We are overjoyed to share our 100 favorite Atlanta tracks of 2025!
In a year marked by musicians and music listeners reevaluating how to consume music and support artists, our 2025 list is extra special and little different.
We’ve provided links for all the tracks released on Bandcamp, so you can download or purchase physical media from these artists directly. We also have write-ups for the top 15 tracks, plus several more for some of our incredible contributors’ favorites throughout. There are truly incredible works on this entire list from beginning to end. We hope you dig into these tracks and artists, and discover new favorites of your own.
While this year’s playlist can be found on the major streaming platforms, we urge you to read our guide to Why Artists & Listeners Are Boycotting Spotify by Aja Arnold for a deeper understanding of the ongoing fight for human rights and fair labor practices in the music industry, and how to find the right alternatives for you. (If you’re interested on changing where you stream your music but haven’t had the chance, consider checking out our playlist on YouTube, Tidal, or Apple Music as a beginning.)
As always, thank you to the Atlanta artists, labels, venues, promoters, listeners, show-goers, and music lovers that made this year special. We are so proud of your talent, creativity, inventiveness and resilience.
Curated and written by Senior Music Editor Autumn James, with contributions from Aja Arnold, Lindsay Thomaston, and Jake Van Valkenburg
100. “Movement III (Wait Your Turn)” by Keron’s EGO
99. “Just In” by Posture Clinic
98. “Witches in the Attic” by 3 Women
97. “FST” by Sweet Time
96. “A House In Probate” by Archeology
95. “Withered Boy” by Stunner
94. “The Lights” by Vacants
93. “Rainin’ Soul” by Thalmus
92. “Turn This Shit into Gold” by Frank/ie Consent
91. “Everything Must Change” by Robin Shakedown
90. “No Tears” by Mad Ace… feat. Annie Leeth
89. “Guilty Volcano” by Slime Ring
88. “Ridin’ Dirty” by Ladrones
87. “Surveillance!” by SMALL
Everyone who lives in Atlanta—the most surveilled city in the world—needs a personal anthem about what it’s like living in the surveillance state. And with an FBI/DHS arrest of an Atlanta activist as recent as December 2025, this song is especially potent for the scene. “Surveillance!” reigns with the same level of angst and drive as Nirvana’s “Tourette’s” and features witty lyrics that find comedic relief amidst peak paranoia. (Well, you can be paranoid and they can also be watching you. Both things can be true. SMALL gets this.) With lines like, “If they’re always watching, welcome to the show,” this song is for anyone who had the thought about being watched and decided to put on a show for the government-sanctioned voyeurs. (This song is also a reminder to brush up on your digital security hygiene.) — Aja Arnold
86. “This Old Silence” by TRASHCLUB
85. “Invertebrate” by hannahbolecter
84. “AM Receiver” by Greenways
83. “Gunga” by Gunga
82. “(Kill) Your Self-Help Book” by Janie Danger
81. “Outline” by Recess Party
80. “Baby Blue – 4 Track Version” by Sid Jerr-Dan
79. “MEANS” by Identity Shock
78. “SOLDIERS THAT KILL THE INNOCENT” by ALLERGIC
77. “Bedhead” by Melissuh
76. “Fuck Ice Forever” by Dark Vaughn
75. “Velvet Dream” by Rujen
74. “Zombie Ants” by Jaguar Glass
73. “I’ve Got the Time” by John Pierce
72. “payaso.” by a blue room.
71. “Cold Eyes” by Aestrea
70. “Visit You in Hell” by Lowtown
There’s a legacy of great pop songs with dark undertones. Like how “Semi-Charmed Life” by Third Eye Blind is about crystal meth. But everyone still cheers when it gets put on and sings along. Cause it bangs. “Visit You in Hell” is Lowtown’s contribution to that legacy, delivering a feel-bad song of the summer complete with enough doot doo’s and la’s to keep you smiling and forgetting about the bad times. It’s perhaps the band’s first proper anthem – an outlier from their typical southern punk blues – fit to soundtrack the closing shot of a movie where the protagonist gives the camera the finger as they drive off into the sunset in a junk car. — Jake Van Valkenburg
69. “games that match” by Annie Leeth
68. “Maggie’s World””by Mary Margaret Cozart
67. “Legionnaire 148” by Newt Ezrel
66. “Beachfront Bossa” by Jake Chisenhall feat. Rose Hotel
65. “ILY” by Sudie
64. “Is Your Heart a Mess, Too?” by Savoy.
