ThisIsTheMusic

2025 has been an outstanding year for single releases. These tracks are the soundtrack to ThisIsTheMusic’s year. This Top 40 isn’t about algorithms or hype cycles; it’s about songs that connected, endured and demanded to be replayed. From swagger-fuelled indie anthems to introspective slow-burners, these are the singles that defined 2025 for us.

Payola – Pulse Jet Man

A jet-fuelled blast of swagger and soul, Pulse Jet Man surges forward on a wall of guitars, propulsive rhythm and Dave Farley barking truths straight down the mic. It’s confrontational without being hollow, confident without arrogance. It’s Payola at full throttle. Confrontational and euphoric, this is a modern indie-rock anthem.

The Rosadocs – Bittersweet

Sun-kissed melodies mask a subtle emotional ache as The Rosadocs deliver one of their most refined moments to date, balancing introspection with warmth, pairing thoughtful lyricism with a chorus built for shared moments rather than solitude. Bittersweet glides effortlessly between indie charm and introspection, proving the band can hit hard without raising their voice.

LOCK-IN – Against The World

Defiant and driven, Against The World captures LOCK-IN at their most focused. Built on urgency and belief, the track surges forward with clenched-jaw determination, as towering guitars and relentless drums carry a hook that refuses to let go. The chorus feels like a rallying cry, whilst the song maintains a sense of unity: standing tall when everything pushes back. A statement track that thrives on resistance and momentum.

Marseille – History

Big emotions, bigger ambition. History is Marseille leaning fully into their cinematic instincts, blending swirling guitars with a soaring, emotionally charged chorus. There’s romance and reflection in the lyric, but the sound is future-facing. This isn’t nostalgia — it’s evolution and sees Marseille balance reflection and ambition with the confidence of a band hitting their stride.

Hannah Mazey – I’ll Be Fine

Warm, honest and quietly powerful,  I’ll Be Fine sees Wigan’s Hannah Mazey turning vulnerability into strength. The arrangement is delicate but deliberate, allowing Hannah’s vocal to lead with emotional clarity, allowing every lyric to land. It’s the kind of song that sneaks up on you, offering comfort rather than answers. Proof that strength sometimes comes from simply admitting you’re not there yet.

Bendricks – Lost On Time

Bendricks excel at emotional punch, and Lost On Time might be their most refined moment yet. Shimmering guitars meet reflective lyricism, capturing that strange feeling of being stuck between who you were and who you’re becoming. It’s melodic, melancholic and utterly sincere. A track that rewards repeat listens, revealing new details with every spin.

Tuesday Night Whites – Time

Time captures a restless urgency, driven by crisp guitars and a rhythm section that keeps everything moving forward, proiding the song with a real swagger. Tuesday Night Whites balance introspection with momentum, letting the song breathe while still pushing toward a hook that quietly lodges itself in your head. When the chorus hits, it bursts into something truly anthemic—big, sweeping, and designed for singalongs. There’s a lived-in honesty to the delivery, making it feel immediate and relatable. It’s a bold hypnotic and anthemic single, that sets the Preston 5-piece up for a big 2026.

Elijah Jenkins – Stay Tonight

Smooth, soulful and effortlessly cool. Stay Tonight captures the raw unfiltered painfully of a lost love, sending the listener on a roller coaster of emotions. Elijah’s powerful vocal takes centre stage and the looseness of the guitar playing, playing really adds to the emotions of the song.

Tres Kings – Scuba Diver

Playful, punchy and packed with personality, Scuba Diver bounces between sharp hooks and off-kilter charm, blending sharp rhythms with off-kilter melodies. Tres Kings refuse straight lines, crafting a track that rewards curiosity and confidence.

David Fraser – Reality TV

Sharp social commentary wrapped in a punchy indie framework. Reality TV skewers modern culture with wit and intelligence, balancing biting lyrics with undeniable hooks. Fraser’s observational edge cuts deep without losing its sense of fun and making the message stick without sounding preachy. Clever, catchy and quietly cutting.

Lost City Soul – Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

Uplifting without being naïve. Lost City Soul build patiently, layering groove and emotion until the track blooms into something genuinely empowering. It’s soulful indie rooted in belief and movement, encouraging risk without preaching. Warm, polished and full of heart.

