Addison Rae, ‘Addison’

There was no other album I was more excited to make fun of this year than Addison Rae’s self-titled Addison. Yet, despite all odds and precedents, the TikTok-star-turned-singer-songwriter has deservedly etched a space for herself in the pop star landscape despite following one of the most pivotal years in the genre. In an interview on the Popcast podcast, Rae quotes, “taste is a luxury,” in reference to her own tastes in music and fashion. She credits her success on TikTok and her public as the reason she is now able to pursue her more genuine interest in music. This philosophy becomes very evident within the first few seconds on the album, with the song, New York. A familiar, yet unconventional, pop track opens with a rapid electronic pan and escalates to a breathy Max-Martin-esque dance beat that screams 2000s Britney. It feels nostalgic, yet new. The album is immediately rewarding, offering a fun and campy surface appeal on tracks like Money is Everything and High Fashion. Yet, the listener is often gifted with deeper lyrical focus on songs such as Times Like These and Headphones On. With an entirely female produced record, Addison feels in complete control of the feminine sexuality that underlies the album, reminiscent of her fellow recent breakthrough superstars like Sabrina, Chappell, and Charli XCX. Addison is an incredibly impressive debut project that makes me very excited for her career, and the future of pop music.

-Becca Warfield

Don’t Tap the Glass – Tyler the Creator

DON’T TAP THE GLASS by Tyler, The Creator is a shorter album, running just 29 minutes throughout its ten tracks. Released on July 21, just less than 9 months after the release of his last album, this
album is an outlier in his discography. Tyler’s known for his writing style which (lately) tends to be more
confessional and narrates the personal themes in his life. Instead, this album was written purely to make people move. When he released the album, he was open about this switch and told fans “yall better get them expectations and hopes down this aint no concept nothing” on Twitter. This tweet severely downplayed how strong this album stands out in his discography. While nothing conceptually profound, the album is one of his most upbeat and engaging. Every song builds off of the energy from the one before. Some standout tracks include Sugar on My Tongue, Big Poe, and Ring Ring Ring, which all experienced a lot of hype online. My own personal favorite is Sucka Free. Overall, this album is definitely worth a listen, especially if you need something carefree and upbeat, or just want a good beat to dance to.

-Will Clair

Ethel Cain, ‘Perverts’

Ever since its release back in January, Ethel Cain’s new project Perverts entranced me. This EP represents a drastic tonal and thematic departure from Cain’s debut album, Preachers Daughter, which built a southern gothic narrative from a mix of folk, slowcore, and elements of dream pop. This time around, Ethel Cain completely switched gears and opted for a dark ambient project composed of drone music, unsettling sounds, a near complete lack of lyrics, and a oppressively haunting atmosphere. With Perverts, we are taken on a journey of transcendence to explore the different manifestations of perversion in all its forms. From the opening title track, we are immediately thrust into this world Cain experiences, which transports us to decrepit basements, vast stretches of woods, industrial power plants, and this esoteric divine theatre. 

Songs explore twisted depictions of desire, with kick drums, delicate piano and fragile vocals in Punish, and the terrifying howling over continuous murmurings of “i love you’s” in Housofpsychoticwomn. The album touches on the perversions of pleasure with my personal favorite, Onanist, creating its perversion with whispers, powerful bass, and building crescendos. The rest of the soundscape is a combination of heavy instrumentals, drones, distorted vocals, drums, lap steels and the hurdy-gurdy as Ethel Cain represents lustful experiences in Vascillator, proximity and abandonment from God in Thatorchia, and self-destructive within Amber Waves.

In just nine songs, she explores themes of guilt, shame, eroticism, resentment, faith, transcendence and corruption of self, with a soundscape akin to a horror movie soundtrack. It is best challenging for a casual listener, and at worst downright terrifying to anyone curious enough to peek into her veil. But I would be remiss if I didn’t insist that this project is worth the listen, if only to experience the journey of sonic transcendence Ethel Cain drags us through within her perversions.

-Clara Carrion

Westside Gunn, ’12’

Westside had a big year in 2025 with 3 full-length albums, 2 EPs, and multiple singles, including crossovers with JID, Cookin’ Soul, Karriem Riggins, and Doechii, who just received the Grammy for Best Rap Album of the Year last February. 12 is the newest installment of Westside Gunn’s long-running Hitler Wears Hermes mixtape series, which feels less like a batch of individual songs and more like a cohesive project than any Griselda releases this decade.  Amidst all the deluge of content from the Griselda label this year, 12 went under the radar and underappreciated, even by fans. While the album doesn’t experiment or break new ground sonically, it’s my favorite this year merely for the penmanship and lyrical delivery from all parties involved. 

The best RYM review I’ve ever seen noted, “Westside Gunn is the moment hip-hop goes post-hip-hop—transforming the MC into an echo, the beat into a museum piece, and the genre’s symbols (luxury, violence, nostalgia) into looped artifacts”. Almost nowhere is that more clear than on tracks like Vert and Bury Me with a Stove, where the essential hip-hop drums are replaced with droning ad-libs and grainy phonographic samples: Creating Giselle’s trademark haunting and lavish atmosphere. The tracklist, however, diversifies, with the gritty hardcore boom bap posse cut that is Boswell and Tom Sos’s featherlight voice and rhymes on tracks like Gumbo Yaya and Health Sciences offering a ray of light in 12’s nocturnal atmosphere.

