True to the HighClouds spirit, we’ve once again tried to shine a light on overlooked releases and new or under-the-radar artists alongside some more familiar names. And yes… for the second year the same artist is topping our Best Songs list. At this point, it’s safe to say we’re obsessed. All of the tracks featured here (and many others) are also gathered in our Spotify playlist, that you can find below.

Thank you for reading, listening, and sharing music with us throughout 2025. We wish you a beautiful end of the year, and we’ll be back very soon in 2026 to share even more amazing music with you.

60 Avalon – Harder To Reach Than God
59 Farao – Waiting for You
58 Reggie Devoyage – Down Town
57 Nuovo Testamento – Picture Perfect
56 Yumi Zouma – Drag
55 Boyhood – A Grand Time
54 Danny L Harle; Caroline Polachek – Azimuth
53 Fernette – Lowlands
52 Jouska – Season of Dread
51 Charli xcx – Chains of Love

50 Pearly Drops – End Credits
49 Marina Zispin – Penthouse Samba
48 Boyish – Jumbos
47 Sword II – Sugarcane
46 TOPS – Chlorine
45 Robyn – Dopamine
44 The Deep – KPOP B!TCH
43 Juliana Madrid – Jamie
42 Men I Trust – Come Back Down
41 R. Missing – Telepolartears

40 Jenny Hval – The artist is absent – 89 seconds rewrite
39 Fontaines D.C. – Before You I Just Forget
38 hemlocke springs – the beginning of the end
37 Sea Lemon – Stay
36 Georgie & Joe – Pacemaker
35 Fine – I could
34 Jessy Lanza – Slapped By My Life
33 Arny Margret – Day Old Thoughts
32 Lipsticism – Erased
31 Clara Kimera; notinbed – angel candles

30 Neggy Gemmy – Mysterious Girl
29 Joanne Robertson; Oliver Coates – Always Were
28 Hannah Jadagu – My Love
27 HTRK – Swimming Pool
26 Night Tapes – television
25 Raisa K – Affectionately
24 helen island – hot zone, regular day
23 Dean Blunt; Elias Rønnenfelt – 1
22 Cole Pulice – After the Rain
21 crushed – starburn

20 AMORE – Delirio
19 Oneohtrix Point Never – Rodl Glide
18 Erika de Casier – Delusional
17 Judeline – chica de cristal
16 Dijon – Yamaha
15 Rochelle Jordan – Ladida
14 PinkPantheress – Illegal
13 Maria Somerville – Garden
12 Ethel Cain – Fuck Me Eyes
11 Sophia Stel – Everyone Falls Asleep In Their Own Time

10 Jim Legxacy – ’06 wayne rooney
9 Magdalena Bay – Human Happens
8 snuggle – Woman Lake
7 Addison Rae – Headphones On
6 After – 300 dreams
5 FKA twigs – Striptease
4 james K – Play
3 Nourished by Time – Max Potential
2 Smerz – You got time and I got money
1 Oklou – blade bird

We know these lists are completely subjective and that ranking music can feel a little weird at times but these are the records we’ve had on repeat over the past 12 months. More importantly, in a world increasingly shaped by algorithms, highlighting lesser-known and often overlooked artists remains the very essence of our blog. We hope you’ll take the time to dive into the artists and projects you might not know yet.

Like last year, the list is ordered alphabetically, because the “real” ranking changes every day depending on our mood. That said, if you’re looking for a top three, keep an eye on Oklou, Nourished By Time, and Smerz.

Merry Christmas to all of you, and stay tuned next week for our Best Songs of 2025 list.

