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 unbelievable new releases this yr, we have been actually eatin’ good. Listed below are a number of 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 section, and I don’t keep in mind how I stumbled upon Spiritbox, however I’m certain glad I did. Not understanding something in regards to the band, I initially thought it had two singers: one for clear vocals and one other for the cruel, guttural screams.
Properly, I used to be improper. 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 seemed up dwell movies of them on YouTube. The way in which LaPlante seamlessly transitions from ethereal, ambient singing to a number of the finest growls you’ll hear in metallic music is easy. And after seeing Spiritbox dwell in individual earlier in December, I can attest to her capacity to constantly nail each vocal types 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 a whole lot of distinctive talents 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 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 “Good Soul” and “Hold Candy,” the album’s finest 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 proper 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 capacity to mix dynamics, with “No Loss, No Love” and “Trip The Wave” offering the highlights on the again half of the file. The album’s title observe is a superb car 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 received’t be sorry you probably did. — Billy Steele, Deputy Editor, Evaluations
Bandsplain
I didn’t uncover Bandsplain in 2025, however I undoubtedly listened to it greater than every other podcast by way of complete 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 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 accustomed to. However even in the event you assume you understand an artist, I’m keen to guess Salek will disclose 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 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 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 dwell for the primary time in September. And that’s the factor in regards to the present: the again catalog holds up. If you happen to’re ready for the following 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 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 advocate the episodes on Oasis and the more moderen one on Alanis Morissette. However, actually, you may’t go improper ranging from wherever on the episode checklist. — B.S.
Lucy Dacus – Ceaselessly is a Feeling
I keep in mind being a teen 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 vitality of recent music. I used to be confused, involved and rattling certain 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 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 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 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 pageant, Blanco White took the stage. Folks have been aimlessly milling about and the solar hadn’t but set. Children have been enjoying on the garden and the scent from the meals vans 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 purple hills. The music gave the impression of I felt: rooted and wrapped within the harsh great thing about the desert and I used to be actually glad to take that dwelling with me. — A.S.
Martian Revolution
If you happen to’re as massive a nerd as I’m, you may know that Leo Tolstoy did not think about Conflict 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 as an example his grand concept of historical past.
During the last yr, historical past podcaster Mike Duncan has achieved an analogous feat utilizing a medium Tolstoy by no means imagined. Duncan’s Revolutions podcast has lined ten totally 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 counsel a grand concept 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 towards their company overlords on Earth, was in any method totally 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. If you happen to’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 the event 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 will 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 common wordplay for easy and emotionally-gutting truisms about life, love and, effectively, the tip of the world.
In fact, the lyrics would not work if the songs weren’t good. The songs are superb. The title observe is simply in regards to the good 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 often posts songs about present occasions on TikTok and different social media platforms, that are price trying out in the event 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 dying, however not many that really tackled spirituality and long-term grief. De La Soul has carried out 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 method, Cabin within the Sky is harking back to A Tribe Referred to as Quest’s 2016 masterpiece We Bought It from Right here… Thank You 4 Your Service, which adopted the dying of rapper Phife Dawg.
Like Tribe’s fashionable traditional, Cabin within the Sky is full of 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 Widespread 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 tough 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 in some way 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 beneath three minutes, or feeling vivid and upbeat like a noon stroll on the primary day of spring — but it nonetheless hits if you’re having a very good ol’ automobile cry.
“Lady Feels Good” is for certain considered one of my most-played songs of the yr, adopted intently by “Eusexua,” “Good Stranger,” “Hold 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 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 considering 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 must 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 enjoying on rotation. — C.M.
Orville Peck – Appaloosa
This EP is really a testomony to my capacity 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 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 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 season. — C.M.
Case 63
I received into an audio collection kick this yr, and dove into reveals 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 exceptional pairing that received me over on star energy alone. The very 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 kinds, and thru recorded classes 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, notably at first, there may be clear clarification 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 strategy and technical facets of the storytelling, after all. Narratively, Case 63 is a gripping experience, and due to its brief episodes, it’s straightforward to binge actually shortly. There may be actually a beneficiant use of cliffhangers to assist velocity issues alongside, however I discovered myself desperate to devour your 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. If you happen to’re in search of a fast and simple sci-fi audio collection, don’t miss Case 63. — Cherlynn Low, Managing Editor
Safe Love
I spent a whole lot of time this yr attempting to study extra about my attachment model and the way it reveals 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 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 creator of Safe Love: Create a relationship that lasts a lifetime.
You may most likely 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 data 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 unfavorable cycles, utilizing somatic practices to assist every companion 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. Firstly 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 companion 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 determine together with his companion Bethany, who Menanno typed as having an avoidant attachment model.
As I listened to Bethany and Brian describe the explanations they received into fights and clarify the place they have been coming from, all of a sudden 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 dad and mom, family and associates.
It’s barely voyeuristic to take heed to one thing so intimate, after all, however Menanno makes all of it academic somewhat than simply entertaining. She gently interrupts components of every episode to inform the viewers why she asks sure questions or what she’s making an attempt to realize by asking Brian or Bethany to take a seat with their tough emotions.
I discovered her technique acquainted, as I not too long ago 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 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. Generally they’re the results of flawed logic, catastrophic considering 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 wish to get an concept of what EFT or {couples} remedy seems like, I can’t advocate The Safe Love Podcast extremely sufficient. — C.L.
