12/28/25 BEST OF New Noize 2025 on 92.9 KJEE Santa Barbara's Modern Rock
1. Pile "Bouncing in Blue"
2. Westside Gunn "R TRUTH"
3. Miso Extra "Good Kisses"
4. ROSALÍA "La Rumba Del Perdón"
5. Sorry "JIVE"
6. Clipse & Tyler, The Creator "P.O.V."
7. Bonobo "Dark Will Fall"
8. FKA twigs "Room of Fools"
9. Sabrina Carpenter "Never Getting Laid"
10. Wednesday "Bitter Everyday"
11. Wet Leg "pillow talk"
12. Mei Semones "I Can Do What I Want"
13. Shrine Maiden "And I Arise (Reprise)"
14. Japanese Breakfast "Mega Circuit"
15. billy woods "BLK ZMBY"
16. Deafheaven "Heathen"
17. Tortoise "Oganesson"
18. Lifeguard "Ripped + Torn"
19. Geese "100 Horses"
20. ear "The Most Dear and The Future"
21. Horsegirl "Switch Over"
22. They Are Gutting a Body of Water "trainers"
23. bar italia "Cowbella"
24. Snooper "Star *69"
25. Tyler, The Creator "Stop Playing With Me"
26. Deerhoof "Sparrow Sparrow"
27. Oneohtrix Point Never "Lifeworld"
28. SUMAC & Moor Mother "Scene 4 (feat. Sovei)"
29. HighSchool "Peter's Room"
30. Die Spitz "Throw Yourself To The Sword"
31. Khadija Al Hanafi "DJ HANAFI"
32. Water From Your Eyes "Playing Classics"
33. Deftones "Milk of the Madonna"
34. Turnstile "NEVER ENOUGH"
35. Flying Lotus "GREEBLES"
36. Σtella "Omorfo Mou"
37. Manslaughter 777 "Die In The Night"
38. Swans "Red Yellow"
39. Ora The Molecule "Prince Of The Rhythm"
40. Mogwai "Lion Rumpus"
41. John Maus "I Hate Antichrist"
42. Moon Panda "Butterknife"
43. Darren Korb "I Am Gonna Claw (Out Your Eyes then Drown You to Death)"
44. KATSEYE "Gnarly"
45. Kenshi Yonezu"Iris Out"
46. Big Thief "Los Angeles"
47. Florist "Moon, Sea, Devil"
48. DJ Haram "Loneliness Epidemic"
49. TWICE "THIS IS FOR"
50. Tame Impala "Loser"
Not On Spotify:
21. Horsegirl "Switch Over"
26. Deerhoof "Sparrow Sparrow"
37. Manslaughter 777 "Die In The Night"
WE DID IT! New Noize 2025 was an interesting run full of twists, revelations, surprises and so much new music. I played over 1300 new music tracks this year. My writing got a whole lot better after I learned how to weaponize ChatGPT as a grammar processor. People I respect retired. Others got laid off. I got laid off. I made deep personal connections. Some lasted, some didn’t. Anime officially went mainstream & the Wu-Tang is still forever.
Let’s talk Best Of New Noize 2025.
OMA do you know how hard it is not to look at social media this time of year? I avoid it completely so it doesn’t corrupt the list. You always see the same critical consensus recycled across Rolling Stone, Fantano, etc. This year still overlaps but it felt way more diverse than usual.
FYI: the live set went 50 to 1, and the Spotify playlist(minus artists who don’t stream there) & write up runs 1 to 50.
I can get critical but I’m trying something different. Let’s get into it.
1. Pile: What a record! Sunshine and Balance Beams was there for me when no once else was. It articulated my inner dialogue where no human ventures. I LOVE THIS RECORD. Pile has a number of albums under there belt but this is their greatest project to date. This is why I am grateful for music. It rips.
2. Westside Gunn: Griselda stayed busy as hell this year. Three albums deep, wrapped in controversy, WWE theatrics, and art imitating life in the most ironic way possible. Heels Have Eyes 1, 2 & 3 is an ambitious run that few MCs could pull off, and Westside Gunn does it effortlessly. The sample work, the wordplay, the features! Everything is coming off the top rope.
3. Miso Extra: How is Earcandy not on everyone’s top 10? This is one of those records people will “discover” years from now and pretend they were early on. It’s incredibly well-constructed and completely effortless in delivery. Front to back, it takes you on a journey that makes you want to dance wherever you are. If you need a party record, this is it. Miso Extra is probably ghostwriting for pop stars and if she’s not, she absolutely should be.
4. ROSALÍA: This is on everyone’s top 10, if not their top 5, for good reason. It’s that good. Completely opposite of Motomami, yet still unmistakably Rosalía. This is what happens when an artist works against the grain and has the resources to execute their vision flawlessly. Critics with far better pens than mine have already covered LUX in depth, and all I’ll add is gratitude.
