Every year we share hundreds of new songs with you on the radio. Music discovery from breakout artists and indie legends to singles that blew up online, crossed genres, and hit us in the feels so much that we knew we had to share them on the radio with you. 2025 definitely delivered.
Before we get into our staff favorites, we want to hear from you. Vote for the songs you loved the most in our annual Top 102.3 Songs of the Year countdown! We'll kick things off at 5pm on New Year's Eve, with an encore airing on New Year's Day.
So here it is: in no particular order, we gave our music-obsessed hosts the nearly impossible task of whittling down their favorites of 2025 into personal Top 10 lists! Here's the songs they couldn't stop playing for you on the radio, plus a few curveballs along the way.
Alisha Sweeney - Midday Host and Local Music Director
Geese - "Taxes"
Dijon - "Baby"
Lucy Dacus - "Best Guess"
Everything Is Recorded - "Never Felt Better (feat. Sampha & Florence Welch)"*
Big Thief - "Incomprehensible"
Benjamin Booker - "Show and Tell"
Perfume Genius - "No Front Teeth (feat. Aldous Harding)"
Nation of Language - "Inept Apollo"
Wet Let - "mangetout"
Bon Iver - "Day One (feat. Dijon & Flock of Dimes)"
*Find Alisha's review of this song on NPR Music's Best Songs of 2025 list
Dana Meyers - Morning Show Host and Producer
Cheap Perfume - "Dead If I Do"
Dead Pioneers - "The Caucasity"
Disclosure & Anderson.Paak - "NO CAP"
Hotline TNT - "Break Right"
Kerala Dust - "The Orb, TX"
Lola Young - "One Thing"
Momma - "I Want You (Fever)"
Nation of Language - "I'm Not Ready For The Change"
The Hives - "Enough Is Enough"
Wet Leg - "catch these fists"
Jason Thomas - Afternoon Host and Music Director
Craig Finn - "Luke & Leanna"
Madison Cunningham - "Break the Jaw"
Hotline TNT - "Break Right"
Haim - "Down to be wrong"
Dijon - "Yamaha"
Deftones - "Infinite Source"
Turnstile - "Never Enough"
bar italia - "cowbella"
Cass McCombs - "Peace"
Bruce Springsteen - "Born in the U.S.A. (Electric Nebraska)"
Jessi Whitten - Evening and Weekend Host
Wednesday - "Townies"
Tyler, the Creator - "Sugar on My Tongue"
Dijon - "Yamaha"
Pulp - "Spike Island"
Geese - "Cobra"
Wet Leg - "mangetout"
Saya Gray - "Thus Is Why (I Don’t Spring 4 Love)"
Mt Joy - "Lucy"
Doja Cat - "AAAHH MEN!"
Bad Bunny - "DtMF"
Shawn Lucero - Weekend Host and Promotions Coordinator
Momma - "I Want You (Fever)"*
Doechii - "Anxiety"
Geese - "Au Pays du Cocaine"
Turnstile - "Seein’ Stars"
Dead Pioneers - "PO$T AMERICAN"
Jack White - "Archbishop Harold Holmes"
Die Spitz - "Throw Yourself To The Sword"
Castle Rat- "WOLF I"
Dark Chisme - "Breathe, Break It"
*Find Shawn's review of this song on NPR Music's Best Songs of 2025 list
