2025 was a great year for music and as one of the NAPNET members most known for crossing genre norms (half his online identity is wrapped in Taylor Swift commentary after all) the Swemo Guy is happy to bring you a top 10 list that crosses genres because good music is good music! Agree? Disagree!? Tell me all about it!
10. KPop Demon Hunters (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film)
Alright, hear me out. Probably not the first thing you expected to read here. But sometimes, good is just good. And in terms of consumable K-Pop for an American market, this soundtrack changed the game. The layers of production alone are worth a listen for any scenster or audiophile. Without the right soundtrack the story of a trio of demon slaying K-Pop stars would have fallen flat. Instead, we get this neon-soaked collision of pop maximalism and anime intensity. It’s hyper-polished and unapologetically dramatic. But there’s genuine earworm power beneath it all. Even out of context, it rips harder than it ever should.
Standout Tracks: Golden, How It’s Done, Free
9. Taylor Swift – The Life of a Showgirl
Alright, I’m probably two for two on you guys calling “poser” now and that’s fine. I’m the Pop meets Punk guy, I know my role. I find myself defending this album as it wasn’t what people expected, but is so much better than the critics said it was. Throwing it back to dream girl pop and 70’s disco, Taylor Swift re-emerged not as the tortured poet but the biggest pop star on the planet taking a well-deserved victory lap. Taylor leans into theatricality, examining identity, expectation, and reinvention with the confidence of someone who knows the spotlight isn’t going anywhere. It’s glossy, self-aware, and sharp enough to cut through the noise. And there’s a song about Travis Kelce’ s junk.
Standout Tracks: Opalite, Actually Romantic, The Life of a Showgirl
8. Arm’s Length – There’s a Whole World Out There
Let me try to get some street cred back. Did anyone in the scene have a better year than Arm’s Length? Signed to Pure Noise Records back in February and then release their critically acclaimed second studio album in May. Arm’s Length balances emotional immediacy with massive choruses, turning introspection into something an entire room can scream along to. It’s mature, yet restless, sad, but slightly hopeful (at least by Arm’s Length standards). The lyrical content and vocal lines are haunting and beautiful and in another life would have been scrawled on my high school notebooks.
Standout Tracks: Fatal Flaw, You Ominously End, The World
7. Hot Mulligan – The Sound a Body Makes When It’s Still
I went into this album with low expectations. Something about the last Hot Mulligan record (2023’s Why Would I Watch) didn’t resonate with me. I was craving the Hot Mully we heard on Pilot and You’ll Be Fine. I think we found it, and the Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still is a return to form. Hot Mulligan weaponizes vulnerability here, and captures frantic emotional energy like no other band int he scene. It’s loud, messy, and deeply human. Plus it’s got a pretty song for Nana at the end.
Standout Tracks: And A Big Load, It Smells Like Fudge Axe in Here, My Dad Told Me To Write a Nice One For Nana So This is It
6. glimmers – The Art of Shattering
It is hardly news that I consider glimmers one of the most underrated bands in the scene. Maggie Schneider’s vocals alone should be enough to take this band into the mainstream. The Art of Shattering feels like a victory lap for a band that’s had that indie hustle for years. Alex Downtain’s production has come so far from the early days and this record puts depth into well-written pop rock. Glimmers has a knack for turning heartbreak and betrayal into something cinematic and immersive. This album sounds like the soundtrack of your favorite coming of age movie.
Standout Tracks: Back to Hell, Growing Up (I Guess), Emotional Whiplash
5. Hayley Williams – Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party
Hayley Williams sneakily dropped not just a solo album, but what feels like raw diary entries set to music. This album freely flows from funky to meditative to screaming and back again. Taking on failed relationships, quiet longings, cultural dynamics, and person insecurities, Ms. Williams has invited us into her living room with these songs. It’s all laid out bare, do with it what you will. It’s strange, bold, and intimate and a can’t miss album of 2025.
Standout Tracks: Parachute, True Believer, Love Me Different
4. Turnstile – Never Enough
Apparently, there were some hardcore purists that hated this record. These people have no joy in their lives. Turnstile continues to stretch the boundaries of hardcore music with an album that still has edge, but also catchy and well-written songs that can reach a wider audience. Never Enough is an album that refuses to cater to genre norms or the expectations of “those fans.” This album is experimental, cinematic, and a refreshing spin on the sometimes played out “more hardcore than you” norms. le le l
Standout Tracks: Sunshower, Seein’ Stars, Sole
3. Ben Quad – Wisher
This is my sleeper hit of the year. I apologize to Ben Quad, I was unfamiliar with your game. In 10 perfect tracks, they have made me a Ben Quad beliver and evangelist. A perfect emo blend of math-rock riffs and emotionally overloaded lyrics. If nothing else you should be spinning this album for the emo meta song titles referencing movies like Home Alone, Role Models, and Billy Madison. This album was on repeat for me all December long, and I’ll happily cast the first vote to see “Very Big in Sheboygan” replace Neck Deep as the emo Christmas anthem.
Standout Tracks: All Your Luck, Very Big in Sheboygan, I Hate Cursive and I Hate All of You
2. Tyler Childers – Snipe Hunter
Tyler Childers is the perfect crossover for emo and punk kids living in rural America. Tyler Childers is not following the rules of modern arena country and the world is better for it. While audiences had heard a few of these songs live over the years, having a polished version of songs like “Oneida” proved a game changer. Add in the unhinged “Bitin’ List” and self-aware social commentary of “Eatin’ Big Time” and “Poachers” and you’re on your way to a perfect country album. Tyler Childers is the modern country troubadour in the image of Cash, Nelson, Kristofferson, and Jennings.
Standout Tracks: Bitin’ List, Eatin’ Big Time, Nose to the Grindstone
1. Coheed & Cambria – Father of Make Believe
In the modern scene revival, it is very rare for me to think any of the bands that have been around for 20+ years can outshine their breakthrough albums. There’s something special about catching bands while they are young and hungry. While most bands become better musicians with age, their music doesn’t offer the same bite as they no longer have anything interesting to say. Coheed & Cambria defy that stereotype with a glorious middle finger to that stereotype. Everything old fans love about Coheed is still there, prog metal riffs, grandiose instrumentation, catchy vocals, but it seems to come with renewed focused an energy. As Coheed is famous for, the album feels at once personal and epic. Coheed has always been in the business of building a world beyond their music that attaches the listener to a very real sense of fear, hope, and love and this is no exception. This record rewards longtime fans while still inviting new listeners into its orbit, Father of Make Believe feels like a culmination of everything Coheed does best. Grand without being bloated, emotional without descending into cheesy. In a world of legacy bands riding the success of yesteryear, Coheed is still growing and evolving.
Standout Tracks: Searching for Tomorrow, Someone Who Can, One Last Miracle