Let’s be real, OK? This year was a rough one.
I took up meditation last month, because when all is said and done, it has been incredibly hard for me to pinpoint the positives about 2025 when I’ve spent the entire year watching the world around me burn. And even with this evolving new headspace of mine, it’s still hard to look at the big picture and point out a lot of good parts. Other than moving out of my parents’ house for the first time, interviewing a handful of my bucketlisters, and traveling to Denver for two Paul Simon shows in the spring, this year wasn’t one I’ll really look back on super fondly. I know that saying that with said adventures under my belt makes me sound like I’m crazy ungrateful (which I promise you, I’m not in the slightest), but I really didn’t feel all there for much of the year.
There were a lot of emotions out of whack, which led to a lot of questioning. My future. My relationships. My standards. Even my identity some days. I had some serious bouts of self-hatred and doubt, faithlessness, exhaustion, a loss of adoration for the insane life I live, and pretty on-and-off writer’s block, just to name a few. And once or twice, it all crashed down on me at the same time, and I’d find myself in a spiral that seemed inescapable, causing me to wonder if it was even worth it for a creator in a weary world to carry on at all.
Before I move on (and I’ll spare you the therapy words), I want to express that I am getting help, and all things considered, I’m A-OK — really.
Even when things seemed hopeless, I was still surrounded by a ton of new music that I love shedding light onto. Some of these I discovered while writing my column (which I’ve been on kind of a strange hiatus from lately), while with others, I stayed up until midnight on release day to be one of the first few hundred listeners. I won’t pretend that all of these were there for me immediately, but I remember pretty much where I was at each point in the year, so I’ll try and give a little bit of perspective.
This time next year, I’ll be a quarter of a century old. And despite everything aforementioned that I face in my fucked up brain pretty much on the daily, when push comes to shove, I’m still having the time of my life. I know I’ve lived more in 24 years than some centegenarians do, but I’m not really ready to settle down just yet. Once my physical energy really starts to fizzle out, then I’ll slow down.
But until then, another year is over. Happy 2026, my friends. Stay curious, keep on keepin’ on, and don’t ever give up the fight.
January: Ringo Starr – Look Up
I think the only redeemable quality of the first month of 2025 was that a Beatle was releasing new material. History was repeating itself, some of my relationships started to wane, and I just felt like there was a lot of suffering in my personal circle. I was simultaneously feeling very isolated and worried about the future. But I learned a lot about ol’ Ringo in January. Apparently, he’s always been a country music fan, and actually considers his second album Beaucoups of Blues a country album. I guess I never put two and two together whenever I turned on “Don’t Pass Me By” or even “Act Naturally.” A lot started to make sense, though. I won’t pretend this is Ringo’s magnum opus or anything (that honor goes to 1981’s Stop and Smell The Roses), but especially a few years after saying that he was gonna stick to EPs and singles only going forward, you’d be kinda crazy to take this album for granted. Instead of turning to the bro-country chuds trying to redefine what Hank Williams Sr. laid the foundation for, Ringo got some Americana, bluegrass, and real country/western A-listers to help him out with this — Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Larkin Poe, Alison Krauss, you know, the people that Hank would actually approve of. It was also cool hearing the title track live at Ringo and the All-Starr Band’s Clearwater show in June, especially when it preceded the “No No Song,” which is the most goddamned hilarious piece of music to listen to when you’re high.
Runner-up: Teddy Swims – I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy Pt. 2
February: Chase Shakur – Wonderlove
This month, I met a soon-to-be step-niece, and went to the best convention I’ll probably ever attend. Somewhere in the month, a guy I didn’t know yet had put out probably one of the most beautiful albums of the year. I discovered Chase Shakur when I was writing a preview about him playing a set in Tampa in May, and I popped his newly-released third album on. I also tuned into some of his older material, and came to the conclusion that he has come such a long way since doing underground rap up in Atlanta. I wrote that he was “helping to redefine a genre by turning back the clock a little bit,” and that he “feels like those themes are what modern R&B is missing.” It’s super Stevie Wonder-inspired, and Chase just dropped an extended version a few months ago, which I’ll probably give a shot once I’m done here.