Death Of The High Street – Solid Ground

Grity, grounded and defiant indie rock with purpose. Solid Ground faces uncertainty head-on, built on post-punk tension, combining driving guitars, groovy basslines with a chorus built on resilience. There’s grit and determination in every note — no gloss, no gimmicks. Just a band carving their own path with conviction and unshakable resolve.

Kathmandu – Different Life

More reflective and emotionally weighted than first impressions suggest, Different Life captures that restless urge to break routine and chase something truer. Kathmandu blend melodic guitar lines with a sense of quiet yearning, creating a track that feels both personal and relatable — an understated but resonant moment in their catalogue.

Ryan Redwood – Forever

Big feelings, bigger hooks, emotionally rich and timeless. Forever is a blistering track that finds its fire in the grind of everyday life. The relatable lyrics act as a rallying cry for the monotony of modern life, which is reflected in the gritty, powerful vocal.

The Scenesters – The Ride

Fast, fearless and full of adrenaline, The Ride lives up to its name capturing youthful chaos with driving guitars and a shout-along chorus. The Scenesters sound like they’re living every second — and that energy is infectious. Pure indie escapism done properly.

The Rafters – Stuck On Your Frequency

Stuck On Your Frequency is a blistering slice of Rock’n’roll. It’s high octane pace is relentless, driven by big hooks and a driving rhythm section that is designed to get you bouncing.

Those Heavy Souls – Come Alive

Acoustic based singles have never sounded as driven or explosive as Come Alive. A soaring release, built around chiming acoustic guitars and pounding drums, is backed up by the kind of sing along chorus that would make festival goers well come alive. The chorus in particular, showcases Craig Lewis’ powerful vocal in all its glory rising above the instrumentals and drawing you in.

SKAL – The Whites

Explosive, fierce and guaranteed to get indie dance floors bouncing, SKAL’s second single is epic, thrilling direct indie with a punk edge bite. Guitars twist and explode with tension and packed with swagger that’s full of pulse, paranoia, and purpose.

Stereo Silence – Morse Code

Urgent and tightly wound, Morse Code pulses with modern indie energy. This tune struts with attitude, packed with buzzing guitars and a chorus that begs to be shouted back at full volume. It’s indie rock confidence turned all the way up — familiar in spirit, but with a sharper, modern edge.

Standard Sound Project – Forever Now

Former The Institutes frontman Reid Currie, got his solo project off to a flying start with a song packed with chiming guitars, an anthemic chorus and a melodic powerful vocal. It’s punchy, euphoric and restless 

Siracuse – Chase The Morning

Dreamy, dance-y psychedelic anthem, that combines shoegaze with 90s Britpop influences. Packed full of euphoric energy, hazy guitars, pulsating rhythms and a chorus built on optimism. A song about choosing progress when standing still isn’t an option.

Fiona Lennon – Trouble Sleeping

Intimate and quietly devastating. Trouble Sleeping turns restlessness into poetry, Fiona Lennon’s restrained delivery letting every word land. Subtle, sincere and deeply relatable.

Callum Codd – A Change Gunna Come

Rooted in soul and reflection, A Change Gunna Come carries weight and warmth. Callum Codd delivers belief without bombast, crafting a song rooted in perseverance and quiet determination. Reflective, hopeful and genuinely uplifting.

Jamie Higgs – Peace In Your Sound

Warm, reflective and beautifully measured. Peace In Your Sound is an upbeat foot stomping anthem. Wrapped up in shimmering guitars and a vocal that carries both power and vulnerability. I guarantee you’ll be singing the chorus before the song finishes.

Tom Collins – Scars

Unflinching and emotionally raw. Scars confronts toxic cycles with honesty and courage, balancing vulnerability with strength. A brave release that refuses to look away.

Hometown – Get Out The Cold

Debut singles don’t get much better than Get Out The Cold. But that’s exactly what Bolton four-piece, Hometown have down. Direct, driving and full of northern grit, this track hits with a real urgency. With its lived experience of moving away from home, this is a no-nonsense indie rocker built for packed floors and totally relatable.