The 47 EPs, Albums, And Mixtapes that defined 2025 according to HighClouds

Acopia – Blush Response
Addison Rae – Addison
After – After EP 1/2
AMORE – Top Hits, Ballads, etc
Annahstasia – Tether
crushed – no scope
Dean Blunt & Elias Rønnenfelt – lucre EP
deer park – Terra Infirma
Disiniblud – Disiniblud
Erika de Casier – Lifetime
Ethel Cain – Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You
FKA Twigs – Eusexua
Georgie & Joe – What I Made With Joe
Horsegirl – Phonetics On and On
Ichiko Aoba – Luminiscent Creatures
JADE – THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!
james K – Friend
Jane Inc. – A Rupture A Canyon A Birth
Jenny Hval – Iris Silver Mist
Jim Legxacy – black british music (2025)
Joanne Robertson – Blurrr
Jouska – How Did I Wind Up Here?
Laura Groves – Yes
Lipsticism – Wanted To Show You
Malibu – Vanities
Maria Somerville – Luster
Marina Zispin – Now You See Me, Now You Don’t
Men I Trust – Equus Caballus / Equus Asinus
Molly Nilsson – Amateur
Neggy Gemmy – She Comes From Nowhere
Night Tapes – portals//polarities
No Joy – Bugland
Nourished By Time – The Passionate Ones
Nuovo Testamento – Trouble EP
Oklou – Choke Enough
Oneohtrix Point Never – Tranquilizer
Panda Bear – Sinister Grift
Pearly Drops – The Voices Are Coming Back
R. Missing – Like The Sound Of Injured Love
Raisa K – Affectionately
Rat Heart – Dancin’ In The Streets
Sea Lemon – Diving For A Prize
Smerz – Big City Life
snuggle – Goodbyehouse
Sofia Kourtesis – Volver EP
Sophia Stel – How To Win At Solitaire EP
Yawning Portal – Anywhere

Jenny Hval, as always, was a master of presence and vulnerability. There was a brief technical hiccup at the start, but once resolved, her voice soared: crystalline, commanding, and deeply human. She reminded everyone why she remains one of the most singular storytellers in avant-pop.

Titanic’s set was unexpectedly uplifting. Intense without being overwhelming, melodic without losing its edge, it carried a sense of clarity and emotion. Fratti’s vocals guided everything forward with precision, turning what could have been an abstract experiment into something that hit straight in the chest. Talking about dreams and emotions, Annahstasia and Malibu were also both absolutely spellbinding.

Isabella Lovestory, probably the poppiest act of the lineup, brought a burst of neon energy. A glitter-streaked continuation of Brat that mixed rave-pop with Latin flair. It was playful, powerful, and completely irresistible. She turned the room into a dance floor, and when Mechatok followed, he twisted that energy into something hazier and harder, yet still threaded with pop echoes. Beneath the pounding beats, you could catch glimmers of Britney and Daft Punk. It was probably the part where we danced the most.

Later during the festival, ECCO2K appeared like a hologram, a faint outline slowly becoming real. The crowd could barely tell when the show began; it felt as if he had always been there, floating between sound and silence. His music, a blend of vaporous vocals and shimmering electronics, seemed to defy gravity. Every pause was electric, every drop a release.

One of the acts we were most excited to see, Nourished By Time, brought everyone right back to Earth. His mix of R&B, post-punk, and synth-pop pulsed with warmth and honesty. Most of the set came from his new album The Passionate Ones, full of songs about love, class, and survival, all wrapped in groove and melancholy. He also played the excellent “Daddy” and “The Fields” from Erotic Probiotic 2. When a sound issue briefly interrupted his set, he handled it with humor and ease, connecting even more with the crowd. At one point, a fan threw a jacket onstage, he laughed, tried it on, and tossed it back.

Another highlight came from Smerz, who performed Big City Life in full. They transformed its fragile beats and whispered vocals into something grand and cinematic. Onstage, they built their own world: minimal lighting, elegant silhouettes, and rhythms that never lost focus. Their harmonies were cold and soft at once, their confidence absolute. Smerz’s music has always lived somewhere between pop and art, but live, it becomes emotional architecture: every sound and movement deliberate, every glance choreographed. It was the most polished moment of the weekend, and a perfect closer.

C2C Festival’s lineup is always impressive, but this year the bar was higher than ever. Across four nights, it offered a rare balance between experimentation and emotion, noise and nuance. The surprise acts at the end of each night — Kode9, Nicolas Jaar, and others — were just the cherry on top.

Here are our top 10 photos from the festival, in no particular order.

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C2C Festival will be back in Turin in 2026, from Thursday the 5th November to Sunday the 8th November.

This is hands down one of the best music events in Europe. Why? Because for over two decades, C2C has been curating lineups that reads like a map of where music is going next. Before they became household names, artists like James Blake, Arca, and Blood Orange played early sets here. It’s the kind of festival that rewards curiosity and discovery and where the artist you’ve never heard of might end up blowing your mind.

In 2025, C2C Festival is already shaping up to be another unforgettable edition.

This year, as usual, fans of avant-pop, electronic and experimental music will be pleased once again. A. G. Cook returns with his hyper-pop wizardry, while Four Tet and Skee Mask bring their genre-blurring, shape-shifting club genius to the stage. Nicolas Jaar teams up with Ali Sethi for what’s bound to be a haunting, beautiful collision of sound and tradition. And yes, Blood Orange — one of the festival’s breakout alumni — is back, full circle.

