Not Mariah again! New music playlists for the Christmas party season | Music

Music for festive house parties

Let’s face it: when everyone’s two improvised cocktails deep, they’ll be hollering for Pink Pony Club, and after two more, they’ll be doing Fairytale of New York in a male-female karaoke face-off. But for the early part of the party, here’s some 2025 pop, dance and rap to keep the mood buoyant.

Jim Legxacy – Father
Cardi B – Principal (ft Janet Jackson)
Dexter in the Newsagent – I Told Ya
Tate McRae – Tit for Tat
Addison Rae – Fame is a Gun
PinkPantheress – Illegal
Tyla – Chanel
Jorja Smith – The Way I Love You
MK – Dior (ft Chrystal)
Confidence Man – I Heart You (ft Eliza Rose)
Sammy Virji – Cops & Robbers (ft Skepta)
Nuovo Testamento – Picture Perfect
Lady Gaga – Zombieboy
Leon Thomas – Just How You Are
Dijon – Yamaha
Sombr – 12 to 12
MØ – Lose Yourself
Avalon Emerson – Don’t Be Seen With Me
Gelli Haha – Bounce House
Jessy Lanza – Slapped By My Life

Music for festive dinner parties

Avoid the spiritually vacant music that populates a lot of the “chilled beats” or “downtempo vibes” playlists you see on streaming services: a dinner party needs a bit more bite and humanity. Spanning hip-hop, alt-pop, indie, R&B, jazz and beyond, here’s a selection of characterful 2025 favourites that won’t dominate, but won’t just melt into the background.

Oklou – Take Me By the Hand (ft Bladee)
Banks – Delulu
John Glacier – Ocean Steppin’ (ft Sampha)
Olivia Dean – Man I Need
Durand Jones & the Indications – Flower Moon
Night Moves – Hold On to Tonight
Geese – Husbands
Cass McCombs – Peace
Jordana – Like That
Alex G – Afterlife
Fontaines DC – It’s Amazing to Be Young
Acopia – Falter
Erika de Casier – Delusional
US Girls – Running Errands (Yesterday)
Saba & No ID – head.rap (ft Madison McFerrin, Ogi and Jordan Ward)
Yaya Bey – Spin Cycle
Ady Suleiman – Never Meant to Hurt You (ft Kofi Stone)
Justin Bieber – Yukon
Makaya McCraven – Imafan
Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling, Andreas Werliin – Chahar

Music for the morning after

When it’s the morning after, and all you can contemplate is which type of stuffed crust pizza might conceivably reincarnate you, you need to be soothed as you pour tiny pools of ash-filled beer out of almost empty cans. Here’s some of the year’s best dream-pop, acoustic songwriting and more to make everything better.

Joanne Robertson – Always Were (ft Oliver Coates)
Mark William Lewis – Tomorrow is Perfect
Maria Somerville – Garden
Eiko Ishibashi – Coma
Cate Le Bon – Mothers of Riches
Jasmine.4.t – Elephant
Big Thief – Grandmother (ft Laraaji)
Venturing – Believe
Caroline – Total Euphoria
Léa Sen – lvl 1 – Home Alone
Loyle Carner – In My Mind
Earl Sweatshirt – Exhaust
Odeal – Miami (ft Leon Thomas)
Nourished By Time – Tossed Away
Nilüfer Yanya – Treason
Cass McCombs – Missionary Bell
Celestial – Mermaid Boulevard (ft Romance)
Purelink – Rookie (ft Loraine James)
Steve Hauschildt – Dividua
Burial – Comafields

Music to cook to

You don’t want anything raising the stress levels in the kitchen, but you don’t want the vibes to be so placid you end up leisurely overcooking everything. Reach for this blend of blissful funk, classic soul, folk-rock and heartfelt balladry from across the years to keep your mood on the lowest simmer.

Evans Pyramid – Never Gonna Leave You
Yōsui Inoue – Pi Po Pa
Fousheé – Still Around
Jeff Parker – Build a Nest (ft Ruby Parker)
Eddie Chacon – My Mind is Out of Its Mind
Erykah Badu – Gone Baby, Don’t Be Long
Syl Johnson – Concrete Reservation
Lambchop – What Else Could It Be
Willie Wright – Nantucket Island
Terry Callier – Ordinary Joe
Van Morrison – Natalia
The Sea and Cake – Too Strong
Laura Allan – Opening Up to You
Judee Sill – Jesus Was a Cross Maker
Arthur Russell – Nobody Wants a Lonely Heart
Laura Nyro and Labelle – Gonna Take a Miracle
Sachiko Kanenobu – Anata Kara Toku E (Far Away from You)
Joan Shelley – The Fading
Sam Dees – Just Out of Reach
The Supreme Jubileers – Standing in the Need of Prayer