63. “Worm in the Dirt” by Floral Portrait
62. “I like that” by Jamee Cornelia feat. Raisi K.
61. “Willie” by Dawn Tils0n
60. “Fell to Love” by Viadante
59. “August” by Hagan
58. “Lynne” by Starsiren
57. “Little Wild Dark” by See You in Heaven
56. “Don’t Take” by Doud
55. “Smiley” by Inner Shell
54. “Slide” by Assembly
From the sick and twisted minds that brought us 15,000 Guns, Strumbrush, and Buice, we get Assembly. The quartet in their current and previous bands have been responsible for some of the city’s most forward-thinking and adventurous noise-rock and this latest project is no excuse. “Slide” is a depraved cyborg of a song, marching forward with Robert Lloyd’s furious drumming, Jack Pace and Josh Rubin’s guitar bending, and Foster Well’s dexterous bass lines. Plus almost all of them sing on the track. This shit is just sinister, how are they able to play like that? — JVV
53. “ATLstan.” by Ruqiyah
52. “New Shoes” by Meghan Dowlen
Meghan Dowlen was the must-see live act of 2025. Backed onstage by some of the city’s premier musicians, her live shows radiate style and swagger, oscillating between bold theatrics and poignant restraint. Her track “New Shoes” captures that lively spirit: guitar, bass, and saxophone groove together in a funky lockstep, while Dowlen’s vocal performances take center stage to wow and inspire. It’s a little bit of Kate Bush, a little bit of Prince, yet defined by Dowlen’s idiosyncratic energy and cadence. Simply, it’s just plain fun without pretension, and I challenge anybody not to burst into dance the second you press play. — JVV
51. “Wait For Me” by Psychic Death
50. “Melancholy Melodies” by Scattrbrain
There’s a regional meme that’s surfaced in the last few years where absurd scenarios of A-Town living get accompanied by the facepalming caption, “Atlanta isn’t a real place.” Think clips of people surfing through a flooded Krog Street Tunnel, DJ sets at the crab boil spot, urban cowboys taking leisurely horseback rides through Edgewood, and shocked transplants realizing that Quavo’s upscale lounge is built atop a BP gas station. Albeit at times surreal, it’s these idiosyncratic portraits that make Atlanta exactly the sort of place Faye Webster gets her jumpstart with Awful Records, or Rico Wade first connects to a young Big Boi and Andre 3000 in the parking lot of a beauty supply store.
With that in mind, Scattrbrain —the newest side project from East Atlanta-born rapper GRIP— makes for one of the most naturally homegrown acts of late. Comprised of Grip, Aidy Morgan (Mallbangs), Se’Nam Palmer (Crispin Wah, B.o.B), Daniel Gleason (Grouplove), and Benjamin Homola (Grouplove, Bad Books), Scattrbrain comes out swinging with the immediately earwormy “Melancholy Melodies.” A self-sabotage crash-out of melodic punk and emo riffs, “Melancholy Melodies” thrives on the band’s impeccable lineup, with reeling guitars and riotous gang vocals pushing every hook to exhilarating effect. With only two singles out, the group’s future releases are already highly anticipated, but for now, the contagious angst of these first offerings make pouring salt on the wound feel irresistibly good. — Lindsay Thomaston
49. “Killer” by Ethan Pish
48. “Plums in Spring” by Isaac Bishop
47. “Apple & Opal” by Hanu Hansa
46. “No Man, No Why” by major
“No Man, No Why” lives in the quiet spiral where the night’s already been burned out. Steeped in melancholy and post-night-out nihilism, mundanity carefully resigns to atmosphere as the refrain “same shit, same time” yields to an exhausted truth. Twangy guitars flirt with the present Southern rock renaissance, while a glimmering bridge offers a brief, wistful lift before everything settles back into the gray. One of the most promising indie-rock projects emerging from the scene, Major makes even the “same shit, same time” feel worth lingering over—so keep the tab open, roll another loosie, and surrender to the not-knowing. — LT
45. “Spring” by Nico!
