As we reach the second half of January it feels a little late to be sharing our reflections on the releases of 2025. That said, it feels like a task like this shouldn’t be rushed. The extra time has given us more scope to consider, digest and review an incredible library of work released from our small corner of the world.
For clarity we considered over 500 tracks while compiling our lists. As you can imagine condensing down that number to just fifty is remarkably challenging. Positions were changed on a daily or occasionally an hourly basis as the team revisited and discussed each release. Feel free to check on tracks 50 through 26 before we reveal our top 25 below.
We strongly recommend you visit our complete playlist for every song that appeared on our Fresh Music from Northern Ireland playlists in 2025, or here for our top 50 tracks of the year.
Selections by Aaron Cunningham, Ben Magee, Jonah Gardner, Robert Brown & Will Mac Aoidh.
25. Still Searching & Eve Belle – Thought You Were A Sweet Thing
Filled with yearning, regrets and bittersweet emotions, ‘Thought You Were A Sweet Thing’ appears on producer and songwriter Still Searching’s collaborative EP Baile Nua. The voice of Eve Belle gives this breakup song a real vulnerability, alongside Still Searching’s Sam Stevenson. There’s a real classic feel as the pair’s vocals join in harmony and folk touches of pedal steel and strings. AC
24. YINYANG – Parasite
Of all of YINYANG’s often fiery releases to date, ‘Parasite’ felt the most personal. Her sharp melding of genres is channelled into an exploration of grief with bold delivery and dynamic production. YINYANG continues to push boundaries in her songwriting. AC
23. Madrai – Turn It Around
Belfast’s Madrai channel the highpoints of the pop rock that dominated the 80s with ‘Turn It Around’. Gorgeous harmonies, a disco groove and a healthy guitar solo at 2 minute 35 second mark, make this a memorable entry point for the young band. RB
22. Becky McNeice – Home
After bouncing around genres for a few years, Belfast’s Becky McNeice has settled nicely into a niche of her own in the last 12 months. This exploration of hyperpop, pop, dance and R&B is stellar, and a real standout from her best project to date. BM
21. Touzai – Tiger Song
‘Tiger Song’ is one of the most fun songs of the year, taking the glimmering sonic backgrounds of shoegaze and adding the buckets of texture, melody & energy you’d expect from indie rock. What gives the track its unique character is those silky, bouncy horns between verses – it really shows off the playfulness among the seriousness that Touzai bring to their tracks. A real treat. WMA
20. Far Caspian – First Day
With three albums in four years it feels like we’re never too far away from a new Far Caspian release, though last year’s Autofiction released two years after album number two. Our first taste of last year’s release came in April of ‘First Day’. A love-song that emanates a quiet nostalgia through Joel Johnston’s soft vocals, and littered with bright, smart guitar playing. AC
19. Chalk – Afraid
2025 was the latest banner year for one of Belfast’s most exciting acts of the last few years. It was a year of change as they built upon their rising profile and dropped to a two-piece, with ‘Afraid’ closing out an era that saw them release a trilogy of EPs. ‘Afraid’ hits hard through pulsating techno, a dirty guitar riff, a heavy beat and an electric swagger. AC
18. Monday’s Child – In My Own Time
It proved to be a breakout year for Monday’s Child and ‘In My Own Time’ helped cement their credentials as alt-rock heavy weights. ‘In My Own Time’ moves at its own pace; slow burning but confident. The moody and gritty undertones and one heck of a chunky bass line reflect on the experiences of the quartet in dealing with the challenges of the modern world. RB
17. Junk Drawer – Nids Niteca
Junk Drawer’s Days of Heaven deservedly won them plenty of plaudits last year with a real sonic statement stamped on an album with two distinct sides. Amongst the rowdier first half sits the electric ‘Nids Niteca’, its hypnotic guitar riff is the starting gun as the band wheels away into a prog and psych adventure. ‘Nids Niteca’ may have appeared on a previous compilation but here it heralds a band in form. AC
16. Morgana – Power Cuts
Morgana has moved on from the gentler sounds of her Saint Sister days to embrace a very different solo approach, indeed outside of CMAT she may be Ireland’s finest purveyor of pop. ‘Power Cuts’, with its “prepared to party, ready to cry” mantra is synth laden with shades of Kate Bush. An exquisite pop song that explores the trials of pursuing a creative endeavour. AC
15. Alfie Norma – Dog-Eared
Alfie Norma has been recommended to me by so many people this year – the reason why is pretty self-evident. ‘Dog-Eared’ is such a beautiful song, like a modern retelling of some timeless, last-drink- of-the-night singalong. Solitary piano with clever, choir-style vocals and production gives ‘Dog-Eared’ the warm, glowing feeling of falling asleep after having caught up with your oldest friend. WMA
14. Penny’s Band – Water From A Stone
Indie rock darlings Penny’s Band continue their upward trajectory with ‘Water From A Stone’. Underpinned by feelings of bittersweet nostalgia, the band continue their knack of delivering huge melodic hooks, bright driving guitar lines and vocals that soar. It feels like more of a question of when rather if they are to hit the big time. RB
