loading . . . Music Listened in 2025 Here's some of the music I've listened to in 2025 — things in regular rotation, things from a while ago that I've revisited, and new (or new-to-me) music I've added to my library of digital downloads/CDs.
## New Listens
### Charli XCX
I've listened to Charli XCX since before _Vroom Vroom_ came out, but as is often the case with artists I like, I've been moving quite slowly through her discography. I hadn't given _Number 1 Angel_ a proper listen, but I currently have “Lipgloss” on repeat. I love the over-the-top, scratchy synth design, and I actually tried my hand at recreating the lead part, to some success. Looks like the key is something that has a bright, buzzy formant — I tried using a kick drum-based wavetable, and some oscillator sync.
### Fire-Toolz
Fire-Toolz' first album, _Interbeing_ came out in 2017. I first heard of her with 2018's _Skinless X-1_ , and while I bought _Interbeing_ shortly after, I never really got into it until this year. This is common with me — Autechre, for example is pretty much my favorite group, but it took me a long time to get into albums other than _Confield_ and _Draft 7.30_. This year I found that I actually really like the first track on _Interbeing_ , “Yellow Rose-Fire.”
### William Fields
I got to see William Fields live with Autechre in Philadelphia this October, and this next one is actually a live recording of that concert! It was very cool to see live, and I'm glad he decided to release the set. It's available here on Bandcamp. William Fields uses REAPER's JSFX scripting tools to create custom interfaces for glitchy, rhythmically uneasy algorithmic music. [1]
### Autechre
At the very end of 2025, I got Autechre's most recent live album, _AE_2022–_. It's taken me the longest to get into their live albums. The sets tend to be a long, monolithic performance that slowly morphs from one idea to the next over the course of an hour or more. Both in my composition and listening, I tend to prefer short and succinct, but after experiencing such a set live, I have a greater appreciation for the duo's live work — it feels more familiar now, and takes me back to a good experience I had.
Another reason I hadn't gotten this particular album is that (at 19 tracks of around an hour each) it's usually fairly expensive. It turned out that at the end of December/beginning of January, the Bleep listing of the album was on sale for half price, and I ended up buying and enjoying it. It has me interested in re-listening to the Philadelphia set I attended, or hearing some other sets from their 2025 North America tour — would be cool if they release those.
### Kelley Sheehan
Kelley Sheehan is a composer whose work I've admired for a while. She pulls from a mix of underground noise music and contemporary classical performance practices, and her music has a wild riot of colors and strange sounds. I actually wrote about her composition “Talk Circus” for no-input mixer and percussion in my composition dissertation, along with a few other pieces that use audio equipment as instruments. I'd been wanting to have a release of hers I could buy from e.g., Bandcamp, so I was excited to see her release _new ears_ with the Hoodwink Duo.
### Meljoann
Meljoann describes their music as “hyperjack” — i.e., a hyperpop-like cousin of new jack swing. They released _Status_ early this year, and I've been enjoying it a lot. “Translate Me” has a thick, detuned bass against floating synths and vocals, and a reggaeton-like beat. “Data Ghost” has trap hi-hats, a funky synth bassline, and an 80s power pop-like guitar solo in the middle. It's all very fun and danceable, with a healthy dose of chaos and genre-bending. Note that in addition to more well-known platforms, including Bandcamp, you can buy this album directly from the artist, via their Faircamp page! [2]
## Regular Rotation
While I did listen to some new music this year, most of my listening has been familiar, comfortable things. Some of those tracks:
### Autechre
* “Dropp”
* “VL AL 5”
* “Tapr”
* “Gantz Graf”
* “qplay”
* “Altibzz”
* “V-Proc”
* “plyPhon”
* “Fol3”
### Fire-Toolz
* “Soaked: Another Name for Everything”
* “✓ iNTERBEiNG”
* “Experience ☆ Slips ☆ Away”
* “Screamography”
* “Second Life”
* “Response To Subdivisions ☾”
* “✓ BEiNG”
* “Clear Light”
* “觀音 Prayer For The Abuser (abridged)”
### William Fields
* “Doquado”
A fun note on this list is that my spouse and I used ”Altibzz” as background music in a video we showed at our wedding! My spouse told me they just wanted something that wasn't too cheesy, and I find this track to be hauntingly beautiful, and was happy with how it turned out.
## Revisited
### Subtle/13 & God
Subtle and 13 & God are both groups I loved in high school, and I've been listening to them again this year. Both groups are related: 13 & God is a collaboration between Doseone and Jel of Themselves and Subtle (and of other groups from the Anticon experimental hip-hop collective), and members of The Notwist. Both Subtle and 13 & God perform a mix of early 2000s alternative hip hop, trip hop, and indie rock, with rapper Doseone performing in a strange, dense style with dreamlike, abstract lyrics. I've been mostly listening to 13 & God's self-titled debut, and Subtle's _For Hero: For Fool_.
## Postscript
Thanks for reading! If you also listen to any of the artists on this list (or similar ones you think I might like) I would love to hear about it — I have comments, email, and a webmention field below. Until next time!
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1. Here, by “algorithmic,” I'm not referring to LLMs or related technology. Rather, as far as I understand, Fields uses probability and more ”classic” algorithms such as Markov chains — algorithms he has set up, rather than tools trained on others' work. ↩︎
2. Faircamp is a tool for creating a music streaming/download sales page directly on the artist's website, allowing listeners to pay the artist directly. ↩︎
https://reillyspitzfaden.com/posts/2026/01/music-listened-in-2025/
