Music "Wrapped" 2025!

[PossiblyAxolotl]

Hello! At uni today I overheard someone talking about their Spotify Wrapped, which reminded me it's around that time of year. I don't use Spotify, or really any music streaming apps much anymore, so I'm gonna share a few albums I've really liked this year, and a song or 2 from them. Don't feel like you have to do this format or type as much as I do about the songs, feel free to talk about and share as much or as little as you'd like! I also posted this on the RejectConvenience forum, but I thought it'd be fun to see what people around here are listening to as well :3

This year has been a good part review of music I already knew because I switched to using my FiiO/Snowsky Echo Mini as my primary music machine and needed to rebuild a library, but I also got way more into stuff I haven't listened to in a good while, and I've been listening to albums completely through most of the time rather than just specific songs which really changes the experience :3

1. My top album this year has to be Aphelion by Leprous
I discovered this album through a custom level for the game Soundodger 2, and I gotta say, it's really good. Somehow they made weird prog rock time signatures incredibly catchy, and Einar's voice is genuinely incredible. I own this album on CD and vinyl, and it's very cool. The first time I listened to the vinyl I genuinely verbally reacted like "woah" to some of the dynamics because you don't get that level of volume change in your typical mp3s. Songs I would recommend are Nighttime Disguise, which is a really good closer and people like to share it as an introduction to the band overall, and Castaway Angels, which is the calmest song of the album but it really brings out how much control Einar has over his voice and is just really pretty. Amazing album to sing along to, very nice.

2. The Devil-Faces of My Old Friends, Beneath Me by Heccra
I think I found this a long while ago from that one guy who was trying to listen to every music genre. Wonder where he is now? This one's a good one to listen to through Skullcandy Crushers and liquify your brain with lol. Just a really fun album. I recommend The Mint that Grows behind the Dumpster as that's the first song from this album I listened to, and it's also just really good.

3. Eat Your Dreams by Nelward
Nelward is such a goofy guy. Weirdly this is some of his most normal music I've noticed, as I recently started listening to more of his singles (Nelward 1-5 albums), but it's still a solid album, and pretty catchy. I recommend The Werewolf and Eat Your Dreams (title song), but it's all really good. Another song of his I really like is Ghost, which is not part of this album but it's a really good song nonetheless and the music video is incredible. Truly a work of art.

4. Endgame and Utopia by Killerblood
This album is really interesting. It's purely instrumental and pretty chill, just something to listen to while you lay down and not thing. I really like Ancient Opaque Pathway, mainly because of the pulse it has. I really like music that evokes the visual of like a grandfather clock rocking back and forth. Same kind of feeling I get from Ember Valley (day) from Slime Rancher 2, and kind of like my own song A Lonely, Lost Ship, though mine is meant to feel more like a heartbeat.

5. Last album I'll share is The Big Big Deal by tv room
Eli's songs always feel really cheer/hopeful, and have some really weird and wacky instrumentation that I just really enjoy. Honestly I'm not even sure which song to recommend as it's all a very good album, though I do like the somber-ness of Head and Heart. Go listen to it, and more of his stuff.

Ok now I'm gonna quick-fire a few singles because I want to. Something You Said by tv room - yeah that's right, he's back. Love this song. Garage2 by 81.0x19 - they make some really funky weird electronic stuff, and yet nobody knows about them. Criminal. Sphere of Annihilation by ivri - I found this song in an episode of Big Shot & Friends (I forget which so I linked the remade pilot episode). Cosmic Relief by Nelward - he's back too, solid song and again, amazing music video.

Ok I'm tired now. I might rework this into a proper blog post on my site later. Let me know what music you've been listening to, whether it's through your Spotify Wrapped, Apply Music Replay, or whatever else you choose! Thank :3