What we listened to in 2025

If streaming companies’ year-in-review campaigns have proven us something, it’s that we’ve spent a staggering period of time drowning out the hum of on a regular basis life with music, podcasts and audio collection. And with some unbelievable new releases this yr, we have been actually eatin’ good. Listed here are among the Engadget group’s favourite issues we listened to in 2025.

Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea

I turned conscious of Spiritbox in late 2024 shortly earlier than the band dropped its newest album, Tsunami Sea. On the time, I used to be in a deep Sleep Token part, and I don’t keep in mind how I stumbled upon Spiritbox, however I’m positive glad I did. Not understanding something concerning the band, I initially thought it had two singers: one for clear vocals and one other for the tough, guttural screams.

Nicely, I used to be unsuitable. Vocalist Courtney LaPlante handles all of it, and he or she is a pressure of nature. After studying of a brand new band, I do what any self-respecting music nerd does: I seemed up dwell movies of them on YouTube. The way in which LaPlante seamlessly transitions from ethereal, ambient singing to among the greatest growls you’ll hear in metallic music is easy. And after seeing Spiritbox dwell in particular person earlier in December, I can attest to her capability to persistently nail each vocal kinds for the whole lot of an hour-long set.

My infatuation with Spiritbox isn’t simply with the vocalist although. Guitarist Mike Stringer, LaPlante’s husband, additionally has numerous distinctive skills to supply. Stringer’s use of noise and whammy results in his riffs create a signature model, to not point out his mixture of nu-metal, djent and metalcore sensibilities. He additionally has among the thickest guitar tones I’ve ever heard dwell, and I used to be mesmerized for the complete set. Stringer’s guitar work on Tsunami Sea is a main instance of a  distinctive musician on the top of his powers.

Tsunami Sea takes you on a journey. The primary two tracks are all-out ragers, and after a slight respite in “Good Soul” and “Maintain Candy,” the album’s greatest track comes fifth. I’ve heard LaPlante dedicate it to “all of the folks I like to fucking hate,” and it’s clearly written about her enemies. It’s additionally the right instance of what this band is able to. It’s three minutes of LaPlante’s screams interlaced with loads of Stringer’s trademark guitar work.

The remainder of the album showcases the band’s capability to mix dynamics, with “No Loss, No Love” and “Experience The Wave” offering the highlights on the again half of the document. The album’s title observe is a superb car for LaPlante’s clear vocals, serving because the introduction to the album’s second act. In case you’ve been enamored with Sleep Token this yr like I’ve, give Spiritbox a go — you gained’t be sorry you probably did. — Billy Steele, Deputy Editor, Critiques

Bandsplain

I didn’t uncover Bandsplain in 2025, however I undoubtedly listened to it greater than some other podcast by way of complete time spent. Certain, that’s as a result of most episodes are over three hours lengthy, however I digress. Host Yasi Salek does a deep dive on “cult bands and iconic artists” to… ahem, bandsplain why folks love them. There’s a deep catalog of again episodes, so there’s positive to be an in-depth evaluation of a band you’re accustomed to. However even if you happen to suppose you understand an artist, I’m prepared to wager Salek will disclose components of the story you weren’t conscious of.

Jimmy Eat World’s Readability is a prime 5 all-timer for me, and Salek had loads to supply concerning the narrative round that album I didn’t know. Her grunge collection from 2024 was a historical past lesson I want I’d had in center college once I first found Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and the remainder of the lot. An older episode about 9 Inch Nails served because the primer for me seeing the band dwell for the primary time in September. And that’s the factor concerning the present: the again catalog holds up. In case you’re ready for the subsequent installment to drop, there’s definitely one thing within the archives you’ll get pleasure from.

No shade to Salek’s colleagues at The Ringer, however the most effective episodes of Bandsplain are when the visitor is a musician. Thursday entrance man Geoff Rickly was wonderful on that 9 Inch Nails episode, and Loss of life Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard had me on the sting of my seat when he was on to debate The La’s — a band I’d by no means heard of earlier than. I’d additionally extremely suggest the episodes on Oasis and the newer one on Alanis Morissette. However, actually, you’ll be able to’t go unsuitable ranging from wherever on the episode listing. — B.S.

