Alabama Shakes- “Another Life” (Island)
A much-welcomed return from a band that, prior to a near-decade hiatus, were one of the most powerful and refreshing forces in contemporary music. “Another Life” emphatically confirms that the years away have done nothing to diminish that power. We already knew through her impressive solo endeavors that Brittany Howard’s vocals remain special on an other-worldly level. But there’s simply no denying that they reach new heights within the framework of Alabama Shakes. The entire band is on fire here, and their unique brand of roots rock remains as vitally fresh as it did a dozen years ago.
Foo Fighters- “Today’s Song” (RCA)
Throughout the rich annals of rock and roll history, there have been countless frontmen whose voices have not only served as the compass of their respective bands, but also as a grander narrator and soul compass for their generations within which their music was created. To say that Dave Grohl is one of those revered pillars is a vast understatement at this point, but he reaffirms it again on this powerful ode to the Foo Fighters’ history and membership lineage, whether it be on the hushed nuances of the verses, or the cathartic battle-cry of the choruses.
Patty Griffin- “Back At the Start” (Thirty Tigers)
There are few living artists who can so uniquely captivate a listener with the combination of their voice and their pen like Patty Griffin. The folk-rock legend launches her first original album in seven years with this simply executed but ever prophetic track, which so eloquently re-frames our lowest personal moments as opportunities to reinvent our overall life stories. She remains a masterful songstress and a rare gem that deserves far more widespread acclaim than has ever been bestowed upon her.
Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton- “A Song to Sing” (Republic)
“A Song to Sing” is not the washed-in the blood honky-tonker or country-rock anthem that you surely would expect in a Stapleton-Lambert collab. Rather, it’s the 70s disco-tinged ballad that the single cover suggests. This may ring as a hollow disappointment initially, but the track is performed and produced in such a lilting sweet-spot that you can’t help fall in love with it through each successive spin. It feels like a nod to something Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton would have crafted together at the height of the Urban Cowboy era. It’s becoming one of the dark-horse favorites on my 2025 playlist.
Laufey- “Silver Lining” (AWAL)
Another exalted, exquisite performance from this glorious voice. Like many artists that are initially heaped with praise as a revivalist for classic sounds, Laufey has progressively shown that her true impact will be defined by her ability to bridge the gap between the past and the present, and combine old sounds with new, visionary ones. This glowing telling of how a honeymoon romance can evolve into one of unique perseverance and loyalty is not only one of the best love songs in a long while, but also a tremendous display of that definitive balance in Laufey’s overall musical identity.
Maroon 5 featuring Lil Wayne- “Love Is Like” (Interscope)
I know it’s a statement that has been made ad nauseam for the past decade-and-a-half, but it bears repeating with each new release from Maroon 5: they are perhaps the most artistically frustrating bands of their era. As their mainstream momentum slowed and Adam Levine mentioned the desire to “return to the band’s roots” on future releases, there was some reluctant anticipation surrounding their plans for 2025. And while “Love Is Like” does at least explore some refreshingly new pop sonics for Levine and his “band”, that was already a low bar for them to clear This “pivot” feels very surface-level and is still a faaar cry from even touching the levels of their first two albums. Their latter-day relevance will remain dead so long as they even try chasing the charts that no longer have a prominent place reserved for them.
Ashley Monroe featuring Marty Stuart- “The Touch” (Mountainrose Sparrow)
The slew of singles that Ashley Monroe has issued in the long runway leading to her return LP, Tennessee Lightning have all found the critical darling slowly but surely reclaiming her pre-Rosegold mojo. This stripped down delicacy feels like the hushed but ever-grand moment it was all leading to. Featuring just Monroe’s adored ethereal pipes, a few haunted harmonies, and the superb instrumental skill of the legendary Marty Stuart, “The Touch” provides a sterling showcase for Monroe’s own unique musical touch. It feels romantic, seductive, and spiritual all at once. Welcome back!
Margo Price- “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down” (Loma Vista)
A classic, shit-kicking Outlaw kiss-off anthem that serves as the perfect introduction to the full-circle, full-blown country return that the new Hard-Headed Woman LP has proven to be for Margo Price. Between the lyrics of the third verse (“All the cocaine in existence couldn’t keep your nose out of my business”) and the Kris Kristofferson cameo at the song’s conclusion, it immediately ranks among 2025’s most rewarding moments on record. Price has impressively proven that she can conquer any musical soundscape she chooses, but it’s pure country that remains her most satisfying sauce, without question.
Chappell Roan- “The Subway” (Island)
The reigning winner of the Grammys’ Best New Artist Award continues to show no rush in issuing her sophomore album, settling rather to continue a run of one-off singles that each become their own dominant pop moment. With “The Subway”, Roan delivers both a swirling and soaring break-up ballad that capably showcases the dramatic reach of her voice, as well as her continued growth into one of pop’s most formidable wizards with a hook. It proves to be a somber late-summer moment, but one that will surely become an autumnal staple.
Hayley Williams- “Parachute” (Post Atlantic)
The Paramore-frontwoman first demonstrated the potency of her solo work during the heights of the pandemic, and now she returns to that realm and unveils continued remarkable growth as her own act. “Parachute” immediately feels like one of the most cutting heartbreakers that the rock canon has seen in several years. The hook, “Now I know better, never let me leave home without a parachute” feels instantly etched into the musical ether after a single listen. Meanwhile, the way her vocal strains and spills over with such palpable pain and regret on the second verse, where she condemns her ex for not stopping her wedding to another man, is the kind of impactful moment that we beg for in our rock and pop records, but so rarely receive. This is easily one of the year’s best singles.
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