2025 In Review
- Thread starter nycfan
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I think any rational informed person would say 2025 was the worst year since 2008 and 2017...
CarolinaFever
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I feel like things have sucked overall since 2016 when Trump won his first term. It wasn't as bad when Biden was in office, but then we were dealing with Covid, and that really sucked, too. Just feels like life has been more chaotic and filled with anxiety since 2016 with Trump and dealing with Covid. Maybe it's just me.
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2017 really wasn’t bad in the grand scheme of things. And hell, the Heels won the national championship that year, making it a pretty good year.
2020 was bad. Sure, the elections were a positive, at least in the moment, but overall that year was really bad. Definitely the worst since I was born (not in terms of how it impacted me personally, but how it impacted people in general).
2025 is up there, but 2020 is still the worst since I’ve been alive IMO.
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One thing 2025 was great for was new music. I posted this on the music thread, but I guess it could go here too:
2025 really has been an incredible year in terms of new music that has come out. In recent years, I was wondering if "getting old" was making it harder for me to discover new music that enjoyed. There would be some new albums released every year that I would like, but a lot of them would be by artists I had been listening to for years. Some, but only a few, would be new artists, who had either been putting out music for less than five years or who who had not released more than a couple albums. But 2025 was different. There were so many really good to great new albums that were released by both artists who had been putting out music for a while and others who were relatively new. It was an exciting year in new music, and frankly one of the best I remember. Here are some highlights in chronological order of release date:
Cameron Winter - Heavy Metal
This one actually came out at the end of 2024, but considering its December release date and the fact I first heard it in 2025, I think it belongs among the 2025 releases. When I first listened to this album I wasn't totally sure what I thought, but I was very intrigued. It had a Tom Waits, Beefheart, Rufus Wainwright vibe, but also seemed very original. The more I listened, it more interesting it got. And it led me to discover Winter's band, Geese, which would go on to release another highly acclaimed album later in 2025.
Frog - 1000 Variations on the Same Song
This is an enjoyable collection of simple, lo-fi indie folk songs performed by guys trying to make sense of of their everyday experiences.
Horsegirl - Phonetics On and On
This young, all-female indie rock band followed up its 1990s indie rock-inspired debut with a more restrained, more gentle collection of indie-pop songs.
Panda Bear - Sinister Grift
I've been a Panda Bear (and Animal Collective) fan for a long time. This is perhaps Panda Bear's most straightforward and accessible album. Released in February, its bright, reggae-inspired vibes had name longing for spring.
DARKSIDE - Nothing
This album by this electronic-forward band lives to up the band's name. It's a moody journey through sound.
Sharp Pins - Radio DDR
Originally self-released on cassette and some digital platforms in May 2024, the album was given much wider release with the help of a record label in March 2025. It's a great collection of lo-fi songs inspired most prevalently by 1960s rock 'n' roll and late-1980s/early-1990s jangle pop.
Samia - Bloodless
Resting somewhere between rock, folk, and pop, this album provides some moody, yet cathartic, tunes.
Pachyman - Another Place
This album of dub music provided a nice soundtrack for the summer of 2025.
Juan Waters - MVD Luv
This is a light-hearted collection of songs evoking the vibes of the Uruguayan singer-songwriter's native land.
Wet Leg - moisturizer
Wet Leg's follow up to their very fun debut is also a very fun album. If their previous album was a party, this one is the fallout from the party, but the fallout is very entertaining.
Alex G - Headlights
The major label debut from this eclectic singer-songwriter is his best work so far in my opinion. I played this one over and over again and constantly found new textures of sound.
Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band - New Threats From the Soul
This is an epic album with nine epic country-rock songs that take unexpected turns.
Earl Sweatshirt - Live Laugh Love
He's got a laid back style and a sense of humor. This is the album I want to have beers with on a lazy day.
Water From Your Eyes - It's a Beautiful Place
If you were to ask me to describe their sound, it would be hard for me to pin it down. They touch the edges of many genres while sounding original. One song of theirs sounds very little like the next, yet once you make your way through the album, each song is recognizably them.
Big Thief - Double Infinity
Big Thief, now a trio rather than a quartet, does more of what they do best here: they perform songs that feel as if they come from the moment where past trauma turns into hope and optimism.
Wednesday - Bleeds
This North Carolina-based band dishes out some high level songwriting packaged in a sound inspired by mid-90s indie rock and alt-country.