Though technically under the name Westside Gunn, spiritually, this is Stove God Cooks’ masterpiece. He features on almost the entire first leg of the tracklist and steals the show in the album’s drumless outro, Dump World. StoveGod sounds more at home on an altar than in the studio, bringing unflinchingly egotistical lyrics and drumless gospel hymns to create a liturgy of the self, demanding the listener bend the knee and pray. Bars like “The Virgil Rug say rug, the plug name in my phone say plug” or “YOU EVER COOK HALF A BRICK IN DA AIR FRYER”  puts the entire Western literary canon to shame. Stove God features on this project more than any other Westside release. So if you’re looking for the most lavish bars in hip hop today, this project is for you.

-Amman Hassan

PinkPantheress, ‘Fancy That?’

It’s a Pink sweep. This music video for Stateside was shot outside a JCPenny, and really I think that’s all you need to know to truly get what this album’s all about. Music and fashion trends have been dominated by this idea of “Y2K” for the past few years, what initially began as unique and inspired 2000s throwbacks quickly turned into force-fed slop and algorithmic nostalgia regurgitated back at us from every corner Tiktok could touch. This year–praise god!–we’ve maybe started resisting crap in a low-rise bow, and with projects like Addison, Essex Honey, and cheetah print, we’re finally seeing a rise of Y2K nostalgia that is not only hopes to remind, but to inspire.

I hate to laud a southern, but anyone who can flaunt ultra-high rise capris is committed to this Y2K shit. It might as well be 2006 for PinkPantheress as she’s tapping into her U.K. jungle and D&B roots right from the opening beats of Fancy That’s first track, Illegal, with a complete embrace of a nostalgia that doesn’t stale or pull superficial. From Tonight to Romeo, this is neither her most emotional nor ambitious release, but I’d say it’s by far her most stylistically unique and coherent project by far. With this mixtape, Pink’s solidified her image. She’s drawing influences from around the world into her Brit tartan aesthetics, and creates tracks out of it that are so fresh & fit, it’s actually a no-skip record. Whether I was fucking about in Scandinavia or stateside, Fancy That? has been my dearest friend this year. This mixtape is sweet, sexy, and just pure fun with a bassline, it’s everything that this vague memory of an animal-printed and velour-clad 2000s embodies. Nostalgia is a tool, and Pink wields it with her iron-plaid fist. like what!?

-Pauly

Sudan Archives, ‘The BPM’

“An artist’s foray into a “Gadget Girl” persona in the year 2025 may verge on cliche and could even be banal, but with Sudan Archives it just feels so right. Following the acclaimed 2022 album Natural Brown Prom Queen, on this new record, The BPM, Sudan Archives leans even heavier into the (dare I say) archive of dance beats she intricately weaves together to explore the relationship amongst technology, body, and identity. With fifteen songs and clocking in at just under an hour, the album never feels bloated or rushed. The songs, which pull on club beats inspired by Midwest cities like Chicago and Detroit, flow from one to the other to explore Gadget Girl’s sci-fi persona and life. “MY TYPE” is a notable standout, with a racing beat, quick lyrics, and a chorus that is an instant club classic. On the album opener “DEAD” she sings: “Where my old self at? / Where my new self at? / Where my light side at? / Where my dark side at?” with a chorus of “right here, right here” reassuring herself after every line. Gadget Girl can go everywhere and be everything, as she sings on “A BUG’S LIFE,” another album standout, “’cause she never looks back / and she can’t go home.” With Sudan Archives and The BPM, I don’t think we even want to anymore.”

-Corrine

Frost Children, ‘SISTER’

SISTER, the latest Frost Children album, was released on September 12th of this year, which perfectly blends genres to create a timeless electronic-hyperpop-indiepop-EDM album that will be played for years to come. The two siblings, Lulu and Angel Prost, began making music together in 2020, leading them to release 5 albums from 2020-2023. After a 2 year break, they returned and released what is, in my opinion, their best album yet.

SISTER builds upon the electro-punk and indie-sleaze style of hyperpop they employed in the albums SPEED RUN and Hearth Room, but turn the EDM knob up slightly. This gives the album an inherently nostalgic quality that I haven’t heard from a new release ever in recent memory. They perfectly encapsulate the energy of 2010s pop hits but build upon them with their already established abrasive style of hyperpop, to not only draw from the past but to innovate a new style of electronic music all together. Songs like Falling and Position Famous perfectly illustrate this push and pull – they sound at points deeply nostalgic and also very innovative, creating for a sound I haven’t heard before and a mix of genres that I’m sure will influence the next wave of electronic music for years to come.

-Chase

MIKE, ‘Showbiz!’

I, like many others, was introduced to MIKE by his long term friend, collaborator and fellow abstract hip hop artist Earl Sweatshirt. Mainly from a line off his 2018 single The Mint, “I was in the kitchen with that nigga Mike”. Curious, I decided to check out his 2019 album tears of joy, and since then I’ve gotten to experience one of the best and most unique modern hip hop discographies unravel with Showbiz! being no exception. 

With 24 tracks, you’d think MIKE’s signature laid back, monotone delivery would get repetitive or boring but far from it. Combined with the sample heavy jazz & soul inspired production it creates a very relaxed, meditative feeling to the album that makes it feel more dream-like than sleepy. His lyrical ability has also never been sharper with tracks such as Lucky and When it Rains featuring bar after bar of creative and well delivered lyrics. 