Lucy Dacus – Without end is a Feeling

I keep in mind being an adolescent and listening to from an grownup that they didn’t religiously hunt down, analysis, consider and introduce new bands and songs into their lives as if all existence would stop with out the life-sustaining vitality of recent music. I used to be confused, involved and rattling positive that wouldn’t occur to me.

You realize the place this story goes: Job. Child. Home. Partner. Pets that can die if I don’t feed, stroll, play with and/or medicate them. I permit the algorithm to feed me new songs however not often does one thing stick, so I find yourself listening to tracks I bonded with in my teenagers and twenties.

This yr, Blossom & Bones, a three-day music competition in Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, managed to push by the churn and lodge new music into my mind. Together with my child and a few pals, I camped amongst among the most stunning landscapes conceivable and ambled over to the stage every night for performances by Santigold, Ani DiFranco and a couple of dozen extra.

Lucy Dacus, one third of the indie group Boygenius, did a one-hour set with loads of songs from her newest album Without end is a Feeling. Listening to the songs for the primary time, I felt like I’d been listening to them for years. Lilting harmonies and layered strings create a beautiful backdrop for Dacus’s velvet voice, however there’s a sharpness to her observations about relationships, rejection and intercourse. I’ve been looping the album ever since. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter, Shopping for Recommendation

Blanco White – “So Sure” (single)

Early on the final live performance of the day at that very same competition, Blanco White took the stage. Individuals have been aimlessly milling about and the solar hadn’t but set. Youngsters have been taking part in on the garden and the scent from the meals vehicles was intense, however I used to be enrapt by the 4 folks on stage. The unhappy violin and strummy guitars floated with the hand-beat drum out into the pink hills. The music appeared like I felt: rooted and wrapped within the harsh fantastic thing about the desert and I used to be actually glad to take that residence with me. — A.S.

Martian Revolution 

In case you’re as large a nerd as I’m, you may know that Leo Tolstoy did not contemplate Conflict and Peace to be a novel. The story is what most individuals learn for, however within the writer’s thoughts, all of the drama was a parable for example his grand idea of historical past.

Over the past yr, historical past podcaster Mike Duncan has completed an identical feat utilizing a medium Tolstoy by no means imagined. Duncan’s Revolutions podcast has lined ten completely different revolutionary upheavals throughout historical past, beginning with the English Civil Conflict and ending with the Russian Revolution. After wrapping up the Bolsheviks, Duncan took just a few episodes to recommend a grand idea of how revolutions unfold. For some time, it appeared like that was all we would get. Then, in the course of 2024, he began posting unique sci-fi — with none indication that this story, which adopted future Martians revolting in opposition to their company overlords on Earth, was in any approach completely different from the earlier ten seasons.

A part of what makes the Martian Revolution so wonderful is Duncan’s deadpan supply. He by no means as soon as breaks character. He rattles off lists of fictional sources, apologizes for inaccuracies in prior episodes, and introduces made-up historic figures with the identical gravity he as soon as used to say George Washington or Simon Bolivar. In case you’re a fan of Revolutions, you will have a blast recognizing character archetypes. (Mabel Dore is the Liberal Noble! Timothy Werner is the Man of Blood!)

However the podcast is nice even if you happen to’ve by no means listened to an episode of Revolutions. It has a wonderful grasp of character and a way of inevitable tragedy, however with moments of pleasure leavened all through. I definitely hope we do not wind up within the megacorp-ruled way forward for the podcast, but when we do, it’s going to be a fantastic comfort if it will definitely seems the best way Duncan imagines. — Sam Chapman, Senior Author

Ron Gallo – Checkmate

My favourite artists are ones that shock me, and Ron Gallo is a grasp of reinvention. He is dabbled in absurdist punk, psychedelia, storage rock, Beatles-tinged pop and, now, stripped-down acoustic music. This isn’t a style I’m usually a fan of, Elliott Smith withstanding, however Checkmate is one thing particular. His lyrical prowess is off the charts right here, buying and selling his standard wordplay for easy and emotionally-gutting truisms about life, love and, properly, the top of the world.

