- I'm a pretty big Audien enjoyer and I'm excited to listen to his 2nd album here, First Love. However, even though you can hear the classic Audien instrumentation and drop progressions, it's just so bland and effortless. There was a song that I liked in there that had potential but honestly I'm too lazy to remember which one. One of the lead singles "Wish It Was You" was released like a year ago I feel like, that one is okay. I feel like this album badly needs a remix compilation because they have serviceable songwriting just really plain and unintriguing drops.

Rating = 5/10

Favorite Tracks = "Wish It Was You"

10/15 = Virtual Riot - Stealing Fire (Remixes)

- I mean this is just a remix album and a lot of these were previous singles. So to not repeat myself, I'll talk about "Holding On To Smoke - Franky Nuts Remix" which is aight like I definitely always prefer the original in the context of the album. Now "Star Destroyer - VIP" is SICK I love the pacing in the drop and that octave jump is SICK like this is a really great VIP right here. All the other tracks that weren't singles are mid and im not gonna tlak abt it cuz its not worth it.

Rating = 6/10

Favorite Tracks = "Nights On Fire (2024) - Skybreak HALF BLOOD Remix", "Believe What You Want - Tokyo Machine Remix", "Star Destroyer - VIP"

10/17 = SIPPY - Scars In Stereo

- Australian producer SIPPY who's known for some really punchy bass-hosue tracks has come with this album and I'm not gonna lie it's just bad. Like everything is not moving and the melodies are just lackluster and the production feels so generic. Like lowkey everything sounds like an NCS track from 2019 like some Lost Sky tracks and it just offers a whole lot of nothing. That said, I did like the rapping and wubs on "Next Up"

Rating = 3/10

Favorite Tracks = "Next Up", "Ashes"

10/24 = Martin Garrix - ORIGO

- This 8-track EP from Martin Garrix is really just that target Martin Garrix sound with some pretty nice progressive house tracks. Unfortunately it doesn't offer much more than that and I don't have many takeaways. I liked the drops on "Our Time" and "Butterflies", both of which I believe were prior singles.

Rating = 5/10

Favorite Tracks = "Our Time"

10/24 = Guy Arthur - MIND OVER MATTER EP

- Guy Arthur has entered and this one is really d&b heavy whilst maintaining that classic Guy Arthur pace and high-energy style. This EP lands really well with me, I love that catchy groove on "OUTTAMYMIND" as thats what I know Guy Arthur for. "ANYBODY OUT THERE" also has a really good lead and drop, and then the other 2 tracks in the EP are relatively mid. So some tracks in here to add to my rotation, really good work here from Guy Arthur.

Rating = 6/10

Favorite Tracks = "ANYBODY OUT THERE"

10/24 = The Chainsmokers - Breathe EP

- We have another rather lackluster EP from The Chainsmokers. They always manage to sneak in some solid tracks and grooves though, as "Smooth" landed in my rotation and "Helium" and "The Cure" are also not bad. Other than the rest of the tracks are pretty mid and plain. Tbh the whole album is plain, just that sometimes the plainness has a nice melody in those tracks.

Rating = 6/10

Favorite Tracks = "Smooth", "The Cure", "Helium"

10/24 = Just A Gent - THE_BIG_TRIP EP

- Just A Gent is back and continues with this experimental design. There's some really intriguing work in here, but nothing that feels whole or versatile. I especially liked that garage d&b 2nd drop on "machine_age" with those brutal stabs and its such an interesting atmosphere with those heavily reverbed synths in the background. "streeetched" is also an interesting track as I love the transitions and it actually has a really neat progression.

Rating = 6/10

Favorite Tracks = "streeetched", "machine_age"

10/27 = F.O.O.L - The Future EP

- F.O.O.L leads this midtempo genre bubble by a mile,, and here he creates the best EP/LP I've ever heard from this genre. This atmosphere with the punchy basses and guitars and such an intention to the progression within of each track is so precise. I've mentioned this before but F.O.O.L stands out to me through this really block form of progression where each 4 bars is so different than the previous yet the transitions are so crispy and seamless like it's just truly brilliant work with the pacing, and throughout this EP we see no different.