But what really holds this album together and makes it my favorite release of the year is its common thread of family, reflection of one’s past and the path ahead of him. On one of its standout tracks What U Boutta Do?/A Star was Born he professes “I’m the living proof, I’m my parent’s child. Put you in my shoes, it’s a scary route”. Since a lot of MIKE’s work revolves around mental health and personal struggles, seeing him be able to so honestly reflect on some of what’s led to these issues discussed on other tracks is very fascinating. On the albums most popular track man in the mirror it begins with a sample of a man discussing the pressure of his job and how “showing off” has almost become a requirement, but also a huge cause of pain in his life. As MIKE has continued to see growth and recognition it’s fascinating to see how this has affected his perception of himself and “the man in the mirror”.

With such a consistent album that I’ve been replaying since its release I’m excited to see where the career of one of hip hop’s best working rappers is gonna continue to lead us toward. And if it’s to more amazing albums like this one. Then I’m pretty happy with the trajectory.

-Tarik Krob

Kevin Atwater, ‘Achilles’

Once again, Kevin Atwater manages to break my heart yet simultaneously make me sing along. His first album, Achilles managed to be in my constant rotation year round. Despite his soft voice, Atwater with each song, manages to illustrate his emotions so impactfully. Atwater has been hurt before and much of that gets channeled in crushing lyrics that paired with intense instrumentals. That’s what I like about Atwater and this album. It wears its heart on a sleeve and inspires a sort of connection with Atwater in a sense. Atwater bares his soul for the album and as a listener I feel appreciative he’s willing to share it all with me. Most of songs come from Atwater’s personal experiences and it’s clear that he’s laying all his cards on the table. I don’t just admire that Atwater’s is willing to get vulnerable, it’s also that I think he’s able to tell the stories in these songs quite beautifully. That’s what got me to got me to come back to this album numerous times this year. Some of my favorite tracks of this album include “Jamie’s Daydreams” and “the cage”, as they show Atwater at his angriest and hurt. Even though Atwater never raises his voice in either song, his anger is palpable and visceral through lyrics that pack a punch. achilles has showed me that Kevin Atwater is still manages capitivate me with his stellar songwriting and has me excited to see what he has in store for the future.

-Ria Das

the side peices (heavensouls x stickerbrush), ‘darkskin n****s with lightskin problems’

Prolific avant-rap producer-mcs stickerbrush and heavensouls more than eke out a place for themselves within an ever-expanding universe of deepweb art. Teaming up for a second time after their initial inverted skintone collaboration, 2024’s lightskin n****s with darkskin problems, 2025 sees the two solidifying their artistic connection in a fragmented and frenetic auditory experience often as multifaceted as everyday life in 2025 feels, an unpredictable world of extremes, liable at any moment to turn on a dime to a polar opposite. Expansive, enveloping sound collages initially cloying in their sweetness give way to harsh staticky bursts, overlapping vocal shards and textures swirling- one moment cacophonous, the next, breathtaking. Any artist that can transition from a verse about zero star yelp reviews to one of the best Jersey Club beats I’ve heard all year surely has a grasp of what exactly they are doing.

While both artists are by no means household names, the sheer quality of this project has caused a slow but steady expansion of their profiles throughout the year, setting the stage for their anticipated third project dropping next year.

-Evan Raefield

Sam Fender, ‘People Watching’

For 2,603 minutes this past year, I was listening to Sam Fender. In November of last year Fender announced his third studio album “People Watching” would be released on February 21st and the anticipation only built until then. Some singles to try and calm the excitement only led to the expansion of this desire to hear the whole thing. The record opens with the title track, my 13th most listened to song this year, and for good reason. Its bright instrumentation, a collection of acoustic and electric guitars brought along with a dancing bassline and much more, welcome you into this reflective and beautiful record.

One of Fender’s greatest skills is making you feel like you’re next to him at a pub talking. These songs trace all the things that have made him who he is to their origin. A disruption of faith on “Little Bit Closer” is written as a confession of confusion from a man who is lost in his relationship with god, or whatever else is up there. It’s not often a younger artist, 31, can be so honest about his worries about death and what will happen to him and his loved ones when that day arrives. A plea for not even an answer, but guidance, placed along with an outro that rivals any contemporaries is something that will rattle around the ears after a listen.

“Arms’ Length” is another favorite of mine, with a riff that made me find the nearest guitar and play along. Fender’s voice is an instrument in and of itself. His tenor range cuts like a silver bullet through his guitars, with a sturdiness that anchors each tune to the stories he is so good at telling. “Rein Me In” has gotten a lot of attention recently too with Fender inviting fellow rising star Olivia Dean along for the tune. “Something Heavy” is another honest reflection on the loss of friends, even if they are still alive. It drips in heartbreak for those who’ve fallen to substances and is an extension of the hand to those trying to make it out the other end. This album is a no skip for me, but these songs in particular have etched their way into my mind.

