to let loose on the volume too, though they’re usually fairly restrained. If you’ve been missing the days of OG Los Campesinos!, then here’s four full albums to dig through. 

#53. L.S. Dunes – Violet

You may not be familiar with this group, but you are familiar with the members. L.S. Dunes ropes in musicians from Thursday, Coheed + Cambria, My Chemical Romance, and singer Anthony Green, who has a resume too long to reduce to a single band reference. It’s what you expect, hard-hitting but passionate and patient emo. These are well-crafted songs, and the balance between ideas is stronger than on their debut. It starts heavy before trailing off into more experimental territory, staying within the bounds of the members’ respective bands, but only barely. And of course, after all these years, Green still has one of the best voices in all of rock. 

#52. Ingrown – Idaho

The unexpected revival of hardcore music has seen bands take a formally isolated genre and blend it elsewhere. Turnstile and Mannequin Pussy rope hardcore into indie, while Knocked Loose is melting it in metalcore. But with this comes a need for good ass traditional hardcore, and that’s where Ingrown comes in – no gimmick, no filter. This is punishing, whiplash hardcore. 11 songs, 19 minutes of music. It’s well-produced and energetic, this is not a band resting on sound. Even with the brief runtime these songs are unpredictable. Oh, and it ends on a country song, too. They are from Idaho after all. 

#51. HEALTH – Conflict DLC

For the second straight album, industrial legends HEALTH have snuck one out in December behind the release of many best-of lists. This, alongside time, sleepiness, and overburdening ambitions, is why I don’t put my own lists until the last possible days. HEALTH are almost guaranteed entrants on this list, I love most of their albums. DLC is actually considered a continuation of their 2023 album Rat Wars, although I think it’s also a slight improvement. The album is top-heavy, opening with some blistering, thrilling industrial-metal, while the back half dips into some more electronic elements. As always, one of the highlights is how singer Jake Duzsik’s soft, vulnerable voice bashes against the relentless, pounding music. It’s what separates HEALTH from their peers. Not music for everyone, but boy is it fun. 

And that’s a wrap, on part 2. Part 3 comes tomorrow, and features the breakout punk band of the year, a trio of alternative rap heaters, the final release from a jangly British group, and a solo work from the quintessential millennial frontwoman.

As always, here’s five records that just missed the cut, in no order: The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow | Hunx and His Punx – Walk Out On This World | Home Is Where – Hunting Season | Cheekface – Middle Spoon | Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out

My 30 Favorite Songs of 2022

Well we’ve hit the end of the year, the time where I spend hours writing about the music I loved for 1-12 readers! As with most years, I focused more on albums than individual songs, so a grand albums post will be forthcoming. But there were more than a few songs I loved at first sight listen, and unlike my albums post, I’ve decided to try and feebly do a ranking of them. I did not put much effort into the actual list and have absolutely forgotten something necessary, but I did work on the rankings. So here’s 30 songs I truly loved:

#30. Archive – “Mr. Daisy”

I came into this band by chance from a Facebook group talking about a song of theirs from 2009, only to discover that they’re still going strong and remain very popular in Europe. The band doesn’t contain themselves within genre, venturing anywhere between trip-hop and nu-metal. They released 2 albums this year, and a standout song is this track, a post-rock inspired alt tune that’s simple, fun and nostalgic. I’m excited to dive deep into this band’s catalog next year.

#29. Robert Stillman – “Cherry Ocean”

This is likely the most divisive and maybe the most obscure song on this list, as something that probably won’t appeal much to my core audience (those 4 people). Stillman’s soft, somber, 8+ minute jazz track sets the tone for the following album, though it’s the only song on it with lyrics. The song is sparse and drone-adjacent, but the scraps of melody are haunting and intriguing. Even though it’s a repetitive minimalist song, I find myself coming back to it repeatedly. It’s a warm and forgiving place to be.