March: Lady Gaga – Mayhem
Shit on Joker: Folie à Deux all you want; the first time I heard Mayhem, I figured Gaga was gonna go back to soaring the way she was last decade. Not that she’s pooped out to has-been status or anything, but her name and material just don’t seem to be as constant in the headlines (unless I’m missing something). But my best friend kept on recommending I check this out, and I don’t regret listening to him for a second. Gaga has said that the vibe of this record encapsulates how she sees herself as an artist, and I don’t think anyone’s disagreeing with that. From “Disease,” I knew we were in for a kickass new era. “Perfect Celebrity” is probably the most personal track on it, and probably looks back on when Gaga was being extra outlandish back in the day. Hopefully, I’ll be able to hightail it out to Miami in 2026 to see the Mayhem Ball, because I guess a Tampa-free format is how touring looks for her these days.
April: John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band – Sound Of Waves
At the beginning of the year, if you had told me that Mr. “On The Dark Side” would make my top 12 list, I probably would have laughed in your face. But Cafferty’s publicist reached out to me before a gig in Clearwater earlier this year, asking if I would interview him. I ended up doing a small feature on him, and gave this album—his first in 37 years—a shot after reading that Bruce Springsteen encouraged him to make it. Naturally, there’s a lot of E Street Band influence on there, as well as some of the final performances from Cafferty’s longtime sax player Michael Antunes, who died in August. I really thought for a bit that Roy Bittan had been given a guest slot on a few songs, because it was uncanny how Bruce-esque these tunes sounded. I guess the big reminder here is that not every one-hit wonder should stay stuck in that cycle as they get older.
May: Jake Wesley Rogers – In The Key of Love
I have absolutely nothing critical to say about Jake. He is just such a wholesome individual, a beast of a songwriter, and he pretty much encapsulates how I imagine a lot of Gen-Z’ers would be if they lived in a better, more joyful, more optimistic world. Jake’s debut album finally came out on May 9 and hearing the final versions of a handful of songs I got to hear him play live in 2023 (on his first solo tour, and while opening for Kesha) was a fever dream. I also followed along with every single release from the record. I remember being in the bathroom in my hotel in Colorado when I first heard “My Misery” in full, and also being on the toilet in my childhood home when I first read the news that this album was coming out. I’m a little embarrassed that it took me so long to get it on vinyl (I just can’t justify paying $40 after shipping for a 1-LP album), but Jake just accomplished the challenge of writing and recording a whole album in a church, which I’m assuming will come out either this coming year, or the year after. Hopefully by then, he’ll be a name big enough to have indie record store exclusive pressings.
June: Bruce Springsteen – Lost and Found: Selections from The Lost Albums
June was a whirlwind. A positive was officially moving out of my parents’ house and into a new place with my best friend, his fiancee, and her daughter. On the other hand, one of my musical heroes, Brian Wilson, passed on June 11. Even though I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see it coming, his death fucked me up. Another one of my top five artists down — the one I even aspired to be half as good as regarding my craft. Weeks later, another one of my top five, Bruce Springsteen (I know, I know, I already mentioned him above) finally unveiled Tracks II, a collection with seven full albums worth of unreleased material. I still haven’t even finished listening to the whole thing because I want to savor as much of it as I can. I’m probably never gonna get to hear brand-new material from Brian Wilson again, and not that I’d ever question The Boss’ mortality, but he’s 76 years old. I have, however, heard the companion album to it, and if the taste it gives of the collection is as equivalent to Tracks II as 1999’s 18 Tracks was to the first Tracks set, we’re in for a hell of a treat. I added “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone” to my depression playlist upon first listen, and the orchestral section on “High Sierra” really made the track as a whole feel like something that was cut from Western Stars (my third favorite album of Bruce’s). And of course, I couldn’t hate “Repo Man” and “Detail Man” being back-to-back. Many of the early tracks make me think of the way I imagine Bruce initially pictured Nebraska would turn out, had the higher-ups gotten their way and refused to release the record as Bruce wanted it. Just not in a bad way. Nonetheless, this sampler was definitely a compelling way to start this long-awaited collection.
July: Alice Cooper – The Revenge of Alice Cooper
From the get-go, I could tell that ol’ Vincent Furnier had been wanting to make this record for ages. Getting his old bandmates together again for a full album—one that was 50 years in the making, no less—must have been a fever dream. Now, full disclosure: I absolutely adore Coop’s current band. Nita, Ryan, Glen, Tommy, and Chuck are all fucking brilliant, and also, the way Coop himself has evolved as an artist himself still blows me away. Like, listening to Killer and Trash back-to-back is a process that can very well send you into a frenzy. But hearing this made me feel like I was a kid in 1976, coming off the high of Welcome To My Nightmare. With most of the original band still present, the record feels like a genuine little brother to Nightmare, rather than a grandson or whatever. Not to mention how “What Happened To You” uses archived material from the late Glen Buxton, who died in 1998, to put together one last full band reunion. I think my only gripe with this album (which is no one’s fault) is that Ozzy Osbourne didn’t live to see it release, as he died literally three days beforehand.