Fender rightfully so has a stranglehold across the pond, selling out three nights at St. James Park in Newcastle this past June. These annual homecoming gigs in Newcastle keep getting bigger and bigger, and rightfully so. His live shows are an explosion of joy and vulnerability. I had the privilege of seeing him in a much more intimate setting than those in England at The Aragon Ballroom in September. Hitting six songs off “People Watching”, Sam and his band have written their names on this historic venue. Accompanied by a stellar live band that brought my favorite record of the year to life, the closing tune of “Hypersonic Missiles” left me hugging my brother and strangers alike. There was a communal feeling in that room, knowing this was the smallest venue we will ever see Fender in as his conquering of the States will require a much larger space the next time he comes our way.

“People Watching” has not left the rotation and will not any time soon. An open book with a golden voice, Sam Fender is here to stay.

-Logan Melia

Thanks for rocking with college radio in 2025, stick with us here at KRUI in lovely 2026 and beyond<3.

The post Best Albums of 2025: KRUI Staff Picks appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Hayley Heyndrickx and Max Garcia Conover, ‘Song for Alicia’

Song for Alicia is a piece dedicated to Alicia Rodriguez, a Puerto Rican activist. While named after her, the song discusses a lot of various injustices done to her, but is ultimately more focused on the capitalist society of the United States of America. Haley Heynderickx and Max Garcia Conover started this song asking people to listen to his story if you, “have never believed in this kingdom of commerce we have lived in.” They call on people to listen to how people have been silenced and how the government can be bought out by those with money. They tell part of Alicia’s Story, about how she was arrested and her fight for independence. They sing of how she and other members of the FALN (Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional Puertorriqueña) group were abused in jail, and put into prison with “no trial or charge or conviction.” Max sings about various injustices that happen in Puerto Rico caused by American greed, saying to “just be patient while we burn your poets pages.” Beyond the moving lyrics, the song shows great sound with an amazing guitar backing the moving lyrics with amazing background vocals done by Haley. This song sounds beautiful and is written so well with lyrics painting this picture of freedom fighting, it is a very important song from this year.

-Will Clair

Ethel Cain, ‘Nettles’

In the summer, “Nettles” was released as a single to promote Ethel Cain’s new album, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You and by my 9th listen I could easily declare it had become my favorite song. Six months later, I still feel the same way. This beautiful track offers a glimpse into the narrative of this album, the love story between the Ethel Cain persona and her first love, Willoughby Tucker, as they grapple with the hardship of the religious south in the 1980s from familial trauma, emotional turmoil and the fears that accompany a blossoming relationship. Ethel recounts a terrifying experience she imagined where her boyfriend is hit by shrapnel from a power plant explosion and is told that he has less than 24 hours left to live. The emotions in her voice and the depth of the anecdote almost make you forget this didn’t actually happen, but Ethel’s insecurities and fears keep her stuck in these fictitious scenarios where tragedy eventually reaches the two of them. 

Nettles immerses the listener with folk Americana instruments like the banjo and the fiddle, immersing us in the rural south of the 80s. The song starts out with delicate, rhythmic beats and steadily builds until the sound reaches its climax with the second chorus and ending, accompanied by vocal inflections, soft snares, drums and pedal steel guitar.

Ethel is deeply scarred by her environment, having suffered at the hands of loved ones and peers, “they did to me what I wouldn’t do to anyone.” In response to her trauma, Ethel developed a defensive shell, which can cause her to harm without intention, akin to a nettle. Because of this, she thinks being loved is a terrible burden, “to love me is to suffer me.” But Willoughby loves her. And she is deadly afraid of losing this one person who looks at her with adoration, afraid of not having enough time with him. She is afraid of tragedy, afraid of injuries, afraid of harsh white lights of hospital rooms and whispered prayers begging God for a miracle. As their community continuously pulls them down, Ethel and Willoughby cling to each other in the hopes of finding solace in each other’s arms, dreaming of a new home with gardenias on the tiles, “where it makes no difference who held back from who.” Where they can look into each other’s eyes and just be.

-Clara Carrion

Invariance, ‘Saint’

Consisting of the musical minds behind Black MIDI, Tom Hesh, and Oliva Dean, the supergroup Invariances‘ debut album takes all my favorite elements of the UK’s Windmill and New London Jazz scenes and combines them for an experimental experience at the forefront of contemporary music. Specifically, the track Saint caught my attention, as it takes both music scenes’ eclectic sonic traits to their final conclusion. 

The track combines the deconstructed post-minimalism approach of artists like Colin Stetson and the improvised jazz-rock instrumentation and lyrics of Soft Machine to create an eerie, droning atmosphere tinged with anxiety and swing. The vocalist, Kaidi Akinnibi, repeats the song’s string of lyrics louder and louder over 5 minutes until the track’s crescendo of sax (also performed by Kaidi) overtakes the song’s eerie progression with shouting horns and crashing symbols. While not a club banger, the song and the album Wish You Well, stood out more than any other amongst the chaff and offered an exciting glimpse of the experimental future of England’s music revival.

-Amman Hassan

Empty Parking Lot, ‘pictures of you by the cure’

Chronically online music fans may recognize the popular Instagram shitpost account, @midwest.merky for his emo-centered memes and Spotify playlists. Unfortunately, not enough people are aware of his myriad of musical projects, including the one man band Empty Parking Lot. I got the pleasure of seeing him and his other band, Breathing Techniques, live in Ames at the beginning of 2025. I got to listen to an hour of some of the most vulnerable and beautiful emo music of the last few years, with this track in particular being an incredible standout.