#28. Meat Wave – “Honest Living”

This is my kind of thing – two-minute sucker punch of fuzz guitar and wicked vocals. I’m a sucker for even the worst garage rock, it’s my go-to and my comfort music, and Meat Wave’s recent album more than satisfies that crave within me. “Living” is a punk bruiser with depressingly satirical lyrics about the grind of the workforce. Throw in some good vocal rhythms to boot and you’ve got a memorable little garage punk tune.

#27. Gladie – “Born Yesterday”

A lot of indie-punk bands like to play it safe and merely threaten to go full throttle. Gladie aren’t that band, and they kick off their recent release with a amp-busting banger that makes a statement. I wasn’t aware of this band just a few weeks ago, and now I’m excited to see where they go from here. I’ve also just seen them live and can confirm that this track kills in a concert setting.

#26. Björk & serpentwithfeet – “Fungal City”

Leave it to Björk to make a “mushroom” album, a delightful and occasionally suspicious soundscape that makes it sound like you are lying on the forest floor. The album’s highlight and most on-point track is “Fungal City,” which barely hangs on to any rhythms to create a damp, foresty environment. It starts soft, gets heavy, and stays weird. I don’t know how you even approach crafting a song like this, but it is yet another Björk classic.

#25. The Smile – “You Will Never Work in Television Again”

I’m not really interested in debating whether Radiohead is done or what this offshoot means for their legacy – it’s a different project, no more no less. While the album mostly just sounds like Radiohead, this song has some rough energy that hasn’t been in the band’s music for many years. Very funny that they’ve played this on late night shows, hopefully they’ll play on Corden soon.

#24. The Beths – “Expert in a Dying Field”

If I were to somehow manage to actually list out my 10 or so favorite songs, the Beths would be the only repeat artist on that list. Count this one among the handful of their songs that I really love. Lush and heartbreaking lyrics and vocal melodies all contain themselves within a simple indie/punk song. This group always seems to find interesting ways to sing about despair and ennui, and this one is no different. Add in some of Elizabeth Stokes’s characteristically intriguing vocal rhythms and you’ve got another Beths banger.

#23. Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard – “The Harvest”

I treat doom metal like a sandwich – if it’s plain then fine, I’ll take it, but I probably won’t really enjoy it. Doom metal to me has to do something to tinker with the formula, and this song does just that. The Best Band Name in the World take a classic doom metal song structure and add synths and dreamy vocals into something fuller. It’s heavy and brutal, while still feeling fun and atmospheric. The band has always done stuff like this well, but this song and album is a high watermark for them.

#22. Van Buren Records – “FOUL”

One of my favorite rap records of the year came from a local group, Van Buren Records. The large collective makes fun and urgent music with a cascade of voices. The group is at their best when they’re moving quickly, as they do here. No voice or idea overstays its welcome, especially with key features. This is such fun stuff.

#21. Slipknot – “The Chapeltown Rag”

Slipknot’s new album was a divisive one – there was a lot of really stupid discourse around it including the phrase “Slipknot’s Radiohead album.” I loved it for the way it wraps together a more mature, balanced sound with some of their old angry bangers. Well this is the latter, just an old-fashioned Slipknot ear-gouger. Dopey lyrics about violence, manic drums (RIP Joey) and unexpectedly good vocals, this is classic Slipknot. It’s great that they’re finally moving past this kind of stuff, but it’s wild they can still do it so well, too.

#20. Billy Nomates – “spite”

“Don’t you act like I ain’t the fuckin’ man” rips Tor Maries across the chorus of this indie banger. I’m very unfamiliar with her work – I’ve heard a few songs and keep forgetting to check out more. But, this one recently grabbed my attention on the radio. It’s bold and brash while staying well within an indie song, a contained anger that’s delightful as it is genuine. It feels like a victory lap set to music, a ceiling-puncher and a song that probably kills live. I’m on board, now.

