January isn’t the most energetic month of the year and it’s one we can easily spend waiting to end. But this lot have pulled us through, with bouncy jazz, buzzing club-ready pop, and full-throttle rock to keep us moving. We’re beginning our monthly highlights with 2026 songs, only.

We’ve done our best to whittle down the cream of the crop, in TOPNOTE’s Christmas countdown, marking the greatest tracks to be released this year. Read the countdown below for our top 12 songs of 2025.

2025 brought us some fantastic new music from all sorts of genres and artists. It’s the 12 TOPNOTES of Christmas, which is where we look back on the best music releases of the year, beginning with brand new albums that have graced our ears in 2025.

We seem to be in our feels, this November. From the tragic romance of Holly Humberstone’s new-era single, to the piece-by-piece restoration in Celeste’s new album, these monthly picks are a versatile bunch grouped by their diverse ability to capture and express emotion, spanning genres far and wide.

Something about Friday 31st… not just a Halloween, also ripe for new music. From Sam Fender’s plaintive new single, to Eleni Drake’s soft introspection, to Lily Allen’s forensically detailed surprise album, here are the best releases of the month, from an October overflowing with great new music.

September’s best new music has been dominated by British women, from the mystical indie rock of The Last Dinner Party, to the jazzy return of RAYE, and of course, Olivia' Dean’s highly anticipated sophmore album. See who else made it into our monthly picks of new tracks and albums on TOPNOTE.

What a month for new music! Read TOPNOTE’s top picks for releases August. Featuring new albums from Sombr, Wolf Alice and Dominic Fike, plus singles from Olivia Dean, Dodie and Chappell Roan.