I don’t want to play coy with this one and lead up to some great reveal where I lovingly bestow the hallowed honor of my favorite new record on some lucky release. This year, I knew very early what was going to be the record to beat. I waited for something that could push it out of the lead. Though some came close, in the end I still believe that Caroline Rose’s Year of the Slug is the best record of 2025.
If you have listed to Rose for awhile, it’s hard not to be enamored with the narrative arc of the musician’s career. It seems like she has always been on the cusp of greatness. From an early start as a young, alt-country firecracker to where she was when I first encountered her as a poppy, introspective goofball, she seemed to be nearing the finish line. Starting with her 2020 release, Superstar (a record that lived on repeat right next to Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters for me during that time) she seemed to begin a critical look at “fame” and “success” in the industry - what those things meant and what was expected of an artist. I feel like most musicians reach a place where they keep expecting it to “happen,” but that action can take countless subjective forms. It is easy to feel jaded and overlooked trying to make art in this world.
Regrettably, I missed the release of 2023’s The Art of Forgetting, but when I saw my friends at The Whitewater posting about her upcoming appearance, I just bought tickets and decided to figure out the logistics later. I looked for the new record, The Year of the Slug, on Apple Music, but it was conspicuously absent. Rose had decided to pull back from the pipeline, opting to publish it on Bandcamp instead of streaming it via Apple Music and Spotify - choosing to play small bars and venues instead of dealing with LiveNation and TicketMaster. For ten dollars I bought the record (a purchase I quickly regretted as I wished I had just spent the extra money for the LP with the included digital download) and I listened to it through our time in Maine as winter became mud season. I could not stop.
Back in the Midsouth/South/Midwest, I scooted down for the show filled with glee and adoration for the album. I was so excited I showed up to the venue too early to get in for a beer, but early enough to see Rose, by herself, loading in and taking pictures of the resident cats. It ended up a perfect show. On stage she explained how the record came to be in the form it found. Rose recorded demos of all the songs directly onto her iPhone and shared them with people whose opinions she respected looking for production, arrangement, and engineering paths. The response was simple: The songs are perfect just as they are.
Year of the Slug delivers an honesty without pretension or pretense. It feels intimate and sounds like Rose is sitting on the couch next to you. More than anything, I feel, the record proves that a great song is a great song no matter how boiled down or overproduced it is, and there are Great Songs on this record. I finally bought the LP and I keep waiting to get tired of listening to it, but it hasn’t happened yet. I am incredibly grateful for Rose for still making music and not giving into the critical malaise of the industry. I know it can’t be easy. Still, there is a little bit of hope hidden beneath those tracks and I think keeping that alive in whatever way we can is the only path forward for all of us.
Runners Up:
Bleeds by Wednesday (Townies and Gary’s II continue to break me)
It’s a Beautiful Place by Water From Your Eyes (Brilliant with love and attention)
Cameron Winter & Geese (His voice grows on you like a beautiful and poisonous fungus)
Favorite New-To-Me Record of 2025
It is doubtful if you have spent any time with me this year that you don’t know about this record. I will not shut up about it. I listened to the song All I Want Is You so many times on Bandcamp that they finally shut me down and told me to just buy the damn thing already. Following the trend (see Year of the Slug above), I spent the twenty bucks for the record and immediately regretted not shelling out the $56 for the three disc record as well. My cheap ass could not justify spending the additional $56 after already dropping $20. Carrie loved it too. She mentioned, multiple times that it would be a great one to have for the record player. I emailed the platform and asked if I could just pay the difference and get the physical record but the merchant couldn’t make it work. Cut to Christmas morning as Carrie and I both unwrap the copies of Diamond Jubilee that we had unknowingly gifted each other.
This is one of those “you determine your own level of involvement” records, kind of like watching baseball. It is a joy on the periphery, but it also rewards deep listening and consideration. It is beautiful in so many different ways. Would this record have beat Manning Fireworks by MJ Lenderman if I had heard it in 2024? Luckily I will never have to answer that question.
Disclaimer: I am sorry that neither of these records are easily available to stream for free. At the same time, spend a few dollars and support these folks making amazing music. If you don’t like it and regret my recommendation, I will write you a poem or something.
RSR