Streaming platforms' annual summaries reveal how extensively users immersed themselves in tunes, broadcasts, and sound narratives to escape daily routines this year. Exceptional fresh drops made the listening landscape particularly rewarding. Below are standout selections from the Engadget staff's 2025 audio favorites.
Spiritbox caught my attention toward the end of 2024, just prior to their newest release, Tsunami Sea. I was deeply immersed in Sleep Token's music then, and though the exact path to discovering Spiritbox escapes me, the find proved fortuitous. Unfamiliar with the group, I initially assumed dual vocalists: one for smooth melodies and another for the raw, throaty roars.
That assumption proved incorrect. Courtney LaPlante manages every vocal element alone, emerging as an unstoppable talent. Upon encountering a fresh act, my routine involves scanning YouTube for performance clips. LaPlante's fluid shifts from ethereal melodies to top-tier metal growls appear natural. Witnessing Spiritbox perform live in early December confirmed her precision in sustaining both approaches across a full hour.
My admiration for Spiritbox extends beyond the singer. Mike Stringer, the guitarist and LaPlante's spouse, brings distinctive flair. His incorporation of distortion and pitch-shifting in riffs forms a distinctive sound, blending nu-metal, djent, and metalcore influences. His robust live guitar tones captivated me throughout the show. Stringer's contributions to Tsunami Sea highlight a performer operating at peak proficiency.
Tsunami Sea delivers an exhilarating journey. The opening duo of songs unleashes intense energy, followed by a brief calm in 'Perfect Soul' and 'Keep Sweet.' The standout track arrives fifth; LaPlante has dedicated it to those she intensely dislikes, evidently inspired by adversaries. At three minutes, it exemplifies the group's strengths, weaving LaPlante's roars with Stringer's signature guitar elements.
Subsequent tracks demonstrate the ensemble's skill in varying intensity, with 'No Loss, No Love' and 'Ride The Wave' shining in the latter portion. The title song effectively spotlights LaPlante's pure vocals, launching the record's next phase. For those captivated by Sleep Token this year as I was, exploring Spiritbox promises no regrets. — Billy Steele, Deputy Editor, Reviews
Bandsplain wasn't a 2025 discovery for me, yet it dominated my podcast listening hours. Episodes often exceed three hours, contributing to that dominance, though that's beside the point. Yasi Salek, the host, thoroughly examines 'cult bands and iconic artists' to clarify their appeal. The extensive archive ensures detailed breakdowns of known acts, and even familiar stories likely reveal overlooked details under Salek's scrutiny.
Clarity by Jimmy Eat World ranks among my top five albums ever, and Salek uncovered album-related backstory I hadn't encountered. Her 2024 grunge exploration felt like essential education, especially after my initial middle school forays into Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and similar groups. An earlier Nine Inch Nails installment prepared me for my first live viewing in September. The archives remain timeless; while awaiting fresh content, past episodes offer ample satisfaction.
While Salek's Ringer teammates hold no fault, musician guests elevate Bandsplain's finest moments. Geoff Rickly of Thursday enriched the Nine Inch Nails discussion, and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie kept me riveted during his take on The La's, an unfamiliar act to me previously. Strong recommendations go to the Oasis and recent Alanis Morissette episodes. Virtually any starting point yields rewarding listening. — B.S.
As a teen, I heard an older person admit they no longer actively pursued, investigated, assessed, and adopted emerging bands and tracks as if vital for survival. I felt baffled, worried, and resolved to avoid that fate.
Life's progression followed the expected path: career, child, home, partner, and dependent animals requiring feeding, exercise, interaction, and medication. Algorithms suggest new material, but few pieces endure, leading me back to youthful favorites from adolescence and early adulthood.
This year, the three-day Blossom & Bones event at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico broke through the routine, embedding fresh sounds in my mind. Camping with my child and companions amid stunning scenery, we attended evening sets featuring Santigold, Ani DiFranco, and roughly twelve others.
