Toward the end of the year, I read an article from Drew Daniel of Matmos who, after being asked by The Quietus to list his thirteen favorite albums, rebelled and instead made a thirteen-point essay about why he won’t do it and his grievances with list culture as a whole. This essay pissed me off. Now don’t take that as a knock against the piece. I actually think it’s extremely well thought out and interesting, especially in its perspective on how this numerical and ranked engagement with art can devalue our love for it by turning it into a promotional and competitive exercise. But it’s also really challenging to read as someone who, frankly, loves listing and ranking my favorite media. Not because I consciously or even subconsciously want to pit my favorite works against each other, but because I always saw it as a love letter to the art that resonated with me. A chance to express what it means to me and why I would consider it something to recommend to friends and colleagues. Admittedly, Daniel is more concerned with the practice of other artists being asked to rank their favorite albums, which has its own complications compared to some nerd on Buttondown or Substack talking about their favorite things. Still, it struck enough of a nerve with me that I felt uncomfortable reading it. Because it still presents a case against numbered lists and ranking albums as a whole. Which I’ve been doing for years. Because I love them so much.

But I’m also aware that I’m taking this too personally. It pissed me off because I felt attacked by its thesis, when, in reality, Daniel has no idea who I am and how I approach my lists and thus is not denouncing me or my colleagues, specifically. And since reading that article I’ve thought about this list, the Best Songs of 2025. One hundred songs, listed from 100-1. Something I look forward to writing every year. Are the songs that I would list 101-120 that much worse than the songs on the proper list? Of course not. I love those songs, even when I don’t get to talk about them. I only leave them out because writing and reading about 120 songs is a lot. Hell, the songs from 100-51 aren’t necessarily better than what I rank 50-1. At some point, the ranking is just based on vibes. Perhaps Daniel had a point.

So, we’re doing things differently this year. Instead of three parts separated by tiered rankings, this list will be split into five parts, with twenty songs each (plus a bonus song not from 2026). There will still be one hundred songs in ascending order, but I’ll be removing the actual numbers from these songs.  There are songs I like more than others, but I don’t think the number system works for these lists anymore. There’s no arbitrary reason one song is slightly better than the other. They’re both special to me. Some songs may have gotten more listens from me, some songs happen to resonate with me within this specific year, but that’s not permanent. I’ve had some years (namely 2020 and 2022) where my favorite song of that year has changed. I think removing the numbers helps my list feel more flexible as time passes and these songs carry over into the following years.

Joey Valence & Brae ft. JPEGMAFIA – WASSUP
Last year’s champions of my favorite album of the year didn’t quite captivate me as much with their big budget follow-up, HYPERYOUTH, but their spirit is still hot and hungry. “WASSUP” is easily their best song this year, bringing their loudmouth bragging into an infectious crowd hook jumping alongside the synth spikes and handclap beat. You can feel the energy in the room when you hear those men and women chanting, “WASSUP WASSUP??? WASSUP WASSUP WASSUP????” as Joey and Brae spit their usual referential bars. This time with additional help from the similarly unhinged JPEGMAFIA, who gives the song an extra edge to really drive home how much he and JVB are better than you. A fight will probably break out but at least we’ve got the adrenaline for it.

Zach Top – South Of Sanity
Zach Top had a hell of a year thanks to “I Never Lie” taking off the way it did. Easily the best country hit of the year. But I already talked about that song last year, and I get the feeling the same might happen next year as “South Of Sanity” has been sent to country radio. If “I Never Lie” was the feel-good moment of finally moving on, “South Of Sanity” is probably the more honest song. Over the classic “tear in my beer” pedal steel and somber guitars, Zach Top finds his mind occupied by a fresh breakup that’s on the verge of breaking him. He’s too busy touring and performing for his fans to really dwell on it, but this girl just can’t get out of his mind. That last conversation seemed like those rocks were about to fall, and how that inevitability is going to drive him not to his next destination, but towards a mental breakdown. This should be a dime-a-dozen song that many then and now have made a million times, but the purity of the production and Zach Top’s incredible performance makes this such a classic tearjerker of a song. Possibly one on the very level of its biggest inspirations.

