My 2025 in music, part 2
Pop
In many ways, this felt like a bit of a fallow year for the kind of pop music I like, but there were still some gems for me.
The Sugababes have been putting out new singles in advance of a new album of original material. Of the three new singles this year, I think that “Shook” was probably my favourite, and man, those harmonies just get me every time.
Vincint, who stubbornly remains relegated to being “gay famous,” only had one new single this year, but it was still a banger. “I Forgot” was trademark soaring vocals over electro beats, and the message of self-empowerment. I love it.
Betty Who put out a trio of singles over the year which fed into an EP, Love Yourself, at year’s end, and it was…fine. I love Betty Who. But aside from “Run,” the package of them felt a little underwhelming as she decided to grow her hair out…into a mullet. Still, I expect big things from Betty, so I’m hoping this is just a warm-up.
Jake Jonez, one half in the internet’s “Mean Gays,” has started putting out music, and it’s damn catchy. I chose his track “Touchdown” as my queer song of the year for Xtra, but I’m going to pay added attention to another track from his Good Sport EP, “Picasso.” Not just the sound, but also his impeccable choreography in the video. Just stunning.
I’m not sure this entirely fits into pop, but multi-talented polymath Imogen Heap released a trio of new singles this year that all fit into a fourteen-minute singular piece, “I am ___.” It’s experimental, particularly the middle portion, “Noise,” but it’s intense, and creative, and thought-provoking, and it’s really worth sitting with and listening and contemplating.
Jazz
For the past couple of years, I’ve really been getting into Miles Davis. That means I’ve slowly been building a collection, and this year was one of the most seminal albums—Kind of Blue (Legacy Edition), as well as Dig, Sketches of Spain (50thAnniversary Legacy Edition), and ‘Round About Midnight (Legacy Edition).
As well, based on something Paul Wells had re-stacked on his Substack and commented on, I found and listened to Miles Davis & John Coltrane The Final Tour, and it was interesting listening, particularly the interactions between Davis and Coltrane between trumpet and sax, and the palpable sense that while they loved playing together, Coltrane had one foot out the door in order to do his own thing.
Electronic
One of my favourites, The Kite String Tangle, has slowly been putting out new singles over the course of the year. “Right Now” is the latest of them, and it has an effervescent baseline with his quiet vocals, and I am hopeful for a full-length album in the coming year.
Seven Lions is someone who puts out a lot of singles and a rare album every now and again, and late this year, he released Asleep in the Garden of Infernal Stars. He has such amazing progressions and selection of vocals, but the final track on the album, “Breath It Out Slowly,” just gets me. The mellow piano start, the lyrics, the building to a crescendo, and the denouement. I just love it.
Reissues
There were two terrific reissues this year. Imogen Heap’s Speak For Yourself had a 20th anniversary remaster, and there are some tracks on that album that I have loved since I first discovered Heap and subsequently invested in her entire back catalogue. “Headlock” has always been one of my favourite tracks of hers, and “The Walk” has been something that has resonated with me since I first heard it.
As well, Carly Rae Jepsen had a tenth anniversary edition of E•MO•TION, and it remains the perfect pop album.