A far cry from the crushing noise-rock of their other band Big Yellow, Nico! is the glitchy solo project of Nicolas Ruiz. Their debut record bug/s(on)myscrn buzzes and hums with bleary synths, tinny guitar melodies, and skittering drum loops as if the pixels on your old laptop became sentient and formed a dream pop band. The effect is woozy and lethargic, the kind of fatigue that comes from staring at your phone all day. “spring” shines in this collection of songs, showcasing a real depth for songwriting that doesn’t get lost in the technicolor static of their creations. — JVV
44. “High Speed Rail” by Original Boyfriend
43. “Javelin of Truth” by Nina Garbus
42. “dark blue” by baby hollis.
41. “Fear Tower” by Sleepers Club
40. “Every Moon” by Ricochet Star
39. “MELT” by MUELAS
Despite only playing their first show in June of 2025, Muelas have garnered rapid buzz that extends well beyond Atlanta’s hardcore scene. The band’s name, which most straightforwardly translates to the Spanish word for “molars,” but also the verb moler—to grind or pulverize—is an apt descriptor for their pummeling live performances, though it also isn’t rare to see lead vocalist Susy Reyes tap into her classical training to shred on electric violin. Anti-ICE anthem “MELT” is the blistering debut single from the frenetic five-piece, steered by Reyes’ perspective as a proud child of immigrants. Drummer Musashi Albert punctuates the track’s jagged heaviness with relentless force on the crash, driving home its furious assertion of self-determination against warrantless cowards. Reyes’ raw vocals cut through every strike, laced in spittle and snarled sin miedo as they bellow ¡Chinga la migra! — LT
38. “Super-Do” by Onionizm
37. “Wait What” by Scare Quotes
36. “Starhead” by Hubble
35. “Overview Effect” by Ritual Day
34. “Illusion Never Changes” by Malevich
33. “Someone Doesn’t Want You to Know” by Strumbrush
32. “Project 3” by Siichaq
“Project 3” is an urgent prayer into the void. Tossed in a riptide of self-paralysis where project files rot into untitled oblivion, Siichaq, aka Kennie Mason, is unsure whether an answer from the void might ease or unsettle her further. Richly stacked vocals churn across roiling slacker rock, creating a gauzy undertow of oxymornic “waveless currents” where Mason finds herself heaving against the precarious space between desire and doubt. It’s the hypnotic quandary that backs every artist into a point at some time or another: the mortifying ordeal of being known vs. the potentially more mortifying ordeal of being unknown. — LT
31. “Talt” by Miriam Lane
30. “Another” by Jazzy Tha Rapper
29. “Try” by Elesa Sparkle
Dwell, the 2025 EP by Tom Sinclair under his indie-rock project Elesa Sparkle, is an ode to intimate spaces. On “Try,” listeners are drawn into the close, confessional margins of a car ride with a crush, a setting made suddenly expansive by the rush of romantic potential. Sinclair self-describes the project as “Pixies with a DJ,” which makes the subtle Nirvana-style inflection of his “hello” in the chorus feel like a knowing nod to “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” a song Cobain famously said was inspired by the Pixies. Sugary backing vocals from Danielle Dollar give the track a balmy, carefree lift that perfectly matches its soaring, sunshiney pulse, underscoring the starry-eyed endeavor of making young love work, no matter the circumstances. — LT
28. “No Skin Off My Nose” by Lorie
27. “Ida’s Stain” by Kid Fears
26. “Dirty Fighter” by GREBE
25. “Downer” by spiderhouse
24. “How Does it End” by Tony Aparo
23. “Useful to Me” by Feltie
22. “Magic Trick” by Safety Switch
21. “Activation” by Blammo
20. “Hear Me” by Zoe Bayani
The men on the dating apps take you to EAV just to hear themselves speak and God (He/Him) has abandoned us. “When there’s a man, there’s a war / There is a body on the floor,” sings Zoe Bayani, her lament of Joe Rogan-era suitors underscored by anguishing fuzz and feedback as she pleads for a thoughtful path toward her own actualization. After all, Bayani is “a good man’s daughter.” And maybe she could be someone’s mother! Or sister! You know the refrain. The exasperation peaks in the chorus, where her voice comes down like an axe, shunning these reductive epithets with the grunge-laced power-pop force of 90s Veruca Salt. — LT
