I won’t ever stop making annual playlists but going forward, I’m hoping to curate one of newish songs every three months or so (if I were more ambitious, perhaps this could end up a monthly thing.)

Looking at 2025 thus far, it’s not entirely coincidental that two of my most played new tracks have titles that contain the words giving this playlist its title: newcomer Brooke Combe’s sharp retro-soul and the latest from Destroyer which in the tradition of 2022’s ”June” smashes together a ridiculously catchy hook with near-stream of consciousness lyrics (“My life’s a giant lid closing on an eye”, okay, Dan.) Elsewhere, fellow weirdo Bartees Strange folds something approaching Yacht Rock into his ever-unclassifiable genre-blend, FKA Twigs agreeably harkens back to the moodier stuff off of Madonna’s Ray of Light and nearly 50-year-old postpunk collective Mekons is still kicking with the anthemic “Mudcrawlers” (whose quality bodes well for their forthcoming LP Horror.)

The Tubs’ effortless jangle-pop and Perfume Genius’ venerable art-pop also make welcome returns, each previewing solid albums that may make my year-end top ten; so does Doves, who follow their 2020 reunion with an even better dive into psychedelic textures and sonics on Constellations For The Lonely, here represented by the expansive lead track “Renegade”. Empire of the Sun and Lindsey Buckingham make for natural compadres as much as Robert Forster and wife Karin Bäumler do on the uncommonly jaunty, Lovin’ Spoonful-esque “Strawberries”. 

I’m still tickled that even in this cynical age, a great novelty like Joshua Idehen’s cheeky, spoken-word “Mum Does The Washing” can still emerge from the seemingly endless interchangeable dross one has to wade through (algorithms be damned) in uncovering refreshing new music. It nearly lends credence to the relief that this playlist’s title contains the word “edge” and not “end”.

The Edge of the World:

1. Japanese Breakfast, “Orlando In Love”
2. Brooke Combe, “Dancing At The Edge of the World”
3. Bartees Strange, “Sober”
4. The Tubs, “Narcissist”
5. FKA Twigs, “Girl Feels Good”
6. Perfume Genius, “It’s A Mirror”
7. Twin Shadow, “Good Times”
8. Lucy Dacus, “Ankles”
9. Morcheeba, “Call For Love”
10. Doves, “Renegade”
11. Sam Fender, “Arm’s Length”
12. Empire Of The Sun & Lindsey Buckingham, “Somebody’s Son”
13. Mekons, “Mudcrawlers”
14. Hurray For The Riff Raff, “Pyramid Scheme”
15. The Weather Station, “Mirror”
16. Beirut, “Guericke’s Unicorn”
17. Sharon Van Etten, “Trouble”
18. Robert Forster, “Strawberries”
19. Joshua Idehen, “Mum Does The Washing”
20. Destroyer, “Hydroplaning Off The Edge Of The World”