Curious what notable personalities in the scene think was great this year? So is TGEFM! So we reached out to some of our favorite luminaries ranging from musicians, label personnel, and more for their “Best of 2025” lists. Now, listen: TGEFM is not a taskmistress. Contributors can write these out however they want. So if it doesn’t actually look or read like a list… and sometimes it really is just a list with no other observations! Who cares?
Here we’ve got a double entry from the minds behind Don’t Forget To Leave, with Bill Fulkerson, writer and director, and Kyle Kuchta, writer and producer, each bringing their own best of reflections from 2025. While they approach the year from different angles, both lists come from people who live inside stories for a living, watching, listening and absorbing with an eye for what sticks and why. Even without a long public bio to lean on, it’s clear their tastes are shaped by the same instincts that drive their work, curiosity, pacing, mood and the details that linger after the credits roll. Think of these as two parallel snapshots from the same creative orbit, personal, subjective and rooted in a year spent paying close attention.
Kyle Kuchta (Producer, Don’t Forget To Leave)
Favorite Albums (alphabetical by artist):
THE FUTURE IS HERE AND EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED – The Armed
Memories – Auston Phoenix
Let God Sort Em Out – Clipse
Trash Classic – Frankie & the Witch Fingers
Renaissance – Ichabod Crane
Who Let The Dogs Out – Lambrini Girls
Magic, Alive! – McKinley Dixon
Erotica Veronica – Miya Folick
Sheffield – REAL LIFE KNIFE ATTACK
Planting By The Signs – SG Goodman
Bill Fulkerson
Top Ten Albums of 2025 (with Details)
1. Deafheaven – Lonely People with Power
Genre: Blackgaze, Post-metal, Shoegaze
Standout Tracks: “Radiant Collapse,” “Golden Language,” “Lonely People with Power”
Why it stands out: A return to the balance of atmosphere and aggression — shimmering guitars meet cathartic outbursts.
2. Drain – Drain Is Your Friend
Genre: Hardcore Punk, Crossover Thrash
Standout Tracks: “Smile While You Spin,” “Surf’s Up,” “Violence Is Therapy”
Why it stands out: Infectiously positive energy and adrenaline — feel-good hardcore that doesn’t sand down its edges.
3. Turnstile – Never Enough
Genre: Alternative Rock, Hardcore Fusion
Standout Tracks: “Running Lights,” “Never Enough,” “Another Minute”
Why it stands out: Even groovier and more melodic than Glow On, blending post-punk shimmer with live-show intensity.
4. Militarie Gun – God Save The Gun
Genre: Post-hardcore, Alternative Rock
Standout Tracks: “Safety Off,” “Gotta Get Up,” “Concrete Halo”
Why it stands out: Hooks sharpened to radio-rock precision without losing that gritty, urgent core.
5. Agriculture – The Spiritual Sound
Genre: Bliss Black Metal, Avant-garde Metal
Standout Tracks: “Choral Offering,” “Sun Like Skin,” “Birthlight II”
Why it stands out: Euphoric black metal that feels cleansing rather than nihilistic — radiant, chaotic, transcendent.
6. Wounds of Recollection – I Found the Love I Was Looking For
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal, Post-Rock
Standout Tracks: “Lumen,” “Memory Garden,” “I Found the Love I Was Looking For”
Why it stands out: Fragile beauty meets melancholy fury — equally personal and cinematic in its scope.
7. Safe Mind – Cutting the Stone
Genre: Emo, Post-hardcore, Math Rock
Standout Tracks: “Cutting the Stone,” “Blush,” “Thread Count”
Why it stands out: Angular guitars and deeply confessional lyricism recall early 2000s emo but with clean, modern sound design.
8. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo 2
Genre: Hip-hop, Boom Bap, Soul Rap
Standout Tracks: “Cold Cuts,” “Boardroom,” “Silent Plate” (ft. Boldy James)
Why it stands out: Cool-headed storytelling over Alchemist’s smoky, sample-heavy beats — mature, lethal, and immersive.
9. Lady Gaga – Mayhem
Genre: Art Pop, Electro-Rock
Standout Tracks: “Mirrorball Mayhem,” “Divine Tragedy,” “Crimson Tears”
Why it stands out: Gaga at her most theatrical — a record full of maximalist production and twisted emotional crescendos.
10. Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea
Genre: Progressive Metalcore, Alternative Metal
Standout Tracks: “Abyssal,” “Glass Reef,” “Tsunami Sea”
Why it stands out: Massive choruses and intricate grooves anchored by Courtney LaPlante’s dynamic vocal shifts.
11. Billy Woods – Golliwog
Genre: Experimental Hip-hop, Abstract Rap
Standout Tracks: “Still Life,” “Golliwog,” “Dirtmouth (ft. ELUCID)”
Why it stands out: Lyrically dense and politically charged — a surreal journey through identity, history, and decay.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/