A compilation of critics’ year-end lists

Below are the ten songs that rose above the rest, followed by the artists who dominated 2025 by sheer weight of mentions.

10. Never Enough by Turnstile

Musically, Never Enough flows effortlessly, with dynamic shifts, rhythmic variations, and layered textures that keep the track engaging throughout. Thematically, the song dives into the feeling of never being “enough,” even when circumstances seem right. It captures the tension of internalized criticism and the sense of being trapped by your own doubts.

9. Afterlife by Alex G

Afterlife is a layered exploration of self, mortality, and transformation. The song navigates the psychological and spiritual bargains we make to cope with life, or more precisely, with the inevitability of death. Subtle mandolin and shifting chord progressions add texture, giving the song a unique, almost time-warped quality.

8. Golden by HUNTR/X

With its mix of cinematic K‑pop flair, catchy melodies, and universally uplifting themes, Golden has become a chart-topping success, resonating as both a film soundtrack highlight and a standalone anthem of confidence and self-discovery.

7. Taxes by Geese

“Taxes” is the lead single from Geese’s third studio album Getting Killed. The song follows a character wrestling with guilt, possibly from a failed relationship, who retreats inward, choosing either to dwell in self-pity or to confront their flaws and try to grow.

6. Headphones On by Addison Rae

The track swells with 2000s R&B and trip-hop influences, nodding to Madonna and Janet while folding in Rae’s own eccentric, nostalgia-tinged sensibility. Vaporous chimes, hip-swaying bass, and layered harmonies give the song a dreamy, almost weightless quality.

5. Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter

Manchild is a playful, summery pop song that balances cheeky lyricism with layered, retro-inspired production. Its 80s-tinged melodies nod to ABBA and Fleetwood Mac, while subtle country-pop inflections recall Shania Twain and early 2000s pop. Sabrina Carpenter’s lyrics are sharp and witty, roasting immature men and exes with lines like “Why so sexy if so dumb?” and “Half your brain just ain’t there.”

4. Illegal by PinkPantheress

It’s interesting to wonder how many listeners never make it past that viral opening before the song drifts into its hazy, uneasy core. Beyond the hook, the track becomes quietly intimate, with her soft, sweet vocals weaving through lyrics about paranoia, bad decisions, and the strange guilt that lingers after fleeting highs.

3. The Subway by Chappell Roan

The Subway is not trying to reinvent pop. It succeeds by doing the basics extremely well. Roan’s vocal performance is the centerpiece, elastic, emotional, and confident enough to carry a song that otherwise leans on familiar 1990s and early 2000s textures. The song slowly tightens until the outro, where repetition turns longing into release. It feels cinematic and cathartic without forcing a climax. Like much of her best work, The Subway thrives on personality.

2. Townies by Wednesday

Written from lived experience, Karly Hartzman traces how teenage gossip often weaponizes young women’s sexuality while letting everyone else walk free. The song does not rage so much as remember, capturing the sting of rumor and the long shadow it can cast, then choosing forgiveness over bitterness.

1. Abracadabra by Lady Gaga

Part chant, part pop rush, Abracadabra works like a self-cast spell. Listeners hear different things in it: a battle between light and shadow, a release from pain, or simply the joy of movement as survival. In the end, the message is simple and defiant: stop enduring and start moving.

The most mentioned artists of 2025

Beyond individual songs, the data also revealed which artists defined the year through repeated appearances across different rankings.

· Lady Gaga

· Wednesday

· PinkPantheress

· Rosalia

· Sabrina Carpenter

· Bad Bunny

· Turnstile

· Addison Rae

· Alex G

· Chappell Roan

Notably, some artists such as Rosalía and Bad Bunny appeared frequently across critics’ lists, but with different songs each time. As a result, their points were spread across multiple tracks, preventing any single song from breaking into the final top ten despite their strong overall presence.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported on the top songs of 2024.