The rest of the lineup is no less thrilling: experimental mainstays like John Maus, Jenny Hval, and DJrum; rising voices like Saya Gray, Nourished By Time, and Florence Sinclair; the theatrical intensity of Model/Actriz; and the lush ambient electronics of French producer Malibu.

You’ll also catch Isabella Lovestory’s explosive energy, Daniel Blumberg’s raw songwriting, and the boundary-pushing duo IOSONOUNCANE & Daniela Pes. Finally, don’t miss Ecco2k, the enigmatic YHWH Nailgun, or Titanic — Mabe Fratti and I la Católica’s new collaborative project. And there’s still more to be announced.

I guess that you got it: it’s the kind of lineup that doesn’t spoon-feed you the obvious. It challenges you, surprises you, and leaves you thinking long after the lights come up.

Through hardship to the stars

This year’s edition also carries a deeper emotional weight. C2C has announced its 2025 theme: “Per aspera ad astra” — through hardship to the stars — a tribute to the festival’s late founder and director, Sergio Ricciardone, who passed away in March. Ricciardone’s vision helped shape C2C into the singular event it is today — a space where music, art, and culture are always in motion, always reaching for something greater. Jamie xx was among those who honored his memory recently as he dedicated a touching moment to Sergio during his recent show in Milan.

🎟️ Tickets are already on sale. Hopefully we’ll catch you there.

After “Jupiter” shared back in November, Norwegian avant pop artist Jenny Hval returns with another amazing song, “Year Of Love.” The track addresses the art industry, as she sings “In the year of love I signed a deal with the patriarchy.” Both singles are taken from her freshly announced album Classic Objects, which also marks her debut on 4AD.

Like the previous single, “Year Of Love” comes with a great video, which was co-directed by Jenny Hval, Jenny Berger Myhre, and Annie Bielski. “A sense of loss and joy intertwines in a world of disconnected rooms,” they explained about the colorful visuals. “The artist inhabits these rooms. She is frozen in time, space, and mid-vowel. She is aware of her immediate surroundings. She is aware that there is more beyond what she can see. A version of her exists in a compressed, compromised, and objectified state. She is sitting in a room, in a house, in a neighborhood, in the art industry.” Watch below and pre-order Classic Objects.

Two years passed since the release of The Practice of Love and Jenny Hval has been quite busy. She released her third novel, Girls Against God, as well as a Lost Girls album with her collaborator Håvard Volden. In the meantime, the Norwegian multitalented artist also signed to 4AD. Today, she unveils her first track on her new label and announces her first North American tour since 2018.

Sophisticated and surrealist, “Jupiter” is an 8 minute long music piece with jazzy, dreamy and drone overtones. “When I wrote the music for this song in 2015, it had no lyrics, and I did not understand where it came from. It was a strange creature that moved from one genre to the next like a slide show and crashed into a chorus full of cymbals,” explains Hval. “Six years later ‘Jupiter’ has become a post-apocalyptic road trip. It begins by the art installation Prada Marfa in Texas, but turns into a game of identification and absurd imagery. The song winds its way through a desert-scape where values, genres, representation and relationships are breaking down. It tickles our death drive and throws us into space.”

The Zia Anger-directed visuals are as trippy as the track and include a psychedelic hot-air balloon ride.

If you get anxious at home because of the confinement, Jenny Hval is here to save you. One year after her amazing album The Practice Of Love, the Norwegian artist has just released a standalone single, “Bonus Material,” which sounds like a well deserved moment of peacefulness in these weird times. The track features saxophonist Espen Reinertsen, who already contributed on her last album. “It is an unfinished track about unfinished substances leaking into one another. Trash practicing love,” she stated. Listen below and support the artist via Bandcamp as her tour just got rescheduled.

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Like every December, we close a year of music with our traditional lists. After the Best Albums and Best EPs and Mixtapes, we’re happy to unveil the songs that made 2019 according to our team. Are these the best releases of the year ? Maybe yes, maybe no. But for sure, they represent what we have loved over the 12 months.

2019 is also the end of a decade and, even if the blog did not exist 10 years ago, we will try to share our favourite tracks of this era during the first quarter of 2020.

Finally, I’d like to mention that HighClouds would not be the same without its team of dedicated writers. People don’t always realize it but running a blog and contributing, even only from time to time, requires a lot of energy on top of your full-time job. So thank you to each of you for this.

And now, here are the 100 tracks of 2019, as well as a huge Spotify playlist to go through our selection and discover some other amazing tracks that almost made the cut this year. Thank you for reading us and see you next decade!

