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?
Mike Cubillos has spent years on the inside of the music ecosystem, championing bands and helping artists find their audience long before algorithms pretended they knew better. As the founder of Earshot Media, an independent PR and web marketing company he launched back in 1997, Mike’s ears have been trained by years of trust built the hard way, through relationships, credibility and a genuine love of the work. His Top Songs of 2025 isn’t about hype or trend chasing, it’s a snapshot of what actually cut through the noise for someone who hears everything. These are the tracks that stuck, the ones that earned repeat spins and the ones that reminded him why he got into this in the first place.
Fontaines D.C. “It’s Amazing To Be Young”
Sharp Pins “Popafangout”
Snocaps “Wasteland”
AVTT/PTTN “Eternal Love”
Big Thief “Los Angeles”
Horsegirl “2468”
Turnstile “Never Enough”
The Beths “Mother Pray For Me”
Geese “100 Horses”
Joyce Manor “Well, Whatever It Was”
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/
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