Best of 2025 | Albums | Guestlists | Irish Albums | Irish songs |
Morgana is the solo electronic pop artist with the mantra “Prepared to party, ready to cry?” and in 2026, she will reunite with Gemma Doherty for a once-off gig playing Where I Should End on Friday 6th March with Crash Ensemble’s string quartet.
Here are Morgana’s top tracks of 2025.
1.
Baby Smith – Adored
Chances are, if you’ve bumped into me walking around over the last few weeks I was singing this song to myself. It’s so catchy, their voices are so tight. I saw them live recently and couldn’t believe how close their vocals were to their recorded performances. Watch the video, they might be your new favourite band.
2.
Rosalía – Mio Cristo Piange Diamante
This song is a masterpiece. The instrumental is incredibly moving but the star of the show is Rosalía‘s vocal performance. I can’t get over the way she plays with pace and tone. Her voice is so strong in parts and so fragile seconds later. I love the little croak that she sings through around 1.30. I’m going to keep that in my head as a reminder not to scrap the takes where your voice cracks, or you feel like the clarity is compromised. Rosalía uses that tension as another route to emotion. A world class performer. Every time the song finishes I find myself saying ‘wow’ out loud to nobody.
3.
Was Man – Millers Crossing
Sometimes the best songs are the simplest. This is a no frills song with perfect story telling and a heart shattering voice. Please sit down outside with a cold beer, close your eyes and let the lyrics take ya.
4.
Red Stamp – Dancing With My Baby
I love everything Aoife Nessa Francis does. No surprise I am head over heels for this track – her first release with Núria Graham and Brendan Doherty under the moniker Red Stamp. The guitars are so warm and lush, the vocals have such a clear tone but still dreamy as fuck? I just wanna sit in this song all day long.
5.
Lord Ormond – Saint Laurent
The first time I heard Saint Laurent, I was in my parents’ kitchen, in the early hours of the morning after a show. Suddenly everyone was on their feet, eyes locked and bodies moving. It’s a song so full of atmosphere that it can shift the energy in an instant. Lord Ormond is a singular artist with an uncompromising vision. His live show is a lesson in world building, full of thwarted proposals and crying, verging on the uncomfortable. The 4th wall will not be broken. It’s what I aspire to. x
6.
CMAT – Lord, Let That Tesla Crash
A killer album full of killer songs with killer lyrics. They’re all brilliant, and everyone knows that but this song in particular felt like a punch in the belly followed by a hug in the bath. I keep thinking about the lines;
“I don’t miss you like I should but I kissed you all the times I shouldn’t have.”
&
“i don’t miss you like I should but I’d kill myself to find out if you think this song is good”
They hit me on a level I didn’t know existed. Listening to this song I felt like Ciara was pulling up the curtain and letting everyone see my insides.
7.
AE MAK – We Came From Stars
Ae Mak is a magnetic performer and her songs are knitted with every bit of her charisma. On stage and off she has a little glint in her eye. It’s clear she takes her playfulness seriously. I’ve often found myself watching her on stage taking mental notes so that I can practice the same kind of movements myself later on. She’s carefree but very deliberate. Similarly her songs feel so light but very considered. I could pick out so much from this song to highlight but one lyric I keep coming back to is “but she’s such a joyful girl”. She really is.
8.
Hannah Cohen – Una Spiaggia
There are so many beautiful songs on Hannah Cohen’s latest album, Earthstar Mountain. Within the first 40 seconds of the record on her track ‘Dusty’ she delivers the lyric, “I heard somebody say, ‘Be as lonely as you wanna be / Cause everywhere you go now / there you are’”. But the part I keep coming back to, the beginning of side B is Una Spiaggia. It’s more segue than a song but it does so much with so little. It’s worth listening to even just to marvel at how moving a simple ascending vocal can be.
9.
Rory Sweeney – Morning Song (ft. Risteárd ÓhAodha)
I hear a lot of romance in this track with a heavy dose of Celtic mysticism. It’s so visual I can practically touch the morning mist. It’s a track that keeps moving, just when you think you’ve got a handle on it you’re somewhere else. I’m head over heels for those synthetic keys sounds. If you’re as taken with this song as I am, I recommend listening to Andreas Vollenweider – Behind the Gardens, Behind the Wall, Under the Tree.
10.
Lily Allen – Tennis
The day West End Girl came out I was in the studio in London. By the time I’d finished up my session and started my journey to the airport, my phone was already buzzing with messages from friends quoting lyrics, urging me to listen. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt that excited to listen to a record. On the Thamselink I closed my eyes and hung on every single word. On this album (which feels closer to a play at times) Lily Allen does what she does best; on the nose story telling with insane hooks and melodies. Tennis is a stand out for me. “And who’s Madeline” will surely go down in history as one of the most satisfying lines. What a pay off at the end of a gorgeous chorus.
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.
