I tuned in for the Grammys the other day and it was a tough watch. Not in a “music is dead” or anti-establishment way, it was just hard to buy as the ‘best of 2025.’
Officially one year of indiewave, and somehow things are right back where they started; using a half-baked Grammys setup as an excuse to post a year-end list in February.
So, in honor of the 68th annual Grammys, here are the 69 best songs of 2025:
69. EsDeeKid – “4 Raws”
Timothee Chalamet has flirted with hip hop culture for years, but no one expected a faceless British rapper to land the first feature. Sure, viral conspiracy theories helped the cause, but none of it happens if the song isn’t good on its own
68. Geese – “Au Pays du Cocaine”
I haven’t bought into the indie golden boys hype, but this is cinema. Makes me feel like maybe I’m the one that’s wrong
67. Chanel Beads – “The Coward Forgets His Nightmare”
Bedroom pop with a little bite. Raw, confident, and closer to Dijon than Clairo
66. Dean Blunt & Elias Rønnenfelt (prod. Vegyn) – “tears on his rings and chains”
Proof that this trio’s weird euro chemistry produced some of the year’s stickiest music
65. Toro y Moi – “CD-R (unerthed)”
It takes a chameleon to make a folk cover of your own hip hop song without being gimmicky
64. Arooj Aftab, Khruangbin – “raat ki rani – Khruangbin Remix”
This rework didn’t get as much buzz as their entire album of reworks, but it’s some swanky shit for driving around the city at night
63. Tame Impala – “Loser”
I’m not mad about the house pivot in theory, I just thought it was just mostly lackluster, so I gravitated towards the one that was closer to old Tame
62. Butter Bath – “Airport Shuttle”
Butter bath could also describe the vocals that coat this DIY-tinged swirl of neo soul and indie pop
61. Thumber – “Stupid Sweetly”
Like a young Still Woozy with funky pop melodies that breeze past the “wait what’d he say?” moments
60. Tom Misch – “Red Moon”
Songs like this make me feel like he’s positioning himself as this generation’s John Mayer type guitar hero; but he does it with his own funky flare
59. Night Tapes – “swordsman”
Disguised as late night introspection but the ahh-oooooh’s inject some unexpected hookiness
58. Mamalarky – “Anhedonia”
Sounds like it could be the result of a Weezer and Caroline Rose studio session
57. Perry Maysun, Jay Versace – “I Can’t Even Draw You.”
The visuals are disturbing, but the bravado bars boost the wonky jazzy production to prove he’s not just going for shock value
56. Mo Lowda & the Humble – “Tailing the Ghost”
Their heavy anthems have a southern lean, which is confusing because they’re from Philly, but rock doesn’t know area codes
55. Goth Babe – “The Tongass”
Quiet year for him, but still managed to drop some essential boat day music
54. nickname jos – “Bite”
If Mk.gee made one song to tie together his 2020 and 2024 sonic eras, this could be it
53. Kinji – “reverse”
If Mk.gee made one song to tie together his 2018 and 2020 sonic eras, this could be it
52. Vinyl Williams – “Beam Me Up”
An expert in spacy psych that isn’t afraid to drip some breezy pop sensibilities into the mix
51. Louis Metric – “Take It Slow”
From q1 blog: “Urging someone to take it slow on an upbeat song may be oxymoronic, but this is an undeniable indie banger”
50. Mae Powell – “Contact High”
One of my favorite finds at the end of 2025 reminds me of strongboi, one of my favorite finds at the end of 2024
49. Post Animal – “Something Drive”
Should soundtrack that cathartic moment in a coming-of-age movie where the protagonist realizes life doesn’t end in high school
48. Shelly – “Cross Your Mind”
Clairo’s side project is like that old friend you never keep in touch with, but you pick right back up when they come around
47. Scrimmage – “Manlantern”
Blurs the lines between psych, pop and jazz, anchored by some of the best guitar work of the year
46. Chelsea Days – “Two Seater”
From q3 blog: “Fun fusion of psych rock and dream pop tailor-made for road trippin”
45. Whitney – “Damage”
The word ‘drop’ seems to be reserved for EDM but what do we call it when that moment hits in a country soul song?