Joanne Robertson - Blurrr
This album of gentle, sparsely arranged songs, is reminiscent of approaching a beautiful sound from off in the distance.
Geese - Getting Killed
This ended up being one of the most hyped albums of the year. To me, it lived up to the hype. It's a fun, interesting rock 'n' roll record. I love rocking out to it.
Snocaps - Snocaps
Kathryn Crutchfield a/k/a Waxahatchee teams up with her sister, Allison Crutchfiled, MJ Lenderman, and Brad Cook to make this album that is reminiscent of Waxahatchee's early work.
Westerman - A Jackal's Wedding
Westerman's debut album, Your Hero Is Not Dead, was just what I needed when it was released in the late spring of 2020. It was calming and beautiful, providing a respite from the dark times associated with the covid pandemic. A Jackal's Wedding doesn't necessarily provide a respite from the times we're currently in, but it is a calming presence.
Sharp Pins - Balloon Balloon Balloon
This is the second Sharp Pins album to make this list. With 21 tracks, very lo-fi production, and its retro/1960s-inspired sound, it brings to mind early- to mid-90s Guided by voices.
Haley Haynderickx & Max Garcia Conover - What of Our Nature
These two singer-songwriters team up for an album that conjures the spirit of 1960s-era folk, or folk-adjacent rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n' roll adjacent folk.
verity den - wet glass
This Carrboro band performs rock 'n' roll that tends to combine the sounds of shoegaze with 1990s Chapel Hill indie rock.
2025 really has been an incredible year in terms of new music that has come out. In recent years, I was wondering if "getting old" was making it harder for me to discover new music that enjoyed. There would be some new albums released every year that I would like, but a lot of them would be by artists I had been listening to for years. Some, but only a few, would be new artists, who had either been putting out music for less than five years or who who had not released more than a couple albums. But 2025 was different. There were so many really good to great new albums that were released by both artists who had been putting out music for a while and others who were relatively new. It was an exciting year in new music, and frankly one of the best I remember. Here are some highlights in chronological order of release date:
Cameron Winter - Heavy Metal
This one actually came out at the end of 2024, but considering its December release date and the fact I first heard it in 2025, I think it belongs among the 2025 releases. When I first listened to this album I wasn't totally sure what I thought, but I was very intrigued. It had a Tom Waits, Beefheart, Rufus Wainwright vibe, but also seemed very original. The more I listened, it more interesting it got. And it led me to discover Winter's band, Geese, which would go on to release another highly acclaimed album later in 2025.
Frog - 1000 Variations on the Same Song
This is an enjoyable collection of simple, lo-fi indie folk songs performed by guys trying to make sense of of their everyday experiences.
Horsegirl - Phonetics On and On
This young, all-female indie rock band followed up its 1990s indie rock-inspired debut with a more restrained, more gentle collection of indie-pop songs.
Panda Bear - Sinister Grift
I've been a Panda Bear (and Animal Collective) fan for a long time. This is perhaps Panda Bear's most straightforward and accessible album. Released in February, its bright, reggae-inspired vibes had name longing for spring.
DARKSIDE - Nothing
This album by this electronic-forward band lives to up the band's name. It's a moody journey through sound.
Sharp Pins - Radio DDR
Originally self-released on cassette and some digital platforms in May 2024, the album was given much wider release with the help of a record label in March 2025. It's a great collection of lo-fi songs inspired most prevalently by 1960s rock 'n' roll and late-1980s/early-1990s jangle pop.
Samia - Bloodless
Resting somewhere between rock, folk, and pop, this album provides some moody, yet cathartic, tunes.
Pachyman - Another Place
This album of dub music provided a nice soundtrack for the summer of 2025.
Juan Waters - MVD Luv
This is a light-hearted collection of songs evoking the vibes of the Uruguayan singer-songwriter's native land.
Wet Leg - moisturizer
Wet Leg's follow up to their very fun debut is also a very fun album. If their previous album was a party, this one is the fallout from the party, but the fallout is very entertaining.
Alex G - Headlights
The major label debut from this eclectic singer-songwriter is his best work so far in my opinion. I played this one over and over again and constantly found new textures of sound.
Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band - New Threats From the Soul
This is an epic album with nine epic country-rock songs that take unexpected turns.
Earl Sweatshirt - Live Laugh Love
He's got a laid back style and a sense of humor. This is the album I want to have beers with on a lazy day.