A clear homage to the classic track from The Cure, this also deals with heartbreak and obsession over a failed romance. Delving deep within his own insecurities that likely led to his downfall, “I’d rather stay home tonight, if that’s alright. It’s just that I’m so god damn scared of going outside and being looked at. I hate myself for wanting to stay home all of the time.” Combined with the swelling guitar’s and his painfully tragic vocal performance, you can really feel the emotional resonance that went into this song and that makes Empty Parking Lot such an exciting new voice in the current emo landscape.

-Tarik Krob

RAYE, ‘WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!’

This wasn’t the year I thought we were going to get a jazz revolution. But if I needed a reminder of anything this year, it’s that sometimes surprises can be good! RAYE’s upbeat, swinging, all-caps, instant classic, WHERE IS MY HUSBAND! blew me out of the water in the best way possible this year and introduced me to this artist who’s bringing full orchestra accompaniments back into the mainstream, thank god. As a longtime fan of big band, swing, classic jazz, and funk, I’m delighted to see an artist out there who can play with the classic elements of the genres so masterfully. RAYE slips a groovy baseline underneath layers of big, resonant brass, mixes jazz drums with scat-like backing vocals, and crafts a melody so catchy, I raise my eyebrow at anyone who doesn’t even consider dancing along. There’s so much passion for the craft hidden within this song’s layers. As one YouTube commenter under the music video aptly notes, you can tell this song was made by someone who loves to sing.

And that’s not even touching on on the song’s lyricism, which feels at once ubiquitous and uniquely 2025. Internet discourse has been dominated this year by conversations about boyfriends, husbands, and relationships. From what I’ve been hearing, the consensus is that, for a (straight) woman, having a husband is embarrassing, but also a necessity. You’re not supposed to want one because you’re an independent woman, but you’re supposed to have one because your life would be incomplete without your other half. It makes sense then, that this song doesn’t linger too long on who the husband of the song actually is—what kind of man RAYE wants in her life—but instead focuses mainly on RAYE’s struggles without one. This gives the song a unique angle on the timeless story of looking for love. Not having a man is not a life-or-death situation—it’s just annoying. She’s not lying hopelessly in wait for her prince to save her, he’s testing her patience by taking so long to show up. This makes the song even more universal, in it’s own way. Regardless of who you are, you’ve been annoyed with a man at some point in your life (at least I know I have), and RAYE is able to vocalize this universal frustration in her own unique and snappy way. In my eyes, she’s been able to hit that sweet spot of music-making with a song many can connect to, and all can enjoy.

-Bailey Vergara

Meels, ‘Willow Song’

There is not an up-and-coming artist I am more excited about than Meels, and her track, Willow Song is my favorite song of the year. Accompanied by a charming Muppet-inspired puppeteer music video, Willow Song immediately transports me into 1979—back to a time when country music was good, sorry, but it’s true! Emulating John Denver and Bob Dylan, Meels is an expert storyteller and songwriter.

Here’s my favorite verse in the song, grounded in tried-and-true storytelling with a 21st-century edge, “When you run to the river and you ask for a drink It may not concede in the way that you think. Its surrender is painful and it cuts mighty deep. At least the painkillers around here are cheap.”

On Meels’ Instagram, she posted a self-proclaimed, “Bob Dylan–Joan Baez-esque love story,” song she had written. Had it been released already, it would have been my pick for my favorite song of hers. I can’t wait to see what she does next. She is definitely one to watch.

-Becca Warfield

Jane Remover, ‘Dancing with your eyes closed’

Watching the artistic trajectory of Jane Remover has been an incredibly fulfilling experience- there is no doubt whatsoever about that. The progression from a no-name artist dropping loose singles on Soundcloud in the early days of the hyperpop scene to establishing a name as one of the go-to producers in the genre, becoming so embedded that fans could hardly go a project without hearing something that Jane’s hands had touched. 

This, to the explosion of Teen Week, Frailty, Census Designated, and now in 2025… Jane’s proper mainstream EDM opus thus far, Revengeseekerz. As a longtime fan, I knew it was only a matter of time before Jane’s ear would translate to proper mainstream attention, as things had been trending that way for some time- but perhaps there was no better way of that happening than with the release of one of the singles for Revengeseekerz, titled Dancing with your eyes closed.

There is something unexplainable about much of Jane’s electronic dance compositions, an underlying bit of magic that is presented–a vitality, a heartbeat thumping at the speed of the BPM–a synthetic creche where the spirit resides, and inflates. While Revengeseekerz had its fingers in many pies, I find that once again, it is through dance that Jane Remover is most potent in her craft. 

-Evan Raefield

Sabrina Carpenter, ‘House Tour’

Do you want the house tour? Probably not, but I do. Personally, this song haunted my every second online this year, and I had no issue with that whatsoever. My good buddy, William Clair, will argue with me to hell and back about this take, but Sabrina Carpenter is easily the single best pop girl in the game right now. The alternative nature of this radio station matters naught to me when it comes time for end of year reviews. Last year I wrote about Miss “Jesus was a Carpenter” herself’s album, the Short n’ Sweet Deluxe Edition, but this year I have a more fitting pick than Man’s Best Friend, so Will gets to live without rolling his eyes back in his now bald head.

