10 Favorite Songs of 2025

by Tyler Glover, Aprille Hanson-Spivey & Julian Spivey

Photos: Republic Records & Amusement/Island Records

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10. "Melt in the Sun" by Mason Via 
​​Mason Via’s “Melt in the Sun,” off his debut, self-titled album, is one of the most beautiful songs of the year, both lyrically and instrumentally, and shows the young fella, who began his career with a stint in Old Crow Medicine Show, might be a force to be reckoned with in roots genres. The song finds Via singing about an undying, timeless love over some of the year’s best picking and playing, featuring a beauty of a mandolin solo from Aaron Ramsey. The instrumentation featuring Ramsey, Via on guitar, Jason Davis on banjo, Jim Van Cleve on fiddle and Jeff Partin on dobro all meld in an intertwining glory. Via told American Songwriter: “I was inspired by watching The War on Drugs shred a sunset performance at Bonnaroo for my first time, I wanted to write something in a similar psychedelic indie rock vein of music.” JS

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9. "Truest Colors" by Jason Boland & the Stragglers
My husband and I go to a lot of concerts, and the red dirt/Texas country band Jason Boland and the Stragglers ranks high on the list of artists we’ve seen the most. I remember hearing “Truest Colors” for the first time last year at the Peacemaker Festival in Fort Smith, Ark. I was immediately hooked and then promptly disappointed the song wasn’t released yet. I was thrilled when it was released on their 2025 album The Last Kings of Babylon. The song is upbeat, fast and catchy, while its message is less upbeat — it’s a song about how some people just suck and it’s best to move on. I’m a sucker for a creative lyric, and I love these two: “I′ll be back around when Satan needs coat” and “Fare thee well, it′s been hell.” Boland’s twangy voice makes the lyrics even more fun. AHS

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8. "The Subway" by Chappell Roan
Chappell Roan is easily one of the most exciting artists to come out in the last couple of years. She has an unbelievable way of making us all feel connected to her material by telling her stories with honest and raw vulnerability. “The Subway” is one of her most haunting songs. The song talks about her running into an ex on the subway, imagining running into her in her places, and how it still haunts her. She longs for the day that her ex will be another “girl in the subway.” It is a feeling we can all relate to, especially when we are in the trenches of trying to get over the person we loved, who we can’t anymore, for whatever reason. One of the most heartbreaking aspects of the songs is when Chappell Roan transitions “She’s got a way” to “She got away.” She cleverly sings it so many times in a row that upon first listen, you are taken aback. The emotional impact of this song will continue on forever. TG

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7. "Sugar in the Tank" by Julien Baker & TORRES
Some would call the collaboration between Julien Baker and TORRES indie-rock, but I saw the term “queer country” published somewhere earlier in the year about the duo and would prefer to label, at least, “Sugar in the Tank” that. The vocals of the two meld beautifully in this tune about completely giving yourself over to another in a romantic sense, in a way that might actually be life-saving. JS

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6. The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift 
A lot of people have various opinions on The Life of a Showgirl and where it ranks among Taylor Swift’s 12 albums. I wouldn’t call myself a true “Swiftie,” but I have come to appreciate her music and songwriting more in recent years. ‘Showgirl’ is not an album that really showcases her writing — it’s more about fun melodies — but the first track and single, “Fate of Ophelia,” is a total earworm. She discussed on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” how she wanted to blend classic and new, weaving in more polished lyrics like “The venom stole her sanity” to the modern, “Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes.” The premise is her love story with fiancé Travis Kelce, which fans ate up. I loved how ‘Ophelia’ created a moment with so many people recreating the dance moves. It’s just a fun song and sets the tone for the whole album. AHS