#19. 8 Kalacas – “Frontera”

I’m aware the phrase “ska metal” sounds about as off-putting as fruitcake but this song is wild. I first wrote about it in my “Songs You May Have Missed” midyear post and I’m going after it again. This song has horns and riffs and it’s an absolute blast to listen to. A sonic assault that lies more in metal than ska, this really isn’t like anything I’ve heard before. Part of that also lies in the lyrics – silly music is mixed with a dead serious story about a Mexican immigrant realizing the American Dream is a lie and sadly moving back home. The band has Latin roots that add an authenticity to the music that is often missing in wretched, ironic white guy ska. I urge folks to give this one a chance.

#18. Big Thief – “Simulation Swarm”

Big Thief make so many songs that are so heartbreakingly gorgeous that it doesn’t feel fair to other bands. “Simulation Swarm” isn’t nearly as good as 2019’s “Not” or 2020’s “anything” (from singer Adrienne Lenker solo), and yet it still makes the list. The music is calm and patient, featuring the effortless, minimalistic melancholy that the band is known for, and it’s complemented by Lenker’s soft, earworm vocal rhythm. As always, her unique voice elevates this into classic territory. Big Thief forever.

#17. My Chemical Romance – “The Foundations of Decay”

It’s so amazing to me that this exists at all. MCR’s first new release in nearly a decade, and it follows their path of switching up their sound with each album. I don’t know if a proper album is to follow – maybe they don’t, either – but I’d be intrigued if it does. This is slower and denser than you’d expect from MCR, more grown-up now than before. As per usual, the song rests on Gerard Way’s deceitfully strong vocals, but the whole band sounds great. This isn’t as flashy as the group used to be, and therefore the song is a grower – I wasn’t impressed on first listen, but after getting to see it done live (twice!) it’s won me over.

#16. Soul Glo – “Gold Chain Punk (whogonbeatmyass?)”

I didn’t plan for this to be so close to 8 Kalacas but it’s only fitting. Soul Glo presents an equally scorned genre – rap-rock – in a way that’s genuine and refreshing. The opening track to their downright remarkable album Diaspora Problems is a manic, full-octane track that sounds dangerous. Inspired as much by hardcore punk and glitch as they are traditional rap and rock, this is “rap-rock” in the same sense that Death Grips is, not Machine Gun Kelly.

#15. Chat Pile – “Why”

Why do people have to live outside? is the simple question and refrain posited by post-hardcore upstarts Chat Pile. The centerpiece of a Top 5 of 2022 album is also one of the most bluntly political songs of the year (or ever, really). It’s a shakedown of America’s quiet housing crisis sung with a genuine, guttural anger. It feels like everyone in the country is boiling over with anger over their beliefs of choice, and that’s palpable on this barely-contained song. Anyone with an ounce of empathy can relate here, even if it’s abrasive on the ears.

#14. The Mountain Goats – “Wage Wars Get Rich Die Handsome”

It only took 21 studio albums for Mountain Goats to do their first true rock song. An album centered around low-budget action movies needed an energetic boost, so Darnielle et al up the energy for really, the first time in their storied career. Admittedly there are better songs across the unexpectedly great album, but this is my list dammit so I’m picking this one. Although the Goats have carved out their own niche in alternative music, I’d be curious to hear more of this side, too!

#13. Paramore – “The News”

I nearly disqualified this one for recency bias, it was released only a few days before I started this post. But it’s so damn good. Save for a pop-punk heavy debut recorded when they were all around 15, Paramore hasn’t released a bad song, and I’m delighted this stretch is continuing after a multi-year hiatus. The song abandons their more recent new-wave stuff for a return to fiery pop-rock, with more bite than they’ve ever had. There’s a fierceness that cuts through the music here, but also the melody is an instant earworm. I’ve only heard this song twice and it’s already so high.

#12. Fontaines D.C. – “Jackie Down the Line”

Imagine my frustration in 2019 when I first heard this group, a severely Irish post-punk group, only to be sufficiently bored by their album. I wanted to like it and decided to dive into the follow-up with an open mind and, thankfully, liked it much more. This is definitely the song I “sang” the most this year (as it’s not sung but spoken), because it allowed me to practice a ridiculous Irish accent. But it’s a great tune that’s simultaneously despondent and lively. There’s a lot of talk-sing post-punk bands coming out of the UK area (alongside IDLES, Black Country New Road and Dry Cleaning) and I’ve got varying opinions on it; this band has thankfully fallen in my good favor.