- Now the EP sonically is just some classic midtempo work andsometimes some sawwave elements. It does stray away and experiment with some really unique drops, most notably in the first drop in opening track "The Future" we have this rather jumpy and glitchy, blippy design that isn't really in your face. There's some rock influence in "Overdrive", phonk elements in "Drifter" and those legato, smooth bells in "Desolate" that I feel like is a subgenre within Midtempo like I've heard this exact sound and track before. The closing track "Redshift" is another masterpiece with these synth pad punches that are just SO PEAK and the buildup is probably what adds so much flavor to them. I also just love the subdivisions and fast fills that F.O.O.L employs everywhere throughout this EP to drive the pace, like you really start to notice it.

- This 6-track EP perfectly and masterfully executes this The Future idea within this Midtempo soundscape and it's cohesive and it explores a lot of guitar solos and blends in outside elements too. Definitely an EP I'm going to constantly revisit in the future when I'm in the mood for some Midtempo/phonk/sawwave.

Rating = 8/10

Favorite Tracks = "Damage", "Redshift", "The Future", "Drifter", "Overdrive"

11/3 = Mr. Bill - Mr. Melanzana

- Mr. Bill strikes again and I'm always intrigued to hear his work. This time there's a heavy instrumental focus with a more somber atmosphere. A ton of microdrops and tingling samples that create such experimental and unique drops. There's also just a ton of space and gaps between all the sounds so that's really how this album is cohesively to me. There's not too many grand drops or progressions but that's the aesthetic ofthis album. I really was a fan of Mechanomorphic with some vocals and big drops as it was the perfect blend of his experimental design with commercial structure. Definitely not hating on this album tho, just not too much for me a lot of these songs are too experimental and purely instrumental.

- I really did enjoy the sound design in tracks like "Sporidium" with that click drum pattern and the pacing and lead in "Pentimento" as it's quite extravagant with so much ear candy and embellishments everywhere.

Rating = 6.5/10

Favorite Tracks = "Pentimento", "Sporidium", "Detritus"

11/7 = Sam Gellaitry - ANYWHERE HERE IS PERFECT

- Sam Gellaitry's musical journey has been transformative to say the least, and it feels like it culminates into so much hype around this grand, mature, celebratory "ANYWHERE HERE IS PERFECT" album. The singles itself came out with this fresh, upbeat, and insanely catchy groove and I think that's what sold this album so well for me. These vocals and production in these singles are so captivating and are the peak of Gellaitry's work. He fully leans into incorporating pop and disco elements into his previous experimental work and this just creates a joy of a listening experience.

- So with this album, we have such a sonically cohesive piece of work around this repetitive looping type oldschool production and synth design and then man the vocals are so great. The pacing of the vocals add so much depth and keep the groove so catchy. These progressions are also just simple and do the job and man these hooks and vocals are SO GOOD like in "START UP A RUMOUR" like it's just so catchy and with that upbeat instrumentation it's just so peak. And you can just hear the progression in Sam as he evolves into this electro-pop act, as "ON&ON" and "NERVOUS" and other tracks keep that classic Gellaitry synth solo. Also in "SCAR / A NEW VOID" we hear that experiemental side in that B-section of this 6+ min track.

- With that being said, I was disappointed with some tracks as they were rather low-key and uneventful (like "CLOUDS", "DANGER!", "SCAR / A NEW VOID"). Though it does add a nice form of pacing to the album, I was expecting more bangers from the non-singles but there weren't many deep cuts.

Rating = 8/10

Favorite Tracks = "START UP A RUMOUR", "ON&ON", "CURIOUS (feat. Toro y Moi)", "LOVE ON ME", "SCAR / A NEW VOID", "DON'T TRY", "NERVOUS"

11/7 = CloudNone - LOST TAPES

- A pretty standard album from CloudNone here, with 18 tracks totalling to 44 min runtime. There's lots of instrumentals and drawn out progressions and nothing really stuck out to me. Nothing too flashy and no vocals anywhere so it's kinda hard to find some grounding for this album.

