Dissect – "Our Favorite Music of 2025"
Host: Cole Cuchna (A)
Co-host: Camden Ostrander (B)
Guest: Margot (Marg MP3) (C)
Date: December 9, 2025
Overview
This special "Best of the Year" episode of Dissect finds host Cole Cuchna, regular co-host Camden Ostrander, and music curator Margot (Marg MP3) diving into their personal favorite music and moments of 2025. The trio explores four categories:
- Favorite musical moment
- Favorite underground album
- Three favorite albums of the year, each
- Three favorite songs of the year, each
They reflect on the year’s musical diversity, highlight emotional and creative high points, and geek out on everything from hip-hop concept albums to boundary-pushing European art pop and the resurgence of indie rock bands.
General Thoughts on 2025's Music [02:00–04:20]
- Cole: Felt 2025 was an “amazing year for music” with big and middle-tier artists releasing outstanding work. Overwhelmed by how much there was to catch up on.
- Cam: Appreciated unplugging and spending time deeply with certain albums (notably Dijon and Lorde). Noted strong music carried over from 2024.
- Margot: Felt overwhelmed trying to catch up with everything, but found her true favorites were albums she kept returning to throughout the year.
Favorite Musical Moments [04:20–13:40]
Cole's Top Pick:
- Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl [06:24]
- “He sticks to his artistic guns and put on a phenomenal… probably what was very confusing performance for a lot of the people watching the Super Bowl specifically. But that is the shit I love.”
- Called it “the most watched thing ever since the moon landing… and for it to be an artistic performance with that much history and meaning, I loved it.”
Camden's Top Pick:
- Lorde's Ultrasound Tour [07:53]
- Highlighted the performance of “Man of the Year,” specifically Lorde’s vulnerability—“I couldn't, like, breath taken away... Her dancing throughout really add a lot to the album.”
- Loved Lorde’s commitment to the show’s themes, and how her narrative on stage reflected her music and personal journey.
Margot's Top Pick:
- Alex G’s “Headlights” Pre-Release Show [10:55]
- Attended an intimate, stripped-down show in a small indoor soccer field—just Alex G and his guitar, performing the new album and taking deep-cut fan requests.
- “It's one of the best shows of my life… probably the most meaningful artist in my life, if not one of them. That was just, like, the best show I think I've ever been to.”
Favorite Underground Album [13:40–27:20]
Cole: Quadeca – Vanisher, Horizon Scraper [16:12]
- Concept album combining folk, electronic, orchestral, and hip-hop influences, themed around a nautical journey.
- Highlight: “The Great Bukinawa” featuring Danny Brown as a mythical sea serpent [17:37–18:53]
- Quadeca filmed visuals for the album in the Philippine Sea to match the album’s story.
“It's a high concept album... The ocean is very interesting as an idea because it's this thing that surrounds us. It's a permanent force... mimics the way life is.” —Cole quoting Quadeca [16:33]
Cam: Backxwash – Only Dust Remains [21:51]
- Aggressive, conceptual, religiously themed Canadian rap album from a trans artist.
- “There’s this narrative of a Black Lazarus character... the religious themes, death and rebirth, and the trans experience… it gripped me for two months of this year. This was all that I was listening to.” [22:19]
Margot: Sharp Pins – Radio DDR [23:32]
- Chicago indie rock rooted in jangly pop and British Invasion influences.
- “He makes it seem… so fresh and uniquely his own, despite being so strongly influenced by some of these great bands throughout history.” [24:28]
Notable Shoutouts
- Cole: Ben Reilly (Save), McKinley Dixon (Magic Alive)
- Cam: Jane Remover (Revenge Seekers), the babe gabe (Honeypop)
- Margot: Erica De Cassier (Lifetime), James K (Friend), Nourished by Time (The Passionate Ones)
Top 3 Favorite Albums of 2025
Honorable Mentions
- Cole: JID (God Does Like Ugly), Ray Vaughn (The Good, the Bad and the Dollar Menu)
- Cam: Danny Brown (Stardust), Ash Tuesday (Ought), Nina Jirachi (I Love My Computer)
- Margot: Caroline (Caroline 2), Oklou (Choke Enough)
#3 Albums
Cole: Chance the Rapper – Starline [32:39]
- Praised as an “incredible comeback,” marking Chance’s maturity and return to independent, community-focused artistry.