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5. "Twilight Zone" by Ariana Grande 
My most-listened-to song of 2025 was “Twilight Zone” by Ariana Grande. Grande has always been a very talented songwriter, but she is absolutely slaying on this one. “Twilight Zone” is a song that uses the metaphor of the twilight zone to express the bewilderment of a former relationship that happened. Some of my favorite lyrics are “I hope you win for Best Actor cuz’ I had you completely wrong” and ”Does she know you’re not who you say you are?” It is a haunting synth-pop song that stays with you forever. Sometimes, relationships leave us with the mindset: “I cannot believe all of this happened: the good, the bad, that this person came into my life and was all I needed for a while.” Grande truly captures some of the nuances of the tragic consequences of an ended romance perfectly. I think the song manages to be something that many of us can relate to in so many different situations and circumstances. It truly is the kind of song that helps you heal. TG

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4. "Raised by Wolves" by Lola Kirke 
Lola Kirke is cool as hell. That’s a realization I’ve come away with from listening to her music in the last few years, culminating on one of the year’s best albums, Trailblazer. Her voice has a warm, husky quality that gives it a soulful feel, which I’d consider to be indie-country. My favorite track from her excellent album is “Raised by Wolves,” which she wrote with Daniel Tashian on their first collaboration. Kirke told The Line of Best Fit about working with Tashian: “I’m a huge fan, so I was extremely nervous for our session and weirdly decided to break the ice by forcing him to let me read the first chapter of my then unfinished book, in which I say, ‘I was raised by wolves in the wildnerness, but the wolves in question repurposed vintage nightgowns as dinner dresses and the wilderness consisted of various brownstones scattered below 14th Street.’ Fortunately, he found this inspiring, not self-indulgent, and we wrote the song.” It’s a beautiful song about feeling like an outcast and finding solace in someone from a similar background. JS

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3. "Searching for a Light" by Turnpike Troubadours
Evan Felker is one of my favorite songwriters, so I was so happy when they released another album, The Price of Admission, this year, just two years after A Cat in the Rain, following the band’s indefinite hiatus in 2019. His stint in rehab and his sobriety have really set the band on a better path, and this album proves it. I like several songs on this album: “Heaven Passing Through” is likely the best one, and “Be Here,” about his journey toward sobriety, is definitely near the top for me. But the lyrics of “Searching for Light” resonated with me the most. Written by Felker and fellow Oklahoma musician John Fullbright, ‘Searching’ is a redemption song, likely about Felker, but the choruses do not point to a clear subject. It honestly makes the song more relatable. It was released at a time when I was in the midst of grief and needed a song that sat with me in that brokenness with lyrics like, “Forgive me of my nonsense, I’m still out here chasing shadows,” but also that still had a hopeful message with words like, “But I will not trade tomorrow for a pain I feel today.” This song pierced my heart differently. AHS

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2. "Gravelweed" by Jason Isbell 
No lyric hit me as hard this year as “now that I live to see my melodies betray me/I’m sorry the love songs all mean different things today” from Jason Isbell’s “Gravelweed.” Isbell and Amanda Shires were the “it” couple in the Americana musical community that I’ve loved since the first time I heard Isbell’s music more than a decade ago. They were “goals,” as the kids like to say. But the marriage ended, leaving a fan base unsure how to listen to terrific songs like “Cover Me Up” and “If We Were Vampires.” That line seems to be written just as much for Isbell’s legions of fans as it was for him and his ex-wife. JS

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1. "Opalite" by Taylor Swift
While the reviews of Taylor Swift’s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, have been mixed, there is one thing not up for debate. The third track on the album, “Opalite,” is one of the best pop songs of her entire career. The beat is so insanely catchy that even non-Swifties in my life are uncontrollably dancing. In her song, “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?,” Swift sings, “put narcotics into all of my songs, and that’s why you’re still singing along.” I can guarantee that she definitely put some narcotics into this song. This upbeat pop song is a love song about Swift being really happy. She uses gemstone metaphors in her lyrics that contrast the dark “onyx” nights of failed relationships with the bright, opalescent sky of her life now. The song brings so much joy and makes us all want to dance and forget all of the problems of the world. What more can we ask of music in these dark times? TG