#11. MJ Lenderman – “Tastes Just Like It Costs”

Lenderman is an artist I ignored for a while because I thought he was the same brand of tired, acoustic stuff that Father John Misty occupies. My face was red when I finally spun an album, the great Boat Songs. This was my favorite song, a lively and fuzzy guitar track with a touch of humor but a melancholic vocal melody. This song, like much of the album, owes a debt of gratitude to the early alt groups like Meat Puppets and Dinosaur Jr. – a well I will never run dry. This is another catalog I will be diving into soon.

#10. black midi – “Sugar/Tzu”

I loved black midi’s debut only to be frustrated by the sophomore album. Their third righted the course and gave me what I think is their best song yet. “Sugar/Tzu” is one of the most raucous songs I’ve heard all year, manic talk-sung vocals mixing with a steady, revolving central rhythm and frequent…interruptions? The music video follows a boxing match, which is very fitting, as the resembles what it feels like to get beat up. The song sounds borderline improvised, closer to prime era Lightning Bolt than any of their more radio-friendly peers. I cannot overstress how wild this song is.

#9. L.S. Dunes – “Permanent Rebellion”

In most cases, I will side with any artist’s louder, more energetic tunes. This debut track from emo supergroup L.S. Dunes is no exception. The expectation-obliterating album’s penultimate song is also the loudest and most abrasive of the bunch, a throwback to all of the respective members’ heydays. The verses here are standard rock stuff, but the choruses hold a thrilling punch that separate Dunes from most supergroups; this isn’t a fun side project, this is a group with a statement to make. The emo revival will never die, baby.

#8. Weyes Blood – “It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody”

Natalie Mering is two albums into a trilogy that’s essentially about going through the rough of it. It’s sad enough on principle, and this album follows in the footsteps of 2019’s Titanic Rising by opening with the best song of the bunch. “Not Just Me” is a gorgeous chamber pop song, a heavenly ballad set over little more than vocals, harp and drums. It’s a dreamy, absorbing song with nightmarish lyrics about human suffering and ignorance. The album that follows is more of the same – and it’s one of the best of the year. But this one in particular is just a completely devastating yet rewarding listen.

#7. Weird Nightmare – “Searching For You”

When I heard that METZ frontman Alex Edkins was releasing a solo record, I had a feeling I knew what it would sound like – more melodic and alternative-based than his primary band, while retaining much of the energy. I was right, this song sounds like the crushing assault of (loudest band I’ve ever seen live) METZ filtered through the Minutemen. It’s loud and aggressive but it’s got a great rhythm and a more subdued approach. Like a few other songs on this list, it owes some to 90’s guitar alternative, revamped for today.

#6. Spoon – “Wild”

It’s very rare that a band can maintain a similar sound for decades and keep it fresh; they’ll either start to sound repetitive (AC/DC) or settle into a relaxed vibe (Wilco). But Spoon isn’t most bands, and “Wild” sounds like the same Spoon from 2005. They’re revamped and reinvigorated and they’re all the better for it. Britt Daniel’s odd singing voice remains the band’s best strength, as this would be a very standard song without it, but the Neil Young-like vocals elevate this to a Certified Spoon Classic.

#5. Leikeli47 – “Chitty Bang”

This song is just about as fun as music can get. The masked rapper kicks off her consistently excellent third album with this immaculately-produced bop. I don’t understand how this song isn’t topping the charts, I challenge anyone to spin it and sit still. A hip-hop song with pop structure and production, this song should really appeal to just about everyone. Although the artist has chosen to remain private, I hope 2023 sees her absolutely blow up.

