As I reflect on the music I enjoyed most in 2025, I still find myself amazed at how much great music is out there. My tastes are eclectic and old-fashioned, but there are still so many new, young artists making music I absolutely love. Just have to find them. Cheers to the challenges and joys of discovering new music!
Sharp Pins – Balloon Balloon Balloon – Sharp Pins is the solo project of Chicago musician Kai Slater, who also fronts noise/hardcore rock band Lifeguard. It’s bedroom power-pop heavily influenced by 1960s psychedelia and 1990s lo-fi indie rock. Slater has an amazing knack for writing insanely catchy pop nuggets and capturing them quickly on tape. The whole album is just earworm after earworm. But like early Guided By Voices, maybe it’s best he doesn’t labor over them too much, because trying to “perfect” them could spoil the magic. His previous release Radio DDR came out in late 2024, and was re-issued with bonus tracks in 2025. It’s every bit as good as this album — track it down as well!
Hotline TNT – Raspberry Moon – Third album by singer/songwriter/guitarist Will Anderson, and the first recorded with a full band. It’s a blend of swirling, distorted guitars/synths and power-pop melodies. Bands like Teenage Fanclub, Ride, My Bloody Valentine, and Dinosaur, Jr. are definitely influences, but Anderson’s songs stand on their own as unbridled paeans to love and romance. The full band recording gives the songs a surging power that lifts them even higher. The whole album is a triumph of melody and noise in perfect balance.
Nourished By Time – The Passionate Ones – The album title nods to Prince, and the music within is rooted in 80s R&B. “Automatic Love” could almost pass as a song from that era. But most of the tracks are unquestionably the work of a modern musical auteur. At some points, he sounds a bit like Twin Shadow, but Nourished By Time (a.k.a. Marcus Brown) has arrived at his own singular sound — fusing retro R&B groove with hyper-real dream-pop, creating something distinctive and affecting. Whether he’s singing about drifting through day jobs while trying to make it as a musical artist (“9 2 5”), seducing a partner-in-crime (“BABY BABY”), or reflecting on how genuine love can strengthen you in times of intense stress and struggle (“Max Potential”), he brings a welcome emotional honesty. The album heralds the arrival of a unique talent.
Turnstile – Never Enough – They’ve still got hardcore roots, but they moved beyond the boundaries of that genre on their previous album Glow On, and we’re all the better for it. A couple of songs on this follow-up sound like they could have fit on the previous album, but there are some new twists, too. The processed guitar effects on “I Care” and “Seein’ Stars” sound like Andy Summers of the The Police at his best. Many of the songs have extended, experimental sections and codas to segue in and out of the high energy hardcore thrash. But it’s the way these little pieces all integrate into a unified whole — from Baltimore club beats to new age synths — it always feels authentic. They are being true to themselves, not selling out, and continuing to make some of the most exciting music out there. It’s not easy to follow up an acclaimed breakthrough album, but Turnstile have honestly equaled it.
Venna – Malik – I never thought I’d become a jazz aficionado, but the artists coming out of the London jazz scene have converted me. Venna’s sublime debut Malik is simply a stunning album. It’s contemporary jazz, but imbued with a variety of R&B, hip-hop, and electronic influences that make it feel organic and and soulful. Venna is a skillful and emotive saxophonist, and his band features excellent musicians all around (including Yussef Dayes and Rocco Palladino). Several tracks feature memorable guest vocalists and rappers, but it’s the music, ranging from simmering grooves to dreamy melodies, that carries the album. The album is also produced and recorded beautifully — it sounds fantastic on a good hi-fi system. Even if you are not big into jazz, check it out!
Yoni Mayraz – Dogs Bark Babies Cry – Another great jazz artist that is part of the London scene (via Tel Aviv). Yoni Mayraz is an inventive keyboard player who recorded this album with a crack rhythm section — bassist Tom Driessler and drummer Zoe Pascal — who bring a bedrock groove that can move from 70s jazz-funk to 90s hip-hop with ease. On top of this rock solid base, Mayraz weaves bewitching melodies and brings in a host of talented instrumentalists on flute, trumpet, saxophone, and harp. Rapper Fly Anakin even stops by to deliver some of the finest verses you’ll hear on a jazz track. The seamless way in which Mayraz has incorporated funk and hip-hop into his music, without compromising free improvisation and instrumental prowess is something special.
Snuggle – Goodbyehouse – Dream-pop/shoegaze duo from Denmark, whose sweet melodies hide the emotional damage and existential angst of the lyrics. Each of the songs are like lightly warped pop nuggets with a 90s feel. Among more modern bands, they remind me of a slightly more stripped down version of Slow Pulp. The album is remarkably consistent for its short 28 minute run time — each of the nine tracks is a winner. Compulsively re-playable!
Uwade – Florilegium – Uwade Akhere is a Nigerian-born, North Carolina-raised singer/songwriter and PhD student, whose work is hard to pin to a specific genre — I’d consider it a blend of folk, R&B, and pop. She has a clear, mellifluous voice and her songs have the quiet majesty of Tracy Chapman. She integrates African influences so naturally into her songs, they become hard to pick out. For example, “Call It A Draw” has a smoothly integrated afrobeat rhythm that drives the song without calling attention to itself. “Harmattan” is named for the dry, dusty easterly winds that blow on the West African coast, and the instrumentation reflects some of those influences, but never in a way that take over the song. Each of the songs is thoughtfully written, emotionally direct, and lovingly performed. The kind of album it’s a joy to discover and wonder why it isn’t more popular!
The Berries – The Berries – Matthew Berry is a songwriter and guitarist for grunge/alternative band Big Bite and has been a touring guitarist for Hotline TNT (see above). His most recent self-titled work as the The Berries, is a revelation. It’s a guitar-centric rock album, with a fantastic tone, heavily influenced by heartland rock and Americana. Think Tom Petty or The Wallflowers, as well as more recent bands, such as The War On Drugs. What makes it special are some of the best songs he’s every written — impressionistic, searching, and self-reflective. Considering it was self-released it’s also quite well-recorded thanks to bandmate/producer Jimmy Dixon’s well equipped home studio. Rock is definitely not an “in” style of music these days, but if you still love it, this one is for you.
Durand Jones & The Indications – Flowers – After four years working on solo albums and outside projects, the band reconvened for another platter of killer retro-soul that just hits right. The balance between Durand Jones’ honeyed rasp and Aaron Frazer’s soaring falsetto is perfect, and the band is on point as usual. It’s hard work to make the songs seem so breezy and effortless. They feel like they’ve always existed. Each member has proved their talents as solo artists, but they remain more than the sum of their parts. They are awesome live, too!
Honorable Mention:
Maria Somerville – Luster
Circa Waves – Death & Love
Fortitude Valley – Part Of The Problem, Baby
All Hail Y.T. – PLUGIZM
Winter – Adult Romantix
HAIM – I Quit
Gelli Haha – Switcheroo
Sam Fender – People Watching
FHMY – The World You Grew Up In No Longer Exists
Roller Derby – When The Night Comes
Sunday (1994) – Devotion [EP]
Radio Free Alice – Empty Words [EP]
Best re-issues:
The Replacements – Let It Be [Deluxe Edition]
Galaxie 500 – CBGB 12.13.88
Bloc Party – Silent Alarm [20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition]