New feature: Song(s) of the Day 2025

The best new songs in real time. Japanese Breakfast. Panda Bear. Mogwai. Neil Young. Will Stratton. An ace Television cover. Playlists to keep it all handy.

My heart aches for and goes out to everyone (including a number of friends) affected by the terrifying Los Angeles area wildfires. If you’d like to offer support, financial or otherwise, here’s a list of organizations helping on-the-ground.

Music helps in tough times, so let me offer this snowballing list of wondrous 2025 songs.

It stems from a new feature: Song of the Day. Simply put, I survey new releases as they drop and review the best, posting one a day on Substack’s Notes feature with a streaming link. Hot takes, I guess — though as a critic who’s been doing this professionally for 30+ years, perhaps more substantial than most. I’ll use Bandcamp links when possible, so you can support artists easily with a $1 (£1) for the song download, more for albums, etc.

Subscribe or follow me at New Music + Old Music, and you’ll be in the loop. Paid subscribers get the playlists on multiple platforms and more.

Below find the first week recap, plus bonus songs and streaming playlists. Let me know what you think, what streaming options you prefer, and I’ll fine-tune my approach in the coming weeks! Cheers, Will