Rating = 4/10

Favorite Tracks = "on the floor", "Everything U Need", "All I Want"

11/11 = Synthion - Lone Wolf

- We have some classic Synthion melodies and tracks here and a lot of these tracks are really vocals dominant which I like. However, these tracks don't have too much EDM influence and feel like some anime opening soundtracks. I wish there was room for some synth breaks (like in "Lone Wolf") which I'm used to from Synthion, and when there are synth breaks its usually guitar solos. There are some nice moments here and there but this album does lose a lot of EDM roots which personally doesn't connect with me.

Rating = 4/10

Favorite Tracks = "Lone Wolf", "Shine"

11/14 = Said The Sky - Closer To The Sun

- Said The Sky comes out with a 12-track album and there's really not much that differs from expectations here it's just a vanilla-leaning melodic bass electropop type album. I do think "Stolen" with Elijah Noll has a really nostalgic summertime lead and theme. That's my favorite from the album, "Are You With Me" is also solid. Other than that there's a lot of tracks that are just plain mid with repetitive vocals and lackluster progressions.

Rating = 6/10

Favorite Tracks = "Stolen", "Are You With Me"

11/21 = Skrillex - hit me where it hurts x EP

- Skrillex comes out with EP to round out his year and they're longer, more drawn out tracks and collaborations as compared to the previous F U SKRILLEX album in April which was like a DJ set. Many of these tracks are the full versions of the 'demos' shown in F U SKRILLEX like "while you were sleeping" and "voltage".

- These tracks lean heavy into the techno/slaphouse or idk what subgenre of house this is im blanking. But it's that really almost hardstyle abrasive style of house. Because of this I do gravitate towards the previous F U SKRILLEX album this year. However this EP is still some great work, as the lead single "fuze" with ISOxo has this insane somber intro that pulls into a nasty brostep drop with several fakeouts. My favorite track is the full version of "voltage (see you again)" in which I can't figure out which version is better as both of them are so great in their own rights. I love the melodic dubstep drops that Virtual Riot has and man I'm just taking this for granted BECAUSE VIRTUAL RIOT AND SKRILLEX COLLABORATION. ON VOLTAGE. That's beyond a great way to start wrapping up this year. Also, notice how the EP starts and ends on that raw piano. I love that detail.

Rating = 7/10

Favorite Tracks = "voltage (see you again)", "fuze", "while you were sleeping"

12/4 = Space Laces - Vaultage 004

- Space Laces is here with 32 songs totalling to 34 min, reminiscent of that Skrillex April release. I'm starting to really like this format, and with this release we have more high energy drops but this one just has too much of the same genre like its just constant dubstep and growls and stabs and distortion. I liked how the Skrillex album had some pacing to it with different features and just so much variation with the genres and synth choices. There were whole, melodic, future bass integration and this one is just constant riddim throughout the 30+ tracks and it lacks substance. So it starts to hurt ur head after a while. There are 3 tracks that differ tho: "WORM TIME" with that trap execution and hollow lead is some classic isoxo progression, "SHAOLIN FIST" has such a unique drop with those constant switching back and forth and the samples add a lotta depth too, I liked this 58 second track. And then finally"LOOSE ENDS" with that dance house drop is such a breath of fresh air and I love the big buildup into it, added that track to my rotation.

Rating = 4/10

Favorite Tracks = "LOOSE ENDS (MIX CUT)", "SHAOLIN FIST (MIX CUT)", "WORM TIME (MIX CUT)", "UNTOUCHABLE (MIX CUT)"

12/12 = Seven Lions - Asleep in the Garden of Infernal Stars

- We have a highly captivating album here from Seven Lions, I mean just the lengthly album title itself is a bit unsettling and drew my attention. This album does a fabulous job at distinctly combining several key EDM genres into one album. I mean we have literally synthwave/midtempo in the opening track, chilled out stutter step on the 2nd track, then a shift to D&B on track 6 - "From Beyond" and then this sick electrohouse bass in "So Far Away". I just love that saw bass so much despite the progression being relatively mid. AND THEN WE HAVE THIS 6/8 TRACK IN "Cold as Snow" like I just love the 6/8 application in this track as sometimes it feels forced but I just love how it pulls the progression in and out and this track contains that unique Seven Lions progression as done in "Strangers" where it all just builds up except in this track I didn't really feel a proper grand final drop or resolution like I do in other tracks with this structure. Then I'm gonna speak about my top track of this album which is not "Breaking Me" but actually "Past You" feat. Oaks and that drop with those synths are just so vintage and nostalgic it reminds me of vintage Seven Lions and melodic dubstep like WOW and then when the progression and vocals all comes together at the end it's just straight peak and a masterpiece of a track. It's just so versatile. I also did enjoy the closing track "Breathe It Out Slowly" as the vocals and that square analog synth are quite strong.