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100. 0171 – “1000 Words”

99. Modern Feelings – “Culture”

98. STAINWASHER – “Joy For Me”

97. Alina Bea – “King of Nothing”

96. Lowly – “baglaens”

95. Yot Club – “no way !”

94. Helado Negro – “Running”

93. BEA1991 – “Did You Feel Me Slip Away?”

92. Deaton Chris Anthony, Clairo, Coco & Clair Clair – “RACECAR”

91. Sandy – “Signals”

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90. Common Holly – “You Dance”

89. Teen Body – “Validation”

88. SOPHIE, Doss – “Whole New World (Sophie and Doss remix)”

87. Emily Reo – “Ghosting”

86. Barrie – “Darjeeling”

85. Caroline Polachek – “Pang”

84. 박혜진 Park Hye Jin – “I DON’T CARE”

83. Kraków Loves Adana – “Follow The Voice”

82. Jessica Pratt – “Aeroplane”

81. Ariel – “Dream Team”

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80. Spellling – “Under The Sun”

79. MUNYA – “It’s All About You”

78. Von – “Dealer’s Gone”

77. Makthaverskan – “Demands”

76. SASSY 009 – “Maybe in the Summer”

75. Jessie Ware – “Adore You”

74. PAT – “Love Will Find a Way Home”

73. XUXA SANTAMARIA – “Rudos Del Mar”

72. Ascendant Vierge – “Influenceur”

71. Thom Yorke – “Dawn Chorus”

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70. Nilüfer Yanya – “Baby Blu”

69. Saeyers – “Cruise”

68. Quinn Christopher – “Erase Me”

67. The Dawdler – “Sylvie”

66. TR/ST – “Iris”

65. Jai Paul – “He”

64. Maria Somerville – “Brighter Days”

63. Morabeza Tobacco – “Orinoco”

62. Eartheater – “Fontanel”

61. Otha – “Tired and Sick”

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60. Eugenia Post Meridiem – “Anjos”

59. Vagabon – “Water Me Down”

58. Lala Lala, WHY? – “Siren 042”

57. Jackie Mendoza – “De Lejos”

56. Dorian Electra – “Flamboyant”

55. Crack Cloud – “The Next Fix”

54. Chromatics – “You’re No Good”

53. Hana Vu – “Order”

52. Magdalena Bay – “Only If You Want It”

51. Ebhoni – “TGM”

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50. Cherushii, Maria Minerva – “A Day Without You”

49. Maluca – “NYC Baby”

48. Tyler, The Creator – “EARFQUAKE”

47. JPEGMAFIA, Helena Deland – “Free The Frail”

46. Blue Hawaii – “Still I Miss U”

45. Oklou – “Forever”

44. Crumb – “Ghostride”

43. Ariana Grande – “NASA”

42. Weyes Blood – “Movies”

41. Pure Bathing Culture – “All Night”

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40. Beauty Queen – “The Only One”

39. Couch Prints – “Tell U”

38. 070 Shake – “Morrow”

37. JORDANN – “Café Speed”

36. Lizzo – “Juice”

35. 100 gecs – “Money Machine”

34. Hand Habits – “can’t calm down”

33. Jenny Hval – “Ashes to Ashes”

32. (Sandy) Alex G – “Gretel”

31. Arlo Parks – “Super Sad Generation”

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30. Grace Ives – “Anything”

29. Burial – “Claustro”

28. Sharon Van Etten – “Seventeen”

27. pronoun – “stay”

26. Requin Chagrin – “Sémaphore”

25. BEA1991 – “My Own Heaven”

24. Billie Eilish – “bad guy”

23. Sorry Girls – “One That You Want”

22. Japan, Man – “Stop Staring”

21. Drauve – “Haunted”

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20. Big Thief – “UFOF”

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19. MUNA – “Number One Fan”

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18. Claud – “Easy”

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17. Danny Brown – “Dirty Laundry”

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16. Angel Olsen – “Lark”

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15. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Want You In My Room”

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14. Caroline Polachek – “Door”

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13. Boy Harsher – “LA”

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12. Magdalena Bay – “Venice”

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11. Erika de Casier – “Do My thing”

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10. Men I Trust – “Numb”

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9. Charlotte Adigéry – “Paténipat”

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8. Σtella – “Samba”

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7. GEORGIA – “About Work The Dancefloor”

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6. Lana Del Rey – “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have”

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5. Aldous Harding – “The Barrel”

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4. Big Thief – “Not”

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3. Charli XCX, Christine and the Queens – “Gone”

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2. FKA twigs – “Cellophane”

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1. Clairo – “Bags”

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