Best of 2025 | Albums | Guestlists | Irish Albums | Irish songs |
Jim Carroll no longer writes about music, but he occasionally wishes he was still in the game (like when the Beyond the Pale shenanigans happened last summer). You’ll find him on Spotify and Instagram.
He edits RTÉ Brainstorm and is the co-founder of the Choice Music Prize.
1.
Rosalía – Berghain
Just where the hell did this come from? Avant-garde pop frippery, mighty shards of operatic warbling, a colossal wallop of symphonic grandeur, Bjork being Bjork and Yves Tumor being Mike Tyson, ‘Berghain’ sounded like nothing else around. That is, until Lux landed and it was clear Rosala was operating at one of those super-atmospheric levels only discernible through the James Webb space telescope.
2.
The Exceptional 3 – What About Me?
This track haunted me for weeks after I first heard it. From 1971, you’ll find it on Numero’s re-up of the Way Out label’s greatest misses, a label from Cleveland, Ohio funded by “a friendly consortium of hustlers, police officers, and football giants”. A moody, colossal, strung-out delight, popping with longing and panache
3.
Nourished By Time – Max Potential
I really liked the Nourished By Time album, but the Dublin show last month made me a fan. It came at the end of a long run of dates for Marcus Brown and band, a workout which meant they’d added much sinew and muscle to the blend of sweet-as Prince-y r’n’b, Chi-Town deep grooves and 80s electro-pop.
4.
CMAT – Take A Sexy Photo of Me
Every single track from your wan from Dunboyne’s third album sounds mighty and majestic. Before now, CMAT talked and strutted a great game, but Euro-Country is where she begins to find the real moxie to back up all of that. A track with more oomph and aaaaah than anything else you heard in 2025.
5.
Witch – Once In A Lifetime
Zambia’s pioneering Afrorock psych cadets turn Talking Heads’ wonky pointy-headed art-rock into a hypnotic whammy which slaps you in the mush and then attacks your feet.
6.
Baxter Drury – Allbarone
Lad pleading with the lass who jilted him at the bar to pick up the fecking phone or answer his texts. Massive big room energy as Baxter Drury leans into Paul Epworth’s production nous and finds himself throwing shapes on the dancefloor.
7.
Elliott Skinner – Recalling
Delicious, evocative and gorgeous, a song for the wee small hours.
8.
Cameron Winter – Nausicaa (Love Will Be Revealed)
You may not have expected anything quite as low-key dramatic from the Geese frontman, but the Heavy Metal solo record was proof positive that there are two sides to every story.
9.
Cleo Reed – I’ve Been Out Here Hustling
Slo-mo gospel vibes from the Cuntry album as the New Yorker strikes a tale of the modern world our way.
10.
Drug Dealer/Weyes Blood – Real Thing
A track which sounds like 1971 called and asked for its flares back, ‘Real Thing’ is truly a real thing. Dreamy, melancholic and lush, it’s a throwback serenely at peace and pace with where that vintage production is pushing it.
Best of 2025 | Albums | Guestlists | Irish Albums | Irish songs |
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
