Here is the Too Much Rock Top 35 Songs of 2025. This year came together pretty quickly (two weeks?) so I'm paranoid that I missed something. And speaking of which, at the bottom you'll see three bonus 2024 tracks that I didn't pick up until after last year's list was complete.
Top 35 Songs of 2025:
Horn-fueled glam stomp will forever have my heart. 
The woozy lo-fi charm of Glenn Donaldson cannot be denied.
Only Matt Pond PA can make acoustic, bright, and pristine so cozy.
The Tubs bring all the jittery strum and jangle you can handle.
The band's dangerous return to guitar-forward '90s alt rock hits the mark.
Three guitars is overkill for everyone except these power-pop perfectors.
A jangly indie pop gem that sounds so effortless and true.
A plaintive acoustic heart-tugger that's both sincere and self-aware.
Here Jeffrey Lewis is insistent, humorous, and unstoppable.
Lose yourself in this pastoral indie pop masterpiece.
Ugly and lo-fi never sounded so sweet as it does in this garage stomper.
Smell the leather as you sing the chorus to this punk 'n' roll cut.
A modern masterwork of twang, production, and lyrical wit.
Another bit of bubblegum pop excellence that I can't stop playing.
This undeniable garage power-pop number has hooks for miles.
I feel the wind in my hair and the dirt in my teeth listening to this rocker.
A phenomenal acoustic tragedy written by a man without equal.
This lush power-pop number is a delight – even if it more-than recalls the genre's master.
This rocker is caffeine in sonic form and I say thank you.
The great Midwest summed up by a ringing guitar and a snapping snare.
The infectious chorus plays four times and it's still not enough.
Twee is not a dirty word when precious pop bops this pure and bright.
A goth rock epic that bests the bands it pays homage to.
The dB's frontman puts on his Bacharach suit for an exquisitely arranged pop song.
Headline: Two-Tone Revivalists Create Dancefloor Dynamite yt
Tears tumble out of this one beside subtle banjo. I'm still crushed.
Another brilliant indie pop confection from a band that has my number.
The C86 charm is on full display with this hook-filled bop.
This buoyant pop song is nonstop breezy wonderfulness and sparkle.
Put the pedal to the metal for this driving pop rocker. Simply timeless.
A here-to-fore unimaginable balance of songcraft and lyricism.
Atmosphere gives way a revelatory chorus that lifts me beyond words.
If you like 'em big and dumb (like I do), then this is the bubblegum punk you need.
Achingly melancholic indie rock that delivers on every front.
Chiming guitars explode into a bouncing chorus that has been in my head since the womb.
And here are three tracks that came out in 2024 but I didn't get in time for last year's list. There was a lot more that I missed, but these were the very best.
Power-pop and punk rock smoosh together to deliver a slice of heaven.
A catchy AF '60s wall of sound paean to Charlie Watts we all wish we wrote.
Owen Ashworth destroys me once again with his simple twinkling chords and devastatingly sad spoken lyrics.
How I make this countdown is admittedly weird. A song is in contention if it was released on any physical media in 2025. Covers are excluded. As are songs released on retrospectives or reissues. This year I decided only one song per artist – artists with lots of good songs get recognized on the album list anyway. Using those criteria, there were 1,715 new songs to choose from this year.
I discuss tracks 1-7 on Too Much Rock Podcast #765.
And while you're here, why not check out my Top 50 Albums of 2025