19. “It’s Your Funeral” by Ultra Lights
18. “A Figure For The Lawn” by Narrator
17. “Elliptical Longing” by Makenna Lyric
16. “Stocking Up” by klark sound
15. “Aerosol” by boycat
Over the past five years, the widespread revival of shoegaze, coupled with TikTok’s role in resurrecting 90s slowcore lesser-knowns like Duster and Codeine, has swept through the national musical zeitgeist. If there’s an exemplary Atlanta representative for this cultural moment, it can be found on boycat’s debut EP When Echo Lands. Released on beloved Atlanta tape label Rope Bridge Records, When Echo Lands largely practices classic slowcore restraint, but the trio really lets loose on “Aerosol.” Alternating between icy, quiet urgency and a piercing screechiness, “Aerosol” taps into the most sonically satisfying aspects of the current alt-rock landscape. — Autumn James
14. “Enamel” by O Key
The proof is in the pudding with Cole Monroe’s peculiar brand of chaotic, surrealist songwriting, evident in his work with weirdo math rock band Art Contest. But think of O Key as Art Contest’s glossier, poppier, yet equally neurotic cousin. The first single from their forthcoming full length debut, “Enamel” sounds as if O Key cooked a CD of Sugar Ray’s “Someday” in a microwave and then dropped that microwave in a bathtub. It courts the most familiar of pop sensibilities while simultaneously distorting them in an overstimulating heap of saturated reverb, overlapping guitar lines and glitchy, buzzing synths. — AJ
13. “Rusts” by Maggie FM
The solo project of Lunar Vacation’s own Maggie Geeslin, Maggie FM made its debut this year with a busy show calendar and a debut self-released full-length record, Candy, Lights, Orchids. Recorded in a home in Kentucky last winter, the album is a spin through nostalgic kaleidoscopic tales, with honorable mentions of Steely Dan, lamp collections, and rabbits. “Rusts” is by far the highlight of the record, with shimmering guitars, funky bass, and perky punched-up drums. Featuring two delightfully discordant, hypnotizing post-chorus bridges, the song juxtaposes feelings of hope and internal doubt, like a rain cloud covering the sun momentarily on an otherwise perfect day rolling around in a southern field. — AA
12. “what i have” by Graham Ulicny
Graham Ulicny has developed into a songwriter’s songwriter of sorts in the years since forming his proggy post-punk band, Thick Paint, and the heyday of his Athens indie pop outfit Reptar. Now channeling the likes of Richard Thompson, John Prine, and Bob Dylan, Ulicny is more resolutely unyielding while remaining deceptively simple. “what i have” rounds out the end of his latest solo effort Terry’s Dolmen and centers on how our internal world can push back against an ever-oppressive material one. It’s a defiant anthem on inner authority and autonomy that escalates into twangy, foot-stomping catharsis. — AJ
11. “The Whole World’s Bitch” by Wieuca
It is possible to have too much of a good thing. However, it is also very possible to have so much of a bad thing that it circles back around to being good again. Experimental rock band Wieuca has a long history of melting down elements from alt-rock’s least respected and most macho genres like pop punk, metalcore, and butt rock. Yet, what they cleverly fabricate with those ingredients is wildly satisfying music that pokes at masculinity with a sharpened awareness—hold the pretension. Their 2025 single “The Whole World’s Bitch” is an over-the-top masochist’s anthem. Chugging its way into being categorically ridiculous but stopping just shy of parody, it perfectly encapsulates the audacity and gall only Wieuca is adept enough to wield. — AJ
10. “My Kind” by BAUMS