After all, the lyrics would not work if the songs weren’t good. The songs are excellent. The title observe is simply concerning the good love track, with a major hook that will get misplaced in your head for weeks. Different tracks supply hints of Mac DeMarco, Dan Fogelberg, Kevin Morby and nearly everybody else who has crafted nice songs on an acoustic guitar. It is becoming that Gallo has discovered a house on the label Kill Rock Stars, which launched a lot of Elliott Smith’s work again within the day. As an apart, Gallo recurrently posts songs about present occasions on TikTok and different social media platforms, that are value testing if you happen to like stuff like Jesse Welles. — Lawrence Bonk, Contributing Reporter

De La Soul – Cabin within the Sky

There have been hip-hop albums that explored the finality and tragedy of loss of life, however not many that actually tackled spirituality and long-term grief. De La Soul has finished simply that, following the passing of founding member Trugoy the Dove. This album serves as a remaining testomony of kinds for Trugoy, as he is closely featured all through. In that approach, Cabin within the Sky is harking back to A Tribe Known as Quest’s 2016 masterpiece We Received It from Right here… Thank You 4 Your Service, which adopted the loss of life of rapper Phife Dawg.

Like Tribe’s fashionable traditional, Cabin within the Sky is crammed with absolute bangers. It options standout beats by DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Trugoy, Jake One and others. The rhymes are nice and all three major De La members are given time to shine. Visitor rappers like Frequent and Nas obtained the memo, delivering a few of their most memorable verses in years. Heck, even Giancarlo Esposito is on board because the narrator. Some reviewers have dinged this album for being too lengthy however, come on, that is like complaining there’s an excessive amount of pizza. It is De La Soul. — L.B.

FKA twigs – Eusexua

This was a very good yr for brand new music IMO, a lot that I have been discovering it fairly troublesome to suppose again and decide on my favourite releases. However, FKA twigs’ Eusexua undeniably did some heavy lifting for me, just about carrying me by the primary six or so months of the yr with out a lot competitors, and I’ve circled proper again to it because the yr closes. It is an album that in some way appears to fulfill each vibe. It will have you ever in membership mode and prepared for an evening of sweaty, filthy dancing in beneath three minutes, or feeling vivid and upbeat like a noon stroll on the primary day of spring — but it nonetheless hits while you’re having ol’ automobile cry.

“Woman Feels Good” is for positive one in every of my most-played songs of the yr, adopted carefully by “Eusexua,” “Good Stranger,” “Maintain It, Maintain It” and “Striptease.” If ever I can not resolve what I am within the temper to hearken to, I throw this album on and it would not disappoint. — Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend Editor

Faetooth – Labyrinthine

Faetooth’s sophomore album, Labyrinthine, is face-melting, melancholic perfection. The band describes its sound as “fairy doom,” however do not let that first phrase idiot you into considering it is not heavy as hell. Labyrinthine goes unbelievably exhausting, and can have you feeling such as you’re eternally wandering a cursed lavatory, surrounded by the wailing of the unlucky souls who got here earlier than you. Do not imagine me? Placed on “White Noise.” That is actually an album that must be loved in its entirety, although, and I can not individually title half the songs on it as a result of I have a tendency to only hold the entire thing taking part in on rotation. — C.M. 

Orville Peck – Appaloosa

This EP is actually a testomony to my capability to run my obsessions into the bottom, as a result of it solely got here out in mid-November and in some way landed on my most-listened wrapup for the top of the yr… which was launched some two weeks later. It is front-loaded with its strongest songs, a strong and type of haunting trio that simply flows superbly from one into the opposite: “Dreaded Sunset,” to “Drift Away” into “Atchafalaya” (ft. Noah Cyrus). As a fan of musicals, I additionally cherished the inclusion of “Perhaps This Time,” a canopy from Cabaret, particularly since I used to be fairly bummed to have missed Peck’s stint because the Emcee in Cabaret on Broadway this summer season. — C.M.