Jason Isbell – Gravelweed
One of the most difficult parts of being an artist is when someone who inspired your art once upon a time is, for one reason or another, no longer a part of your life. This is particularly touchy with love songs, as the moment you two break up or something in your relationship changes, suddenly those songs don’t ring the same anymore. Suddenly, “Cover Me Up”, what I considered to be one of my favorite love songs of all time, is about a relationship built on trust and resilience that… didn’t make it. Same with the fear of one of you dying before the other and being left all alone in the last stretch of your life with “If We Were Vampires”. Guess we don’t need to worry about that anymore. Most of anyone could write this line, but no one can make “I’m sorry the love songs mean different things today” hurt as much as Jason Isbell. Amanda Shires’ song “The Details” does rob the song a bit of its power for me though. Because ultimately that song’s frustration over Isbell having more of an upper hand on the public narrative than Shires, who knows Isbell is leaving out more details about their fallout than anyone would care to dig for, would mean that “Gravelweed” might be cleaner as a song than outright honest. Still, I know those songs deeply enough to grieve what has since been lost in them.

Gigi Perez – Chemistry
While I’ve loved Gigi Perez’s soul-bearing ballads, the song that really made me start paying attention to her was “Chemistry”. The guitars that were once patient and flowing are now driving and propel with the faster drum beat. Gigi’s urgent vocals describe a relationship living right on the edge. The sex is good when it happens, but the increasing distance makes Gigi panic as her vocals rise and fall with the soft touches of organ and the explosive bit of percussion as the hook comes back in full force. This is a relationship being hidden and put away, but you can tell for Gigi the passion is too much for her to keep it a secret forever. The fearful howl of “Make a deal with you” near the end of the song, blasting into that stellar groove as the song gets louder and louder is unbelievably cathartic. It was exactly that moment when I realized Gigi Perez was truly something else.

Geese – Long Island City Here I Come
I was late to the Geese party. I didn’t even listen to this album until the last week of December. I wasn’t sure if I had enough time with “Long Island City Here I Come“ to justify putting it on this list, but what I’ve come to realize is that if I had listened to Getting Killed earlier, I absolutely would have put this song on the list anyway. A bustling, unstable barrage of drums and guitars, Cameron Winter’s voice on the verge of falling apart as he marches forward and charges into the unknown, not knowing where he’s going but knowing exactly what he’s doing. The shuffling of all the instruments together as they build into this cacophony of noise, Winter piercing the ozone with his warbly voice as the tempo gets faster and out of control is such an incredible adrenaline rush. What really locked it as a favorite is how perfect of a work out closer it is. One last push to get the last of your energy out before it all abruptly stops.

Neko Case – Wreck
This song became an immediate standout to me just off the swell of the acoustic guitar and adventurous percussion alone. The way the song sweeps in after a brief acapella interlude, swirling with strings and Neko Case singing about a love so intense and passionate that it matches the song, is bursting with so much joy and infatuation. I love the unshackled whimsy of this song, as the song builds toward these huge string sections and ends with a delightful little chorus of Neko Case’s singsongy “la dee dee”s. It feels like you’ve grown wings and are soaring through the air, unable to contain the joy and euphoria that this person brings to you that you desperately want to share with them. One of those songs that instantly makes my day better.

Parcels – Yougotmefeeling
An easy way to sneak into my heart is to make music that would perfectly soundtrack a roller rink. Parcels nailed that vibe with ease on “Yougotmefeeling”, a delightful love song with jaunty pianos and disco-tinged grooves that breeze across the track and create an irresistibly sticky hook. Parcels have a particularly incredible skill in making every instrument sound alive. I can hear every strum of that guitar and every chord of that piano, and it’s carried through this great drum-line that brings out the best in this song’s groove. It helps that the band themselves have this floaty, dreamy timbre that fits perfectly against the lightweight and bouncy production. That big moment after the bridge leading into the synth solo, crowds cheering and singing along, is full of infectious joy! Made it an easy comfort listen throughout the summer.

Dasha – Not At This Party
I love when an artist I was previously skeptical of proves me wrong and sweeps me off my feet. I wasn’t sure of Dasha’s intentions when she entered the country sphere with “Austin”. It felt a little too calculated and market approved to feel like her music was all that authentic. But now removed from that big hit, Dasha announces to the world that this country shit is for real and delivers one of the catchiest and most delightful country songs on the radio. The flutter of the banjo paired with the mandolin absolutely tears up the dance floor on the chorus, as well as the stomp and clap of the beat as Dasha describes the all too familiar experience of disassociating at a party despite seemingly dancing and drinking your ass off. Despite her attempts to bring someone new home to forget all about her ex, he’s still all Dasha could think about. Even going to this party is all for him, albeit to try and forget his memory. But it’s hard to do that when you’re merely going through the motions and not actually being present. Despite the sadness of the lyrics, the song is still ridiculously fun. It doesn’t feel orchestrated to build a viral TikTok dance, there’s no list-like name drops of beer and truck brands to convince you this is authentically “country”, it lets the song speak for itself. That’s all I could have asked for.