After bandleader Seth Ramsay started releasing loose singles under the BAUMS moniker in 2023, he began the year-long process of assembling and training the art rock ensemble’s fully fleshed-out lineup for their 2024 live debut. Finally cashing-in in 2025, BAUMS’ machine-like proficiency and endearing dramatic flair have cemented their status as one of Atlanta’s most formidable live acts. Sprawling 9-minute opus “My Kind” from their debut EP most accurately showcases the complexity and jaw-dropping nature of the BAUMS experience. Amalgamating a dizzying array of kitchen-sinked influences, “My Kind” fuses the intricate prog rock of Yes, The Strokes’ steely coolness, and the mechanical industrial rock of Nine Inch Nails. — AJ
9. “Zodiac Man” by Arbor Labor Union
The entire cosmos balanced on a drop of dew. Seeing your likeness reflected in a constellation of stars. Harmonizing with the cicadas on a summer night. Arbor Labor Union’s transcendental twang finds endless epiphanies in the small things, and with each album they get even headier with it. “You know who I am / I’m the Zodiac man / I’ll take a fist full of stars / And blow them in your eyes,” the band beckons on the track “Zodiac Man.” Armed with giant riffs powered by twin guitars and a driving rhythm section, the band’s latest offering Out to Pasture adds another mystic chapter to their output. This time, the proclamations are weightier and the riffing freer, all on the precipice of total dissolution. — JVV
8. “Forever Beginner” by Omni
Omni have returned for a victory lap after last year’s Souvenir with the one-off single “Forever Beginner.” It’s an outtake from their previous record, but don’t call it a throwaway. The song marks a return to form, echoing the sharp, staccato guitar, and bass interplay from the band’s great second album Multi-Task. Since then, the band has toured the world, added polymath Chris Yonker on drums, signed to Sub Pop, and been hailed by critics as one of the best post-punk bands working today. However, it’s the chorus on the new track where the song smooths out and Frobos flips into a higher register for a proper hook about love and desire that shows that the band has ditched the stiff post-punk signifiers for something entirely their own. — JVV
7. “Raygun” by Safety Switch and Mallbangs
With “Raygun” comes the sweetest collaboration of the year between Atlanta indie darling Mallbangs (Aidy Morgan) and the new local four-piece Safety Switch, featuring Tom Sinclair (Elesa Sparkle, major), Tim Holder (Bathe Alone, Sleepers Club), Anna Griffith (Bathe Alone, Sleepers Club), and Mason Palanti (also of Mallbangs). With some of the scene’s heaviest hitters and top songwriters in its register, this track combines Mallbangs’ soft, vulnerable rock stylings with Safety Switch’s ‘90s-inspired DIY post-punk incandescence. Mallbangs is giving Alex G meets Duster, while Safety Switch is like if Slint started to produce Dry Cleaning. If Mallbangs is the steerer of tender indie rock epics of yearning and emotional tumult, then Safety Switch is the wind behind those sails. Together, these two creative forces strike a potent emotional chord, which has only grown louder as more people across the globe have become aware of their twin flame. — AA, JVV
6. “ELP” by Riboflavin
Weirdo art punks Blammo and Riboflavin have fused together into one amorphous, many-limbed creature on their joint self-titled record released in March, serving up a mix of sincerity, heart, and tongue-in-cheek humor. Album highlight “ELP” comes with a music video starring one of the band members painted and dressed in red, exploring the glorious and frightening world of convenience stores. Our beanie-toting hero finds love with a nutcracker and a mannequin before crashing out in the parking lot. It’s a nonsensical video with nonsensical lyrics, but hits on the Blammo/Riboflavin core: it is absurd to exist, absurd to participate in this society. Why not take the piss out of it all and hone in on our own strange? — JVV
5. “Mouse at Your Feet” by Seedbed
