Your hoddler-in-chief will be travelling to his native california for the holiday season.that means we’ll be short of timely links for you link-hungry commenters. but i am endeavouring my darnedest to ensrue you get a little morsel of links for your link-hungry appetite. it might not be spurs, it might not be football. but it’ll be a link. and, by fitzie, you will not care one bit. now, onto the hoddle
We’re near the end of the new year which means it’s time to check in on fitzie’s favourite songs of 2025. I had a hard time figuring out my top songs of the year, and the 2025 edition features only half the songs from 2024. Is this because of the industry’s output, or your hoddler-in-chief’s insulation from the industry? I think the latter.
Regardless, there was a lot of good music this year. Much of it probably passed by your hoddler-in-chief. But we still found 10 songs that warranted singling out. So here we go - here are fitzie’s top 10 songs of 2025:
No.10: La Perla, by Rosalia
Rosalia bursted onto the scene this year with her fourth studio album. I’m a little surprised by how much I like this particular one. It doesn’t quite feature the Latin beat that we usually get, and maybe that’s why I find it so refreshing.
No.10: 9, Manchild, by Sabrina Carpenter
This is pretty much Sabrina Carpenter’s answer to Chapell Roan’s Good Luck Babe. It doesn’t hit as hard as that track. It isn’t as good, frankly. Nor is it as good as Espresso, the 2024 Summer Song (and a feature in fitzie’s top 20 last year).
But dammit, it’s catchy. And that gives Sabrina Carpenter a place again in Fitzie’s top tracks.
No. 8: Cry, by Haim
Okay, I’ll admit Haim’s fourth album didn’t quite live up to expectations. It’s hard to after the huge success of Women In Music Part III, so I try my best to distinguish the two. The biggest bright spot is Este Haim’s turn in the spotlight carrying lead vocals. She does a really nice job with this pop track. I like it a lot. And I don’t care if you dislike it. It’s my top 10.
No. 7: Dense Phantasy, by Aaron Parks
The lone jazz song in fitzie’s top ten songs of the year. It sounds the closest to the Blue Note series your hoddler-in-chief fell in love with. I’m glad this kind of jazz still exists.
And I’m glad we have people like Aaron Parks still playing it.
No. 6: Lou Reed was my Babysitter, by Jeff Tweedy
Jeff Tweedy is back with a new record, and one that feature some of his tightest songwriting yet. This entry pays homage to Lou Reed (an easy way to win over the hoddler-in-chief). This song, more than six minutes, might not make it to the airwaves, but it sounds very Lou Reed not just from the lyrics but also the construction of the melody. It’s Lou Reed.
We shouldn’t be too worried about how much this song sounds like Lou Reed. He was Jeff Tweedy’s babysitter, after all.
Fitzie’s track of the day: Lou Reed was my Babysitter, by Jeff Tweedy
And now for your links:
The Athletic ($$): “Even Cristian Romero’s most ardent advocates can’t defend his latest act of petulance”
The Times: “Haim on Relationships, our song of the year: ‘It took almost ten years’”
NPR: “Rosalía’s LUX is NPR Music’s No. 1 album of 2025”
Mojo: “Jeff Tweedy’s Favourite Albums Of The Year”