G Flip – Disco Cowgirl
I have been keeping an eye on G Flip since their 2023 album DRUMMER, which had some excellent songs I considered for my songs list that year. Unfortunately, I never got a chance to listen to their album this year, Dream Ride, but I did manage to catch a couple lead singles, and one of them happens to be the best song they’ve made up to this point. It has all the hallmarks that drew me into G Flip in the first place; A monstrous chorus with a ton of propulsive energy, raw yearning for the insanely hot, wild freak of a cowgirl who only stayed one night and never came back, and some great drumming tinged with the filters and sounds of a classic 80s pop rock anthem. You can feel the pink neon and shiny cars swerving past you as you get into those shimmering synths and revving guitars. More than anything what makes this song stand out from other 80s pastiches is how much G Flip puts themselves into this song. They have so much intense passion and lust for this girl, you can practically feel them reaching out as she’s walking away. It makes the bridge in particular feel like a cathartic cry of horny desperation.

 Backxwash ft. Chloe Hotline - Dissociation
There were numerous songs off Only Dust Remains that I could have gone for, including the incredibly potent album centerpiece “Wake Up”. But the song I came back to the most was “Dissociation”, which is just as bleak in describing being at rock bottom and abusing substances to avoid confronting the shittiness of life. The first verse especially describes the harrowing situation Backxwash is in, as the drums are heavy slamming into the swirling synths and Chloe Hotline’s vocals echo through the thick atmosphere. It seems like this might really be it for Backxwash by the end of her first verse, but whether it’s cuz of the drugs or being so far gone that she’s fully dissociated, Backxwash essentially sees God and her spirit lifts out of her body for her to be taken into his arms. Whether or not this was a last-minute revelation that saved her life or if she was already dead when it happened, who’s to say. Chloe Hotline ends the song more optimistic note as she starts to feel like she’s back in control and isn’t ready to give up yet. Which is a powerful reminder that you can always pick yourself back up and keep going, even if it doesn’t feel like it’ll get any better. “Rewrite your history before you lose that feather”.

Perfume Genius ft. Alodus Harding – No Front Teeth
As late as I was to this album, even if I got to it on time, I don’t think my stance on the best song on the album would change at all. I heard “No Front Teeth” as a prerelease single and it was almost enough for me. A tremendous song where Perfume Genius duets with Alodus Harding for a massive, sprawling song with cankerous percussion, gorgeous synths and strings swirling around the fierce shockwaves of the guitars with incredible elegance and power. Perfume Genius does a great job as always, with his fragile voice coaxing over the more precise guitar strums, but to me what elevates the song into transcendence is Alodus Harding. What a voice! Her ethereal singing fits so beautifully against the production, even as its building and coalescing into something so chaotic and explosive. When she’s harmonized by Perfume Genius sinking into a much lower register, it hits an uncanny note that’s still deeply engaging and keeps you wrapped up in the song’s twisting chaos. By the end of the song, you’re in awe of the scale and passion that overwhelms your speakers or headphones. I almost forgot about this song until the end of the year, and since then, I can’t stop being hypnotized by it.

clipping – Change the Channel
A frantic, unhinged barrage of glitchy distortion and racing drums. Daveed Diggs once again indulges in supersonic flows that have him sound just as chaotic and restless as the production. This makes for one hell of a workout song, where even in the brief moments where everything slows down, you still feel tense and unable to rest for too long before you’re overwhelmed by the sudden noise and quick verses. And the overwhelming sensations are obviously the point. You’re under pressure to hack the system and make sure everything goes according to plan, but you’re on such a tight limit that it’s incredibly likely that within that pressure you’re going to completely miss a step and blow the whole mission. The best parts of the song are the two instances where after the blistering verses, Daveed asks if you remembered to pull the yellow wire/cable out, to which the only possible response before your imminent demise is, “AUGGHHH, FUCK!!!”. I can’t help but quote it every time it comes on.