- Now with that being said this album really does explore many big genres whilst mixing in some commercial standard tracks too. The vocals throughout the album are also very strong except I noticed like all of them are female vocalists. Maybe it could use some variation but there's nothing rly wrong with that to me sonically. Anyway, this album did exceed my expectations, as so many of these progressions are really intentional and grand. And then that track "Past You" and how everything comes together so satsifying really does stand out to me, like holy cow its so satisfying. I anticipate having that in my rotation for a while.

Rating = 7.5/10

Favorite Tracks = "Past You", "Breaking Me"

12/12 = Au5 - Beyond Light EP

- Au5 continues with his tear of EPs and I'm starting to get a sense of these themes because when I listen to this EP the word "super" and "hyper" comes to mind. One of the tracks do contain the word "Super" but what im trying to go at here is that lowkey these EPs dont have any vocals and have like these Pokemon type definitions and identities and this one is jsut "hyper" just based on the sound design and production. The Starflame EP can be attributed to fire and the Emberwake EP is like normal or hyper type. Anyway, this EP has 5 tracks and the first one is this insane mindblowing microdrop like holy cow it is probably the most micro drop ive ever heard. Then the 2nd track reminds me a lot of Ace Aura and I love the pacing in that 2nd drop. But this EP starts to really live up Au5 standards on track 3 in "Intro Ascension" where the entire track and 1st drop just sounds like a mess of sounds and blips before that melody just straight up unites everything in that final drop like it reoslves the progression so nicely and it makes this track so fking captivating cuz every time its just like edging me to that final drop like that melodic theme is SO STRONG in this track. And then this momentum carries to "Superluminal" with this Teminite Unbreakable EP sort of reminiscent freestyling like these drops are so elaborate and worthy of future listens. And then the closing track Astralize which is just pure sound is a neat way to end off the EP, and overall this is some highly respectable work with some standout tracks to add to my rotation, I'm once again mindblown by Au5's sound design and his ability to keep up with his standards.

Rating = 7/10

Favorite Tracks = "Superluminal", "Intro Ascension", "Spyre", "Astralize", "Light Sound Form"

