My Top 10 Songs of 2025

Phil Shaw

1 Emmanuelle – Nadia Reid

New Zealander Reid’s latest album Enter Now Brightness reflects a sea change from sadness and pain to love and joy. This delicately crafted song, possibly about the motherhood behind the transformation, creates a sense of grace, space, tenderness and mystery that fans of Nick Drake and folk-era Joni will love.

2 There’s A Rhythm – Bon Iver

Of all his alter ego’s songs, Justin Vernon reckons this is his favourite. If it really is the end for Bon Iver, as he says, what a mellow groove to go out on.

3 Stretching Out – Van Morrison

After years of sentimental slush and religious mush, this gem from the Covid contrarian’s new album nudges the high bar set by Astral Weeks 57 years ago.

4 The Valley Of Roseless Thorns – Midlake

The Texas band fuse California harmonies with instrumental flourishes evoking English groups from Pentangle to Tull, yet somehow make it original and cohesive.

5 Sad And Beautiful World – Mavis Staples

‘Sometimes days just go speeding past/ Sometimes this one seems like the last’: great soul survivor gives stunning Sparklehorse cover a classic ‘southern’ feel.

6 Got To Have Love – Pulp

Reunions can be anti-climactic; not so Jarvis Cocker’s troupe whose return spawned two of their best, the anthemic Spike Island and this Northern Soul-style stormer.

7 Relationships – Haim

The maelstrom of love and desire, loss and remorse gets a beguiling Danielle Haim vocal and breezy, danceable production. Romantic angst seldom sounded so good.

8 Euro-Country – CMAT

Kerry Katona meets Bertie Ahern in the oft-humorous but unashamedly political lyric to CMAT’s reflections on Ireland’s Celtic Tiger era and the ensuing financial crash.

9 In The North – Natalie Wildgoose

Reviews labelled the Yorkshire singer-songwriter ‘folk eccentric’ and this ghostly, intimate track ‘lo-fi art-pop’. Whatever, it’s as elegaic and elegant as anything in 2025.

10 New Threats From The Soul – Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band

Nine-minute opener and title track from one of the albums of the year – out of Kentucky comes an eloquent, witty Americana journey through a love affair, from rapture to rancour.

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