Caroline Spence – Fun At Parties
Caroline Spence’s signature “breezy song about being sad” this year is “Fun At Parties”, a lovely little song about being burdened by depression and warning those in your life that you’re probably not going to be fun to be around for a while. Caroline would love to be that carefree girl who dances at the party and becomes the light in everyone’s life, but she just can’t do it. Not right now. Rather than being emotionally crushing, the song is almost inert in how melancholic it is. The acoustic guitar may be fun and upbeat, but the soft sadness in Caroline’s voice and the occasional piano flourish is devastating. The part that hurts the most is that Caroline is essentially apologizing to people who are clearly concerned about her own well-being. As if she feels blame for her depression and being unable to be present at any social gatherings. It’s something I’ve unfortunately experienced quite a lot. Especially those moments of overly apologetic self-hatred when no one is actually blaming you for how you’re acting. But I at least appreciate that it’ll only be for a while, and eventually she’ll be able to dance again.

Ethel Cain – Fuck Me Eyes
^{(Fan video linked due to embed issues)}
“Fuck Me Eyes” is easily the standout of Wiloughby Tucker, I Will Always Love You, and while a lot of it has to do with the sweeping synths that sound like a coming of age film, what really connects me to this song is the unending empathy Ethel Cain has for the hypersexual popular girl and everything she goes through. There’s a lot of superficial reasons to hate this girl, who in the story is named Holly. She very deliberately plays into her sexual appeal in a way that makes Christian parents aghast and the boys in the neighborhood restless. But the more you learn about Holly, the more you realize how much life has been pitted against her. She loses her mother to drugs, her dad tries to control her over her supposed promiscuity, she’s the subject of nasty rumors made by people who only see her for her body and loud attitude. Even if Ethel herself holds some resentment for Holly, she also deeply admires her and her strength. Some of that resentment even stems from knowing she could never be her, perhaps some subtext of gender envy and wanting to embody that young, sexy and free attitude that Ethel thinks Holly represents. Then again, how much of that is just a mask for a woman who’s scared of being taken advantage of? Side note, I think Ethel Cain would love Wake Up Dead Man.

Sabrina Carpenter – 15 Minutes
Sabrina Carpenter is at her most compelling when she lets her sense of humor and uncontrollable lust take the center stage, which is what makes “15 Minutes” an ideal Sabrina song for me. On top of the bright and joyous production with shimmering guitars and wobbly bass, Sabrina’s acknowledgment of her limited time in the spotlight and the sudden life changes that come with fame is complimented with crazy innuendos and the joy of living up that celebrity lifestyle while she still can. She channels the same jubilant energy I loved on “Juno”, and her self-awareness over the perils of fame and fortune makes her willingness to play along and have fun more compelling. Especially when she threatens to speed up the process by leaking her own pictures or going nuts in public. Either way, it’s all under her control and she knows exactly what she’s doing.

Treaty Oak Revival ft. Muscadine Bloodline – Misery
Treaty Oak Revival dares to ask the question; “What if we brought back grunge bangers about hating your girlfriend”? “Misery” is quite the reprehensible song. Fully giving up on a relationship and bracing for the end as the band extends their arms and begs to be put out of their misery. The guitars rumble with fuzzed-out fury and the drums are crisp as they push the song along through the pained shouts of Treaty Oak Revival and Muscadine Bloodline. There’s an incredibly cathartic release in the title drop, as if every last bit of energy they have left is being shot into the wild as they wait to feel that bullet to tear their heart in half. It’s so overdramatic and brimming with machismo that you can’t help but play into it. I imagine this hits even harder fresh off a breakup where you just want to get this shit over with and pull the fucking trigger.

Saja Boys – Your Idol
^{(Fan video linked due to the official upload not having the full song)}
If “Soda Pop” is so catchy it’s literally evil, “Your Idol” is… just plain evil. I find it fascinating that a movie that is otherwise a passionate love letter to k-pop and stan culture has a song that can be read as outright critical. In the context of the movie, “Your Idol” is the moment the Saja Boys go full mask-off. There’s nothing being hidden here, the Saja Boys are telling you to your face that you WILL buy into their idolatry and you WILL become utterly obsessed with them. The sugary sweet and fun production of “Soda Pop” is gone now. Instead you’re given this booming percussion, this haunted choir, the industrial and choreographed production that mirrors the world-dominating bangers of k-pop boy groups of the past. All with a sinister edge that makes it truly feel like the bad guys have won. Because no matter how blatantly evil this all seems, you are giving them the attention they want. You are obsessed with them and their music. Because, unfortunately, this song is so fucking good. And with the subtext of how obsessive fandom can drain away your soul and turn you into just another product to feed into the machine, “Your Idol” becomes the self-aware social commentary on idol culture I would have never expected from what’s otherwise a movie all about why k-pop culture is to be celebrated.