#4. Gogol Bordello – “Fire On Ice Floe”

This one is circumstantial – after Peter Murphy checked into rehab and Bauhaus canceled their reunion tour, Riot Fest had to scramble to book a medium-big, evening act. Eugene Hutz and gang filled in, and delivered the best festival set I’ve ever seen (and went 10 minutes over, much to the chagrin of Glenn Danzig). I didn’t know this song when they played it, as it had only been released days prior, but they jammed on the chorus for an extended period. The easy, melodic refrain of “dance, dance, dance into the fire” had the massive audience all singing and dancing along. Although the band was there to promote defense for Ukraine, they still turned the set into an absolute party. This may or may not be a great song, but my vision will always be blinded by how I was first introduced to it.

#3. Perennial – “Tooth Plus Claw”

Again I am blinded, because my first interaction with this band’s music was when I had a chance to interview them (they’re really fun people to chat with, folks). This song doesn’t eclipse 90 seconds, just a dance-punk whirlwind that’s extremely high energy and just as fun. It’s loud and brash, but – like the rest of their album – is done entirely as a party. This is a throwback to The Hives and Be Your Own Pet, bands with short songs and contained chaos, that always still rely on melody above all. Love this so much.

#2. Arlo Parks – “Softly”

Arlo Parks just missed out on both my favorite song and album lists last year, and her sole release in 2022 is better than everything she delivered in 2021. This is one of those songs that will have you crying in seconds even though it’s a wholesome love song. The vocal melody perfectly matches the pure lyrics, a quiet message to a (potential?) lover. Her voice dominates over the music, seemingly mixed at a higher volume than a normal song would be. I’m not one for listening to songs on repeat but I could easily play this one for an hour.

#1. Orville Peck – “Daytona Sand”

Big surprise, the guy who goes by Orville Shrek on twitter loves the music of Orville Peck. There’s something about the mysterious, masked, Canadian, queer outlaw country/alternative singer that just works for me. The opening track to his stellar sophomore album Bronco picks up where Pony left off; the forlorn western lyrics, the driving snare drum and Peck’s deliciously commanding bass voice all propel this to the #1 spot. It’s catchy, fun and yet melancholic, and it’s probably my favorite song of the year.

For fun, here’s some songs that didn’t make the cut:

Beyoncé – “Break My Soul” (should’ve made the list, but do I really need to tell you about this one?)

The Linda Lindas – “Racist Sexist Boy”

Interpol – “Gran Hotel”

Rammstein – “Angst”

HEALTH & The Body – “AD 1000”

Thanks for reading this far! I wouldn’t have! I’ll be posting more year-end stuff, specifically an albums post on NYE and a films post sometime when I feel like.

By Andrew McNally

20 Great Songs You May Have Missed From 2022 (So Far)

Look, it’s been a weird year. I don’t really want to talk about it. What I do want to talk about is music, always, and what I’ve found is that there’s been a ton of great, under the radar stuff this year. I may do a proper post about what albums I’ve loved so far in 2022, but this post is specifically dedicated to songs you may have missed. You don’t need two posts about how great Bad Bunny or Sharon Van Etten are. So this post is 20 songs, unranked, that I think you should hear. I didn’t put any effort into planning genres here, just grabbed 20 that I love, but there’s a mix from noise to ska to old school hip-hop!

8 Kalacas – “Frontera”

Coming out of the gates with a controversial choice, because I know some people don’t like metal, and some people really don’t like ska, so ska-metal might sound atrocious. But 8 Kalacas combines the two in a way detached from any dopey 90’s skacore done by ignorant white dudes. Not to say that the music isn’t fun, because it’s a guilty pleasure of a track, but there’s enough genuine artistic passion and seriousness in the lyrics – a tale about immigrating back to Mexico after the American dream has failed you – to present this as a woeful tune demanding of your attention.