Conclusion

October

Let's go into our standout tracks beginning with October, and my roommate actually played this song in the car "Pocket Rocket" and it was just insantly super catchy and I liked how spontaneous the drum work felt, and it's been in my rotation ever since.
Then, Kim Petras with "I Like Ur Look" just absolutely steals the show just a pure ear worm with the hyperpop elements, it reminds me of Brat a lot and I can't wait for the LP to come out and for me to talk more about it.
And then "Say It To Me" by SABAI is the track I'm most excited to talk about because WTF !!!! SABAI is a great artist but he's always just lakced so much potential and always took the safe route for this tracks. His North Star EP was carried by great songwriting and then he would just slot in the most lackluster drops and not think of anything to expand on the songwriting. It felt so formulaic and unintentional. And then out of nowhere here he just drops this BOMB with multiple vocalists, really long progressions through the drops, and then most importantly we have A BRIDGE and AN OUTRO like are you kidding me?? All of SABAI's songs have this potential right here, just what an amazing blend of vocals and a really deep progression in this song. The runtime is pushing FIVE MINUTES which is seriously just so shocking coming from SABAI. One of the top tracks of the year. That final chorus feels like a ballad, like a march. There's adlibs and vocal embellishments, and theres drop fakeouts, AND THERES A GUITAR SOLO and it just feels so grand and emotional. This track makes me wanna believe in humanity like this is some early 2010s type songwriting and chorus releases and when I mean release just like how the chorus releases itself at the end to go into that final piano outro. It's just so intentional and there's so much depth and emotion like this song has me so proud and reenergized for SABAI's music career like he coudl become a legend if he keeps up this type of effort and everything. Also the artwork is really cute too.
Then, Mazare, SadBois, Carter Rubin comes out with another feel-good, edmrock fusion track with a really catchy chorus and buildup. Just a really round track overall and the instrumentals and adlibs match the energy.
Now we move on to yet another Sam Gellaitry single and this one continues to have that swirling production but it feels a lot more hollow and glittery this time. The progression really peaks in those falsetto sections like its so catchy and impossible not to sing along with. So versatile, could use maybe a bit of expansion but man that falsetto just takes it far enough.
Then there's 3 tracks from The Future EP from F.O.O.L which I'm a huge fan of I just love the creative sound design and modularity in the production.
And then we have RetroVision with "Lose You" which is this anthemic future bounce/bass track with such a nostalgic and emotional vocal hook and drop. After this song man RetroVision's versatility and timelessness needs to be studied like he just has to be one ofmy top 5 artists because he's been dominating this future bass game for so long and he keeps evolving and capitalizing his sound. This song has a simple structure and progression but the simplicity kicks so hard because the progression and drop is just so anthemic and melodic. That 2nd drop fake-out is great too and great way to stack the vocal at the end as the outro.This song is so contagious and one of RetroVision's best works which is a real accomplishment considering my standards for him
Now Jack Shore has entered with a very contagious and melodic country-edm track. The chorus is spectacular as it feels like after every phrase the vocals have room to breathe and the progression just comes together so nicely with that synth solo B-section and you can just hear the musicality and creativity that Jack Shore rocks in this section. So elite and uplifting and just feel-good vibes and I really do enjoy the repetitiveness and spontaenousness of that synth solo.
October was an amazing month with 10+ standout tracks, and what a way to finish it with "BLUE2TH" with this mind-bending, swirling drop. It's chaotic and colorful but there's that vocal sample that drills everything home and honestly the sound design is just so out of this world that it really doesn't matter how chaotic it is. That first drop just comes out of nowhere and it still hits me every time. Absolutely insane track here from Moore Kismet and I love this era for Kismet.

November

BIZARRAP IS BACK with his 1st music session of 2025 and its yet another big name in the latin scene: Daddy Yankee. Though it lacks depth in basically every aspect musically and lyrically, the drops and horns do drive a great theme and melody. Also I like the creativity with that slowdown on the 2nd drop, and so it's really hard not to have this as a staple standout. Just slightly disappionted considering Bizarrap's insane standards.
Then we have "ON&ON" and "voltage (see you again)" which we talk about earlier in the album reviews. Man "ON&ON" is so groovy like the pickup notes for each phrase. It's a top-tier verse with those falsetto hits in the chorus.
Finally, we have runThis with "SET IT OFF" and this artist went by a previous alias I forgot the name but with this track that I discovered from Bowtied Media, THIS ARTIST IS ON MY RADAR. Because this is pure capitalizaion of the bass house movement. The samplings are crisp and the buildup has an insane atmosphere, and then it's such a heavy drop. It's like a giant stomping with the sidechain and pulsing like that's how heavy these hits feel in the drop and I love everything about it. This is an up and coming bass house artist right here and these drops are so crispy and aren't just ur usual bass hosue slop like they ahve these stutter step leads with so much ear candy and counter melodies and it's honestly just so much energy and stimnulation.

December

dreamr., Daye, ehren are here for "PLAY PRETEND" which has a very catchy prechorus and paired with the future-house production that we all know from dreamr. is really just enough to make this a standout. Objectively speaking it's really hard to be in tune with this opinion, butsomething about that prechorus is so catchy and the sweeping production matches the energy so well
Then we have 2 tracks from albums, and then Vylet Pony's "No Matter What" 2025 edition. It's really hard to have this track not be a standout given such a strong foundation in the vocal progression in that verse like it just always hits. This time in 2025 Vylet Pony opts for a super long buildup into this explosion of a drop and the climax is the ending. Really enjoyed the creativity in this track and melodic dubstep elements.
Bizarrap drops AGAIN and this time with "J Balvin" which is really exciting. This one lives up to his standards yet again with this really somber and almost seductive backdrop. The vocal progression into the chorus is also really solid, and I love how that 2nd verse moves with the rapping as it really adds a lot of pace. Then we have that CLASSIC Bizarrap outro and it's just so sick everytime as it repeats the theme one last time and you can just sense that the song is ending but it's so sick the way its executed every time.