Cam: Dijon – Baby [36:18]
- “Probably the best album of the century, whatever… Love his messy, romantic, honest portrait of love nowadays.”
- “Like Frank Ocean’s Blonde has children… Dijon is at the forefront.”
Margot: Wednesday – Bleeds [39:41]
- N.C.-based alt-country/shoegaze band; fronted by Carly Hartsman—“one of the greatest songwriters of my generation… random with a lot of heart.”
#2 Albums
Cole & Cam (shared): Lorde – Virgin [41:49–47:17]
- A career-high, boundary-pushing, vulnerable work.
- Cole: "It's so unique... minimalist and raw... reminds me of brutalist architecture."
- Cam: “Lord at peak form... The construction is happening and you're seeing it go on. She wasn't scared of showing herself in the middle of things.”
- Highlight: Final song “David,” explains via Michelangelo’s carving: “Carve away everything that isn’t you.” [44:29]
- “Her world-building, not just the music, but the aesthetic drive... is endlessly inspiring.” [47:31]
Margot: Smerz – Big City Life [50:25]
- Norwegian/Copenhagen art-pop duo.
- “It's so minimal… I listen to this album and it just gets me in that mindset. It’s the ultimate, like, feminine power to me.” [52:31]
Cole: Clipse – Let God Sort ‘Em Out [54:24]
- Legendary hip-hop duo reuniting in top form.
- Malice’s verses called “a masterpiece… He’s 52 or 53, just showing what it looks like to rap for 30 years… perfect hip hop album.” [54:47]
- “This is kind of the unanimous hip hop album of the year.” [57:59]
#1 Albums
Cam: Bad Bunny – Debí Tomar Más Fotos [58:41–64:04]
- Described as “a masterpiece… put it in a museum… every song is like 50 songs. He captures so many musical stylings...”
- “Definitely about Puerto Rican pride… community and family are baked into every bit of the album.”
- Intergenerational connections highlighted: sampling, lyrical callbacks, aiming for an album families can experience together.
Margot: Geese – Getting Killed [64:31–69:47]
- Young NYC indie band, “the most exciting band in rock right now.”
- “Absolutely no skips… the only record… this year I think is no skips. It just flows perfectly, the sequencing is amazing… epitome of what makes Geese exciting.”
- See the band as potential spearheads of a rock resurgence.
Cole: Rosalía – Lux [71:49–75:46]
- "Album of the decade… everything I want in art is in this album… a classical music background, everything is here."
- Praised its concept: “13 languages… you never feel like, oh she’s now singing in Japanese… it’s so fluid and organic… a masterpiece in every sense of the word.”
Top 3 Songs of 2025
Honorable Mentions
- Cole: Mac Miller – "Funny Papers," Tyler, The Creator – "Sugar on My Tongue," Clipse, Chance the Rapper, and more.
- Cam: Songs used to spotlight otherwise-unmentioned albums.
- Margot: Nourished by Time – "925," HAIM – "Relationships," Operelli – "you don’t have One Hope"
#3 Songs
Cole: Johnny Greenwood – "Theme for One Battle After Another"
- “My favorite movie soundtrack since Phantom Thread.” —“The pedal tone… represents the connection between one battle up, you know, a continuous journey of battles.” [76:59–78:02]
Cam: Nina Jirachi – "All at Once" [79:38]
- “I love my computer… we talk about anxiety, but she flips it and it’s, well, I love it, it made me who I am.”
