My "Best of 2025" Playlist
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Just when I get to a point where I feel that new music is a thing of the past, I run across some artists that are still able to come up with something new, or at least a new take on the old. Here are a few that I got hooked on this year. Give them a listen!
Balming Tiger
I found Balming Tiger back in 2023, when they performed Buriburi on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Man, I was immediately hooked. Balming Tiger is one of the most unique acts going these days. I feel like it's only a matter of time before they really blow up. Their 2023 release, January Never Dies, is a fantastic album, full of hip-hop, funk, jazz, and pop rock mashups. It's quickly becoming one of my all-time favs.
The Marias
I can't talk about 2025 without mentioning The Marias (turns out I'm one of their top listeners on YouTube Music now). Last year, I started working as a mail carrier for the USPS, so I spend a LOT of time in a truck delivering the mail nowadays. I started listening to The Marias because they have such a cool, chill vibe, that puts me into kind of a trance as I work, but there's also a real intensity that pulls you in. It really makes the day go by quickly, and keeps my stress down. Submarine and CINEMA have become two of my favorite albums.
Max Beesley's High Vibes
Max Beesley is a pretty well-known actor, one of those faces you'd recognize but maybe not know the name. This year, I found that he also is a seriously talented vibraphone player as well. A couple years ago, he released his first solo album, called Zeus. It's kind of a throwback to the hip, jazz-fusion of the 70s, but with a modern sound. I love it!
Knower
Man, I feel embarrassed that I'm so late in the game to Knower. Louis Cole, who leads the band along with Genevieve Artadi, has been floating around the same bands that I love for years, yet somehow I missed him. He is SO freaking talented, it kinda makes me sick. The wild stuff he comes up with is so creative. Knower's 2023 release, Knower Forever, is SO good, but I feel like it's only a build up to something huge yet to come. I can't wait.
Ekathe
I can't remember how I ran across Ekathé, but I'm really glad I did. There isn't much info on the web about them, other than that they are a 5-piece funk-jazz-fusion band from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I swear, it's as if they write music just for me. They have two albums that I can find, 1686 (2024) and Baba (2025). If you're looking for some badass funky jazz stuff, check them out.
Elise Trouw
This song from Elise Trouw logically should follow Louis Cole, since it sounds like she may have been listening to him a lot lately. Elise got some noteriety a several years ago, as a very young loop artist on YouTube, doing really cool, chilled out covers and mashups of famous songs. Now she's grown up and about to release a concept album, called The Diary of Elon Lust. The first single, All You Need Is Lust, is a super cool, early-90s, pop synth track, with crazy chord progressions. It's definitely a whole vibe. The subject matter of this project can be a bit rough, but there's no denying the musical talent.