Top 5 Albums - 2025

HERE ARE YOUR TOP 5 ALBUMS OF 2025!!!!

7/11 = Vylet Pony - Love & Ponystep
1/17 = Knock2 - nolimit
4/1 = Skrillex - F U SKRILLEX
11/7 = Sam Gellaitry - ANYWHERE HERE IS PERFECT
7/11 = Skybreak - HALF BLOOD

Honorable Mention

Dabin - Aura Park

Apr 18

8/10

Honorable Mention

F.O.O.L - The Future EP

Oct 27

8/10

Rank 5

Skybreak - HALF BLOOD

July 11

8/10

Rank 4

Sam Gellaitry - ANYWHERE HERE IS PERFECT

November 7

8/10

Rank 3

Skrillex - F*CK U SKRILLEX YOU THINK UR ANDY WARHOL BUT UR NOT!! <3

April 1

8.5/10

Rank 2

Knock2 - nolimit

January 17

9/10

Rank 1

Vylet Pony - Love & Ponystep

July 11

10/10

We have Vylet Pony taking the #1 spot with a 10/10 album, which is something we don't get every year. I only have 4 10/10 albums, 2019 = Good Faith, 2021 = Nurture and Simulation, and now 2025 = Love & Ponystep.

Now for tracks, with the last quarter of the year, we will NOT be revealing the updated rankings for tracks, this will be put out in a post: Top 10 tracks of 2025.

With that being said, here's the rankings up to Q3 for reference:

Vylet Pony - Falling in Love With a Corporate Illustration [July]
Sam Gellaitry - START UP A RUMOUR [August]
Knock2, Sophia Gripari - my melody [Jan]
NEPTUN3, redwater - NONSENS3 [Feb]
Jesse Barrera, EJEAN - Ambulance [June]
Trivecta, Armen Paul - Someone You Forget [Jan]
Skybreak, Subten - STONE KOLD [June]
EJEAN, niko rain - Ocean Blue! [September]
JVNA - Aphrodite [August]
Dabin, Blanke, Lø Spirit - Night Bloom [April]

Lots of candidates in this Q4 to shake things up, will Vylet Pony stay at #1 ?

AND THAT IS IT FOR 2025. Sorry that this has to come in June 2026, but I am staying on track kind of with 2026 and everything will come out eventually. All in all 2025 was an average year for EDM. With a 10/10 album release you really can't ask for too much more but we got that Sam Gellaitry, Knock2, and Skrillex albums that really carried throughout the year. There wasn't much else tho like no Porter or Madeon or much from Virtual Riot or idk like Monstercat also was kinda mid this year. Nonetheless, really happy to close out this year. Stay tuned for the top tracks of 2025 post!

Revisit this year:

Lyric(s) of the Post:

Vylet Pony - Jester

Find something on my blog

My story

2025 Q4 new EDM

October 1 - December 31 NEW EDM:

Skrillex
Martin Garrix
Sam Gellaitry
Seven Lions
Top 5 Albums of 2025 revealed
+More!

Singles

🗑 TRASH 🗑

MID

GREAT

🔥 FIRE 🔥

Albums/EPs

Conclusion

Top 5 Albums - 2025

Comments

Post a Comment

2025 Q4 new EDM

October 1 - December 31 NEW EDM:

SkrillexMartin GarrixSam GellaitrySeven LionsTop 5 Albums of 2025 revealed+More!

Singles

🗑 TRASH 🗑

MID

GREAT

🔥 FIRE 🔥

Albums/EPs

Conclusion

Top 5 Albums - 2025

Comments

Post a Comment

Skrillex
Martin Garrix
Sam Gellaitry
Seven Lions
Top 5 Albums of 2025 revealed
+More!