Case 63 

I obtained into an audio collection kick this yr, and dove into exhibits like Unicorn Woman, Stalked! and extra. However not one of the dramatized fiction I listened to in 2025 had me hooked like Case 63. Setting apart that it’s voice-acted by A-listers Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac, which is an exceptional pairing that gained me over on star energy alone. The most effective factor about Case 63 is its storytelling.

Moore stars as a psychologist, assembly Isaac for the primary time in a jail interview. Isaac has been claiming to be a traveler of kinds, and thru recorded periods and voice notes, we hear his facet of the story, in addition to her reactions and supreme involvement within the adventures. Each step of the best way, notably to start with, there may be clear clarification as to why the alternate is being recorded. It isn’t obligatory, however it’s useful in my shopping for into the realism of the story.

It isn’t simply the tactic and technical points of the storytelling, after all. Narratively, Case 63 is a gripping journey, and because of its quick episodes, it’s simple to binge actually shortly. There’s definitely a beneficiant use of cliffhangers to assist velocity issues alongside, however I discovered myself desperate to devour the whole collection in a single commute. The story continued to linger in my thoughts days after I completed each current seasons, and I’m hoping the brand new one drops quickly. In case you’re on the lookout for a fast and simple sci-fi audio collection, don’t miss Case 63. — Cherlynn Low, Managing Editor

Safe Love 

I spent numerous time this yr making an attempt to study extra about my attachment model and the way it exhibits up in all of the relationships in my life. Between Stephanie Rigg’s On Attachment podcast, the TV present {Couples} Remedy and all of the books on the subject of attachment kinds, trauma and extra, I’ve consumed all of them. And whereas they’ve all been useful in several methods, one podcast caught out to me this yr. It’s hosted by Julie Menanno, MA, LMFT, LCPC, creator of the @TheSecureRelationship account on Instagram and the writer of Secure Love: Create a relationship that lasts a lifetime.

You’ll be able to most likely inform from that introduction what Menanno’s work is all about. Relationships, from the lens of attachment kinds. The Secure Love Podcast doesn’t simply re-deliver the identical info we’ve seen printed throughout numerous media and platforms, although. Every season of the podcast (it’s partway by the second as of this writing) sees Menanno work with one couple by their unfavorable cycles, utilizing somatic practices to assist every accomplice perceive their feelings, triggers and reactions. As a result of we’re listening to actual folks speak about real-life happenings, it’s not solely simple to narrate, however listeners usually see themselves in these situations. Initially of every episode, too, Menanno reads out or performs notes from the viewers, and you’ll see how fellow listeners have reacted.

This season, for instance, my good friend and another listeners appeared to actually dislike Brian, the anxious male accomplice on this season’s pair. Whereas I’ve definitely discovered a few of Brian’s methods of talking borderline offensive, I had much more sympathy for him as I began seeing his traits in my family members. I additionally began to establish together with his accomplice Bethany, who Menanno typed as having an avoidant attachment model.

As I listened to Bethany and Brian describe the explanations they obtained into fights and clarify the place they have been coming from, instantly it felt just like the world made sense. I noticed related patterns and reasonings in my very own relationship, in addition to these of my mother and father, kinfolk and pals.

It’s barely voyeuristic to hearken to one thing so intimate, after all, however Menanno makes all of it academic slightly than simply entertaining. She gently interrupts components of every episode to inform the viewers why she asks sure questions or what she’s trying to attain by asking Brian or Bethany to sit down with their troublesome emotions.

I discovered her methodology acquainted, as I lately began working with a somatic coach whose strategy is much like Menanno’s, which is rooted in emotion-focused remedy (EFT). Staying with uncomfortable emotions makes me wish to soar out of my pores and skin, however having the ability to endure them, query why they come up after which perceive the place they arrive from is essential to serving to uncover the considering that causes them. Typically they’re the results of flawed logic, catastrophic considering or a easy lack of context, however usually they’re very affordable reactions.

In case you’re seeking to perceive your self and your feelings a bit higher, or simply wish to get an thought of what EFT or {couples} remedy seems like, I can’t suggest The Safe Love Podcast extremely sufficient. — C.L.