FFO: Streetlight Manifesto, Soulfly, dancing and/or immigration reform

Börn – “Norn”

I know absolutely nothing about this band and, full disclosure, I only found them on a bigger blog doing this exact same type of midyear post. I don’t know how they found this band, a new Icelandic band who’s debut album has yet to muster 3500+ spotify plays for any song. But boy does this rip. This is the exact type of music I was looking for in my teens – guitar-heavy goth shit. This has the sound of a noisy, combustible no wave or noise rock band, but the vocals of something more gothic. It’s loud, melodic, dark and extremely sweaty. More of this, please.

FFO: METZ, mclusky, sweating your mascara off

Foxtails – “space orphan”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKGHeIiBQ48

There’s a handful of albums I’ve listened to or added to lists to listen that were based off recommendations where I simply cannot remember where they were recommended to me. I jumped into this album entirely unfamiliar with the group, but based on the low-caps band name/album title/song titles and the cutesy album cover, I was expecting some tender indie. What I got instead was an inspired mix of alternative, violin, and scream-y vocals, not out of the realm of Defiance, Ohio, but less gimmicky then them too. This song is more representative of how much I loved the album in general, but it rips. There’s some very chaotic, downright uncomfortable stuff going on here.

FFO: Defiance Ohio, Gouge Away, having a breakdown in small town america

HEALTH/Ada Rook/PlayThatBoyZai – “MURDER DEATH KILL”

MDK ALL FUCKIN DAY

HEALTH is one of my favorite bands, and Ada Rook is maybe my favorite screamer right now, so this pairing just makes sense. The industrial group has been working with tons of artists – most notably Nine Inch Nails – across two collaborative albums. Results have been mixed, but this absolute ripper of a 2-minute song makes it all worth it. Music doesn’t get much more in your face than this, an absolute wicked aura matched only by volume. Seems intentional that the title matches the slogan of a wrestler who was once killed in the ring, revived, and tried to fight the paramedics to clear him to finish the match. I’m MDK affiliated.

FFO: Backxwash, The Body, light tube bundles

KRS-One – “Raw Hip Hop”

Thirty-six years into his career, KRS-One doesn’t have anything he has to prove to anyone, and he’s allowed to do whatever he wants. While his new album – his 16th(!) solo record – varies in quality, it’s got some bangers like “Raw Hip Hop.” It lives up to the title, with a first-person overview of the genre’s history from someone who’s always been at the forefront of it. His forceful rapping is mixed with a minimalist beat, resulting in an old-school sounding song from an old-school artist. It’s criminal that he still flies under the radar.

FFO: Q-Tip, Biz Markie, an era without Machine Gun Kelly in it

Leikeli47 – “Chitty Bang”

Okay so you probably have heard this song, as it’s being used in a TV commercial right now (don’t ask me for what, I tune those out), but it’s worth a mention here as the full song is simply a blast. The song opens the rapper’s excellent new album “Shape Up,” the first of many straight fun songs on a Side A that plays like one long party jam. Given that “Zoom” has well eclipsed 5 million Spotify plays and “Done Right” seems to be on TikTok a lot, I’m guessing – hoping – that Leikeli47 isn’t on these lists much longer.

FFO: Princess Nokia, Rico Nasty, that brief era where MIA was huge

Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard – “The Harvest”

You’re right, I did want to write about this one partially because they have the best band name in music hands down. But I’ve been singing their praises for a few years now. I’m hit and miss when it comes to stoner metal, so it makes sense that I’d love this song that really toys with the format. It’s got the length (9:10) and it’s got the riffs – by god, does it have the riffs – but it’s also got spacey synths and dreamy vocals. It somehow sounds both warm and menacing at the same time, as if it is simply not of this planet. I’ll give you a few minutes to take a few tokes before we continue.

FFO: Blood Incantation, Neurosis, getting high in the forest and what, is that a UFO? is that a UFO?

Mattiel – “Lighthouse”

Mattiel is one of a handful of indie artists whose continued lack of mainstream success upsets me to no end. Their new album “Georgia Gothic” continues their trend of making very digestible indie tunes with diverse inspirations, but a complete sound. My personal favorite, “Lighthouse” is bolstered by horns and and an excellent, repeated vocal line. Songs like this were designed to stick in your head.

