As 2025 comes to a close (finally…) I wanted to mention some of my favorite music from the year. These are not necessarily all new music from 2025, just my most listened to music.
Chevelle - Bright as Blasphemy
We finally got a new Chevelle album. Hard hitting as usual, and politically poignant, I really enjoy this album. The first 2 singles released, “Rabbit Hole (Cowards, Pt. 1)” and “Jim Jones (Cowards, Pt. 2),” both hit really hard and deliver blistering critiques of the cowardice and cult-like following that is poisoning the country. Pale Horse is another one of my favorites from the album.
Linkin Park - From Zero
This came out in 2024, but is still one of my top albums. Linkin Park has been one of my favorite bands since their very first album, and it was really hard for me when Chester Bennington passed away. For a few years it was difficult for me to listen to Linkin Park, and I had very mixed feelings when they announced they were coming out with a new album with a new singer, but it’s a fantastic album.
The Emptiness Machine was the first single and is still one of my favorites from the album. I feel like it was a great one to start with as it seems to me to directly address some of the hesitation about making new music and some of the struggle with fame. Heavy is the Crown is probably my favorite of the whole album.
One of the songs that has always been one of my favorites, and was one of the top songs of 2025 for me by Linkin Park is “Given Up”. It remains one of the most raw emotional songs of all time. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch the live performance. Chester’s performance is absolutely unbelievable. Incredible performance physically, but also one of the most incredible displays of raw emotion in a performance I’ve ever seen.
I was extremely excited for TRON: Ares this year. I have always been a fan of Tron, and when they announced that Nine Inch Nails was doing the soundtrack, one of my favorite bands, I was losing my mind. The movie wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be, but was still fun and enjoyable, but I really enjoyed several of the songs from the soundtrack. My favorite is the single from it -
Nine Inch Nails - As Alive as you Need me to be
On the other end of things, I really enjoyed Mumford & Sons “Rushmere” album as well. Very Mumford and Sons sounding, but I enjoy that. I’m glad they are making music again.
Mumford & Sons - Rushmere
Their album “Prizefighter” is set to come out in 2026, but the single “Rubber Band Man” just came out recently, and I really like that song as well. Hopefully this is a good sign for the album.
I totally get that Coldplay is not everyone’s favorite, but they are one of those bands I would say is on the sound track of my life. While Moon Music came out in 2024, I still listen to it quite a bit. It’s comforting to me, and many of the songs are just beautiful. There has been a lot of hopelessness in 2025, and the message of this album helps me feel a little bit of hope.
Coldplay - Moon Music
Of course I listened to a lot of music from bands I will always listen to, such as Tool, Nine Inch Nails, and older albums from some of the bands I have mentioned. I’m not much of an EDM fan in general, but Deadmau5 is uniquely talented in my mind, and I listen to a lot of his stuff as well, particularly as background music while working.