Enough Will Shade, House Tour meant an absurd amount to me this year. As none of you dearest readers can probably relate, I went through my first experience with formal sorority recruitment this year, and this song stayed in the back of everyone’s mind the entire time. It was the entirety of TikTok and Instagram for girls who just wanted to show everyone their house–especially their sorority house, and ignore the actual innuendo purposes of the song. My friend Kaitie and I even painstakingly made a video with this song for almost 12 hours at our house talking to probably 40-50 girls. We were exhausted and all we wanted to do was feel cute and special again. House Tour is without a doubt my favorite track from Man’s Best Friend. Sabrina’s brand of being this subtly-misandristic, silly girl is so important to me. She has this sort of Miss Piggy/Turner Classic Movies heroine/pin-up doll energy to her that’s absolutely timeless and fresh compared to other stars at the moment. Her lyrics and sound match her aesthetic to a T. Twitter, as always, had a lot to say about Man’s Best Friend, especially when the contentious album cover and track list were dropped early, but it still held up for me and I think the actual content of the album was a lot better than the assumptions people were making purely from the crumbs of ideas that were originally out there. Do I think some criticism was valid? Yes, but I also think a lot of it was unfounded and completely wrong after the album released. On House Tour specifically, the production quality and mixing was just so funky and even after months I haven’t gotten tired of it. Not to mention how catchy and genuinely hilarious some points of the song are. I can’t help but think she might’ve gotten inspiration for the house-body metaphor from Monster House, which I definitely watched far too young. Overall, another great year for Sabrina and I can’t wait to see where she goes next.

-Lee Nienhaus

Deafheaven, ‘Incidental II (feat. Jae Matthews)’

Having to pick a single song of the year always leaves me absolutely wrecked. Incidental II doesn’t even count as a true song, it’s an interlude from the blackgaze legends, Deafheaven off their recent (generally good) album, Lonely People With Power. Have I betrayed my many other darlings of the year by picking this? Though it’s far from being my most highly listened track, this one song stands out to me as the one song that made me feel actually scared. It begins with soft mechanical groans, a crackling synth creeping on top and forming this mysterious gentle fog from which Jae Matthew’s rasping voice emerges. Breaking up the oppressive vocals of George Clarke, she sings this haunting melody enrapturing the listener within every quiet breath and movement of her voice. The groaning instrumentals suddenly drop out underneath us, and we’re left flailing with nothing to hold onto but Jae Matthews and a light guitar accompanying her. We’re lost, alone, but with this sinking nausea that something massive approaches.

It’s one thing for a song to make you dance, to make you feel good. But when a song makes me physically anxious, I pay attention. This is a song where every choice builds this tangible dread, this song could snap and explode at any point, and strains that point of nervous tension until it snaps. Out of the silence and sweet voice, thunder erupts. Oppression does not begin to define the noise that follows. It’s every ounce of sound that Deafheaven can rip out of themselves, as their brutal wave crashes down.

The recording is incredible, each tone is perfectly processed and layered into this sickly mix, but it doesn’t compare to seeing it performed live. I had the chance to see them recently at their show in Davenport, where they used this song as an interlude to separate half of their set. It was the most incredible sound I had truly ever heard, just an absolute oppression condensed into noise. Deafheaven continue to reinvent the possibilities and emotions of metal with this album, unexpectedly found most intensely in this interlude.

-Pauly

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Brendan McDonough

Favorite Album: uknowhatimsayin? by Danny Brown

I will always remember the first time I saw Danny Brown live at Pitchfork in 2014, its probably going to be one of the recollections I have on my deathbed. I remember a shoeless man, wearing nothing but a vest made of some kind of animal skins (I didn’t ask), offering me an Aquafina bottle full of a mystery liquor (I also didn’t ask, nor drink it), saying that he drove all the way from Mobile, Alabama just to see Danny perform. Crowd members were inhaling a rainbow assortment of every pill under the sun, and chasing those with cups, flasks and water bottles of their booze of choice. Once the show began, a nonstop mosh-pit lasting the length of his set broke out. Danny’s performance was electric even without a near-lethal dose of substances, and much of his stage energy, and comically emphasized inflections is mirrored on uknowhatimsayin? A far-cry from his critically successful Atrocity Exhibition, his latest release is a reprise of Danny’s XXX days. Produced by Q-Tip and featuring JPEGMAFIA, Flying Lotus, and Killer Mike, among others, unknowhatimsayin is the most enthralling hip hop release of 2019.

Favorite Song: “Jesus is the One (I Got Depression)” by Zach Fox and Kenny Beats

“Free Palestine. Free Tay K.” Twitter comedian Zack Fox took the rap world by storm this summer with this surprise Kenny Beats freestyle collaboration. Coming from The Cave YouTube series, in which Kenny Beats creates tracks tailored to the requests of rappers, who subsequently showcase their freestyle abilities. Adorned with a Lincoln-esque stovepipe hat, stripping naked halfway through recording, and causing the entire booth to break out in raucous laughter, Fox delivered the shows most entertaining performances to date, and delivered the track Jesus Is the One (I Got Depression). A slap-in-the-face trap beat, with Fox rapping about mental illness, thousand island dressing, and of course Jesus, Jesus is hands down the funniest song of the year and a rallying cry for chronically depressed millenials.

