Songs of the Year 2025: guitarguitar Staff Picks!

How did 2025 sound to you? Did you check out much in the way of new music? There’s been plenty of it, that’s for sure! Streaming culture continues, in both good and not-so-good ways, but there's a definite sense of physical media returning to the world of music listening. Streaming means single songs, curated playlists and perhaps a more ‘received’ way of getting music. Physical media is more about you selecting for yourself and enjoying the whole experience. Both are valid, and that’s why there are two music round-up blogs for you to enjoy from us. 

I’ve rounded up guitarguitar’s favourite Albums of the Year 2025 too, so make sure you check that out for the full picture! Over here though, I’ve asked staff members to select their favourite song of the year. There’s a fair amount of diversity on here: some new bands, some old favourites and a couple of real curveballs too! In no particular order, here are the guitarguitar Songs of the Year!

My favourite song of the year is The Tales of War by Orbit Culture. As a guitarist, I love how it proves that simple, low-tuned riffs can sound absolutely colossal when the tone, timing, and dynamics are right, especially with that huge, tension-building intro. It’s pure atmosphere and weight, and probably best avoided while driving unless you’re aiming for a speeding ticket.

2025 was the year the saw tub-thumper extraordinaire Mike Portnoy return to the drum throne of Dream Theater. And what a glorious return! It’s like he’s never been away, even though it has actually been about 13 years since he last appeared with the band.

DT mainman John Petrucci is obviously excited about his old bandmate being around again, because on Midnight Messiah, he has cooked up a gumbo of creepy arpeggios, muscular Hetfield-esque riffing and of course some trademark lead work, the kind of which only Petrucci can conjure.

This massive goth tune sounds almost exactly like some long-lost-and-found Bauhaus track from 1982. This is a very good thing, if that wasn’t immediately clear. AFI have been around for a while and worn many musical hats, but perhaps none of them have suited them quite as much as this current one.

It seems that there’s always been a love for 80s goth music within the band, but it has taken them until now to represent it as fully as here. Behind the Clock is the lead single from album Silver Bleeds the Black Sun, which has a strong flavour of 80s goth throughout. I’ve actually not given this band much time in the past, but judging by this song, it’s been my mistake!

I've been a longtime fan of this band and while their new album didn't grab me as much as Witness or Midnight In America, this song has a hypnotic force about it that has me frequently going back for more. Even though it is all based around one riff they somehow manage to pull you in and keep you there.

2025 was the year that cult metallers Deftones graduated into an arena-conquering proposition. That enhanced reputation was built on songs like this, from their newest album Private Music.

Deftones never let you down, do they? That blend of aching, ethereal voices with crushingly crunchy guitars is a recipe they invented, honed and perfected. Thinking man’s metal? Whatever. Sometimes a good song is just a good song, and that’s exactly what we have here.

You may associate Jason Isbell’s music with the roaring Southern rock the 400 Unit are known for, but his latest solo record, Foxes in the Snow, offers quite the opposite. In fact, it shows just how powerful his songwriting can be when it is totally stripped back. Recorded entirely using live takes on a 1940s Martin 0-17, the album is intimate and deeply personal, pushing his vocals, lyrics, and picking to centre stage.

It’s on this album that you’ll find my track of the year, Ride to Robert's. The title is a nod to Robert’s Western World, a longstanding traditional country bar in Nashville. There’s a lot of lyrical nuance here: name-checking the bar’s mainstays, the Don Kelley Band, through to vivid visual lines - “I’ll catch you dreaming in the neon light” - and more conceptual moments, such as “the deepest ditches run the righteous path.” It only took me eight bars to fall in love with the track, and the rich sound of that vintage Martin in drop D is really the star of the show. The song demonstrates Isbell’s ability as a writer: expertly structured and grounded, with just enough ambiguity to draw you in.

If you fall for that guitar sound as hard as I did, check out his latest signature models. Martin did a fantastic job of recreating the guitar he used in the Martin 0-10E.

The world needs more good songs. A strange thing to say when the streaming sites get tens of thousands of new uploads every day, but it still seems difficult to find amazing music. That’s why it’s great to get personal recommendations! Regardless of genre, if somebody actually tells you to check out a song, it has more power and draw than some Pitchfork review or Spotify marketing campaign. This is why I put this blog together today: from us to you, these are songs we think are excellent, and are well worth your couple of minutes’ time to check out.

I hope you find something to love here, and that it takes you down a joyful new musical rabbit hole!