Water From Your Eyes - It's a Beautiful Place
If you were to ask me to describe their sound, it would be hard for me to pin it down. They touch the edges of many genres while sounding original. One song of theirs sounds very little like the next, yet once you make your way through the album, each song is recognizably them.
Big Thief - Double Infinity
Big Thief, now a trio rather than a quartet, does more of what they do best here: they perform songs that feel as if they come from the moment where past trauma turns into hope and optimism.
Wednesday - Bleeds
This North Carolina-based band dishes out some high level songwriting packaged in a sound inspired by mid-90s indie rock and alt-country.
Joanne Robertson - Blurrr
This album of gentle, sparsely arranged songs, is reminiscent of approaching a beautiful sound from off in the distance.
Geese - Getting Killed
This ended up being one of the most hyped albums of the year. To me, it lived up to the hype. It's a fun, interesting rock 'n' roll record. I love rocking out to it.
Snocaps - Snocaps
Kathryn Crutchfield a/k/a Waxahatchee teams up with her sister, Allison Crutchfiled, MJ Lenderman, and Brad Cook to make this album that is reminiscent of Waxahatchee's early work.
Westerman - A Jackal's Wedding
Westerman's debut album, Your Hero Is Not Dead, was just what I needed when it was released in the late spring of 2020. It was calming and beautiful, providing a respite from the dark times associated with the covid pandemic. A Jackal's Wedding doesn't necessarily provide a respite from the times we're currently in, but it is a calming presence.
Sharp Pins - Balloon Balloon Balloon
This is the second Sharp Pins album to make this list. With 21 tracks, very lo-fi production, and its retro/1960s-inspired sound, it brings to mind early- to mid-90s Guided by voices.
Haley Haynderickx & Max Garcia Conover - What of Our Nature
These two singer-songwriters team up for an album that conjures the spirit of 1960s-era folk, or folk-adjacent rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n' roll adjacent folk.
verity den - wet glass
This Carrboro band performs rock 'n' roll that tends to combine the sounds of shoegaze with 1990s Chapel Hill indie rock.
CarolinaFever
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The only good thing about 2017 was UNC winning the basketball championship. That year sucked for me personally.
sringwal
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2020 sucked pretty bad.
sringwal
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Agree with the top 2. I am particularly pleased to see Common Side Effects in the second position. Criminally under the radar animated show.
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yep 2017 to 2020 in Trump 1.0
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This is not a list, but I think a fair assessment of the TARIFF PANIC of Spring/Summer 2025.
1) We did not see the stock market crash and runaway inflation that many of us feared and projected. This was mainly due to the TACO effect and the silly chaos but much less meat on the bone. Also, the private sector managed it exceptionally well and absorbed much of the early taxes themselves.
(NOTE, #1 is my personal analysis. #2 below are FACTS).
2) Another solid year in U.S. markets. Far from Trump's claims, it is far from our "Golden Age." Inflation is very much still an issue. GDP growth was 2% for the year. SEVENTY-SIX percent of the largest international markets outperformed the U.S. stock market. This is the first time in SIXTEEN years that the U.S. stock market did not outperform International. Credit card debt has skyrocketed.
Trump will still claim the "greatest economy ever."
1) We did not see the stock market crash and runaway inflation that many of us feared and projected. This was mainly due to the TACO effect and the silly chaos but much less meat on the bone. Also, the private sector managed it exceptionally well and absorbed much of the early taxes themselves.
(NOTE, #1 is my personal analysis. #2 below are FACTS).
2) Another solid year in U.S. markets. Far from Trump's claims, it is far from our "Golden Age." Inflation is very much still an issue. GDP growth was 2% for the year. SEVENTY-SIX percent of the largest international markets outperformed the U.S. stock market. This is the first time in SIXTEEN years that the U.S. stock market did not outperform International. Credit card debt has skyrocketed.
Trump will still claim the "greatest economy ever."
superrific
Master of the ZZLverse
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It was not 2% for the year. Amazing how the numbers all got better after Trump fired the BLS head. That 4.3% isn't even remotely credible. It's obvious they under measured inflation, probably intentionally, and everything else follows.
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Because those numbers were simply a carryover from the previous administration, in which Barack Obama did the heavy lifting over eight years to pull us out of financial ruin. It took Donald Trump 3 years to fuck all of that up with his mid-handling of the Covid crisis.