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

The latest preview of that shift comes with “Drag,” a track that dives headfirst into muddy basslines, industrial synths, and raw emotion. Lyrically, it’s both confessional and defiant, tracing the push and pull of self-discipline, medication, and the struggle to appear “good” while battling inner turmoil. Vocalist Christie Simpson describes it as a message to her younger self, a reflection on grief, ADHD, and ultimately acceptance: “It’s a goodbye to the life I lived so long ‘inside the drag.’ It’s about releasing myself from the struggle, about letting go.” That intensity carries into the video, co-directed with Julian Vares, which channels the sleek paranoia of early-2000s thrillers and the techno-futurist aesthetic of a world on the edge of digital transformation. Watch the video below and stream the track via our Best Songs of 2025 playlist.

Their latest track, “Blister,” is another bold step into what feels like a new chapter for the New Zealand-born group. Powered by crunchy riffs, a tight rhythm, and just the right touch of nostalgia, the song manages to feel both urgent and effortlessly cool. There’s a refreshing simplicity here, something the band leans into with intention. “We found strength in simplicity, discovering that the more stripped-down we went, the more forceful the impact became,” they explain.

Lyrically, “Blister” captures emotional friction in vivid detail: “Gimme a blister / Damn it I miss ya / Calling it even / Calling it quits.” It’s direct, bittersweet, and perfectly in line with Yumi Zouma’s knack for wrapping heartache in shimmering melody. There’s an unmistakable Y2K vibe running through the track too.

And the excellent video, directed by the band, amplifies as well the nostalgic aesthetic. It features a mix of modern cellphone technology, early 2000s album covers, and various other imagery that you’ll probably recognize.

Just last month, they dropped the irresistible “Bashville on the Sugar.” Two singles in quick succession? We’d bet there’s an album on the horizon. Whatever’s coming, we’re all in.

After “Southwark” and “Cool For A Second,” Yumi Zouma have just unveiled a video for “Lonely After,” the amazing opening track of their new album Truth or Consequences. If the song evokes a melancholy romance, the Martin Sagadin-directed visuals offer a glimpse of solace, which is more than welcome in these tough times.

“Nostalgia has always been a big part of Yumi Zouma and that’s mostly a result of the people we are,” explained guitarist Josh Burgess. “We all get high off of the rush that comes with remembering the intensity and ecstasy of ‘yesterday’ safe in the present. Our memories, stories, demos and each other are the only incomplete link back to the way things used to be which is magical in itself.

He then developed:

[su_quote]Now more than ever it feels like we’re all craving yesterday, skeptical of what tomorrow will bring as we patiently navigate these strange new times. For me, yesterday is very vivid. Christchurch, early February down by the Waimakariri River on the outskirts of town. The wind running off the river, through the trees, and into Christie’s hair. The midday sun stinging the skin as I entertain our friends making the video with my best Mick Jagger impression and skills of doing handstands in loafers. These moments are precious, they suspend time so all that matters is the present. I’m forever grateful to have the “Lonely After” video as my yesterday to get lost in. It reminds me to be present and hold everything that is dear that little bit closer in my head and my heart.[/su_quote]

New Zealand dream-pop band Yumi Zouma continue to tease their new album Truth Or Consequences, a project that will mark their debut on Polyvinyl. After “Right Track/Wrong Man” and “Cool For A Second,” they have now shared another exquisite single, “Southwark”. It’s a perfectly polished slice of glistening indie-pop, acting as a love mantra. About the track, singer Christie Simpson detailed:

[su_quote][“Southwark”] feels like a dedication, a mantra, a promise to myself. I wrote the chorus line about the someone in particular that I was with at the time, but it now feels like a universal truth for my relationships, a dedication that goes to every person I’ve loved and those that I’m still loving now. I can be quite dramatic in love and relationships, and I don’t always do or say the right thing when I should, but I do throw myself in completely (for better or worse). I loved that idea of repeating that dedication — “I am imperfectly yours.” This track has haunted me a little every time I listen, there’s something melancholy that sits in there alongside that overall feeling of quiet elation. I suppose that speaks to the classic dichotomy of love and relationships — nothing is ever 100% good or perfect, and that’s what I am constantly trying to come to terms with.[/su_quote]

Watch the accompanying video and pre-order the album via Bandcamp below.

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After having announced their signing to Polyvinyl and shared the single “Right Track / Wrong Man,” Yumi Zouma have now detailed the release of their third album. “In the age we’re living in, there’s an emphasis on making things clear cut,” said Josh Burgess about the album’s title. “But in life and in art, nothing is ever that definitive. The truth is usually in the gray zones, and I think that’s so much of what we were trying to explore and understand on this album.”

Coming with this good news, the dream-pop experts have also unveiled the soft and dreamy lead single, “Cool For A Second.” “The track was demoed in Los Angeles and then long forgotten, destined for the scrap heap,” bassist Charlie Ryder detailed. “A spark of inspiration from Josh in the introduction reestablished that for us, the most conspicuous of melodies are often hidden in modest beginnings.” Watch the Nick Mckk-directed visuals and pre-order the album via Bandcamp below.

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New Zealand’s indie-pop five-piece Yumi Zouma have just announced their signing to Polyvinyl and shared a new track to celebrate the news. Following up to “Bruise,” “Right Track/Wrong Man” is another perfectly-executed slice of shimmering pop.

“‘Right Track / Wrong Man’ comes from a place of uncertainty – of not knowing if you should stay in the comfort of a slightly unfulfilling relationship, or branch out and make the most of the youth you have left; meet new people, go out more, dance, live,” Simpson explained in a statement. “As Yumi Zouma we often write songs that we want people to dance to, and that we ourselves would want to dance to – this is our dancefloor anthem to the confusion of living through your twenties.”

Listen and buy the track via Bandcamp below.

At the end of the month, the New Zealanders of Yumi Zouma, who are based all over the world, will unveil the last part of their EP trigology. After the smooth uptempo lead single “In Camera“, they’re now sharing the tender and bittersweet “Crush (It’s Late, Just Stay)”. Tune in below.