Lucy Dacus, part of the indie trio Boygenius, delivered a hour-long performance drawing heavily from her recent album Forever is a Feeling. Encountering the material fresh made it seem timeless. Gentle harmonies and orchestral strings complement Dacus's rich timbre, yet her insights on romance, dismissal, and intimacy carry an incisive edge. The album has stayed in heavy rotation since. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter, Buying Advice
During the festival's final day's early evening slot, Blanco White appeared onstage. Attendees wandered casually, daylight lingered, children played on the grass, and food vendor aromas filled the air, but the quartet on stage held me spellbound. Melancholy violin and rhythmic guitars blended with percussion, drifting toward the crimson terrain. The sound mirrored my emotions: grounded in the desert's stark allure, a sensation I carried away gratefully. — A.S.
Fellow enthusiasts may recall Leo Tolstoy viewed War and Peace not as a novel but as a historical thesis framed by narrative. The drama serves his expansive ideas on history's mechanics.
In the past year, Mike Duncan, host of the history podcast Revolutions, mirrored this approach in an unforeseen format. The series examined ten historical revolutions, from the English Civil War to the Russian Revolution. Post-Bolshevik coverage, Duncan devoted episodes to outlining a unified theory of revolutionary progression. It appeared that might conclude matters, but mid-2024 brought unexpected original science fiction: a narrative of future Martians rebelling against terrestrial corporate rulers, presented indistinguishably from prior seasons.
Duncan's unflinching narration enhances the Martian storyline's appeal. He maintains composure throughout, citing invented references, regretting past episode errors, and presenting fictional personalities with the solemnity once reserved for figures like George Washington or Simon Bolivar. Revolutions followers will delight in spotting familiar tropes (Mabel Dore as the Enlightened Aristocrat! Timothy Werner as the Bloody Executioner!).
The podcast stands strong independently of prior Revolutions exposure. It excels in character development and tragic inevitability, balanced by uplifting instances. Though I hope to evade the depicted corporate-dominated future, Duncan's envisioned resolution would offer some comfort if it materializes. — Sam Chapman, Senior Writer
I favor artists who defy expectations, and Ron Gallo excels at transformation. His ventures span surreal punk, psychedelia, garage rock, Beatles-inspired pop, and now minimalist acoustic fare. Acoustic styles rarely appeal to me, barring Elliott Smith, but Checkmate stands apart. Gallo's lyrics here reach exceptional depths, swapping clever puns for straightforward, heart-wrenching truths on existence, affection, and apocalyptic themes.
Strong melodies underpin the words effectively. The collection boasts compelling compositions overall. The opener serves as an ideal romantic anthem, its central refrain lingering persistently. Additional songs evoke Mac DeMarco, Dan Fogelberg, Kevin Morby, and other acoustic masters. Gallo's affiliation with Kill Rock Stars, once home to much of Elliott Smith's output, fits seamlessly. Notably, Gallo shares timely topical songs on TikTok and similar sites, appealing to fans of creators like Jesse Welles. — Lawrence Bonk, Contributing Reporter
Few hip-hop records delve deeply into mortality's sorrow and spiritual dimensions alongside enduring sorrow. De La Soul achieves this, honoring late co-founder Trugoy the Dove. The project acts as Trugoy's enduring legacy, with his presence prominent. In this regard, Cabin in the Sky echoes A Tribe Called Quest's 2016 triumph We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service, post-Phife Dawg's death.
Similar to that benchmark, Cabin in the Sky packs irresistible hits. Production highlights come from DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Trugoy, Jake One, and collaborators. Flows impress, allowing all core De La members prominence. Featured artists including Common and Nas contribute standout lines unseen in years. Even Giancarlo Esposito narrates. Critics note excessive length, but that's akin to protesting abundant pizza. It's quintessential De La Soul. — L.B.
