THE TOP 100 SONG OF 2025 (PART TWO)...

 

Another batch of remarkable tracks:

61. Ends Meet (Panda Bear): 

another very hooky, acid-washed banger with a throwback appeal. The tune and the chords, honestly, are, weirdly enough, giving La Bamba vibes. On some level, this tune does sound like your uncle getting funky at the family wedding. But it still goes. I love that somehow Noah on this record on multiple occasions is touching, even pole dancing, on every uncool third rail in music and somehow sounding amazing doing it. Also, the pure scuzzy noise solo on the bridge of this track is a surprising and, I think, very interesting addition to the song. It's like this fun edgy distraction to throw you off of the actually cheesy source material inspiring this track. (THE NEEDLE DROP)

62. So Far Ahead (Clipse feat Pharrell Williams): 

rifts between a gospel vibe and haunting horrorcore – a perfect fit for the duality Malice and Pusha bring to each track. (SOULINSTEREO)

63. KO (NLE The Great): 

diss track of the year?

64. Give Me Mercy (The Weeknd): 

reminding us all that, quietly, he can still break his heart in a track and awe us into paying attention.

65. Crumbling Empire (Sam Fender):

 isn’t just a standout because of its themes. It’s undeniably the album highlight, with arrangements that immediately pull you in before Fender’s signature emotion-fuelled grit hooks you for the long haul. However, its message becomes its anchor, with Fender addressing the cracks that the working-class community feel, within which people can work hard and tick all the boxes they’re supposed to but still get left behind by the system. (FAROUT MAGAZINE)

66. Wood (Taylor Swift): 

a fun, but not terribly memorable, ode to Travis Kelce's sexual prowess. It's provocative only when you compare it with the rest of Swift's work. On its own, you'd never notice the randy parts unless someone (me) told you the backstory. (SF GATE)

67. Lip Service (Jade): 

treads lightly but impact fully felt.

68. New David Bowie (Jim Legxacy): 

his usual mix and match production but now he is exploring way more.

69. Crashing (D4VD feat. Kali Uchis): 

bittersweet love fully explored.

70. Million Years (HAIM): 

tight, blissful harmonies.

 

 

71. Spire (Preservation & Gabe Nandez):

 old school done right.

72. Hotbox (Lil Nas X): 

campy and fun, packed with hilarious, to-the-point lines and cheeky bars. Specifically, the rapper talks about going out, flirting with guys, bringing them home, and all of the fun things that come with that. (RATINGS GAME MUSIC)

73. Nomonogamummy (Lily Allen): 

when pop stars try to incorporate reggae or dancehall, it’s usually bad but given the purpose of Allen’s new project, this shines and sears.

74. Don’t Remind Me (Amber Mark & Anderson .Paak):

 not quite the knockout return but here Amber grabs Paak for a sultry detour.

75. Ice In My OJ (Hayley Williams): 

more a boast but so nonchalantly done.

76. My Type (Sudan Archives): 

a full-on rap banger full of snapping percussion and futuristic synths. It's at this point that it's clear that she could take on just about any aspect of black music and wrestle it into any form she likes. (POPMATTERS)

77. Himalayan Yak Chew (Aesop Rock): 

his odd spoken word flow nails it.

78. Y Ya (Denzel Himself): 

mixing and mashing genres masterfully.

79. Shake It To The Max (Fly REMIX) (MOLIY, Shenseea, Skillibeng & Silent Addy): 

last October, Ghanaian-American Afrobeats singer MOLIY casually leaked a snippet of a dancehall-infused track she was working on with producer Silent Addy. She didn’t think much of it—until “Shake It to the Max” went viral, blowing up on TikTok. And that was before the remix with Shenseea and Skillibeng even dropped. What started as a throwaway snippet is now a full-blown posse cut: one of the funnest, sweatiest dancefloor anthems of the year—the true “song of the summer” for people who were actually outside. (COMPLEX)

80. Born Again (Lisa feat Doja Cat & Raye): 

the killer trio of Lisa, Doja Cat and Raye trade verses over a lithe synth funk beat that could have easily found place on an album by The Weeknd. The song percolates and surges in all the right places, benefiting greatly each time the vocal arrangement decides to add some spice. Curiously, Lisa’s portions of the song see her exclusively singing, ceding Born Again‘s brief rap verses to her collaborators. At times she feels like a guest in her own song, with Doja Cat absolutely walking away with the track on verse two as she lands the biggest and best punches. (THEBIASLIST)

THE TOP 100 SONG OF 2025 (PART ONE)...