5. Sorry: Cosplay is one of those rock records that’s hard to pin down because it dips into so many subgenres track to track. Every song could be a radio single—on a major station or an independent outlet. That kind of flexibility without losing identity is rare.
6. Clipse: Let God Sort ’Em Out is a perfect hip-hop record. Pharrell producing every track is what launched this into legendary territory. Pusha T has always been active, but getting his other half back for a full Clipse project is exactly what hip-hop needed in 2025.
7. Lazarus OST: This one’s a bit deceptive. Bonobo is only 1/3 of what’s happening here. This track lives inside Lazarus, the anime created by Shinichirō Watanabe. If you know his work (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo), you know music is a central character. For Lazarus, he went all in: Bonobo, Kamasi Washington, and Floating Points each made full albums. Three albums. One soundtrack. Watanabe highlighted tracks episode by episode, and it hits hard.
8. FKA twigs: My imaginary music wife was extremely busy this year, dropping not one but two records: EUSEXUA and Afterglow. If you can’t get to the club, don’t worry twigs brought the club to you. Picture condensation dripping down Berlin warehouse walls, bass rattling your ribcage, her voice taking over all your senses as you overload into bliss if only for a moment. It feels nice.
9. Sabrina Carpenter: Sabrina Carpenter understands the modern American woman’s perspective better than almost anyone right now. If you’re a man in a failing relationship, listen to this immediately and move forward accordingly. Cheeky yet personal is hard to pull off, and she does it with ease. I’m single, Sabrina. Future muse availability pending.
10. Wednesday: What the fuck is this and why do I like this? Bleeds is a country-adjacent alternative rock record made by white people that somehow taps directly into brown and Asian angst. It feels like jumping into a car that’s hot and stuffy but in a good way. Uncomfortable, familiar, and addictive.
11. Wet Leg: This record is sexy AF. Moisturizer is nothing but hits front to back. And the music videos? Easily the best of 2025. Brash, explicit, fun, and honest, Wet Leg rubs into every inch of your skin whether you’re ready or not.
12. Mei Simones: I knew Animaru was going to land high on my list. The songwriting and sonic palette tap into a wide emotional range, but discovery is the dominant feeling. Song after song, you feel like you learned something new about music, about structure, about restraint and most importantly about yourself.
13. Shrine Maiden: Los Angeles noise/doom metal duo Shrine Maiden pushes sound to the farthest reaches of your insides on their Halloween release A Theory of /Cloud/. This is music that tests the metal of your speakers and your tolerance friends tolerance of your closets friends in the best way.
14. Japanese Breakfast: Another modern-day classic delivered in real time. Melancholy, warmth, and that unmistakable Japanese Breakfast magic. Pair this with a live performance and you’re holding onto that feeling for years. Americana with clever whimsy only they can pull off.
15. billy woods: Another artist who had so much to say he dropped two records in 2025, and neither went unnoticed. If Sith Lords existed in hip-hop, billy woods’ saber would glow deep red. Golliwog cuts with sample heavy menace, while Mercy glides smoother but still rides roads with no streetlights.
16. Deafheaven: Drilling straight into your third eye, Deafheaven’s whirlwind style takes you on a journey that fatigues your soul in all the right ways. It’s punishing, meditative, and expansive, music that demands endurance.
17. Tortoise: 2025 saw the return of many bands, but none more anticipated than Tortoise with Touch. The constant pressure across each track, built slowly and effortlessly, opens vast imaginative landscapes. This is sound as architecture.
18. Lifeguard: Noisy garages, gear hum, and nostalgia wrapped in feedback. Ripped + Torn dives deep into that comfort zone where chaos feels safe and possibility hums in the background.
19. Geese: Getting Killed became the critics’ darling and rightfully so. Geese shine a light on the ridiculous American circus we all live in, somehow managing hope without denial. Also: it just straight-up rocks.
20. ear: Clocking in under 16 minutes, this proves quality beats quantity. This snack-sized record could feed a blue whale during Ramadan. Dense, intentional, and deeply satisfying.
21. Horsegirl: If Horsegirl’s album were a spades game and guitar riffs were trumps, you already know what I’m saying.
22. They Are Gutting a Body of Water: Chaotic but fun would be red flags for most potential suiters but not when it come to LOTTO, wipe right and dive into crashing cymbals, blown-out tones, and waves of feedback that somehow feel welcoming.
23. bar italia: You know the cool kids: beat-up Converse, cracked leather jackets, cigarettes in the bathroom. That’s who you’re rolling with on Some Like it Hot. Plug in and don’t ask questions.
24. Snooper: Third Man Records keeps finding delightfully aggressive rock bands drenched in fuzz. Worldwide shakes you awake and doesn’t apologize.
