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How does anyone chose literally the BEST alternative songs in 2025?

Only a professional rock music writer, record store employee or avowed masochist should actually rank the literal best songs in a year. I mean what does that even mean, “Best Song?” There are approximately fourteen billion songs written in year and I’ve only listened to half of them (joke). So I don’t attempt the hubris of canonizing the best songs in a year. These are some of my favorites. I hope you like them enough that you buy from the artists and find something new to love.

Assembling a list of alternative songs in 2025

I pick my favorite songs for this list from albums that I specifically DO NOT expect to be on my favorite records list for 2025. This is a completely arbitrary and irrational way to assemble two dozen plus of the coolest songs for you to hear, but stick with me for a second. My top albums list features a couple of songs from each of those records already. If I didn’t choose from a different pool of songs, you’d be missing out on a ton of great music. So here they are.

Leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail with the songs I missed that should have made the cut. Or stop complaining about my choices and read on!

Coolest alternative songs in 2025: Catchiest tunes of the year

I submit that this list of alternative songs in 2025 are all pretty. darn. catchy. I deliberately lean into a pop aesthetic because I want you to like me. Or do I? But the songs in the first group are ESPECIALLY likely to have you humming along like you just heard Baby Shark.

1. “Highlife” – The Sundries (The Sundries)

Insanely catchy, “Highlife” by The Sundries is possibly my favorite song of 2025. This is a band who knew how to kick off their self-titled debut. The South East London quintet wrote the jangliest, loveliest hook of the year and now you’ll never be able to forget it.

Physical copies of The Sundries ship from Subjangle on January 1.

2. “Cool Bottle Water Park” – Long Fling (Long Fling)

I am a complete sucker for layered vocals, especially on the payoff of a song like “Cool Bottle Water Park” by Long Fling. Pip Blom and Willem Smit wrote a whole album about losing their keys, couple fights and throwing up in the sink. Don’t judge, just listen.

Download “Cool Bottle Water Park” from Bandcamp.

3. “Another Planet” – Mythologen (Eurovision)

Alexander Palmestål released the album Eurovision as Mythologen. He’s joined here by fellow Swedes Jens Lekman, and on “Another Planet,” by Maria Lindén. It boasts a perfect motorik rhythm for your next adrenalin-fueled road trip across Europe.

Buy Eurovision the album not the movie at Bandcamp or at Mythologen’s label YEAR0001.

4. “Dub Vultures” – The Convenience (Like Cartoon Vampires)

I’ve separated “Dub Vultures” by The Convenience from the first song on this list, “Highlife.” Otherwise your head would explode from wicked hook-writing. It reminds me a bit of Paul Westerberg’s early melodic numbers like “Within Your Reach.” Not stylistically, but the way the song foreshadowed The Replacements future direction. High praise, The Convenience!

Buy your copy of Like Cartoon Vampires by The Convenience.

5. “I Fold” – Annual Leaf (Beach Toy Library EP)

I could have picked a couple of numbers from the terrific Beach Toy Library EP by Annual Leaf to include in this first batch of insanely catchy songs from 2025. Here is “I Fold,” with its Kinks aesthetic, classic 60’s riff and just a hint of temporizing dolewave.

Check out Melbourne’s Annual Leaf!

Next up: OMIGOSH I’ve heard of them!

We may not be visiting Oasis songs on this blog (not that there’s anything wrong with Oasis). However there are a few bands with great songs from 2025 you may have heard your cool older brother talk about. At ZeroVU, we don’t believe more obscure is better. So let’s see if any of these songs are by bands that seem a little more familiar.

6. “Dream Destroyer” – Sloan (Based on the Best Seller)

Sloan isn’t turning out hits like the late 90’s and early aughts, when they may have been the best record-for-record band on Earth. But our classic rock revivalists were back in 2025 with Based on the Best Seller. “Dream Destroyer” had a super Beatles riff complemented by irresistible and slightly ironic “woo woo’s.”

Get Based on the Best Seller from Sloan’s website.

7. “Everybody Laughs” – David Byrne (Who is the Sky?)

If only every song on Who is the Sky? leveled up to “Everybody Laughs.” From the delightful instrumentation (is that a marimba?) to David Byrne’s inimitable vocals, this is an instant, stone cold classic. Boy oh boy do I wish Kilby had secured Byrne as a headliner this year.

Get Who is the Sky? from David Byrne’s website.