- “It brings the whole album together…”
Margot: Caroline – "Tell Me I Never Knew That" (feat. Caroline Polachek) [82:43]
- “How it combines Caroline's more avant pop sensibilities with Caroline's deconstructed sound… the ending refrain becomes nearly a spiritual mantra: ‘It always will be, it always will be…’”
#2 Songs
Cole: JID (feat. Clipse) – "Community" [84:26]
- “A perfect hip hop song… flawless execution of generational storytelling… Malice delivers a perfect 16 bar rap verse: Put it in a textbook, study this—this is how you rap.”
Cam: Ash Tuesday – "Scab" [86:52]
- “Captures what it’s like to be a kid, young, a teenager today in America… the advice seems to be, ignore it, just keep going—even as everything is burnt out.”
Margot: Alex G – "Afterlife" [89:34]
- “He feels like a veteran… still so fresh and catchy… has every staple that makes Alex G, Alex G.”
#1 Songs
Cole: Rosalía – "Mio Cristo Piangi Diamante" [93:17–98:18]
- “One of the most beautiful things I have ever heard in my life… brings me to tears.”
- Details: A modern aria inspired by Italian opera, based on the friendship of two saints. The climax—“I take you with me always”—resolves in ascending notes expressing transcendence and devotion, followed by a candid moment of Rosalía directing her orchestra: “It's so Rosalia… you cry and then you laugh immediately.”
- “I’m glad I’m alive for songs like this.” [98:18]
Cam: Bad Bunny – "DtMF (Debí Tomar Más Fotos)" [99:22]
- “This song… the album title means ‘I should have taken more photos’—a regretful statement… captures something humanity is feeling now.”
- “There’s a choral part… he’s saying he hopes his people don’t move and die… and then, at the end, an old guy yells ‘send me mas nudes’… It’s hilarious, heartfelt, and profound all at once.” [101:54]
Margot: James K – "Play" [102:44]
- NYC underground pop artist—this track, from Friend, is “world-building within world-building.”
- “James K’s voice is… ethereal and dreamy… the drums develop from electronic to real and combine in cool, immersive ways… it makes me tap into my innermost femininity but still rocks and goes hard.”
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
Cole (on Kendrick at the Super Bowl):
“He doesn’t play the hits. He sticks to his artistic guns and put on a phenomenal… performance… so, to have that… at the most-watched event since the moon landing… I loved it.” [06:27]
-
Camden (on Lorde’s “Virgin”):
“She wasn’t scared of showing herself in the middle of things. I think a lot of times we want to be like a finished product. We're not going to be a finished product. And she was so real about that process happening and being that in the music.” [46:46]
-
Margot (on Geese):
“All so young… at such a high level… Cameron Winter’s vocal delivery, the structure… There’s no chorus, just four different verses and a refrain… the most exciting band in rock right now.” [66:47–68:43]
-
Margot (on Smerz):
“For the girls living this big city life—that’s why I connect with it so deeply… the ultimate, like, feminine power to me.” [52:31]
-
Cole (on Rosalía's “Mio Cristo Piangi Diamante”):
“There’s just songs like this… music is the highest form of art to me personally. And so when a song like this comes around, I’m just lucky to be alive.” [98:18]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- General thoughts on 2025 music: [02:00–04:20]
- Favorite musical moment: [04:20–13:40]
- Underground albums: [13:40–27:20]
- Albums of the year (#3–#1): [27:20–75:46]
- Songs of the year (#3–#1): [75:46–106:37]
Playlist
All songs/albums mentioned are compiled into a playlist (see episode description/link).
Closing
Cole, Cam, and Margot close with gratitude for the community, excitement for next year, and social media plugs from Margot (Marg.mp3 on IG/TikTok). For further listening, Cole teases a forthcoming interview episode with JID.
“We love doing this every year. Thanks for listening and supporting Dissect.”
End of summary