My year in music

According to the streaming giant I won’t name, I listened to 42,383 minutes of music this year, which is about 4,000 minutes less than the previous year. I think this because I commuted less, and also wrote more. I can’t work on anything that requires thinking power with music on, which translates to about 10 minutes less music listening than 2024. However, at the same time I also went to way more gigs than 2024 and bought more vinyl. These are two that I don’t quantify, purely because I’d hate to see the effect both have on my bank account, when they’re two things that bring me immense joy.

Numbers aside, 2025 was a pretty amazing year for music. I purposely branched out into different genres of music (hello hyperpop, hardcore and K-Pop), and also dove deeper into the UK DIY scene (in large part thanks to Nothing Sounds Good). Some people I am lucky enough to know personally put out some amazing music this year, including Soot Sprite, Really Big, Really Clever, Every Face Becomes a Skull, The Losing Score, Regal Cheer, H_ngm_n, SUDS, and my doppelganger, George Gadd. The state of UK DIY is in amazing shape, and I’ve probably missed out on some amazing EPs and singles from this list too.

Anyway, here’s my top five albums and honourable mentions, as well as my favourite gigs from the year.

My year in films

2025 was an ok year for watching films. I managed to log 47 films in total, which is probably not all of them, as I’m sure I didn’t log some favourites that were comfort rewatches (especially Christmas films). I did try and get out of the house and get to the cinema at least a couple times every month, and managed to see some absolute gems (Ballad, Sinners and One Battle) and some absolute stinkers because of that (Dog Man. So bad).

I managed to catch up on some absolute beauties from previous years, like Robot Dreams, and finally got around to watching some old films that have probably now snuck into my top ten of all time, like Meet Me In St Louis (how have I not seen this before). The Ballad of Wallis Island taking the top spot is not that surprising, considering it feels like it’s tailor made for me. Music + Tim Key + awkward comedy + sadness is a winning combination. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s an absolute beauty of a film.

My year in books

I set myself an ambitious target of 35 books for 2025, and managed to smash it with 47 in total (and I’m about 50% of the way through my last one, but didn’t quite get it in). I managed to sneak in a few non-fiction, as well as my usual fare of sci-fi, fantasy and dystopia. Dungeon Crawler Carl feels like it’s rewired my brain. It’s such a fun, stupid, exciting series, and I can’t wait for the next entry. I also finished off both the Legends & Lattes and Her Majesty’s Royal Coven series’ thanks to my partner’s access to ARCs, which was neat. Both are excellent series.

However, it was a reread in Don’t Hold My Head Down that quietly snuck into my top five books of the year. I think this is an essential read for anyone who wants to understand more about human intimacy and how much culture and existing systems screw with it, delivered as a really funny, engaging memoir. More people need to read this.

My year in side projects

It’s pretty funny that I started and shelved an event called ‘Side Quest’ this year, considering my inability to not do side quests. Writing these down made me realise that I still do too many things. This year, I co-launched a new vinyl subscription startup called Nothing Sounds Good, which has been a great way to spend my time each month finding records and writing the zine for it. It’s a shame it hasn’t taken off like I thought it would, but it still brings me so much joy each month. Still on the music side, I launched two music podcasts (and shelved one), released an album with my band, ran another successful all-dayer (as well as a handful of gigs). That makes me feel pretty accomplished.

On the more work side of things, I helped run WDC again, which is always a highlight of the year, found my joy in coding again via this website and a bunch of projects at work, and started the aforementioned Side Quest. That’s not counting the conferences, podcasts, speaking gigs and stupid projects I do at work too. It’s been a busy year.

The only thing I think I did purely for myself and didn’t really shout about is actually build a gym habit. I’ve managed to keep up at least twice a week most weeks of the year, and have slowly been building the amount of weight I can lift without destroying my body. It’s slow, it’s gradual, but I’m feeling so much better in myself. Go me.

Ins and Outs for 2026

To cap it all off here are the things I think are going to be in and out for 2026. This is, of course, based on extensive research and ethnographic study, and not just based on vibes at the end of December. Overall, let’s bring back joy, decency, and empathy. Let’s yeet fascism, late-stage capitalism, and post-punk into the sea. Let’s make 2026 a good one, yeah?