8. “June Guitar” – Alex G (Headlights)

In the excitement of early Headlights single “Afterlife,” I felt drawn to the quiet, sublime “June Guitar.” Alexander Giannascoli is the preeminent singer-songwriter of his generation. That we can enjoy this kind of artistry from Alex G after his move to a major label is a great relief.

Order Headlights from Alex G’s website.

9. “Peace” – Cass McCombs (Interior Live Oak)

From America’s most heralded singer-songwriter, to the criminally under-appreciated Cass McCombs. The NYC artist has been releasing indie classics and folk rock for nearly 25 years. Why the hand-wringing? Listen to the sublime, slyly 70’s BOC influenced “Peace” from Live Interior Oak.

Buy Interior Live Oak and explore Cass McCombs deep catalogue at his website.

10. “No Love” – Matt Berninger (Get Sunk)

What do I care that Matt Berninger is the brand ambassador for sad dad rock? I’m a sad dad, so I guess take this endorsement for what it is worth. “No Love” comes from that same space as 2010’s “London,” a song during the last 15 years I have listened to more than any other.

I’m not clear if you can buy Get Sunk from Matt Berninger’s landing page so go to Bandcamp.

11. “Cataract Time” – Destroyer (Dan’s Boogie)

I’m not exactly the FOUNDER of the Dan Bejar fan club but I do work to get closer to his music. Does that make me a Try Hard? I don’t know. But the triumphant “Cataract Time” from Dan’s Boogie has a sweet guitar line underneath – and saxophone! – that give me all the Roxy Music feels.

Buy your copy of Dan’s Boogie by Destroyer.

12. “My Oh My” – Dana Gavanski (Again Again EP)

I nearly selected Dana Gavanski’s Late Slap as my #1 album of 2024, and it is still right up there. She includes so many unexpected flourishes in her compositions, like the dissonant keyboard step on “My Oh My.” Would love to see her play live in SLC.

Buy 2024’s Late Slap or the new Again Again EP from Gavanaski’s Bandcamp page.

Coolest alternative songs in 2025: Wait I thought that song was …

We’ve all done it. If we didn’t think a song was ACTUALLY composed by Supertramp, we were still fooled for a hot second. Nothing wrong with that, maybe it reinforces your power of association. Or perhaps you’re growing senile. The next few songs pay tribute to bands paying tribute to bands.

13. “Tabs” – Agora Sci-Fi (Finding It Hard to Explain Something So Obvious EP)

The bridge on “Tabs” with its military cadence was enough to make me fall in love with Agora Sci-Fi. Between “Tabs” and “for Jandek” you might think you’re hearing an unearthed Breeders demo. However this is the superior work of Illinois State University animation professor Nathania Rubin.

Buy Agora Sci-Fi’s new EP from the Subjangle label at Bandcamp.

14. “Sleep Scaries” – Spooky Boys (Endless Bummer EP)

Do I think it is entirely possibly Spooky Boys grew up never having heard The Walkmen? I absolutely do. But maybe unlikely. Portland’s indie pop upstarts have a rousing presentation on “Sleep Scaries” and I hope they make their way east to Salt Lake City. They’re so good!

Buy the Spooky Boys Endless Bummer EP!

15. “Too Easy” – fatal plate (fatal plate)

In the notes I make to myself about music in Evernote I wrote of fatal plate, “Strokes-y jangle rock.” Such are the simple ways I try to remind myself of what I was listening to. Lexington, Kentucky’s fatal plate are much more than a salute to 00’s indie rock and I suggest you check them out.

Buy a copy of fatal plate’s debut here.

16. “The Lights Are On” – Cloakroom (Last Leg of the Human Table)

I love rich, moody guitar lines like this one on “The Lights Are On” by Indiana’s Cloakroom. It immediately transports me to the heart-stopping riffs on Chrome by Catherine Wheel, one of my favorite shoegaze bands of the 1990’s.

You can get the latest from Cloakroom at Bandcamp or the website for Closed Casket Activities.

Alternative country and Americana

I didn’t do the most amazing job in the history of the world keeping track of alt country artists in 2025. I wasn’t completely absent – they’re reflected here and will be on my Best Albums list, but I wish I had listened a little more broadly in this part of the world. Here are a couple of songs you shouldn’t miss.

17. “Star of Hope” – William Tyler (Time Indefinite)

Certain songs are so impactful they imprint the place and time upon you when you first heard them.* William Tyler’s instrumental “Star of Hope,” stylized as a high church gothic hymn, left me standing still to hear how it resolved. I take back my earlier commentary — this may well be my favorite song of the year.

