What we listened to in 2025

If streaming providers’ 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 unimaginable new releases this yr, we had been actually eatin’ good. Listed below are a number of the Engadget crew’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 bear in mind how I stumbled upon Spiritbox, however I’m certain glad I did. Not realizing something in regards to the band, I initially thought it had two singers: one for clear vocals and one other for the tough, guttural screams.

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

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

Tsunami Sea takes you on a experience. The primary two tracks are all-out ragers, and after a slight respite in “Excellent Soul” and “Preserve Candy,” the album’s finest tune comes fifth. I’ve heard LaPlante dedicate it to “all of the individuals 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 means to mix dynamics, with “No Loss, No Love” and “Experience The Wave” offering the highlights on the again half of the report. The album’s title observe is a superb automobile for LaPlante’s clear vocals, serving because the introduction to the album’s second act. When you’ve been enamored with Sleep Token this yr like I’ve, give Spiritbox a go — you received’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 every other podcast by way of whole time spent. Positive, 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 individuals love them. There’s a deep catalog of again episodes, so there’s certain to be an in-depth evaluation of a band you’re acquainted with. However even in case you suppose you recognize an artist, I’m prepared to wager Salek will disclose elements of the story you weren’t conscious of.

Jimmy Eat World’s Readability is a prime 5 all-timer for me, and Salek had lots to supply in regards to 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 after 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 in regards to the present: the again catalog holds up. When you’re ready for the following 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 very best episodes of Bandsplain are when the visitor is a musician. Thursday entrance man Geoff Rickly was glorious on that 9 Inch Nails episode, and Demise 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 possibly can’t go unsuitable ranging from anyplace on the episode listing. — B.S.

Lucy Dacus – Ceaselessly is a Feeling

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

You recognize 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 pageant in Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, managed to push by way of the churn and lodge new music into my mind. Together with my child and a few associates, I camped amongst a number of the most lovely 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 Ceaselessly 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 pageant, Blanco White took the stage. Individuals had been aimlessly milling about and the solar hadn’t but set. Children had been taking part in on the garden and the odor from the meals vehicles was intense, however I used to be enrapt by the 4 individuals 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 great thing about the desert and I used to be actually glad to take that house with me. — A.S.

Martian Revolution 

When you’re as massive a nerd as I’m, you would possibly know that Leo Tolstoy did not think about Battle 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 as an example his grand concept of historical past.

During the last yr, historical past podcaster Mike Duncan has achieved the same 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 Battle and ending with the Russian Revolution. After wrapping up the Bolsheviks, Duncan took a number of episodes to counsel a grand concept of how revolutions unfold. For some time, it appeared like that was all we would get. Then, in the midst 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 glorious 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. When you’re a fan of Revolutions, you may 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 in case you’ve by no means listened to an episode of Revolutions. It has a superb 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 will be an excellent 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.

In fact, the lyrics would not work if the songs weren’t good. The songs are excellent. The title observe is simply in regards to the good love tune, 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 repeatedly posts songs about present occasions on TikTok and different social media platforms, that are price trying out in case you 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 executed simply that, following the passing of founding member Trugoy the Dove. This album serves as a closing testomony of types for Trugoy, as he is closely featured all through. In that approach, Cabin within the Sky is paying homage to A Tribe Referred to 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 stuffed 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 received 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 spanking new music IMO, a lot that I have been discovering it fairly troublesome to suppose again and choose my favourite releases. However, FKA twigs’ Eusexua undeniably did some heavy lifting for me, just about carrying me by way of 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 someway appears to satisfy each vibe. It’s going to have you ever in membership mode and prepared for an evening of sweaty, filthy dancing in underneath three minutes, or feeling vivid and upbeat like a noon stroll on the primary day of spring — but it nonetheless hits once you’re having a great ol’ automobile cry.

“Lady Feels Good” is for certain one in all my most-played songs of the yr, adopted intently by “Eusexua,” “Excellent Stranger,” “Preserve It, Maintain It” and “Striptease.” If ever I can not determine what I am within the temper to take heed 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 pondering it is not heavy as hell. Labyrinthine goes unbelievably arduous, 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 consider me? Placed on “White Noise.” That is actually an album that ought to be loved in its entirety, although, and I can not individually identify half the songs on it as a result of I have a tendency to only preserve the entire thing taking part in on rotation. — C.M. 

Orville Peck – Appaloosa

This EP is really a testomony to my means to run my obsessions into the bottom, as a result of it solely got here out in mid-November and someway 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 robust and form of haunting trio that simply flows fantastically from one into the opposite: “Dreaded Sunset,” to “Drift Away” into “Atchafalaya” (ft. Noah Cyrus). As a fan of musicals, I additionally beloved 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 time. — C.M.

Case 63 

I received into an audio collection kick this yr, and dove into exhibits like Unicorn Lady, 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 outstanding pairing that received me over on star energy alone. One of the best 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 types, and thru recorded classes 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, significantly to start with, there may be clear rationalization as to why the trade is being recorded. It isn’t mandatory, but it surely’s useful in my shopping for into the realism of the story.

It isn’t simply the tactic and technical facets of the storytelling, in fact. Narratively, Case 63 is a gripping experience, and because of its quick episodes, it’s simple to binge actually shortly. There’s definitely a beneficiant use of cliffhangers to assist pace issues alongside, however I discovered myself desirous to devour the complete 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. When you’re in search of a fast and straightforward sci-fi audio collection, don’t miss Case 63. — Cherlynn Low, Managing Editor

Safe Love 

I spent lots of time this yr attempting to study extra about my attachment fashion 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 numerous 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 possibly can in all probability 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 revealed throughout numerous media and platforms, although. Every season of the podcast (it’s partway by way of the second as of this writing) sees Menanno work with one couple by way of their unfavourable cycles, utilizing somatic practices to assist every accomplice perceive their feelings, triggers and reactions. As a result of we’re listening to actual individuals speak about real-life happenings, it’s not solely simple to narrate, however listeners typically see themselves in these eventualities. At first 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 pal 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 determine together with his accomplice Bethany, who Menanno typed as having an avoidant attachment fashion.

As I listened to Bethany and Brian describe the explanations they received into fights and clarify the place they had been coming from, all of a sudden it felt just like the world made sense. I noticed comparable patterns and reasonings in my very own relationship, in addition to these of my dad and mom, kinfolk and associates.

It’s barely voyeuristic to take heed to one thing so intimate, in fact, however Menanno makes all of it academic relatively than simply entertaining. She gently interrupts elements of every episode to inform the viewers why she asks sure questions or what she’s trying to realize by asking Brian or Bethany to take a seat with their troublesome emotions.

I discovered her technique acquainted, as I lately began working with a somatic coach whose strategy is just like Menanno’s, which is rooted in emotion-focused remedy (EFT). Staying with uncomfortable emotions makes me need to leap 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 pondering that causes them. Generally they’re the results of flawed logic, catastrophic pondering or a easy lack of context, however typically they’re very cheap reactions.

When you’re trying to perceive your self and your feelings a bit higher, or simply need to get an concept of what EFT or {couples} remedy feels like, I can’t suggest The Safe Love Podcast extremely sufficient. — C.L.