All Songs Considered

The Best Songs of 2025

December 9, 2025

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  • The hosts of "All Songs Considered" are recording this episode of "The Best Songs of 2025" together in the same room for the first time, acknowledging that the featured songs represent only a small, unranked selection from a larger NPR Music list of 125 tracks. 
  • The music discussed reflects a trend toward earnestness, genre fluidity, and a sense of cultural or societal restlessness, as seen in the selections from Dijon, FKA twigs, and Asher White. 
  • The episode highlights the difficulty in naming a single definitive 'best song' of 2025, noting a fracturing of taste across music publications compared to previous years. 

Segments

Episode Introduction and Context
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(00:00:17)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts are recording the “All Songs Considered” episode “The Best Songs of 2025” together in the same room for the first time.
  • Summary: The episode presents a stunningly incomplete list of the year’s best songs, directing listeners to NPR Music’s comprehensive list of 125 best songs online for a fuller picture. The selections shared on the show are unranked favorites from the larger list compiled by the NPR music team and stations. The hosts note that finding a single, consensus number one song for the year is difficult due to the volume of music.
Dijon’s “Yamaha” Analysis
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(00:02:47)
  • Key Takeaway: Dijon’s song “Yamaha” from the album ‘Baby’ is praised for its sunny earnestness, drawing comparisons to Prince, and reflecting a brighter direction in R&B.
  • Summary: Hazel Sills selected “Yamaha” as a perfect track from Dijon’s album ‘Baby,’ noting its soft, earnest quality reminiscent of Prince. The song is characterized by a power pop ballad structure wrapped in R&B swag, moving away from the darker club sounds often associated with the genre. Dijon is also recognized for his significant work as a producer for artists like Justin Bieber and Bonnie Ver, alongside his Grammy nomination for Best Producer Non-Classical.
Nourished By Time’s “Max Potential”
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(00:06:43)
  • Key Takeaway: Nourished By Time’s album ‘The Passionate Ones’ is highlighted as a favorite, focusing on finding passion amid the stress of modern life and wage work.
  • Summary: Sheldon Pierce introduced “Max Potential” by Nourished By Time, noting similarities between the artist (Marcus Brown) and Dijon, both being post-R&B sensations from Maryland. The album’s core argument is that passion is essential for survival against the crushing weight of the world and work. One host admitted difficulty connecting with the artist’s distinctive voice, despite the album being named Pace Magazine’s number one album of the year.
Patrick Watson’s “Peter and the Wolf”
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(00:09:38)
  • Key Takeaway: Patrick Watson’s song “Peter and the Wolf” from ‘Uh Oh’ showcases his recovered voice after a vocal cord hemorrhage, creating a magical, spooky soundscape.
  • Summary: Patrick Watson’s album ‘Uh Oh’ is described as stunning, especially following his recovery from a vocal cord hemorrhage that nearly ended his singing career. “Peter and the Wolf” features his beautiful falsetto and is characterized by twisted, magical fairy-tale sounds, like being inside a haunted music box. The song’s atmosphere was inspired by a nighttime walk in New Orleans, where the sound of a distant car was interpreted as the wolf in the narrative.
FKA twigs’ “Room of Fools”
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(00:15:31)
  • Key Takeaway: FKA twigs’ track “Room of Fools” from ‘EUSEXUA’ demonstrates a newfound freedom and immersion in the dance floor experience, contrasting her typically cerebral approach.
  • Summary: Hazel selected “Room of Fools,” comparing FKA twigs’ sound to early Björk, but noting a sense of freedom in this track. The song places her among anonymous dancers, experiencing the music physically rather than observing it cerebrally, which is a shift from her usual style. The concept of “making something together” in the music emphasizes community and vibrational mass over perfect acoustics.
PinkPantheress’s “Stateside” and Online Pop
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(00:19:32)
  • Key Takeaway: PinkPantheress’s “Stateside” marks a threshold moment where the formerly online, TikTok-based star fully steps into the open, featuring production by The Dare.
  • Summary: Sheldon chose “Stateside” from the album ‘Fancy That,’ viewing it as PinkPantheress’s transition from an online sensation to a mainstream presence. The song is complex, sounding cute on the surface but carrying sinister lyrical undertones of stalking, which contributes to its restless feeling. The production by The Dare is noted as a successful match for her affinity for British dance and pop music.
Asher White’s “Beers With My Name on Them”
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(00:22:25)
  • Key Takeaway: Asher White’s song “Beers With My Name on Them” from ‘Eight Tips for Full Catastrophe Living’ sonically represents the hyperactivity and cultural whiplash of the current age.
  • Summary: This track was described as the soundtrack to a brain going in 500 directions at once, reflecting hyperactivity and a lack of focus. The song features an initial jaunty, almost musical theater opening that deliberately short-circuits and unravels into something complex and surprising. The music refuses to be prescriptive, requiring the listener to wrestle with its meaning rather than wearing it on its sleeve.
Gabriel Jacoby’s “The One” Discovery
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(00:32:38)
  • Key Takeaway: Gabriel Jacoby’s “The One” from ‘Gutta Child’ is a fully formed, funky track channeling late 90s R&B and 70s funk with an authentic, dance-focused energy.
  • Summary: Sheldon discovered Gabriel Jacoby, a 25-year-old artist whose music feels authentically rooted in 90s R&B and 70s funk, avoiding pastiche. The song is characterized by its full-bodied, smooth yet raw sound, prioritizing movement over lyrical depth. Jacoby’s music is seen as channeling funk greats while possessing a distinct, authentic voice that makes the sound feel like his lived experience.
Posthumous Collaboration for Talos
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(00:36:55)
  • Key Takeaway: The final song, “We Didn’t Know We Were Ready,” is a moving, posthumous collaboration honoring the late artist Talos, who passed away in August 2024 after a cancer diagnosis.
  • Summary: The track features Ólafur Arnalds, Talos, Niamh Regan, and Ye Vagabonds, recorded after Talos’s death, making the song’s theme of life’s fleeting and unpredictable nature particularly poignant. The collective singing of the refrain acts as a form of mutual comfort and consolation among the collaborators. The song’s simple message suggests that one is stronger than they realize, offering an angelic and celestial uplift.