Whatever music you listen to, this has been quite the year of highs and quite a few lows. Nowhere is this more true than for the contest that this round-up usually is dedicated to. So for this December you are not getting a regular round-up. Instead, we will be looking back at all the best releases of each month, while also highlighting the best of December.
If you want to jump straight to a specific section, here’s a list of pages, each filled to the brim with excellent music:
- The best songs of each month
- The Best EPs of each month
- The Best LPs of each month, and a little look back at 2025.
The best song of…
December: Petunija x Tautumeitas – “Tamsią Naktį”
Round-up fave Petunija and one of my personal favourites of 2025, Tautumeitas, team wake us all up from the “Tamsią Naktį” (Dark Night). This impactful, musically layered Baltic collab grabbed me on first listen and I immediately listened to it 5 times more afterwards. A great song to close the year off on, or to open 2026 on.
January: Gisela João – “Vejam Bem”
All the way back in January we already got one of my favourite songs of the entire year. Festival da Canção juror Gisela João knocked it out of the park with “Vejam Bem”, a track that is both strongly traditional musically while adding elements to expand the sound. The post-rock style outro in particular absolutely bowls me over every time.
February: Guadi Galego & Tanxugueiras – “Inconformismo”
It was a great year of collabs for Tanxugueiras, with February’s “Inconformismo” being one of multiple excellent examples. Thanks to Guadi Galego, we see the fan favourite Galician trio experiment with a more alt-pop direction. Just a very pleasant track to listen to at any time of year or day, but for me this track especially hit best during dawn and dusk.
March: MEAU – “Vergeef Me”
Dutch singer-songwriter MEAU keeps going from strength to strength. “Vergeef Me” managed to be my favourite song in Dutch in what proved to be a pretty strong year musically for the language. Just pure excellence that gives me aesthetic chills on my neck and a tear in my eye.
April: Raul Ojamaa – “we miss u”
My most controversial pick for song of the month yet also one of the tracks I revisited most, “we miss u” is not for everyone but most definitely is for me. The instrumental, electronic track that is completely based on the sound of glass being disposed in a mobile container is odd and absolutely compelling.
May: Bel Tempo – “Sandy Lane”
In retrospect Bel Tempo were my personal favourites of the 2025 national final season. ANd while not all their post-Supernova output has been as good, I am willing to make the bold claim that “Sandy Lane” was one of the best indie rock songs of the entire year. Moody, earthy, that gorgeous mix of perfectly rounded songwriting but with a rough edge in the instrumental… yeah, that’s the good stuff.
July: Jeangu Macrooy – “Independent Girls & Nasty Evil Gays”
An excellent pride anthem was the treat we received from Jeangu Macrooy for July in anticipation of his “Young, Awkward & Lonely” album that released later this year. Fun, pointed, and a great little change of tone during the full record itself as well.
August: Night Tapes – “Storm”
One of the best parts of having done this round-up is getting to know and love acts I otherwise never would have heard about. Dream pop-electronica-trip hop purveyors Night Tapes are one such act. “Storm” is ethereal yet so clearly present at the same time, personal yet anthemic, and another song that makes me tear up. An astounding piece of music.
September: Balkan Paradise Orchestra, Tanxugueiras, Arnau Altimir – “Abelles reines (Game Sessions II)”
I did say it was a great year for Tanxugueiras and their collabs, didn’t I? This beat heavy remix is a fascinating combination of genres, styles, sounds, and influences rolled into a 3 and a half minute package. Just really, really fun.
October: Kyla Vėjas! – “Žaizdos Negyja”
After electronica getting the track of the month twice in a row, it shouldn’t be a surprise I did a hard pivot back to a sound that people are more likely to connect to me. That is not to say there isn’t still a heavy electronic influence here, as Kyla Vėjas!’s post-rock sound definitely takes inspiration from some of the best of the 80s and 90s. A great moody track for the autumn and winter months from a duo that hopefully will break out and make it big. If that is what they want.
November: Chiquita Movida – “Fotos felices”
Rayden’s surprising return to music has been fruitful, with some absolute bops and bangers. “Fotos felices” is a great example of the sound of this Spanish supergroup. The kind of altrock that makes you think “they don’t make it like that anymore” only to remember this was released in 2025!
Next page: The very best EPs of each month
Giwrgos Oiko 
That Eurovision Site 
Shiloh C.