Morgan Wallen – Genesis
I don’t get why this guy compels me so much. I’ve tried twice to shake him off and dismiss him as a reckless dumbass who will never actually reflect on his own behavior, but he keeps reminding me of his talent and potential again. You are the problem, Wallen. I can’t stand you. “Genesis” is his best song since “Sand In My Boots”. On top of the production, which takes an alternative sound that still has the twang of a country song, but the griminess and hustle of an alt rock banger, “Genesis” revisits one of my favorite Wallen topics, the fact that he’s a miserable fuckup who constantly falls for his vices. He is legitimately trying to avoid his alcoholism, keeping up a good streak for a minute, but every time he finds himself lost in a pretty girl’s eyes or the neck of a bottle, he finds himself once again spiraling and falling back into his old ways. He attributes it to the Bible and specifically Eve and the apple. Not exactly a new concept, not even from Wallen, but the additional stakes that are bolstered by the production, as well as the genuine frustration and anger in Wallen’s vocals, make this hit even harder than his usual attempts at trap-country or inoffensive pop-country. Maybe this is the way to go for Wallen. Somebody get him on the phone with Shawn Everett.

5 Seconds of Summer – NOT OK
I’ve had a long and weird history with 5 Seconds of Summer, which makes their appearance on a list like this kind of unprecedented. Though, if there’s anything I can respect 5 Seconds of Summer for, it’s that even as their rivals One Direction called it quits, the band never settled for just being yet another commercially acceptable boy band. While I’ve liked their punkier, edgier turns in the past, I was still completely caught off guard by the lead single to their album this year. A bleary, fuzzed out guitar over some dusty drums and Luke’s vocals being paired with a filter that makes him sound a weird amount like Damon Albarn playing 2D in Gorillaz. An odd compliment already, but then the prechorus veers into this siren-like synth, before spiraling into that explosive chorus where all the members scream in your face through the cacophony of drums, synths and guitars. The lyrics to this song are ridiculous, borderline embarrassing. But the boys sell it with so much intensity and deranged energy that I hardly notice it. It’s like that final moment of peer pressure where the masks are off, the danger is imminent, and your brain is a mess as this oppressive person urges you to bite the apple and join them in their hedonistic calamity.

Justin Bieber – DAISIES
Not an artist I expected to make my list this year, but it’s very much welcome. Justin Bieber came back this year with a lowkey R&B album that on paper should’ve been disastrous. Luckily, he’s got some talented people behind him, namely Dijon and mk.gee who bring out the relaxed and communal voice in Bieber. A neat little guitar melody thrums throughout the song, there’s a good pace in the percussion, and Bieber delivers maybe his best performance as a vocalist. Bieber’s best songs tend to focus on frustration and dejection, which is the mood that permeates throughout the song. It’s a jam, sure, but there’s still a lot of desperate yearning to see this girl and feel at home again. His murmurs of “you got me all in my head” and the restless way he cries, “Counting the DAYS, how many DAYS” is so infectious and really makes me feel Bieber in a way I’ve never felt him before. First time I heard this I kinda knew in my gut that this would be Bieber’s best song. The rest of SWAG didn’t do too much for me (probably should have cut those god awful Druski interludes), but considering we got this out of him, I can’t help but be invested in what he does next.

BONUS 1: This Is Lorelei – Dancing In The Club
So I heard the MJ Lenderman cover of this song first because I was seeing it pop up on a bunch of critics best of lists (I also covered it on The Singles Jukebox!). I really liked this cover! I thought it sounded nice and worked for MJ Lenderman’s brand of alt country. But I figured I should listen to the original just so I know what foundation it’s been working on. What I wasn’t expecting was that this whole time, “Dancing In The Club” is one of the best pop songs of the entire decade??? The plinking keys and midi pianos that conjured images of The Postal Service pretty immediately had me sitting up in my chair, especially when Mr. Lorelei himself (Nate Amos of Water In Your Eyes) came in with his disaffected, yet still emotionally raw vocals as he wallows in this breakup that was clearly amazing for them, but absolutely miserable for him. He refrains from feeling any resentment toward this ex, but that resentment instead goes straight to himself, as he wanders the world sad and alone. It’s almost pitiful the way he completely loses himself while imagining his ex dancing in the club like a whole new world has opened up for them. You feel that perfect mix of joy and defeat in the pianos and keys of this song, undeniably chipper but still splashing like raindrops. It almost relegates Amos to the back of the song’s mind, as if you’re the one having the time of your life as you faintly hear how miserable your ex is. Depending on how things ended… maybe hearing how miserable they are is also music to your ears.

Part 2 coming soon!