FFO: Sunflower Bean, Horsegirl, feeling restless on a nice summer day

MJ Lenderman – “Tastes Just Like It Costs”

The name MJ Lenderman has been on my radar for a bit but his recent “Boat Songs” album is the first release of his I’ve actually heard. His name usually comes up alongside folksier artists that I’m usually hit-and-miss on, so to hear an album of generally grungier, more old school alternative was a delightful surprise. This is possibly my favorite on the album, because I’m a huge sucker for a song that ends on a repeating line (as seen elsewhere on on this list). This is a poppy, fuzzy guitar song with a neat vocal rhythm, resulting in what Dinosaur, Jr. might sound like if J. Mascis was just a little bit playful.

FFO: Dinosaur, Jr., Pavement, flannel shirts

Otoboke Beaver – “I Won’t Dish Out Salads”

I picked this one up via a recommendation and only listened to it this week, and I remain confounded on how to even classify this band. It’s garage-punk, with the ferocity of noise and the vocals of something poppier. Too melodic for Melt Banana, too hardcore for J-pop, and the tracks are just the right length for grindcore (the album’s last three songs account for only 39 seconds of music). It’s fun, aggressive, and insanely melodic. There’s only one other band I’ve listened to this year that sounded similar, and they’re…

FFO: Melt Banana, Guerilla Toss, trashing the term “guilty pleasure” once and for all

Perennial – “Tooth Plus Claw”

I’m a little biased on this one, as I recently got to interview these fine folks about their excellent new album, but it’s one of my favorite songs from the year nonetheless. Perennial’s music is a blast in both ways, and this song works a mission statement – a bouncy dance-punk track that harmonizes fun and aggression, all wrapped up in 85 seconds. Some bands that came up in conversation were Be Your Own Pet & The Hives, and it’s hard not to see Perennial as a spiritual successor to both those names.

FFO: Be Your Own Pet, The Hives, chugging cold brew

PLOSIVS – “Hit the Breaks”

Somehow this supergroup comprising members of Pinback, Against Me! (Atom Willard!) and Hot Snakes seems to have gone completely under the radar. The opening song off their debut song definitely sounds like the latter band, an aggressive but melodic indie-punk ditty that sounds like it was designed to absolutely kill in a live setting. You could argue that we don’t need yet another jangly garage group – but when it sounds as good as this, who cares?

FFO: Hot Snakes, Les Savy Fav, dads that rock

Porridge Radio – “Birthday Party”

Naming a song “Birthday Party” and then repeating the line “I don’t wanna be loved” endlessly is the grimmest possible way to establish a song. But that’s what the indie group Porridge Radio is about. Add in the pained vocals, deceivingly catchy rhythms and faint sounds of kids in the background, and you’ve got one of the year’s most brutally depressing songs. It’s what to expect from Porridge Radio, and it’s done well across the whole album, but never as good as here.

FFO: Nick Cave, the sadder Los Campesinos! albums, working on your birthday

SOAK – “Purgatory”

We’ve seen an absolute glut of electric-acoustic indie with pretty vocals over the last decade, but it’s still so nice to find artists who can do it so well. This song, the opener to a very solid album, mixes comforting acoustic with more unpredictable electric rhythms and deceptively haunting vocals. Their voice sounds so, so much like Adrienne Lenker’s, which is to say pretty and haunting at the same time. The repetition on “I’ll be hungry forever” to end the song is an extra wrinkle on the song’s beauty.

FFO: Big Thief, Waxahatchee, autumn

Robert Stillman – “Cherry Ocean”

This song remains confounding to me. It’s just shy of 9 minutes, features just a few instruments and very hushed, difficult-to-decipher vocals. It’s the only song on the album with lyrics, as the album otherwise meanders around various subgenres of jazz. I *guess* this counts as jazz, too, but I’m not even comfortable with that label. All of the components of this feel warm – the piano drone, the sax, the quiet vocals – and yet the final product feels cold and questioning. The album’s title – What Does It Mean To Be An American? – comes from a different song, but in the year 2022 that is a menacing question, and this song reflects it. There’s practically nothing to pull from this track, and yet I keep coming back to it.

