{"id":892,"date":"2025-12-27T04:13:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T20:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/27\/what-we-listened-to-in-2025\/"},"modified":"2025-12-27T04:13:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T20:13:08","slug":"what-we-listened-to-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/27\/what-we-listened-to-in-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"What we listened to in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

If streaming services\u2019 year-in-review<\/a> campaigns have shown us anything, it\u2019s that we\u2019ve spent a staggering amount of time drowning out the hum of everyday life with music, podcasts and audio series. And with some incredible new releases this year, we were really eatin\u2019 good. Here are some of the Engadget team\u2019s favorite things we listened to in 2025.<\/p>\n

Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea<\/em><\/h2>\n

I became aware of Spiritbox in late 2024 shortly before the band dropped its latest album, Tsunami Sea. <\/em>At the time, I was in a deep Sleep Token phase, and I don\u2019t remember how I stumbled upon Spiritbox, but I\u2019m sure glad I did. Not knowing anything about the band, I initially thought it had two singers: one for clean vocals and another for the harsh, guttural screams.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Well, I was wrong. Vocalist Courtney LaPlante handles it all, and she is a force of nature. After learning of a new band, I do what any self-respecting music nerd does: I looked up live videos of them on YouTube. The way LaPlante seamlessly transitions from airy, ambient singing to some of the best growls you\u2019ll hear in metal music is effortless. And after seeing Spiritbox live in person earlier in December, I can attest to her ability to consistently nail both vocal styles for the entirety of an hour-long set.\u00a0<\/p>\n

My infatuation with Spiritbox isn\u2019t just with the vocalist though. Guitarist Mike Stringer, LaPlante\u2019s husband, also has a lot of unique abilities to offer. Stringer\u2019s use of noise and whammy effects in his riffs create a signature style, not to mention his mix of nu-metal, djent and metalcore sensibilities. He also has some of the thickest guitar tones I\u2019ve ever heard live, and I was mesmerized for the full set. Stringer\u2019s guitar work on Tsunami Sea <\/em>is a prime example of a\u00a0 unique musician at the height of his powers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tsunami Sea <\/em>takes you on a ride. The first two tracks are all-out ragers, and after a slight respite in \u201cPerfect Soul\u201d and \u201cKeep Sweet,\u201d the album\u2019s best song comes fifth. I\u2019ve heard LaPlante dedicate it to \u201call the people I love to fucking hate,\u201d and it\u2019s clearly written about her enemies. It\u2019s also the perfect example of what this band is capable of. It\u2019s three minutes of LaPlante\u2019s screams interlaced with plenty of Stringer\u2019s trademark guitar work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The rest of the album showcases the band\u2019s ability to blend dynamics, with \u201cNo Loss, No Love\u201d and \u201cRide The Wave\u201d providing the highlights on the back half of the record. The album\u2019s title track is a great vehicle for LaPlante\u2019s clean vocals, serving as the introduction to the album\u2019s second act. If you\u2019ve been enamored with Sleep Token this year like I have, give Spiritbox a go \u2014 you won\u2019t be sorry you did. \u2014 Billy Steele, Deputy Editor, Reviews<\/em><\/p>\n

Bandsplain<\/em><\/h2>\n

I didn\u2019t discover Bandsplain <\/em>in 2025, but I definitely listened to it more than any other podcast in terms of total time spent. Sure, that\u2019s because most episodes are over three hours long, but I digress. Host Yasi Salek does a deep dive on \u201ccult bands and iconic artists\u201d to\u2026 ahem, bandsplain why people love them. There\u2019s a deep catalog of back episodes, so there\u2019s sure to be an in-depth analysis of a band you\u2019re familiar with. But even if you think you know an artist, I\u2019m willing to bet Salek will divulge parts of the story you weren\u2019t aware of.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jimmy Eat World\u2019s Clarity <\/em>is a top 5 all-timer for me, and Salek had plenty to offer about the narrative around that album I didn\u2019t know. Her grunge series from 2024 was a history lesson I wish I\u2019d had in middle school when I first discovered Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and the rest of the lot. An older episode about Nine Inch Nails served as the primer for me seeing the band live for the first time in September. And that\u2019s the thing about the show: the back catalog holds up. If you\u2019re waiting for the next installment to drop, there\u2019s certainly something in the archives you\u2019ll enjoy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

