Editor's Picks of 2025 (so far)

/// Top of the Mountain

Looking back on 2024, we had quite the year in music. From Chappell Roan's meteoric rise as a pop star, to the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef, to a summer of brat with Charli XCX - a lot went down.

That's not even mentioning a beautiful Adrienne Lenker project in Bright Future, Clairo supremacy, CHROMAKOPIA, the return of Vampire Weekend, Mk.gee winning over our indie hearts, and a MJ Lenderman album that I can't stop listening to.

I feel it's safe to say that 2024 will go down as one of the strongest music years in this decade. I mean, Benson Boone must have bumped our country's backflip numbers by 20% on his own. That's a huge accomplishment.

So...after such a strong year, where do we go? Can we keep up the high-quality production of the past 12 months? From what we're seeing so far - the answer is a resounding yes.

Throughout 2025, I'll be checking in with you to share some of my favorite tracks and projects of the year, giving us a nice time capsule to look back on when the ball drops for 2026. Without further ado, here's some songs that have caught my ear (and stayed there) so far.

/// 514 - 415 - Bells Larsen

"514-415" is the first single off of Bell Larsen's upcoming album, Blurring Time, which drops April 25th. Larsen describes the upcoming album as "both a farewell and a re-introduction," balancing vocals from before and after his transition timeline - in early 2022, Larsen recorded the "high vocals" for the songs before starting testosterone, and finished the sessions with his "low" voice in 2023.

"514-415" is an ode to holding on to a relationship in the midst of ever-shifting realities - moving cities and transitioning. Larsen captures a beautiful balance of yearning for the past and acceptance of the present through the instrumentation and his writing.

The song opens with acoustic guitar, introducing an Elliott Smith-esque chord progression that will remain consistent throughout the song. As Larsen enters the first chorus, accepting that him and his partner are "Ships passing in the night / Sailing under different skies," we hear the introduction of a wailing steel guitar. The song will continue to expand with synthesizer, bass, and drums parts.

To me, this evolving instrumental mirrors the complexities that strain this relationship. While the foundation - years of knowing one another and growing together - remains strong, symbolized by the acoustic chord progression, change is inevitable and can add complications that can shake what was once stable (don't get it twisted though, the steel guitar and synthesizer parts are beautiful).

Larsen captures this experience in his writing - "The bill is run, I'm slowly coming undone." Though we may wish to try and hold on to what was, we are forever becoming and evolving - Larsen embraces this concept and explores how to live in this state. In a stunning bridge, his high and low voice marry:

When we met I was a girl

Since then so much has changed

Now I could be your lover boy

If you’d still look at me the same

For fans of Adrienne Lenker and Buck Meek (the latter whom Larsen actually shared the stage with), "514-415" is an incredible addition to your rotation. I'm very excited for the upcoming singles and the album to drop.

/// MOSQUITO - Matilda Marigolds

Trace is the real electro-production head in this operation, but let me try and do this track justice.

Marigolds is no stranger in the industry, earning recognition as Berklee's youngest artist alumni in 2021 and Berklee's Best New Artist in 2023. Union, a 2021 EP and various singles from 2023-2024, earned spots on various Spotify-curated playlists.

"Mosquito" serves as a return from a year-long hiatus and marks the next chapter that will have Marigolds growing into an artist that you need to know. Inspired by a break-up, moving back to New York, and "shedding old layers," the track takes the listener through a breakthrough journey of self-discovery, embodied by top-notch production (shout out to Ben Coleman).

The song opens with a lot of negative space - a bass line and buzzing synthesizers that make you feel like you need to grab a fly swatter (no coincidence, according to Marigolds in this great piece by The Luna Collective) and characterize the feeling of sitting alone in a room while doubts bounce around your head.

Marigold's clear tone describe "mosquito bites" running down her knees, while building synths, drums, and filtered vocals represent the growing frustration and need to break free from these destructive thoughts.

The breakthrough at 1:09 is cathartic - it feels like the emotions that Marigold has been holding in finally overflow onto the track, with a strategic explosion of drums, vocals, and synth that is incredibly satisfying (and addictive - Marigold's bouncing, cascading vocals starting at 1:23 scratch my brain every single time).

When Marigolds finally implores the listener (and herself) to "Go and itch it" at 2:07, the truth is undeniable - these frustrations have been addressed and, though they may scar, are left behind. It's time to look ahead. And I can't wait to see what she has in store for the remainder of 2025.

/// Monobloc EP - Monobloc

At my core, through it all, I'm an indie rock guy. AM by Arctic Monkeys did irreversible damage (improvements?) to my system, and I'll always fall for a great rock collective.

Enter Monobloc from stage left. The New York City project's sound is both classic and innovative. Familiar enough to grab on to but unique enough to encourage you to dive in deeper. The five-piece group (vocalist, bass, two guitars, and drums), blends the vibe of early 2000s indie rock with the sound of UK post-punk for an irresistible energy.

"I'm Just Trying To Love You" is a perfect example of this. An addictive, pulsing beat from Michael "Mop" Silverglade on bass and Zack Pockrose on drums drives the song while light guitar loops and elongated violin parts provide emotional depth in this track about longing and loving.

In the chorus, singer Timothy Waldron repeatedly croons "I'm just trying to love you / We don't have to agree." The lyrics, purposefully straightforward and universal, allow the band to focus more on creating a musical atmosphere that listeners can easily connect to. As a result, the song is endlessly approachable and head-bop-able (You're not going to see that phrase in Pitchfork, people).

Monobloc isn't just all hold-your-drink-and-sway-music, though. Look no further than "Irish Goodbye," a tongue-in-cheek track about dipping out early from a night out. The song features a charismatic, playful performance from Waldron and highlights the talent of Ben Scofield and Nina Lüders on guitar, with a ripping breakdown in the second half of the song.

"Pochinki" a track that could show up on your Joy Division radio station, is another highlight for me. Written about the "loss of a friend and the memories of time spent together in a particular virtual world," the filtered vocals and instrumental take the listener back to the '90s, with an earworm guitar riff and relentless energy that calls for jumping around in a venue.

Monobloc has already received endorsements from DORK Magazine and NME and started their first U.S. tour on March 7 (very excited to say we'll be in the crowd soon). They're on the upswing, and I highly encourage you to give them a shot.