030! 2025 in Review

+ favourite tracks

Good view, 2025

Happy new year to all subs and lurkers! Wishing you a peaceful 2026!

Last year, I talked about how music moved like a public argument. Drake versus Kendrick, and Charli XCX’s cultural surge, were moments that demanded our attention, organized discourse, and briefly restored the sense that pop could still generate shared reference points in real time. This year offered no such centre. Outside of T**** S***’s self-sustaining orbit, there was no dominant narrative, no artist powerful enough to impose consensus, and no real Grammy storyline that felt culturally decisive. The closest thing to a true monoculture moment came not from anything new but from Oasis, driven by nostalgia for a time and a moment that no longer exists in music.

After what was widely reported as a historically weak year on the official charts by some measures, rap was declared “dead” again, and many of the year’s biggest pop songs felt culturally hollow. This year’s Grammy line-up, to me, is giving the same cultural energy as Avatar. Fear not, dear readers, this is fertile ground for everything we stand for at Sound & Vision HQ: new energy, underdogs, and innovation. The best energy surfaced in underground rap scenes that operate beyond chart logic, in a rich UK pipeline of breakthrough acts, and artists choosing to go a different way with their careers.

This year we are in the margins! Let’s go! Read on for some commentary on broader themes from the year.

Artists embracing their evolution

The current practice in both A&R and Marketing is to throw things out there, see what tests well in the market, and then pour money on whatever fire starts burning by itself. The majors - increasingly - operate this way at scale. Music videos now come later, once the proof is in the pudding. Until then you have the “visualizer”. Even Lily Allen spoke about this on a recent episode of her podcast. Any artist pushing a song without proof is taking a risk, for themselves and for the label. And because risk-taking is tough right now, I admire the artists fully embracing their evolution - putting their own creative instincts first and trusting the fans to follow. Great artists define what comes next.

Some of the most interesting and forward-thinking pop this year came from artists leaning into new phases of their evolution: Rosalia, Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, Addison Rae and Bieber. It also felt like further reinforcement of the strength of producer-led albums (stewarded by one or a very small handful of core producers) - with Lily Allen, Addison, Sabrina Carpenter carrying the torch.

Charts

This year saw endless convo about the charts: that AI-generated music is steadily creeping in, rap’s “worst year” narrative, catalogue releases dominating, records lingering longer than ever, and YouTube’s changing relationship to Billboard counting. Whether the system can keep up - and whether it matters - remains an open question.

The UK has its moment

Despite, or perhaps as a result of, the UK being in the bin politically, it was a canon year for UK music. In the post-Dua Lipa landscape, many of us have been watching and wondering when - and whether - the next star will emerge from the country. Is it still ripe to produce another Adele or Ed Sheeran-level star? In 2025, Olivia Dean came through as a new light and Lily Allen dominated the convo with her impressive concept album. Pinkpantheress, FKA twigs, Jim Legxacy, Dave and Blood Orange had big moments too, but a gravitational centre was the “new underground”. This new movement is already seeing new stars emerge - like EsDeeKid, Fakemink, YT and Lancey Foux - as well as a never-ending faucet of inspired artists working within a new sound and scene. I’m excited to see how it develops.

Oh, and lest we forget Jet 2 Holiday!

AI

Last year, the big three music companies moved to challenge the big two AI music companies. In 2025, this culminated in two of the majors (UMG and WMG) settling with licensing agreements, which now allow both AI companies (Suno and Udio) to use the music of consenting parties. The CEO of Suno revealed his full ass when he was quoted saying “it’s not really enjoyable to make music”, demonstrating a fundamental and embarrassing misunderstanding of what music represents to most artists - and most people.

Generative music broke into the charts, caused lawsuits, and well-known/loved producers “signed” AI artists. This year proved it’s clearly no longer just a sideline fad, but is it a bubble?

Boycotts

While many big artists are still bone-crushingly silent about the ongoing genocide, the dance music world saw some co-ordinated boycott efforts for various different political issues, taking action against Boiler Room/Superstruct to Spotify.

First Floor did some great reporting on cultural boycotts and accountability this year, and No Music for Genocide provided a structure for the movement.

Caribbean bangers

One of this year’s biggest hits has to be “Shake It To The Max” by Ghanaian-American artist Moliy. Produced by Jamaican Silent Addy, and Miami’s Disco Neil, the track was given its props in the “afro” charts but, this is a dancehall smash. It nailed everything that your average person is looking for from dancehall in this era: old school flavour with a contemporary twist. Larry Jackson’s company Gamma made a huge bet on the track, and it paid off strong. Simultaneously, Vybz Kartel had a stunning comeback, with sold out shows across the USA and Europe. I imagine there will be some echoes in the dancehall world in the coming year.

On the speedier side, this year’s version of baile funk remixes on Soundcloud seemed to be Bouyon remixes (very fast soca-adjacent music from Dominica). St Lucian Dennery Segment had its moment too, including an excellent compilation on Soundway Records.

Club Hits

While dance music is at an all-time high - commercially and in terms of widespread interest there were surprisingly few agreed-upon dancefloor killers. Bangers abounded, but somehow there wasn’t enough consensus for a 2025 version of “Flight FM” or “Set The Roof” . Speaking from a local New York perspective, the scene still feels very healthy - perhaps it’s just a sign of micro-scenes flourishing rather than the monolithic consensus of old.

And now for some music!

Here’s a selection of favourites from the year, with an accompanying playlist on Spotify. As always, it’s music that moved me, physically, emotionally, spiritually.

I also really enjoyed full length projects from Oklou, Kelela, Mark Ernestus, Skrillex, Nick León, Annahstasia, Dijon, Anthony Naples, Dave, Duval Timothy, Oneohtrix Point Never, and James K. For some reason, I also spent a lot of time with Prince’s Piano & A Microphone 1983 - so raw, so good!

Enjoy!