 

Another great year for music and here are the songs I cheered on the loudest:

81. Outside (Cardi B): 

Cardi jumps on a sample of the classic "Triggaman" beat and talks shit about hooking up with whoever she wants. If you wanted, you could hear this whole song as Cardi taunting her ex: "Good for nothing, low-down dirty dogs, I'm convinced/ Next time you see your mama, tell her how she raised a bitch." But you don't have to be invested in celebrity-relationship narratives to have fun hearing Cardi in larger-than-life snarl mode. (STEREOGUM)

82. Vivid Light (Blood Orange): 

serene and then breaks into spoken word before being enveloped into serenity again.

83. Change The Channel (Clipping.): 

a breakneck fast-rap workout about a tense situation. Daveed Diggs, who just appeared in the Oscar contender Nickel Boys, really goes crazy over breakbeat techno that sounds like it was made to soundtrack a nightclub shootout in a '90s action movie. (STEREOGUM)

84. Ruin The Friendship (Taylor Swift): 

like most, I presumed this was going to be about some late girlfriend fallout but, instead, Swift weaves a stunning tale of what could have been coupled with wise quips.

85. Unoriginal (Magdalena Bay): 

the duo is so greatly in sync that they can just casually toss out a gem like this in an off year.

86. 5 Dollar Pony Rides (Mac Miller):

 if this was indeed the last time we will hear from Miller then he definitely signed off strong.

87. Blue Corvette (Borns): 

snags a great vibe.

88. Underpressure! (Gallant feat Wooyoung): 

slick and soulful.

89. Nettles (Ethel Cain): 

opens with a careful, eerie, continuous base sound with different instruments and melodies interweaving. Each new addition adds a new atmosphere and feeling, the listener having gone on an emotional journey before the lyrics have even started. Strings and violins create a sense of a new, scared confrontation with hope as her love for Willoughby gives her respite from the horrors of her family life. Just as we, the listeners, grasp at this inkling of hope, it deflates slightly as a sombre guitar melody is introduced. (THEMANCHESTER REVIEW)

90. Tonight (PinkPantheress): 

sticks with her usual brief motif but works in so much in-between.

 

91. The Bog Body (Viagra Boys): 

rock is still alive and kicking.

92. Flood (Little Simz feat. Obongjay & Moonchild Sanelly): 

over a pared-back post-punk beat, Simz details her life’s “genius plan”, namely “being free as I can”. The first half is spent detailing the roadblocks she’s faced in her quest, marching through them like a Marvel hero. Then, as if throwing her arm round a young apprentice’s shoulder as she walks, she lays out her six-point plan for greatness with koans of wisdom such as: “Never eat with the hyenas / ‘Cause they will look at you as bones.” If her rap career ever falters – and it looks exceedingly unlikely to on this form – she could write a brilliant leadership training book. (GUARDIAN)

93. Where You Taking My Baby? (BC Camplight): 

poignant to the point of touching.

94. Love On The Big Screen (Animal Collective):

 the lyrics tell a story beyond the simplistic nature of love, but rather what happens after the “honeymoon phase” in a relationship. The repetition of the chorus contrasted with the curious nature of the verses creates a jarringly honest yet joyful exploration of love. (ATWOOD MAGAZINE)

95. Mandingo (Wu-Tang Clan): 

we've heard this prototype before but it's still so popping!

96. Digital Emotional (Kilo Kish): 

Kish knows how to engage in these quirky ideas well.

97. Walk Home (Bon Iver): 

simple but yet so extremely intricate.

98. Abracadabra (Lady Gaga):

 there’s a lot of magic on “Abracadabra”: the way the synthesizers fade in and out like a slow-strobing disco light on a foggy dance floor, the sweeping, syncopated “A-braca-da-braaaa” hook, and of course the skipping way she declares “Feel the beat under your feet, the floor’s on fiiire.” The song was an immediate hit and 2025’s most inescapable earworm anthem thanks to the way she and her sorceress’ apprentices assembled a perfect Lady Gaga pop song — one that nods to early hits like “Just Dance” and “Bad Romance” right on the edge of glory while feeling totally of her own brand-new moment. (ROLLING STONE)

99. RIP KP (King Princess): 

a bit more poppier than we're used to but still gold.

100. Awkward Backward (Twin Shadow): 

released on an album towards the end of a year that was clearly meant to be quiet but he channels the subtle disappointments so well.