2025 delivered an outstanding array of new recordings in my view, complicating choices for top picks. Yet FKA twigs' Eusexua dominated much of the year, sustaining me through the initial half without rivals and reclaiming focus as the period ended. The record adapts to diverse moods: igniting dance-floor energy for intense nights in moments, or evoking sunny optimism like a vernal stroll, while also suiting reflective drives.
'Girl Feels Good' tops my repeated plays, trailed by 'Eusexua,' 'Perfect Stranger,' 'Keep It, Hold It,' and 'Striptease.' When undecided on selections, this album reliably satisfies. — Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend Editor
Faetooth's second full-length, Labyrinthine, achieves searing, sorrowful excellence. Self-labeled 'fairy doom,' the style belies its immense weight—far from light, it pounds relentlessly, evoking endless traversal of a haunted marsh amid tormented echoes. Skeptical? Try 'White Noise.' Full-album immersion suits it best; I rarely isolate tracks, preferring continuous loops. — C.M.
This EP exemplifies my tendency to exhaust fascinations rapidly: released mid-November, it topped my year-end listening summary two weeks afterward. It leads with potent openers—a mesmerizing, eerie sequence seamlessly linking 'Dreaded Sundown,' 'Drift Away,' and 'Atchafalaya' (featuring Noah Cyrus). As a musical theater aficionado, the 'Maybe This Time' rendition from Cabaret delighted, especially after missing Annie Peck's recent Broadway Emcee role. — C.M.
This year marked a surge in my interest in audio dramas, including Unicorn Girl and Stalked!, among others. Yet no 2025 fictional series gripped me like Case 63. Beyond the star turns by Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac—a stellar duo that drew me initially—the narrative craft shines brightest.
Moore portrays a therapist conducting a jailhouse session with Isaac's character, who asserts interstellar origins. Through session tapes and messages, his account unfolds alongside her responses and deepening entanglement. Early on, recording justifications build immersion credibly, enhancing believability without necessity.
Beyond delivery techniques, the plot captivates, with concise installments facilitating swift marathons. Frequent suspenseful endings accelerate pace, but I eagerly consumed both seasons during a single trip. Its concepts persisted post-finale, and I anticipate the upcoming installment. For accessible sci-fi audio, Case 63 demands attention. — Cherlynn Low, Managing Editor
Throughout 2025, I focused on exploring my relational patterns, evident across personal connections. From Stephanie Rigg's On Attachment series, the Couples Therapy program, to numerous texts on bonding types, past wounds, and beyond, I engaged widely. Among them, one broadcast resonated uniquely: The Secure Love Podcast by Julie Menanno, MA, LMFT, LCPC, Instagram's @TheSecureRelationship founder and Secure Love author.
Menanno's content centers on interpersonal dynamics through attachment perspectives. Beyond recycling common knowledge, each season—currently midway through the second—features her guiding a duo out of destructive loops via body-based methods to decode feelings, sensitivities, and responses. Real dialogues about authentic situations foster identification, with listeners spotting parallels in their lives. Episodes begin with shared audience feedback, illustrating communal impacts.
This season drew varied reactions; acquaintances and others expressed frustration with Brian, the anxious husband. Though some of his expressions neared insensitivity for me, growing recognition of those traits in close ones built empathy. I also connected with Bethany, identified as avoidant by Menanno.
As Bethany and Brian detailed conflict origins and viewpoints, clarity emerged. Comparable dynamics appeared in my partnership, family ties, and friendships, demystifying behaviors.
The intimacy borders on intrusive listening, yet Menanno educates over mere spectacle. She pauses to explain query intentions or goals in prompting emotional processing for Brian or Bethany.
Her techniques echoed my recent somatic coaching, drawing from emotion-focused therapy (EFT). Tolerating unease, probing triggers, and tracing sources aids dismantling underlying beliefs. These may stem from faulty reasoning, worst-case assumptions, missing details, or valid instincts.
For deeper self-insight or EFT/couples counseling previews, The Secure Love Podcast earns strong endorsement. — C.L.
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