No shade to Salek\u2019s colleagues at The Ringer, <\/em>but the best episodes of Bandsplain <\/em>are when the guest is a musician. Thursday front man Geoff Rickly was excellent on that Nine Inch Nails episode, and Death Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard had me on the edge of my seat when he was on to discuss The La\u2019s \u2014 a band I\u2019d never heard of before. I\u2019d also highly recommend the episodes on Oasis and the more recent one on Alanis Morissette. But, really, you can\u2019t go wrong starting from anywhere on the episode list. \u2014 B.S.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lucy Dacus – Forever is a Feeling<\/em>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

I remember being a teenager and hearing from an adult that they did not religiously seek out, research, evaluate and introduce new bands and songs into their lives as if all existence would cease without the life-sustaining energy of new music. I was confused, concerned and damn sure that wouldn\u2019t happen to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You know where this story goes: Job. Kid. House. Spouse. Pets that will die if I don\u2019t feed, walk, play with and\/or medicate them. I allow the algorithm to feed me new songs but rarely does something stick, so I end up listening to tracks I bonded with in my teens and twenties.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This year, Blossom & Bones<\/a>, a three-day music festival in Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, managed to push through the churn and lodge new music into my brain. Along with my kid and some friends, I camped among some of the most beautiful landscapes imaginable and ambled over to the stage each evening for performances by Santigold, Ani DiFranco and about a dozen more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lucy Dacus, one third of the indie group Boygenius, did a one-hour set with plenty of songs from her latest album Forever is a Feeling<\/em>. Hearing the songs for the first time, I felt like I\u2019d been listening to them for years. Lilting harmonies and layered strings create a lovely backdrop for Dacus\u2019s velvet voice, but there\u2019s a sharpness to her observations about relationships, rejection and sex. I\u2019ve been looping the album ever since. \u2014 Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter, Buying Advice<\/em><\/p>\n

Blanco White – \u201cSo Certain\u201d (single)<\/h2>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Early on the last concert of the day at that same festival, Blanco White took the stage. People were aimlessly milling about and the sun hadn\u2019t yet set. Kids were playing on the lawn and the smell from the food trucks was intense, but I was enrapt by the four people on stage. The sad violin and strummy guitars floated with the hand-beat drum out into the red hills. The music sounded like I felt: rooted and wrapped in the harsh beauty of the desert and I was really glad to take that home with me. \u2014 A.S.<\/em><\/p>\n

Martian Revolution\u00a0<\/em><\/h2>\n

If you’re as big a nerd as I am, you might know that Leo Tolstoy didn’t consider War and Peace <\/em>to be a novel. The story is what most people read for, but in the author’s mind, all the drama was a parable to illustrate his grand theory of history.<\/p>\n

Over the last year, history podcaster Mike Duncan has accomplished a similar feat using a medium Tolstoy never imagined. Duncan’s Revolutions <\/em>podcast has covered ten different revolutionary upheavals across history, starting with the English Civil War and ending with the Russian Revolution. After wrapping up the Bolsheviks, Duncan took a few episodes to suggest a grand theory of how revolutions unfold. For a while, it seemed like that was all we’d get. Then, in the middle of 2024, he started posting original sci-fi \u2014 without any indication that this tale, which followed future Martians revolting against their corporate overlords on Earth, was in any way different from the previous ten seasons.<\/p>\n

Part of what makes the Martian Revolution so excellent is Duncan’s deadpan delivery. He never once breaks character. He rattles off lists of fictional sources, apologizes for inaccuracies in prior episodes, and introduces made-up historical figures with the same gravity he once used to mention George Washington or Simon Bolivar. If you’re a fan of Revolutions, <\/em>you’ll have a blast recognizing character archetypes. (Mabel Dore is the Liberal Noble! Timothy Werner is the Man of Blood!)<\/p>\n

But the podcast is great even if you’ve never listened to an episode of Revolutions. <\/em>It has an excellent grasp of character and a sense of inevitable tragedy, but with moments of joy leavened throughout. I certainly hope we don’t wind up in the megacorp-ruled future of the podcast, but if we do, it’ll be a great consolation if it eventually turns out the way Duncan imagines. \u2014 Sam Chapman, Senior Writer<\/em><\/p>\n

