Slate Daily Feed What Next | 2025: The Music of the Year
Jan 1, 2026
Julianne Escobedo-Shepard, a music critic and co-founder of Hearing Things, joins Lindsay Zoladz, a pop music critic at The New York Times, for an insightful discussion on the standout music of 2025. They dive into their favorite albums, including Cleo Reed's and Lido's genre-blending works, as well as high-impact live shows. The conversation highlights Bad Bunny's cultural ambition, Rosalia's orchestral Lux, and the evolving role of K-pop. They also explore the resurgence of rock with Geese and the dynamic state of hip-hop in this vibrant musical landscape.
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Live Shows Made Albums Click
- Lindsay Zoladz says seeing Geese and Water From Your Eyes live changed how she connected with their albums.
- Live performances unlocked deeper appreciation and made the records feel like personal favorites.
Bad Bunny's Imperial Love Letter
- Bad Bunny's 2025 album is a deliberate, high-ambition celebration of Puerto Rican musical history and identity.
- The record blends salsa, bomba, plena and reggaeton into a contemporary, globally successful statement.
Genre Melting On A Grand Scale
- Rosalia's Lux collapses genre lines by mixing orchestral, flamenco, pop and multiple languages into a single ambitious work.
- The album signals that major pop statements in 2025 can be non-English and highly referential yet widely celebrated.
