Welcome to the first installment of The Elite Extremophile’s Best of 2025! Today, I’m starting off with Cool Songs. Tomorrow will feature the Top EPs, and the Top Albums will follow on Wednesday and Thursday.
Before we get to it, let me give my usual Best-Of disclaimers. This is a one-man operation, in regard to writing the reviews. (My proofreaders Kelci and Dan are very helpful.) I’m sure there was plenty of great music I just simply missed. I’ve also got my own personal biases against certain styles and trends.
As a reminder, this list covers what I call the “music year” 2025, which covers December 2024 through November 2025.
This segment is meant to show off great tracks that do not appear on my other year-end lists. If a release makes my best EPs or best albums list, it is disqualified from appearing in this particular segment.
Without further ado, let’s get to it!
Actionfredag – “Angst oppå bordet”: The opening track to Actionfredag’s sophomore album is an anxious piece that incorporates odd jazzy and folky flourishes.
Blackwood Station – “Chewed Up”: This is a fun, Beatles-esque slice of psychedelic pop that features a great build-up and some country twang.
Deathbird Earth – “Resources”: Spooky, swirling outer-space psych crashes and swirls, supported by glimmering synths.
Edensong – “The Illusion of Permanence”: Edensong channels the best influences of classic Dream Theater and infuses it with their own twist.
Elder – “Dream State Return”: Elder blended early proto-electronic influences into their usual heavy psych, and it’s a very exciting development for them.
Gloria – “Harpocrate I & II”: This is technically two songs, but they flow together. Murky garage-psych, jangly pop rock, and hypnotic krautrock mingle to create this band’s most ambitious work to date.
Marcel Gidote’s Holy Crab – “Sooner or Later”: Any song that opens with a Trailer Park Boys sample (featuring Phil Collins, of all people) is a-okay by me. But moving past those first few seconds, this song is full of smart, folky, and jazzy prog that swells in intensity across its runtime.
Panopticon – “The Poppies Bloom for No King”: Panopticon has delivered yet another beautiful, scouring epic of post-black metal infused with American folk music.
the.pigeon – “Рибка”: This is another strong release from the.pigeon, blending traditional Ukrainian folk with classic progressive rock.
Wucan – “Fountain of Youth”: Groovy hard rock with strong vocals evolves in surprising ways.
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