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 sequence. And with some unbelievable new releases this yr, we had been actually eatin’ good. Listed below are a number of the Engadget workforce’s favourite issues we listened to in 2025.
Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea
I grew to become 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 section, and I don’t bear in mind how I stumbled upon Spiritbox, however I’m certain 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.
Effectively, I used to be incorrect. Vocalist Courtney LaPlante handles all of it, and she or he is a pressure of nature. After studying of a brand new band, I do what any self-respecting music nerd does: I seemed up reside movies of them on YouTube. The best way LaPlante seamlessly transitions from ethereal, ambient singing to a number of the greatest growls you’ll hear in steel music is easy. And after seeing Spiritbox reside in particular person earlier in December, I can attest to her potential to constantly nail each vocal types for the whole thing of an hour-long set.
My infatuation with Spiritbox isn’t simply with the vocalist although. Guitarist Mike Stringer, LaPlante’s husband, additionally has a whole lot of distinctive talents to supply. Stringer’s use of noise and whammy results in his riffs create a signature type, 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 reside, and I used to be mesmerized for the complete set. Stringer’s guitar work on Tsunami Sea is a primary 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 “Excellent Soul” and “Maintain Candy,” the album’s greatest music 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 potential to mix dynamics, with “No Loss, No Love” and “Trip The Wave” offering the highlights on the again half of the document. The album’s title observe is a good automobile for LaPlante’s clear vocals, serving because the introduction to the album’s second act. If you happen to’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 positively listened to it greater than every other podcast when it comes to 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 certain to be an in-depth evaluation of a band you’re acquainted with. However even when you assume you already know an artist, I’m keen to wager Salek will expose components of the story you weren’t conscious of.
Jimmy Eat World’s Readability is a high 5 all-timer for me, and Salek had a lot to supply concerning the narrative round that album I didn’t know. Her grunge sequence from 2024 was a historical past lesson I want I’d had in center faculty 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 reside for the primary time in September. And that’s the factor concerning the present: the again catalog holds up. If you happen to’re ready for the subsequent installment to drop, there’s actually 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 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 advocate the episodes on Oasis and the more moderen one on Alanis Morissette. However, actually, you’ll be able to’t go incorrect ranging from wherever on the episode record. — B.S.
Lucy Dacus – Eternally is a Feeling
I bear in mind being a youngster 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 power of recent music. I used to be confused, involved and rattling certain that wouldn’t occur to me.
You already know 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 enable the algorithm to feed me new songs however hardly ever 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 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 stunning landscapes possible and ambled over to the stage every night for performances by Santigold, Ani DiFranco and a few dozen extra.
Lucy Dacus, one third of the indie group Boygenius, did a one-hour set with loads of songs from her newest album Eternally 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 stunning 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. Folks had been aimlessly milling about and the solar hadn’t but set. Youngsters had been enjoying 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 crimson 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
If you happen to’re as large a nerd as I’m, you may know that Leo Tolstoy did not take into account Battle and Peace to be a novel. The story is what most individuals learn for, however within the creator’s thoughts, all of the drama was a parable for instance his grand principle of historical past.
During the last yr, historical past podcaster Mike Duncan has completed the same feat utilizing a medium Tolstoy by no means imagined. Duncan’s Revolutions podcast has coated 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 couple of episodes to counsel a grand principle 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 authentic sci-fi — with none indication that this story, which adopted future Martians revolting towards their company overlords on Earth, was in any method 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. If you happen to’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 when 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 actually 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, nicely, the tip 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 excellent love music, 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 commonly posts songs about present occasions on TikTok and different social media platforms, that are value testing when 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 finished simply that, following the passing of founding member Trugoy the Dove. This album serves as a last testomony of kinds for Trugoy, as he is closely featured all through. In that method, 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 trendy 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 bought 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 extremely good yr for brand spanking new music IMO, a lot that I have been discovering it fairly troublesome to assume 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 one way or the other appears to satisfy each vibe. It will have you ever in membership mode and prepared for an evening of sweaty, filthy dancing in underneath three minutes, or feeling brilliant and upbeat like a noon stroll on the primary day of spring — but it nonetheless hits while you’re having an excellent ol’ automotive cry.
“Woman Feels Good” is for certain one in every of my most-played songs of the yr, adopted intently by “Eusexua,” “Excellent Stranger,” “Maintain It, Maintain It” and “Striptease.” If ever I am unable to resolve what I am within the temper to hearken to, I throw this album on and it does 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 laborious, and could have you feeling such as you’re eternally wandering a cursed bathroom, 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 needs to be loved in its entirety, although, and I am unable to individually identify half the songs on it as a result of I have a tendency to simply preserve the entire thing enjoying on rotation. — C.M.
Orville Peck – Appaloosa
This EP is really a testomony to my potential to run my obsessions into the bottom, as a result of it solely got here out in mid-November and one way or the other landed on my most-listened wrapup for the tip of the yr… which was launched some two weeks later. It is front-loaded with its strongest songs, a robust 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 liked the inclusion of “Possibly 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 bought into an audio sequence 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 aspect of the story, in addition to her reactions and supreme involvement within the adventures. Each step of the best way, significantly at first, there’s clear rationalization as to why the alternate is being recorded. It isn’t crucial, however it’s useful in my shopping for into the realism of the story.
It isn’t simply the tactic and technical elements of the storytelling, in fact. Narratively, Case 63 is a gripping journey, and because of its quick episodes, it’s straightforward to binge actually rapidly. There may be actually a beneficiant use of cliffhangers to assist velocity issues alongside, however I discovered myself desperate to devour all the sequence 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. If you happen to’re on the lookout for a fast and simple sci-fi audio sequence, don’t miss Case 63. — Cherlynn Low, Managing Editor
Safe Love
I spent a whole lot of time this yr making an attempt to be taught extra about my attachment type 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 types, 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 creator of Safe 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 types. The Safe Love Podcast doesn’t simply re-deliver the identical info we’ve seen printed throughout varied 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 destructive cycles, utilizing somatic practices to assist every associate 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 straightforward to narrate, however listeners usually see themselves in these eventualities. At first of every episode, too, Menanno reads out or performs notes from the viewers, and you may see how fellow listeners have reacted.
This season, for instance, my good friend and another listeners appeared to essentially dislike Brian, the anxious male associate on this season’s pair. Whereas I’ve actually 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 associate Bethany, who Menanno typed as having an avoidant attachment type.
As I listened to Bethany and Brian describe the explanations they bought into fights and clarify the place they had been coming from, out of the blue 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 mother and father, kinfolk and associates.
It’s barely voyeuristic to hearken to one thing so intimate, in fact, however Menanno makes all of it academic reasonably 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 realize by asking Brian or Bethany to sit down with their troublesome emotions.
I discovered her methodology acquainted, as I just lately began working with a somatic coach whose method is much like Menanno’s, which is rooted in emotion-focused remedy (EFT). Staying with uncomfortable emotions makes me need to soar out of my pores and skin, however with 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 usually they’re very cheap reactions.
If you happen to’re trying to perceive your self and your feelings a bit higher, or simply need to get an thought of what EFT or {couples} remedy feels like, I can’t advocate The Safe Love Podcast extremely sufficient. — C.L.