44. Kurt Vile – “classic love (kv kersion)”
The original version with Luke Roberts was good but the KV solo rework unleashes its full potential
43. Alex G – “Afterlife”
Headlights wasn’t as splashy as I thought it would be, but he quietly made one of the catchiest songs of the summer
42. Yot Club, Glitter Party – “song 3”
It’s probably difficult to strike the balance between frenetic fun and rainy day gloom, but they make it sound easy
41. Parcels – “Safeandsound”
From q1 blog: “A little more downtempo than some of their previous stuff but builds up nicely into a calm climax”
40. Drugdealer, Weyes Blood – “Real Thing”
From q2 blog: “Ever since hearing “Suddenly” on HBO’s High Maintenance, I’ll eat up any dish this duo wants to serve, but this might be their breeziest and catchiest collab to date”
39. Freak Slug – “Shiver”
Like tossing Men I Trust and 80s pop into a blender with 2000s movie soundtrack anthems like Hoku’s “Perfect Day”
38. Fetch Tiger – “Hear From You”
From q3 blog: “Sounds like Two Door Cinema Club and Phoenix playing a game of chicken and crashing in the middle to cause an explosion of 2000s indie pop”
37. Eyedress – “Change My View (feat. Elvia & Boaty)”
From q2 blog: “It’s cool that his wife and son are featured, but this isn’t just a cute little family moment, it’s a certified alt-pop banger”
36. Justend (prod. loe4t) – “wake up in the morning”
I dig the dichotomy between the old soul production and the nonchalant flow that glides over it
35. Dijon – “Yamaha”
From q3 blog: “Has the bones of a 90’s R&B smash hit, but it’s warped through the same murky lens that he’s been crafting over the last few years”
34. Royel Otis – “come on home”
The hickey album and rollout seemed like it was made to go viral, but this one found that effortless mix of catchy and cool that defined their initial rise
33. RIO KOSTA – “Unicorn”
From q2 blog: “Not many bands go from a debut single to millions of streams and headlining shows in just four months. Nothing about their ascent feels rushed though. Cool, retro, polished, and groovy as hell… sonically and visually”
32. TOLEDO – “Cause & Effect”
A lot of artists are blurring the lines between americana and indie pop; but few do it with this level of smooth ambiguity
31. Zac Farro – “Operator”
When I heard the Paramore drummer dropped a solo album, I was not expecting retro-tinged indie pop
30. Cut Copy, Kate Bollinger – “Belong To You”
Synth-pop mainstay and folk singer songwriter may seem like an unlikely pairing, but it’s a catchy collab
29. Loaded Honey – “Don’t Speak”
From q2 blog: “If you like Jungle’s electronic/soul hybrids, then this side project from core members is worth a listen”
28. Antonio Barret – “Stone Age”
From q3 blog: “Sounds like something that’d be played over a soiree scene in a cool HBO show as you try to Shazam it before the dialogue starts again”
27. Homer, Les Imprimés – “Catch A Flame”
Downtempo with slick production and a sticky synth line. Perfect soundtrack for a night cap in a swanky lounge
26. LEISURE – “Sundown”
I tried to say this was “too sing-songy” when it dropped in April, and then sang along all summer
25. Jaco Jaco – “Woman”
Founding member of the band Sports carving out his own quirky lane that could be the love child of Mac Demarco and Thundercat
24. okaywill – “Fly Me To Mars”
From q2 blog: “If we ever get cruise-style space trips, this will be playing in the club room. Zero-gravity disco”
23. Hannah Cohen – “Draggin’”
One of the best live songs I saw this year. Every band member is a close friend which brings a loose energy that flows into the studio version as well
22. El Michels Affair, Clairo – “Anticipate”
Sounds like it could be a sequel to 2024’s Charm which they co-produced. Maybe sequels don’t always suck
21. Balu Brigada – “Sideways”
From q3 blog: “Did someone say indie sleaze revival? Great party music for people who are cool (or think they are)”
20. Jaguar Sun – “Roll On”
Expertly crafted transition from dew-glazed folk to weighty quick tap drums and wailing electric guitars
19. Niall Mutter – “I Don’t Wanna Give You Up”
Bridges the gap between the groovy pop stuff he was making in 2021 and the backwoods landscapes he explored on 2025’s Silver