25. Tyler, The Creator: This guy is always cooking up something and according to the mistro himself says sometimes you gotta put out the music as it. Coupled with this notion that its fine to just spaz out and dance no matter how hard you think you are is a central theme throughout Don't Tap the Glass.
26. Deerhoof: San Francisco legends making real moves pulling their catalog from Spotify shortly after Noble and Godlike in Ruin. I own most of their records, and yes, that’s a flex. Deerhoof stands on business and sounds fearless doing it.
27. Oneohtrix Point Never: I thought I was alone on this record until a random show conversation turned into a full-on praise session. Avant-garde textures layered into thick electronic atmospheres. Music that feels like it exists beyond our solar system.
28. SUMAC & Moor Mother: Soft is not a word anyone uses for SUMAC or Moor Mother. Their collaboration on The Film turns abstract noise metal into something cinematic. Like Kubrick, this will be dissected for years.
29. HighSchool: I’ve been waiting for this self-titled record since 2024, and it delivered. Absurdly addictive, packed with earworms that make you want to ride your bike at 2 a.m. for no reason.
30. Die Spitz: Driving a monster truck through Walmart would have consequences. Listening to Something to Consume achieves the same emotional release minus the felony.
31. Khadija Al Hanafi "DJ HANAFI": My new obsession. OK blends heavy beats, strong samples, and serious dance-floor intent. This stayed in constant rotation.
32. Water From Your Eyes: Not dance-rock, but adjacent enough to confuse expectations. It’s a Beautiful Life stands out as a unique gem. Indie rock with confidence and weird charm.
33. Deftones: Some bands loose what makes them "them" but not the deftones. They manage to keep making quality records that stand on their own, then you realize they might be one of the best rock bands to ever do it. They prove this unrelenting truth track after track on private music.
34. Turnstile: One of the most exciting bands in the game brings you another modern classic on NEVER ENOUGH Being a man in his mid 40s feeling the same things as teenagers is weird AF but proves that no matter what age you are, we are all in it together. I got to see them this year with at a elks lodge with a crew of 10+ of people and there are no words.
35. Flying Lotus: Wrote, directed, and starred in ASH of course FlyLo did the soundtrack too. He basically gave us another album and built a movie around it. We’re all just living in his world.
36. Σtella: Vacation music matters. If you can’t travel, Σtella will take you there hopscotching through familiar global themes, filtered through dream logic.
37. Manslaughter 777 : Aggressive electronic music that isn’t noisy but feels like it is. Much like God’s World, everything floats.
38. Swans: Sounds like drinking from the goblet used on Goblin’s Suspiria soundtrack. Psychedelic horror doesn’t begin to cover it. Hypnotic and punishing.
39. Ora The Molecule: A masterclass in dance music. This record demolishes the competition. Put on something shiny and play it loud after hours.
40. Mogwai: Not back-to-basics this builds on everything Mogwai has ever given us. Heavy self-reflection throughout, forcing the listener to confront themselves.
41. John Maus: After a seven-year hiatus, John Maus couldn’t hold it in anymore. Listening to Later Than You Think might be the most patriotic thing you can do
42. Moon Panda: I don’t smoke cigarettes, but if you miss ashing while disco ball reflections blind one eye in a low-lit lounge Moon Panda’s got you. Dance barefoot at home or dressed to the nines in public.
43. Darren Korb: Hades II was my favorite game of 2025. The sequel surpassed the original, and the soundtrack is central to gameplay, narrative, and progression. Absolutely incredible.
44. KATSEYE: This was the most streamed song on TikTok. Gnarly was a turning point for this k-pop experiment that has captured the world. The ladies of KATSEYE future looks promising, I'm talking Black Pink/Spice Girls promising. Gnarly will go down as one of those moments of 2025. Highlight is Lara Raj. This Tamil tigress and #1 vocal is consistently serving and has become and an ambassador of all things South Asian.
45. Kenshi Yonezu: Anime officially went mainstream in 2025. Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc was my movie of the year, and music is core to that universe. “Iris Out” fit perfectly.
46. Big Thief: Double Infinity doesn’t sound like past Big Thief and that split fans. I loved it. Creating new American ballads is a tall order for any band to tackle and you may get one or two on a record but Big Thief decided to go all in and do an enter record of ballads.
47. Florist: Like fabric softener that cuts when it wants to. That might not make sense and that’s okay. Be yourself. The world will turn regardless.
48. DJ Haram: Had to rep New Jersey. As a Muslim, it means a lot to include DJ Haram’s breakout Beside Myself. Want a boiler set that makes you sweat just listening? Lock in.
49. TWICE : The future of K-pop is in good hands. Forget the rumors, TWICE is here to replace brain rot with undeniable pop joy.
50. Tame Impala: Kevin Parker goes inward on Deadbeat. Less atmosphere, more structure. A steady flow state to survive whatever nonsense is happening around you.
See you next
Peace out my people…