Runner-up: Aidan Bissett – shut up and love me
August: Florist – Adrift
I had just recovered from a really bad spiral when this local stoner-metal outfit dropped its second album. I didn’t learn about it until about a month later, when I wrote a preview for a September release show happening in Ybor. After blaring it through my AirPods in my office in downtown Tampa, I observed how it “contains the eclecticism heard in King Crimson’s heavier compositions, lyrics straight out of a tin can far above the world, and the ability to take even the most cosmical of weed trips to whole new levels.” Not to gloat, but the guys actually read my article, and were so impressed that they put it on their Instagram. If only I could have made it to that release show — hopefully, the third time’s the charm, whenever that’ll be.
September: Nine Inch Nails – Tron: Ares OST
With the exception of Jared Leto playing the titular character (Ares, that is.) I’ll defend the third Tron movie until I’m in the grave. I’d been eagerly awaiting its release since I was nine years old, when my dad took me to see Tron: Legacy in 3D on New Year’s Eve 2010. When the first trailer dropped earlier this year, I couldn’t tell if I was more excited to see a red Lightcycle split a cop car in half, or to hear the guys that did the score for “Soul” and “Love and Mercy” respectively get all industrial on us, just under their band name. This soundtrack very obviously holds a lot of Daft Punk influence, and even the movie’s dullest moments were made better by Trent and Atticus’ presence. It would have been nice if they allowed media into their Tampa concert that same month (thanks for crushing my dream of hearing “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” live, guys.), but knowing how much of a flop Ares was, they probably need every buck they can get.
October: AJR – What No One’s Thinking
Much earlier in the year, Ryan Met put out an acoustic demo on Instagram called “I’m Sorry You Went Crazy,” and I remember having it on a loop, staring at a wall trying not to cry. I don’t think I had related so deeply to a song so quickly. I’ll spare you the reason why, but I knew that whatever was coming next for the Met brothers had to be epic. Their last album The Maybe Man and the tour that went along with it were nothing short of extravagant, so when this EP released—a collection of incredibly personal thoughts that came about during a bout of writer’s block—it felt like an encore of sorts. Sure enough, that demo from March was the second-to-last song on the EP. I doubt I’ll ever get to hear it live, being what feels like such a personal work (although “God Is Really Real,” which was written about their dying father was played every single night of the Maybe Man tour), but if anything, my brother and I got a free show out of Jack and Ryan in Tampa right before Christmas. Not that we heard anything from the EP that night, but free’s free, I guess.
Runner-up: Ax and the Hatchetmen – So Much To Tell
November: Sorth – When We Left EP
I’ve really been getting into ambient music in the last few months. In short, I spent much of the fall finding myself getting overstimulated in Florida’s crowds and around constant loud noises (concerts and ball games are fine. A Target run is not. Make it make sense!) After a particularly busy night at work in October, I got sucked into a YouTube compilation of calming ambient music aimed at neurodivergent people, which kinda sent me into a meditative state, and caused me to create my own playlist for the times I need to disassociate. Part of the compilations were some lo-fi piano instrumentals, and this EP was one I came across on the recommended new releases section of my Apple Music account. I threw it on my playlist immediately, and I’m looking forward to indulging in Sorth during any future moments of zen. Or when I have to mask my crippling anxiety. Thanks, Apple algorithm.
December: Meet Me @ The Altar – Worried Sick EP
While I was so excited to hear about her engagement, I was ultra bummed to hear that Téa Campbell left one of my absolute favorite pop-punk projects earlier this year. Edith Victoria and Ada Juarez make a great duo, don’t get me wrong, but Téa’s guitar work is a big part of what kept so many of MMATA’s fans coming back for more. That said, this EP’s title pretty much sums up how we’re feeling about their relationship behind the scenes. It’s not any of our business, but much of this release is about being left behind, karma biting someone in the ass, and just conveys a lot of anger over someone. In short, you can’t help but wonder if something happened between the girls. Either way, Edith and Ada are playing in Ybor next month, and while it definitely won’t be the same without all three of the OGs there, they’re gonna play almost the entire EP, which still makes you feel like a sweaty teenager at Next Big Thing or Warped Tour all over again.
Josh Bradley Live 