Elisabeth Oster

Favorite Album: Sandman by Trudy and the Romance

I can confidently say that this album sounds like nothing I’ve ever listened to before, as Trudy and the Romance’s sound takes influence from such a wide, impressive range of influences across genres and decades. Self-described as “50s mutant pop,” the band’s 2019 debut album provides a dreamy escape with its strong doo-wop sound and creative use of call and response. Although each track easily stands alone, its cohesive form is where the album truly shines, with short musical interludes and a subtle, interwoven story. Sandman’s twelve tracks chronicle fictional leader singer Little Johnny, his band The Original Doo-Wop Spaceman, and the protagonist’s heartbreak. Stand-out tracks include “That’s Not Me”—a diversion that feels fit for a 50s prom slow dance—and “The Original Doo-Wop Spaceman”—a piece that flirts with jangly 60s pop while still maintaining the overarching cosmic vibe of the album. For me, this album is a master class in engineering an album that works as a conglomeration, rather than crumbling to the rising trend of charting singles. Trudy and the Romance have a story to tell and a unique sound to share with the world; each album track is representative of this refreshing, focused vision that I hope they continue to explore past their first musical outing. 

Favorite Song: Ocean by Fruit Bats

This song encapsulated and enveloped this summer for me, and for good reason—its 3-minute runtime distinctly feels like carefree summer days and open car windows bottled up in wistful lyrics and sun-soaked guitar chords. Fruit Bats, whose only consistent member is Eric D. Johnson, has consistently put out 70s influenced albums for the past twenty years with a vocal delivery reminiscent of Neil Young and Supertramp. “Ocean,” a track off Johnson’s excellent Gold Past Life release, doesn’t have a chorus or hook to speak of, but each verse builds on masterful, vivid descriptions of the natural world and the people who open our eyes to such wonders. It’s a nostalgic and tender song, worth a listen for the atmosphere it conjures up. As I am a naturally indecisive person, I am also attaching a runner-up song into consideration: “Chartreuse,” by underrated DIY artist Worn-Tin, is a psychedelic masterpiece released earlier this year on his album Cycles—an alluring track that is a purely fun listen. 

Jaden Amjadi

Favorite Album: All My Heroes Are Cornballs by JPEGMAFIA

This has got to be my favorite album of the year, it’s one I find myself returning to a lot. The production contrasts between lots of smooth, wavy synths and odder, more abrasive sounds. Peggy’s bars are both humorous and confrontational. Songs will switch styles without warning, keeping listeners on their toes. Some really strong melodies are still delivered, like on “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot” or “Free the Frail”. It really feels like a rap album representative of the Internet Age.

Favorite Song: Everyday by Weyes Blood

This song is glorious. The piano chords and percussion in the first verse are playful and sweet, providing an excellent base for the smooth vocals. The melodies, whether they be on the chorus or the verse or the bridge, are irresistible. The lyrics are a bit somber, but leave room for hope. The choir vocals, strings, and guitar which come in as the track builds are executed so well, and by the time the track is over, it’s felt like a real journey while being approachable and catchy all the while. Amazing song.

Sarah Bridgeport

Favorite Album: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? By Billie Eilish

From this year (which felt like a century) my favorite album was When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? by Billie Eilish. As soon as I realized the album had come out, I sat in my bedroom and listened through the whole thing. “Listen Before I Go” was my favorite song from the album, it was so visual and tragic. Overall, I adored the tone of the album, it has such a distinctive voice. 

Favorite Song: “Kiki’s Song” by Mree

My favorite song of the year has to be “Kiki’s Song” by Mree. It’s a song that’s told like a story, and it’s from the point of view of Kiki from the Studio Ghibli movie Kiki’s Delivery Service. It’s enchanting and makes what I consider to be the ultimate homage by using parts of the melody from Kiki’s theme in the movie. This is a song I hum when I’m in a good mood, and sometimes I hum it to put me in a good mood.

Grace Wachholz

Favorite Album: Immunity by Clairo

Immunity by Clairo is my favorite album of year because it is Clairo’s first true album and she really breaks out of the ‘bedroom pop’ genre she’s always been known for. It’s so cool to see how she’s grown as an artist. I’ve been a fan since her early music so I’ve watched her style change through the years. Immunity consists of eleven tracks that are much more intimate and mature than her past music. The album has been considered one of the best albums of the year on many charts and for very good reason.

Favorite Song: “Never Cared” by boy pablo & Jimi Somewhere

“Never Cared” by boy pablo & Jimi Somewhere is my favorite song of the year because the song reminds me of this past summer. I definitely had this song on repeat for a while then, which made it my top Spotify track of the year! It has a different style than boy pablo’s other music and I like how the he was able to experiment with Jimi Somewhere. I also got to see boy pablo in concert this past August and it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. The band’s personality carries into their music and they’re always a fun band to listen to.

Emma Caparula

Favorite Album: IGOR by Tyler the Creator

Since I was around 15 years old, I have been a massive Tyler, the Creator fan. Back then – in 2013 – he had released two albums, Goblin and Wolf, both of which feature aggressive rapping and unsettlingly angry lyrics. Four years later, with the release of album Flower Boy, a massive shift in Tyler’s style occurred; low-key instrumentals accompanied emotional lyrics about Tyler’s sexuality and relationship issues. This past may, Tyler released his latest album, IGOR, incorporating elements of both Flower Boy and his past albums to produce an incredibly unique and passionate project. IGOR tells a love story; Tyler falls for someone, but the object of his affection is still involved with their previous partner. He desperately wants to be the only person in their life, as he states in New Magic Wand with the line, “This 60/40 isn’t workin.’ I want a hundred of your time, you’re mine.” Eventually, Tyler accepts that his needs will never be met, and the relationship falls apart. IGOR’s mixture of jazz, pop, rap, and hip-hop makes for a vivacious experience capable of appealing to a wide range of listeners; and what’s more, he produced the entire thing solo.