Buy Time Indefinite at William Tyler’s website.

*I was hanging patio lights along my backyard fence this summer

18. “Screaming Song” – Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by Turtles (S/T)

Former Low vocalist, Alan Sparhawk toured and then recorded with Duluth colleagues Trampled by Turtles after the passing of his wife. “Screaming Song” is the emotional center of the album. Nearly as heartbreaking as Sparhawk’s lyrics are the final backing vocals by his grieving daughter, Hollis.

It looks like you can buy Alan Sparkhawk and Trampled By Turtles at Low’s website.

Coolest alternative songs in 2025: I need to visit Indonesia

Little did you know that Indonesia is a veritable hot bed of indie pop. Perhaps this isn’t suprising to anyone but me, since the islands are home to almost 300 million people. A few good Southeast Asian labels that I follow: Disanorak Records, Faster, Chaotic Pop (Slogan: “Twee as fuck!”) and Paska Records. And there are probably 200 that I don’t know about yet.

Here are a couple of songs they introduced me to this year, with apologies I haven’t included more.

19. “I Deserve More Than a Maybe” – The Silent Love (single)

Ganesha Mahendra Nurdin has been performing as The Silent Love for more than a decade. I have listened to the year’s most infectious sing-along on “I Deserve More Than a Maybe” approximately a billion times this year. Not clear on the choice of publicity photo.

Buy The Silent Love’s latest single from Jarkata’s Disanorak Records.

20. “Distraction” – The Interpretation Cultures (The Interpretation of Indiepop Cultures EP)

The Interpretation Cultures have been releasing music on Bandcamp all year and this pop gem is one of the best. Also – boy I love this album cover. Here is their jaunty little number, “Distraction.”

Check out some of the terrific indie pop The Interpretation Cultures have been releasing this year.

Coolest alternative songs in 2025: This section has no theme

I couldn’t batch the rest of these songs into a clever sub category. Why am I doing that in the first place? I’ll be honest it is strictly to help the search algorithms favor my micro micro micro blog with some visibility. A lot of these are jangly but half this list is jangly, so let’s just get to it.

21. “Conmovedor” – Marinita Precaria (Conmovedor EP)

For a hot second I wasn’t sure if I’d have a Spanish language song on my best songs list. Never fear, Marinita Precaria comes to the rescue! Just like last year, when her album Un Vaso De Agua made my list of 2024’s top alternative albums. “Conmovedor” translates to “Touching,” which Marina Gómez Marín describes as a love song and about “parties too.”

Go back and invest in 2024’s Un Vaso De Agua or this year’s Conmovedor EP at Elefant Records.

22. “Goodbye Rock n Roll” – The Telephone Numbers (Scarecrow II)

San Francisco’s The Telephone Numbers grace us with this year’s best “la la la la la” vocals. “Goodbye Rock n Roll” is a gentle, lilting song that walks the fine line between indie pop and power pop ballad. Classify it however you like, but have a listen!

Buy Scarecrow II by The Telephone Numbers from Bandcamp.

23. “Satisfied” – Jeanines (How Long Can It Last)

From The Telephone Numbers San Francisco indie pop to some jangly Massachusetts folk rock by Jeanines. Fronted by band namesake Alicia Jeanine, there is something sweetly menacing about the two-minute burst of retro pop on “Satisfied.” How Long Can It Last may well make my 2025 Best Albums list.

Get a copy of this super record by Jeanines at Bandcamp.

24. “Chocolate and Cars” – The Leaking Machine (Sound on Sound)

Birmingham’s The Leaking Machine are a trio of indie pop vets who originally planned to call themslves Rockingham and their record, The Leaking Machine. Whether because there are two dozen bands called Rockingham or some other reason, they made the original album title their new band name. What does it matter? Bliss out to “Chocolate and Cars,” which boasts gorgeous “aaaah’s” worthy of Teenage Fanclub.

This is where you can buy The Leaking Machine’s Sound on Sound.

25. “Shout” – The Limiñanas (Faded)

Let’s wrap with a pump-your-fist-in-the-air arena chorus from France’s The Limiñanas. Faded includes guests like Jon Spencer, Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream and, for “Shout,” Timothée Régnier aka Rover. This surfy anthem is as good as it gets, from a band that deserves to play venues as big as they choose.

Order Faded from The Limiñanas website.

…and that’s a wrap. You’ve got 25 of the coolest alternative songs in 2025. Will I get my top 2025 albums list posted before the stroke of midnight on January 1? We shall see!