In the six years songwriter JJ Posway (Sloping) spent recording what was meant to be Scooterbabe’s ambitious final studio album, most traces of the long-running Athens band’s twee-indebted indie rock were chiseled away, revealing something entirely new. What emerged was the reimagined, revolving-door collective Seedbed and their imposing debut LP, Stalemate (via Tiny Engines.) Foreboding album opener “Mouse At Your Feet” captures a perpetual cycle of biting cynicism and lingering resentment. Oscillating between turbulent wall-of-sound fuzz and brief reprieves of interlocking guitars and tight, patient drums, impending doom bubbles beneath the surface as bitterness mounts in each verse’s world-weary vignette of quiet defeat – only to be thrust back into distorted chaos. — AJ
4. “Slow Down” by Upchuck
Hardcore/punk five-piece Upchuck’s come-up since their inception circa 2019 has been a story for Atlanta DIY’s future history books—and when one of your favorite local bands gets signed to a major label, that excitement can come with reservations. But Upchuck has not only retained their sound, they’ve evolved it into an even more fitting version of themselves. With Ty Segall’s once-again indelible production, the band’s third full-length I’m Nice Now (Domino Records) is both a break from the mold and a major progression. “Slow Down” is a standout single about breaking the constraints of internalized capitalism and embracing one’s humanity. It is both a fired-up punk song and a refreshing palette cleanser with fuzz-drenched catchy guitar hooks and a relatable story. It’s good to know that Atlanta’s candle is burning bright in the indie mainstream. — AA
3. “Not Another Bleeder” by CDSM
The second single off CDSM’s debut full-length album, Convertible Hearse (via EXAG and Mothland Records), “Not Another Bleeder” is full of all our favorite fixings from one of Atlanta’s biggest local indie exports. This track exemplifies CDSM’s trademark blend of post-punk, industrial, and disco, checking all the boxes: trance-inducing synths, slithering bass lines, sinister vocals, a punctuated brass section at the end, and even a climatic-building pre-chorus reminiscent of early Skrillex-era dubstep (complimentary). It’s salacious, it’s addictive, and it’s blissfully chaotic. “Not Another Bleeder” is sure to make anyone a blind believer of this self-described “death disco” unit if they aren’t already. — AA
2. “Medicine” by Improvement Movement
Improvement Movement have wasted little time since their 2022 debut Don’t Delay, Join Today!, and 2025’s relentless touring schedule only sharpened their sense of irony. Somewhere between festival stages and long-haul drives —including stops at Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion and Shaky Knees— the band became enamored with Hong Tai Herbal Inhaler, a popular Thai aromatherapy product passed along at a friend’s recommendation. Camphor-based relief may offer a simple respite in our fast-paced world of charlatan biohacking, but when the balm runs low, “Medicine” steps in. Steeped in the band’s crate-digging palette of Haight-Ashbury grooves, the track skewers the seductive promise of easy cures, channeling jazz-tinged baroque pop in the vein of The Zombies while taking a wry, cynical view of what healing and progress really demand. — LT
1. “Even if it’s Just a Dream” by Sword II
Longing is a tender scalpel, a piercing feeling as intimate as it is invasive. On “Even If It’s Just A Dream,” Sword II’s Mari González imagines that scalpel splitting open a miraculous fantasy: a sci-fi world in which a same-sex couple can conceive a child together. Like a Frida Kahlo painting, the song’s surrealist imagery lingers equally on body horror and reverie. Dizzying synth arpeggios intertwine with acoustic guitar beneath visceral vignettes of “surgeries and batteries,” as González weighs a newly awakened desire for marriage, parenthood, and a union that might last till death do them part. Though not exclusively queer, it is a yearning that feels distinctly so, wryly undercut by a nod to perhaps the most heterosexual rom-com of all time, When Harry Met Sally, with the line, “I’ll have what she’s having.” As the track’s gauzy instrumentation swells toward frenzy, the dream fractures, depositing us in a liminal backroom of electric guitar and the splintering realization that these violent delights are fated with uncertain futures. — LT
