2025: THE BEST NEW/EMERGING ARTISTS…

 

Each year, some new artist pops up and alters the music landscape a little and, if we're lucky, it inspires a trickle-down effect to other musicians. This was such a year and, I strongly feel, will be even more apparent in 2026 too:

TOP PICK:

Jade: 

we were warned of her intent with "Angel Of My Dreams" but it all came flush this year with a debut work that embraced pop's past and current to slyly hint ant even greater things to come.

THE REST IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

Obongjayar: 

the fact that Little Simz is in leagues with him is justification of highlighting him here but his ideas explored is what cements it.

Rose Gray: 

while American critics hold on to Gaga's latest as some smashing return to form, this Brit gave an early dance/pop record that surpasses that. And it's not even close.

Spellling: 

quietly exploring her craft with intense, great results.

Dijon: 

Pitchfork's find of the year and he has been on every list--and it is justified.

Quadeca: 

every year some white soul boi rises but he stood tall with an entire album's worth of deep soul-searching.

Ghais Guevara: 

forget the trash rap out there are listen to this messenger instead.

Geese: 

yes, they've been around but there's always a point where a band really steps out of its skin and lay down a memorable marker and this is it.

Nourished By Time: 

the novelty has gone and he does not wane, instead he finds sublime timing in every detail.

Denzel Himself: 

the London artist tackles so many sub genres and somehow does not drop the ball.

TOP 10 MOST DISAPPOINTING ALBUMS OF 2025...

 

Nothing pains me more each year than to see really talented musicians--for whatever reason--put out balling or crappy music. Sigh, here goes:

1. U.S. Girls SCRATCH IT: 

after eight albums, anyone would sound a bit winded but Remy sounds like she underwent a Stepford wife transformation deep in the South.

2. Blood Orange ESSEX HONEY: 

a bit too sparse even for him to parse his usual minimalism.

3. Little Simz LOTUS: 

I'm still stunned by this because it starts off strongly enough but as time passes, so does any new stylistic trick or insight.

4. Clarence Clarity FOUR WRONG:

as if a 37-track project was not exhaustive enough, Clarity forgot to pepper it with any semblance of fun.

5. Mick Jenkins A MURDER OF CROWS:

 no beating heart or fire burning within this time.

6. Saba COFFEE!: 

Saba's artistry has always walked a fine line, but he threw in a lot of caution with this EP and, well, now we see what the fine line was in place to begin with.

7. Celeste WOMAN OF FACES: 

utterly void of joy and carefree sounds that give us hope.

8. Twin Shadow GEORGIE: 

not bad but sounds like a phoned-in studio obligation and, given what was to come later in the year, he is not beating the allegation.

9. Shamir TEN:

 transitioning a sound that's starting to zone fans out.

10. Lorde VIRGIN: 

still trying to recapture what worked so well on MELODRAMA but that era is gone apparently.

TOP 10 MOST OVERRATED ALBUMS OF 2025:

 

This year seemed to have so many albums that should/could have been here but I stuck with critic ratings more than mostly year-end list placing. Here goes...

1. Deafheaven LONELY PEOPLE WITH POWER (METACRITIC SCORE: 8.5/10)

2. Wednesday BLEEDS (METACRITIC SCORE: 8.8/10)

3. Billy Woods GOLLIWOG (METACRITIC SCORE: 8.9/10)

4. Swans BIRTHING (METACRITIC SCORE: 9.0/10)

5. Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band NEW THREATSFROM THE SOUL (METACRITIC SCORE: 8.9/10)

6. Earl Sweatshirt LIVELAUGH LOVE (METACRITIC SCORE: 8.4/10)

7. Anna Von Hausswolff ICONOCLASTS (METACRITIC SCORE: 8.9/10)

8. Mike SHOWBIZ! (METACRITIC SCORE: 8.1/10)

9. Cardiacs LSD (METACRITIC SCORE: 9.0/10)

10. Oneohtrix Point Never TRANQUILIZER (METACRITIC SCORE: 8.1/10)

TOP 10 WORST FILMS OF 2025 THAT I WATCHED:

 

Another year of wretched films. Let's go...

1. WAR OF THE WORLDS (directed by Rich Lee): 

apparently filmed five years ago in the COVID era, but just being released now, it baffles me why the team just didn't take the write-off!

2. POPEYE: THE SLAYER MAN (directed by Robert Michael Ryan): 

big yawn.

3. A MINECRAFT MOVIE (directed by Jared Hess): 

 clearly made as a money grab but did it really have to be this awful?

4. I KNOWWHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson):

 a really poor reboot of a film that now seems like a classic in comparison.

5. BRIDE HARD (directed by Simon West): 

a nutty knockoff on the vastly superior Bridesmaids.

6. MADEA'S DESTINATION WEDDING (directed by Tyler Perry): 

Perry's usual shenanigans wearing thin.

7. UNTIL DAWN (directed by David F. Sandberg): 

I imagine that is what pointlessness on a loop must be like.

8. FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES (directed by Zach Lipovsky & Adam Stein): 

definitely not the return to form everyone was hoping for.

9. CONTROL FREAK (directed by Shal Ngo): 

just wretched.

10. BLOAT (directed by Pablo Absento):

 leads to a path of a whole heap of nothing.

TOP 15 WORST SONGS OF 2025 THAT I HEARD (WITH REGRET)...

 

ANOTHER YEARLY BATCH OF SHITTY SONGS:

1. "Take Me Back" (Yuno Miles and Fantano):

 if you thought Yuno's rapping was annoying then waint until you hear him trying to sing. How the Internet's most known music nerd jioned in this collab is equally brain-rotting.

2. "Fast Rap" (Yuno Miles): 

not sure if this even qualifies as music technically but it sure sucks ass.

3. "Heart So Pure" (Sematary): 

tries to juggle two different genres and the incredible embarassment is twice as disconcerting.

4. "Daddy's Home" (Tom MacDonald & Roseanne Barr): 

you know that you are horrible at music when MacDonald comes across saner than you in a duet.

5. "6'2" (Yuno Miles): 

same ass stupidness.

6. "WiFi" (Yuno Miles):

 ugh...

7. "Chair" (Spice):

 just keeps on rolling on that stable pum pum.

8. "Woke World" (Tom MacDonald):

repetitive and boring.

9. "Watch Me Swag" (Soulja Boy):

 just really tiresome.

10. "Ray Gun Mark 2" (Yuno Miles): 

not even the beat can save this.

11. "FUBU" (Skunt): 

the alter ego of Lady Leshurr but this version is worse.

12. "Low Life" (Macka Diamond feat. 1Ziggy Lifestyle): 

still stuck in a decade best forgotten.

13. "Trick O Treat" (Lil Pump): 

this is not the type of seasonal music we need more of.

14. "Big Sky" (Sam Amidon): 

sounds so lazy.

15. "Fat, Juicy & Wet" (Bruno Mars & Sexyy Red): 

vagina rap gone horribly awrt.