18. Sons of Sevilla – “All The While”
Guitar-forward with a worldly sound that feels like watching clips of Santana at Woodstock
17. Inner Wave – “MADRE”
The first release from their upcoming album felt like a statement of intent. In line with their past stuff, but served up with a little extra swagger
16. Night Moves – “Hold On To Tonight”
I won’t try to outdo their self-described “Cosmic Twang Rock Disco Fog Sludge” because the leading single from their Double Life album captures that to a T
15. That Graduate – “You’ve Heard”
A little dancy and a little dingy, like a 2000s garage rock band trying to break into the NYC indie sleaze scene
14. Babe Rainbow – “Like cleopatra”
From q1 blog: “Aussie psych rockers really embraced the groove on this addictive summertime anthem”
13. Hether, Dominic Fike – “Images of Love”
Fike floating around on the back half enhanced this acid-laced jazz pop masterpiece that would have made the list anyway
12. Mac Demarco – “Punishment”
From q3 blog: “The minimalist approach can make his new album Guitar a dull straight-through listen, but any song picked out of a hat is lovely as hell”
11. JW Francis, Paul Cherry – “That Time”
The intermingling of country vocals and surf pop is fun, but clever songwriting clinches this as one of the more captivating songs of the year. “We cozy up to watch a movie, but you always skip to the good part / You never wanna watch the endings and I get it, endings are so hard”
10. Stray Fossa – “I Was There”
The entire Blossomer album is steeped in nostalgia but this one carries a little more weight, and it’s not just because of the added string arrangement
9. strongboi – “Be Mine”
Pretends to be a ballad, but the trail of bread crumbs leads back to their distinctive fusion of warbly pop and smoky soul
8. Durand Jones & The Indications – “Paradise”
The slickest groove of the year with Aaron Frazer’s buttery vocals cleansing your soul. Scientifically impossible to not pull a stank face
7. Sunbeam Sound Machine – “Mercy”
This song somehow evokes optimism and existential dread at the same time. Like sitting on the coast enjoying the sun glimmer off the water and then realizing how deep the ocean is. I think the optimism wins out in the end though
6. Das Kope – “Bliss”
I was buying into the indie twang propaganda for a bit and then this song hit my brain like a factory reset. Sounds like a more psychedelic Black Keys meeting a more distorted Tame Impala
5. Djo – “Back On You”
Who had a bigger year than Joe Keery? He starred in Stranger Things, his band Post Animal kinda blew up in an indie way, and his solo project kinda blew up in a mainstream way. This isn’t just a celeb dabbling in music for fun though; his Cars-esque ability to make an understated anthem shows it
4. Men I Trust – “Come Back Down”
I was tripping in a dirty college bedroom the first time I heard “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac. I was deep into party rap at the time so the blend of groove and emotional depth washed over me like a baptism. This cut from their second album of the year leans more disco, but still fills that same sonic pocket
3. Turnstile – “I CARE”
The NPR Tiny Desk mosh pit and crowd dive was cool as fuck. It’s admittedly ironic to credit them for getting me into hardcore music and then champion the one that sounds like a slightly edgy spin on The Police, but I care about this song
2. Bay Ledges – “swim to the buoy”
If he stuck to breezy electronic pop or folk, he could probably be a star in either lane. Instead, he weaves both with emotive hooks in search of his own frontier. There’s an alternative outdoor version of this song for a grittier experience (nod to Hudson Freeman)
1. Far Caspian – “An Outstretched Hand / Rain From Here to Kerry”
For most of the year, the question wasn’t “will I play this song today,” it was “how many times will I play it?” The first two minutes are shimmering indie-alt that could have made the list on its own, but the focal point is the build-up that comes in waves and takes almost 90 seconds to fully break. Controlled chaos. Cinema. Call it what you want; I call it Song Of The Year
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