FFO: Mount Eerie, Gene Hackman playing saxophone at the end of “The Conversation”

Tropical Fuck Storm/King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – “Satanic Slumber Party Part 2 (Midnight in Sodom)“

Seemingly half of the current rock & punk bands I like come from Australia, so it only makes sense to see a team-up like this. I’ll admit I am not super familiar with TFS but Gizz has been my most played band each year since I got obsessed in 2018, and this song plays into their super wild side, just 6 minutes of chaotic art-punk that seems to never nail down any kind of central rhythm but also maintain just enough normalcy to not be pure cacophony. This song is pure, unadulterated fun. Gizz are by no means an undiscovered group but they released this split just weeks before their monstrous album “Omnium Gatherum” and it seems to have gotten lost in that album’s shadow. Also, be happy Gizz-heads: they’ve already committed to releasing 3 (!) more albums this year.

FFO: the better Animal Collective albums, black midi, riding a unicorn through a rainbow ocean

The Venomous Pinks – “Todos Unidos”

Ok so this song is actually 2 years old now and popped up on my radar last year, but the Arizona punk trio’s debut was finally released in June, so I’m counting it. Messy and angry, the song hearkens back to the times when hardcore punk was first burgeoning into the mainstream with its call to action and gang vocals. It feels refreshing to hear such straightforward street punk in an era where the genre label “punk” is arguably being thrown around too loosely. Given that they just wrapped up a tour with *the Dead Kennedys,* I would say to watch for this name.

FFO: Rancid, Pennywise, the great street punk bands from your hometown that split up to become firefighters

Weird Nightmare – “Searching For You”

Weird Nightmare is the solo project from Alex Edkins from METZ, but one listen to the song and you could probably figure that one out on your own. While the song is much more distinctly indie than anything METZ, the sweatiest band in the world, has done, it retains much of the same sound. Edkins still snarls his way through this slightly menacing track, and he remains infallible in his way of coupling melody and noise. This song takes heavy inspiration from some legendary 80’s/90’s guitar alternative, and we should be thankful for it.

FFO: METZ (obviously), Preoccupations, the crushing weight of a Tuesday afternoon

Zeal & Ardor – “Feed the Machine”

There weren’t a ton of albums I loved in Q1 this year so this new Zeal & Ardor album sat near the top of my list for a while. I truly don’t know why they’re not getting more attention than they are, though I blame the metal purists who demand every band follow the exact same script. Zeal & Ardor not only didn’t follow a metal script, they never even read it. This song – more indicative of how much I loved the album in general – starts with a damn stomp clap. The album takes black metal and incorporates elements of African music, chamber pop, industrial, folk, and just whatever the hell the band feels is appropriate. Nothing about it should work, and yet it does in a way that still makes metal feel fresh. Truly one of the best albums of the year so far.

FFO: Deafheaven, Author & Punisher, music that pisses off your parents and pisses off the people who make music to piss off your parents

Zola Jesus – “Sewn”

Zola’s new album “Arkhon” – only 1 day old at the time of me writing this – masterfully blends peaceful euphoria, haunting melodies and vengeful brooding into one album. My personal favorite from the album swings towards the latter, a menacing synth track that sounds like an animal creeping in the night. It hits remarkably well on the album, as the previous track is deceitfully melodic, but it works well as a standalone track as well.

FFO: Chelsea Wolfe, Jenny Hval, the Matrix nightclub scenes

And that’s 20! Thanks to anyone who actually read through all of this for some reason, I appreciate anyone so willing to discover new tunes! Also a shoutout to A Wilheim Scream, Blood Red Shoes & Thou, who all had songs that initially made the cut here before I swapped some around – I’ve loved these groups for years now. This was fun for me even if no one read it, so I’ll try to do another 20 at year’s end!