Grace Calver – Milk

Raw, intimate and unflinchingly honest. Milk is a witty self-aware slice of  Britpop-inspired indie pop that is highly infectious. Jangly guitars throughout, soundscape the track with relatable lyrics about life’s daily chaos.

Decade – Lady

Bold, brooding, and beautifully self-assured, Lady, unravels with a cool, shadow-drenched composure, delivering an infectious melody and a chorus that lands with a real punch.

Ventrelles – Emily’s Song

Tender storytelling done right. Emily’s Song feels personal and unguarded, sincerity driving every note. Bright chiming guitars, provide the song with a dreamy soundscape, with a rhythm section packed full of groove, giving the song an upbeat and euphoric sound, that only seems to come from Manchester.

Holy Coves – Falling Down

Rich, emotive and beautifully textured. Falling Down pairs heartfelt lyricism with sweeping melodies, capturing vulnerability without losing strength. Thumping drums, pounding bass and an infectious guitar riffs see Holy Coves deliver a track that is both expansive and deeply personal 

Bacci Pouch – Running Around

Bright, breezy and infectious, Running Around, from Brighton’s Bacci Pouch is highly infectious, capturing  youthful restlessness. 

Park Drive – Chase

A swagger-filled indie anthem bursting with confidence and bite. Park Drive, show there’s more to Essex than fake tan and reality TV shows. Chase hits with sharp riffs, that have the same swaggering style of peak Oasis and and infectious melody, that you just cannot ignore this modern day indie anthem proves that Rock’n’roll is alive and kicking.

The Drop Jonnies – Green Chick

High-energy, hook-heavy indie chaos. Green Chick captures early-2000s spirit with modern urgency. It’s loud, hooky, and impossible to ignore.

The Radio Addicts – Scroll My Life Away

A sharp reflection of digital overload from a a teenage band from Bolton, who are clearly living this experience. Catchy, clever and uncomfortable in all the right ways. Indie punk rock holding up a mirror to modern life.

Sunset Ruins – Leave It All Behind

Melodic and uplifting , Leave It All Behind, is a massive heart on your sleeve indie anthem full of soaring guitars, driving drums and plenty of swagger! The south London based 4-piece want to leave their mark on the grassroots indie scene and based on the strength of this single they will do exactly that!

Joanna –Gardeners World

35 years after being on the cusp of something big, Manchester band Joanna came waltzing back with Gardners World, a track full of swagger and an addictive groove in the bassline and drums. There’s even time for a trombone solo! Delicate textures are blended with softly picked guitars, that will leave you transported back to the late 80s indie scene, with punchy lyrics that remain relevant to the modern era.

Wild Oceans – Bloodbaths

Dark, dramatic and ambitious. Bloodbaths balances chaos and control, cinematic without excess. A bold, immersive statement.

The Marches – Don’t Fool Me Twice

Don’t Fool Me Twice is driven by chiming guitars and a steady, purposeful groove that carries real emotional weight. The Marches strike a balance between melodic warmth and lyrical resolve, capturing that moment of clarity after lessons are learned. The chorus lands with confidence rather than drama, giving the track a grounded, assured feel. It’s focused, honest indie songwriting that quietly sticks with you.

The Cases – Leaving Behind

Reflective and melodic, Leaving Behind captures transition and release. The Cases strike a delicate balance between nostalgia and forward motion, with maturity and grace

Maze – I Know, You Know

I Know You Know crackles with restless energy, driven by sharp hooks and a sense of controlled chaos. Maze balance attitude and melody with ease, letting tension build before releasing into a chorus that hits hard. There’s a raw, unpredictable edge running through the track, giving it urgency and character. It’s bold, wired, and leaves a lasting impression.

Forty tracks. One year. Zero filler.

This list is proof that the grassroots scene is alive, loud and constantly evolving. These songs didn’t just soundtrack 2025 — they pushed it forward, packed out rooms, lived in playlists and demanded repeat listens. Every artist here is building something real, right now, and this is only the beginning.

Support them. Stream it. Buy the record. Get to the gig. Keep on supporting the grassroots indie scene.