13. Polar Bolero – Soar
Alt folk collective Polar Bolero have been charming audiences all over Ireland for the last few years. With the release of ‘Soar’ and their forthcoming EP, it seems that they’ve finally captured the spark and dynamism of their live performances in the studio. Wonderful vocal harmonies and the delightful flourishes of jazz make this one to remember. RB
12. Niall McDowell – I Know A Woman
Written as an attempt to both pay homage to queer women and their wisdom, whilst also subverting traditional folk song norms, McDowell’s lead single from debut LP Put Your Hands Where I Can See Them is stunningly beautiful. Deceptively complex, lyrically dense and exceptionally magnetic storytelling. BM
11. George Houston – Lillth
George Houston’s ‘Lilith’ has journeyed quite far this year, from Letterkenny’s Kinnegar Brewery to as far afield as Later… with Jools Holland. A gentle tribute to the power of the modern protest singer (Tramp’s Siânna Lafferty getting a nod in particular), ‘Lilith’ has won hearts with its minimal, gothic arrangement and sharp, witty lyricism delivered with expert control. A masterclass in doing a lot by doing a little. WMA
10. Robyn Maddox – Margot
Robyn Maddox’s ‘Margot’ is a whole musical all in itself: a slow fuse burning towards an explosion of thespian chaos and noir drama. Scathing, evocative lyricism punches through a synthpop canvas to create a grand, bombastic and razor-sharp track – smooth as silk and as inconspicuous as TNT. It’s something brand new for Robyn Maddox, who, with this track, has cemented herself as a songwriter with unyielding imagination. WMA
9. Beauty Sleep – You (You’re All I Wanted)
The standout single from their sophomore record, it nails the feeling of euphoria. Between the huge guitar hook, the dreamy alt pop layering and the infectious shared vocals from Cheylene and Ryan, there is so much to take in and appreciate. ‘You (You’re All I Wanted)’ finds Beauty Sleep at the peak of their creative powers. RB
8. Ciaran Lavery – Ida
How do you follow an album like 2024’s Light Entertainment? How do you proceed after having expelled all of the bold and raucous ideas from your body? If you follow Ciaran Lavery’s lead, you strip it all back and present the art in its rawest, most pure form. ‘Ida’ is musically uncluttered, letting the lyrics do the heavy lifting with as much space as they need. The beauty is all in the lyricism and vocals: raw, honest and full of emotion – things that Ciaran Lavery does with adept skill. WMA
7. The Thing Is… – Disconnected
‘Disconnected’ is the clearest indication yet that The Thing Is are finding their best form. Simmering with angst, the Downpatrick alt rock outfit dial up the the intensity another notch as they ruminate on self-destructive behaviour and grief. A heady mix indeed. RB
6. Careerist – Sicko
For their first release in six years, Careerist pulled out all the stops. ‘Sicko’, taken from album number two Silver Birch Lodge maintains their malevolent slacker rock vibes but brings a jaunty rhythm to the party that gets the blood pumping. BM
5. Róise – Blow to my Ego
Róise built on all her early promise with her debut EP last year. Chief amongst her emotive songwriting on that release sits ‘Blow to my Ego’. A personal tale of rejection turned into a wonderful indie-pop track as Róise makes the art of a hook and a melody look so easy. AC
4. Áine Gordon – Chauffeur
Few artists emerge as artistically fully formed as Áine Gordon did in the first half of 2025. Indeed her first release was closely followed by supporting producer and collaborator Joshua Burnside in the Ulster Hall – no mean feat for an artist taking her first musical steps. Just her second single, ‘Chauffeur’ is as gentle as it is transportive, Gordon’s gorgeous vocal held aloft over a sparse but expanding bed of acoustic folk. AC
3. Joshua Burnside – Moon High
With smooth composing and witty lyricism, Joshua Burnside captures the first stage of grief in amber and polishes it into a gem. With less production wizardry than the typical Burnside release, ‘Moon High’ has a raw honesty to it, a straightforward beauty conveyed by good old-fashioned storytelling and fragile, gentle arrangement. For those craving more, this is the first single from It’s Not Going To Be Okay, his next album set for release in March 2026. If ‘Moon High’ is an indicator, then there’s so much to look forward to. WMA
2. AOIBHA – Art of Delusion
‘Art of Delusion’ is the defining moment from AOIBHA’s incredible debut EP. Through haunting vocal harmonies she explores themes of self-deception and disillusionment. Self recorded and produced, the soundscape shifts between calm serenity and unsettling chaos across the runtime. It may be shrouded in darkness but there is a prevailing beauty in those depths. RB
1. Cosign – Boyhood
A stunning debut from the artist I am most excited to follow in the coming year. ‘boyhood’ channels the electronica and nostalgia of artists like Ninajirachi and Magdalena Bay, whilst maintaining an understated, lo-fi cool factor similar to The Japanese House or Snail Mail. The highlight on an EP filled to the brim with dreamy indie and eclectic electronica, this is a must listen track for the year. BM