Favorite Line: ..maybe it’s just a dream that I can’t seem to wake up from; my love’s gone.

Favorite Song: “home with you” by FKA Twigs

I listened to FKA twigs’ home with you on a whim the day it was released. Although I had previously listened to bits and pieces of her first album, they never peaked my interest; hearing home with you was a completely different story. Immediately, her enchanting whispers and the haunting electronic accompaniment drew me in. When the song transitioned into a combination of melancholy vocals and gorgeous piano-playing, it struck a chord with me, and I was sure home with you would be one of my all-time favorite songs.
Favorite Line: I didn’t know that you were lonely; if you’d have just told me, I’d be home with you.

Lauren Arzbaecher

Favorite Album: Jade Bird by Jade Bird

Though I had heard some of her singles before, what really drew me to Jade Bird’s music was her performance at Hinterland Music Festival this summer. I had gone to report on the festival as a whole, and she was one of the early performers of the day. Needless to say her engaging stage presence and upbeat songs kept me listening for months after the festival. For a UK artist, her slight twang and focus on the acoustic guitar seem to fit right into the ever-changing atmosphere of American modern country music. This debut album sits comfortably between country-folk and indie-pop, and each song exudes a sincere soulfulness. The lyrics focus mainly on love and all the ways it can affect us, some gems being “Lottery,” “Good At It,” and the raucously fun “Uh Huh.” The 22 year old artist has set a high bar with this heartfelt debut, and she is just getting started.

Favorite Song: “DAVE (turn the music down)” by Juice

Juice is a group that is rather genre-fluid, but tends to settle somewhere between r&b and funk. “DAVE (turn the music down)” diverges into rap, yet still keeps the band’s signature sound with a funky beat that gives the song a unique aura. Like a good amount of music this past year, the lyrics allude to political and social issues, but don’t take themselves that seriously. The songs links rap, psychedelic rock, hip-hop, and funk all in one fascinating combination that is so much fun to listen to. 

Ella Heckman

Favorite Album: The Juice: Vol. I by Emotional Oranges

My favorite album this year was Emotional Oranges’ The Juice: Vol. I. by far, for its unique and tightly plotted R&B funk wave sound. It was a standout for me as the artist’s debut album with a cohesive but unique sound across every track. There wasn’t a single song on the album that didn’t belong and didn’t slap.

Favorite Song: “No Plan” by Hozier

This was my favorite song this year because its bluesy rock sound combined with lyrics conflicted with both hope and fear set the tone for my year. From Hozier’s album, Wasteland, Baby!, No Plan is a patch of solace among the “screaming, heaving, f*ckery of the world” that draws from the rich traditions of blues and rock pioneered by black artists.

Jake Bisson

Favorite Album: There Existed An Addiction to Blood by clipping

My AOTY is There Existed An Addiction to Blood by clipping. It’s a horror-themed noise rap album that near-flawlessly progresses like listening to a horror movie. One of my favorite songs is ‘Run for Your Life,’ which uses an incredible sample of a car driving past blaring beats that match up with the rhythm of the song. At the same time, the lyrics tell a story that incorporates the car itself into the dark atmosphere it builds. It’s one of the most masterfully produced albums I’ve heard in general and has earned itself lots of spins on my show (As Loud As Possible).

Favorite Song: “Dream Catcher Part II” by State Faults

This song is fast and aggressive screamo loaded with emotional vocals and blistering riffs. The mix of rawness and emotion in State Faults’ music has made them one of my favorite bands to come out of punk and metal this year. Their sound reminds me of one of my personal favorite music scenes, the early 2000’s East Coast screamo of bands like Orchid, pageninetynine, and City of Caterpillar.

Luke Bonner

Favorite Album: Father of the Bride by Vampire Weekend

While it’s not surprising to anyone, Vampire Weekend is still a great band. After some recent flagship 2000’s indie bands faltered (cough Arcade Fire), I was wary coming into the new Vampire Weeekend album. However, I had truly nothing to fear. Ezra Koening and crew showed they still have all their old magic and new tricks up their sleeves. Tracks like “This Life” had the classic Vampire Weekend sound I was looking for, but others like “Sympathy” and “Spring Snow” were new territory. The duets with Danielle Haim and stellar lyrics throughout kept this one spinning all Spring, Summer, and Fall for me. Not to mention, Vampire Weekend put on the best live show I saw all year.

Favorite Song: “Cellophane” by FKA Twigs

Where do I start? This might be my favorite song of the year but it is hard to listen to. Releasing this in the Spring, Twigs really got ahead of the Winter sadness because this song is a potent encapsulation of despair and longing. Written after a breakup with star Robert Pattinson, FKA Twigs delves deep into the pain after one loses someone close to them. The self-despair and questioning is all over the song with the line, “Didn’t I do it for you?” resonating. The music video is also essential and by far my favorite video of the year. Who knew pole dancing was so beautiful and evocative?

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