Ron Gallo – Checkmate<\/em>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

My favorite artists are ones that surprise me, and Ron Gallo is a master of reinvention. He’s dabbled in absurdist punk, psychedelia, garage rock, Beatles-tinged pop and, now, stripped-down acoustic music. This is not a genre I am typically a fan of, Elliott Smith withstanding, but Checkmate<\/em> is something special. His lyrical prowess is off the charts here, trading his usual wordplay for simple and emotionally-gutting truisms about life, love and, well, the end of the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Of course, the lyrics wouldn’t work if the songs weren’t good. The songs are very good. The title track is just about the perfect love song, with a primary hook that gets lost in your head for weeks. Other tracks offer hints of Mac DeMarco, Dan Fogelberg, Kevin Morby and just about everyone else who has crafted great songs on an acoustic guitar. It’s fitting that Gallo has found a home on the label Kill Rock Stars, which released so much of Elliott Smith’s work back in the day. As an aside, Gallo regularly posts songs about current events on TikTok and other social media platforms, which are worth checking out if you like stuff like Jesse Welles. \u2014 Lawrence Bonk, Contributing Reporter<\/em><\/p>\n

De La Soul – Cabin in the Sky<\/em><\/h2>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

There have been hip-hop albums that explored the finality and tragedy of death, but not many that truly tackled spirituality and long-term grief. De La Soul has done just that, following the passing of founding member Trugoy the Dove. This album serves as a final testament of sorts for Trugoy, as he’s heavily featured throughout. In that way, Cabin in the Sky<\/em> is reminiscent of A Tribe Called Quest’s 2016 masterpiece We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service<\/em>, which followed the death of rapper Phife Dawg.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Like Tribe’s modern classic, Cabin in the Sky<\/em> is filled with absolute bangers. It features standout beats by DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Trugoy, Jake One and others. The rhymes are great and all three primary De La members are given time to shine. Guest rappers like Common and Nas got the memo, delivering some of their most memorable verses in years. Heck, even Giancarlo Esposito is on board as the narrator. Some reviewers have dinged this album for being too long but, come on, that’s like complaining there’s too much pizza. It’s De La Soul. \u2014 L.B.<\/em><\/p>\n

FKA twigs – Eusexua<\/em><\/h2>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

This was a really good year for new music IMO, so much that I’ve been finding it pretty difficult to think back and settle on my favorite releases. But, FKA twigs’ Eusexua<\/em> undeniably did some heavy lifting for me, pretty much carrying me through the first six or so months of the year without much competition, and I’ve circled right back to it as the year closes. It’s an album that somehow seems to meet every vibe. It’ll have you in club mode and ready for a night of sweaty, filthy dancing in under three minutes, or feeling bright and upbeat like a midday walk on the first day of spring \u2014 yet it still hits when you’re having a good ol’ car cry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Girl Feels Good” is for sure one of my most-played songs of the year, followed closely by “Eusexua,” “Perfect Stranger,” “Keep It, Hold It” and “Striptease.” If ever I can’t decide what I’m in the mood to listen to, I throw this album on and it doesn’t disappoint. \u2014 Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend Editor<\/em><\/p>\n

Faetooth – Labyrinthine<\/em>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Faetooth’s sophomore album, Labyrinthine<\/em>, is face-melting, melancholic perfection. The band describes its sound as “fairy doom,” but don’t let that first word fool you into thinking it isn’t heavy as hell. Labyrinthine<\/em> goes unbelievably hard, and will have you feeling like you’re eternally wandering a cursed bog, surrounded by the wailing of the unfortunate souls who came before you. Don’t believe me? Put on “White Noise.” This is really an album that should be enjoyed in its entirety, though, and I can’t individually name half the songs on it because I tend to just keep the whole thing playing on rotation. \u2014 C.M.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Orville Peck – Appaloosa<\/em>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

This EP is truly a testament to my ability to run my obsessions into the ground, because it only came out in mid-November and somehow landed on my most-listened wrapup for the end of the year\u2026 which was released some two weeks later. It’s front-loaded with its strongest songs, a powerful and kind of haunting trio that just flows beautifully from one into the other: “Dreaded Sundown,” to “Drift Away” into “Atchafalaya” (ft. Noah Cyrus). As a fan of musicals, I also loved the inclusion of “Maybe This Time,” a cover from Cabaret<\/em>, especially since I was pretty bummed to have missed Peck’s stint as the Emcee in Cabaret<\/em> on Broadway this summer. \u2014 C.M.<\/em><\/p>\n

