The old world

Perpetually, music is a part of our lives, whether we invite it in or we do not. It plays in the elevator, the grocery shop, it wafts out of public houses, and through the paneling of cars. People have started posting their respective wraps from their various musical streaming services, and I wanted to do something a little different before diving into the data of the year that was.

This year, mostly in terms of music has probably been the most fulfilling and interesting of my life. The highlight, most definitely was travelling several hundred kilometres in my comfy new car to go see a "litte" band called Within Temptation, who I have listened to for what feels like a lifetime.

When I say 2025 was the year I could've written a novel about my love affairs with music, I don't need to say I could've - because I have written well over 10,000 words about music here this year, and every single moment of that was a joy.

The Highlights

On a personal Level, here are the highlights of the year:

One: Within Temptation

In my post, How it feels to fulfill a life long musical bucket list concert, I reflected on the experience and shared some photos of the show, and it was as close to a perfect experience as it could have been. I would love dearly to see them again.

It was a concert where I was exposed to new material and fell in love with a band all over aagain.

Two: Killing Heidi

A "little known" Australian band, Killing Heidi was the gateway drug I had to female fronted music. Seeing them live, and seeing them perform a beloved album in its entirety was such a pleasure. It felt like a reunion where I knew everyone and everybody, but they were not people, they were songs - and everyone was friends with them, and I was too. Interconnections through past experience and interwoven meanings.

To steal a line from their song, as I did, Waiting in a Quiet Limbo, yet knowing I'll never see a show like that again.

Three: Kittie and Jinjer

A phenomenal week-day show, Jinjer and Kittie managed to do something unique - make me appreciate the fact that live content can be better than studio quality recordings. The rendition of Green Serpent live made me in awe of the dynamic range of the vocalist, and forced me to re-approach the recorded version of the song with renewed appreciation.

Seeing them alongside their seniors, Kittie, was a real treat, and the ageing band (and ageing people, just like me) was a wonderful affirmation to just go and do things, because time is the only resource we can't go and get more of.

Four: Florence

For a while now I have been obsessed with the musical and narrative structure of Florence Welch's body of work. I spent this year listening very closely to each album, and writing a track by track breakdown of each album. Thousands of words. Lots of thoughts, heaps of listens, and a deeper appreciation. When I get some more time (that's a really rare thing - now that I've started my new full time job) - I will certainly be giving Everybody Scream the same treatment.

In the interim, if you missed any, you can go explore lengthy rambling below:

• Lungs
• Ceremonials
• How Big How Blue How Beautiful
• High as Hope
• Dance Fever

Bonus content: What does Florence and the Machine and the Ferrari F1 team have in common?

Five: Nothingface's Skeletons

This album always comes up as one of my all time favourites. It is obscure. It is a band very few people have heard of, and my super-in-depth analysis why I like it so much (mainly owing to the dynamic range of the late Matt Holt's voice) and vitriolic lyricism, it is something that will always stick with me. It has song that I will never forget.

You can go read over 4,000 words about this album here.

The New Generation:

This was the year I became obsessed with The Last Dinner Party. I wrote a lengthy review of their new album From the Pyre which you should listen to, and you should also read. It is a review I am very proud of, and something that I feel is one of the best pieces of writing I completed this year.

I'm so very keen to go see them in January 2026, and I'll be writing about that.

I will also be going to see Lacuna Coil in Feb 2026, so expect some words about that, then, too.

The Algo and the data:

And if you made it all the way through that high effort, human written recap, this is what the data and the algo says about my listening habits.

AI being creepy:

The last time I did a personality test, I waas a INTJ. I know I've shared on my blog this year that I've gotten more connected with my emotional side over the last year, so I am not entirely sure if I have shifted from Architect to Advocate proper.