Case 63\u00a0<\/em><\/h2>\n

I got into an audio series kick this year, and dove into shows like Unicorn Girl<\/em>, Stalked!<\/em> and more. But none of the dramatized fiction I listened to in 2025 had me hooked like Case 63<\/em>. Setting aside that it\u2019s voice-acted by A-listers Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac, which is a phenomenal pairing that won me over on star power alone. The best thing about Case 63<\/em> is its storytelling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Moore stars as a psychologist, meeting Isaac for the first time in a prison interview. Isaac has been claiming to be a traveler of sorts, and through recorded sessions and voice notes, we hear his side of the story, as well as her reactions and ultimate involvement in the adventures. Every step of the way, particularly in the beginning, there is clear explanation as to why the exchange is being recorded. It isn\u2019t necessary, but it\u2019s helpful in my buying into the realism of the story.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t just the method and technical aspects of the storytelling, of course. Narratively, Case 63<\/em> is a gripping ride, and thanks to its short episodes, it\u2019s easy to binge really quickly. There is certainly a generous use of cliffhangers to help speed things along, but I found myself eager to devour the entire series in one commute. The story continued to linger in my mind days after I finished both existing seasons, and I\u2019m hoping the new one drops soon. If you\u2019re looking for a quick and easy sci-fi audio series, do not miss Case 63<\/em>. \u2014 Cherlynn Low, Managing Editor<\/em><\/p>\n

Secure Love\u00a0<\/em><\/h2>\n

I spent a lot of time this year trying to learn more about my attachment style and how it shows up in all the relationships in my life. Between Stephanie Rigg\u2019s On Attachment<\/em> podcast, the TV show Couples Therapy<\/em> and all the books on the topic of attachment styles, trauma and more, I\u2019ve consumed them all. And while they\u2019ve all been helpful in different ways, one podcast stuck out to me this year. It\u2019s hosted by Julie Menanno, MA, LMFT, LCPC, creator of the @TheSecureRelationship<\/a> account on Instagram and the author of Secure Love: Create a relationship that lasts a lifetime<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You can probably tell from that introduction what Menanno\u2019s work is all about. Relationships, from the lens of attachment styles. The Secure Love Podcast<\/em><\/a> doesn\u2019t just re-deliver the same information we\u2019ve seen published across various media and platforms, though. Each season of the podcast (it\u2019s partway through the second as of this writing) sees Menanno work with one couple through their negative cycles, using somatic practices to help each partner understand their emotions, triggers and reactions. Because we\u2019re listening to real people talk about real-life happenings, it\u2019s not only easy to relate, but listeners often see themselves in these scenarios. At the start of each episode, too, Menanno reads out or plays notes from the audience, and you can see how fellow listeners have reacted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This season, for example, my friend and some other listeners seemed to really dislike Brian, the anxious male partner in this season\u2019s pair. While I\u2019ve certainly found some of Brian\u2019s ways of speaking borderline offensive, I had a lot more sympathy for him as I started seeing his traits in my loved ones. I also started to identify with his partner Bethany, who Menanno typed as having an avoidant attachment style.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As I listened to Bethany and Brian describe the reasons they got into fights and explain where they were coming from, suddenly it felt like the world made sense. I saw similar patterns and reasonings in my own relationship, as well as those of my parents, relatives and friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is slightly voyeuristic to listen to something so intimate, of course, but Menanno makes it all educational rather than just entertaining. She gently interrupts parts of each episode to tell the audience why she asks certain questions or what she\u2019s attempting to achieve by asking Brian or Bethany to sit with their difficult feelings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I found her method familiar, as I recently started working with a somatic coach whose approach is similar to Menanno\u2019s, which is rooted in emotion-focused therapy (EFT). Staying with uncomfortable feelings makes me want to jump out of my skin, but being able to endure them, question why they arise and then understand where they come from is crucial to helping uncover the thinking that causes them. Sometimes they\u2019re the result of flawed logic, catastrophic thinking or a simple lack of context, but often they\u2019re very reasonable reactions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking to understand yourself and your emotions a bit better, or just want to get an idea of what EFT or couples therapy sounds like, I can\u2019t recommend The Secure Love Podcast<\/em> highly enough. \u2014 C.L.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/entertainment\/music\/what-we-listened-to-in-2025-201308584.html?src=rss<\/p>

Please credit: OBA Blog<\/a> » What we listened to in 2025<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If streaming services\u2019 year-in-review campaigns have shown us anything, it\u2019s that we\u2019ve spent a staggering amount of time drowning out the hum of everyday life with music, podcasts and audio series. And with some incredible new releases this year, we were really eatin\u2019 good. Here are some of the Engadget team\u2019s favorite things we listened to in 2025. Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea I became aware of Spiritbox in late 2024 shortly before the band dropped its latest album, Tsunami Sea. At the time, I was in a deep Sleep Token phase, and I don\u2019t remember how I stumbled upon Spiritbox, but I\u2019m sure glad I did. Not knowing anything about the band, I initially thought it had two singers: one for clean vocals and another […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-share"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}