December 29th, 2025
year-end chart
Carte Blanche Music Top 2025
So here it is, the Carte Blanche Music Top 2025. Not exactly a chart, as the songs are ranked alphabetically. It was difficult enough to make a selection from the 512 songs I recommended this year 
. This collection contains the 76 tunes that sum up 2025 for me. Pictured are 10 of them, you’ll find the whole list via this link.
Next year, I’ll continue my daily recommendations of the best new music. Save yourself buckets of time by adding my playlist CARTE BLANCHE MUSIC (new music only) to your library (click ‘+’). Sort the playlist by date to find the newest songs on top.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track, wildcard
Wildcard (week 52):
Wildcard (week 52):
Camp Kubrick – Goodbye To College
Pepijn Schipper is one of the most prolific and successful Dutch EDM artists. As Don Diablo, he is a DJ, digital artist, label owner, record producer, musician, songwriter and remixer. He is one of the pioneers of the future house genre. But Schipper also uses other stage names for a variety of projects. One of my favourites among them is Camp Kubrick.
Camp Kubrick is a project he launched in September 2020 with singer Denzel Chain (born Denzel Ketting). Their sound is very much inspired by ‘80s pop. In their bio, they namedrop artists like Toto, Lionel Richie and Kraftwerk, and movies like ‘Back To The Future’ and ‘The Never Ending Story’ as sources of inspiration.
Choosing quality over quantity, Camp Kubrick only release a track now and then. Their 2020 debut single Johnny’s Online was followed by three tracks in 2021, one in 2022 and one in 2023. Today saw the release of only Camp Kubrick’s seventh tune, but it’s a killer track once again. Not a far cry from The Weeknd, Goodbye To College is an ‘80s style pop song that effortlessly sounds contemporary forty years later.
With Goodbye To College we say goodbye to 2025. Camp Kubrick’s new single is the last Carte Blanche Music Wildcard of the year. It will be prominently displayed at the top of the blog for an entire week.
More Camp Kubrick @ Carte Blanche Music
Follow the duo on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2025 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
playlist
Additions to the Carte Blanche Music playlist (week 51 and 52)
Ahead of new year’s eve’s fireworks, the musical year traditionally fizzles out. To wrap up 2025, I added these two songs to the playlist this week (alphabetically):
- Camp Kubrick – Goodbye To College
electronic | indie | pop - Tamir – Big Wolf [Live]
indie | live | pop | soul
Check them all in the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music Spotify playlist.
Add it to your library (click ‘+’) to hear the best new music first.
Partly selected via input by Musosoup. Submit your music here. #sustainablecreators
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track, wildcard
Wildcard (week 51):
Wildcard (week 51):
The Indie Pea – Lights On, Lights Out
With the fragmented ways of music listening nowadays, I don’t expect to hear a new Christmas classic any time soon. All people seem to want for Christmas are Mariah Carey, Wham!, Chris Rea and a few other popular holiday tunes. If you have a broader taste, maybe you’d like to try my playlist Werner’s X-Mess for a change… Every year I add my favourite new festive tunes and it really is… different.
Hailing from the US, The Indie Pea crafts lush, emotionally resonant indie rock that’s as cinematic as it is intimate. A month ago, the band released a gem that seamlessly fits my playlist. All the band’s signature sounds are there: shimmering guitar work, melodic vulnerability, and rich string arrangements.
A potential future X-Mess classic for people who are fed up with the standards and the clichés. It’s Christmas anyhow…
Lights On, Lights Out by The Indie Pea is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. It will be prominently displayed at the top of the blog for an entire week.
More of The Indie Pea @ Carte Blanche Music
Follow the band on Facebook | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2025 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
werner's weekly
Werner’s Weekly (week 51)
This is Werner’s Weekly, your guide to the best new music, containing the two most recent Carte Blanche Music Wildcards, and the best of the other new releases in alphabetical order:
- Rebecca Bangfield – Soft Landing
(Wildcard this week) - Molly Grace – Bow Wow
(Wildcard last week) - Elle Coves – Talk About It
- Death By Denim – Outdoor Cinema
indie | pop | rock - Adrian Sutherland – I’m Not Afraid
Listen to each of the tracks via the Werner’s Weekly player below.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Partly selected via input by Musosoup. Submit your music here. #sustainablecreators
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track, wildcard
Wildcard (week 50):
Wildcard (week 50):
Rebecca Bangfield – Soft Landing
Rebecca Bangfield is a rising Norwegian indie-pop artist known for her sharp songwriting and powerful voice. She gained traction with her 2023 EP Bundle Of Bones. The year after, she participated in ‘The Voice Norway’.
With her sharp songwriting pen and showstopping voice, she’s spent 2025 working in the studio with producers Hans Kristian Nordin (tigerstate, For You) and Preben Sælid Andersen (Death By Unga Bunga, Hajk). This resulted in a batch of great singles, two of which (Bon Voyage and New Girl) have been released in the past two months.
The third in a row, Soft Landing, is out now, and it’s an absolute beauty. A piece of fresh and catchy indie pop, it hints to luminaires like Maggie Rogers and Alice Phoebe Lou. It’s a timeless song with smart lyrics and clever punchlines.
Soft Landing by Rebecca Bangfield is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. It will be prominently displayed at the top of the blog for an entire week.
Follow Rebecca on Instagram | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2025 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
playlist
Additions to the Carte Blanche Music playlist (week 50)
Not all, but only the best new music. Added to the playlist this week (alphabetically):
- Rebecca Bangfield – Soft Landing indie | pop
- Elle Coves – Talk About It pop
- Death By Denim – Outdoor Cinema indie | pop | rock
- Adrian Sutherland – I’m Not Afraid indie | pop | rock
Check them all in the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music Spotify playlist.
Add it to your library (click ‘+’) to hear the best new music first.
Partly selected via input by Musosoup. Submit your music here. #sustainablecreators
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
werner's weekly
Werner’s Weekly (week 50)
This is Werner’s Weekly, your guide to the best new music, containing the two most recent Carte Blanche Music Wildcards, and the best of the other new releases in alphabetical order:
- Molly Grace – Bow Wow (Wildcard this week)
- Mid Drift – Whiplash (Wildcard last week)
- Loi – Red Eyes electronic | indie | pop
- Roe – New Year, New Me indie | pop
Listen to each of the tracks via the Werner’s Weekly player below.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Partly selected via input by Musosoup. Submit your music here. #sustainablecreators
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track, wildcard
Wildcard (week 49):
Wildcard (week 49):
Molly Grace – Bow Wow
If you like artists such as Lizzo, Renée Rapp and Chappell Roan, please meet Molly Grace Zeytoonian! Born on 6 December 2001, she’s an American singer and songwriter. Born to parents of Armenian and Irish descent, Grace is currently based in Nashville. The prolific artist released her first EP Everybody Wants To Know Molly in 2021 and has steadily built a career since then.
Hot on the heels of her first studio album Blush, released just months ago, she comes up with brand new track Bow Wow. Following an intro reminiscent of Salt-N-Pepa’s classic Push It, it catches the same vibe as Raye’s current smash Where Is My Husband! And as far as I’m concerned, it deserves to become just as big a hit as those two. Bow Wow is an extremely catchy tune, that effortlessly blends pop, funk, r&b, soul and disco.
Brilliantly timed as a birthday present for her, Bow Wow by Molly Grace is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. It will be prominently displayed at the top of the blog for an entire week.
More Molly Grace @ Carte Blanche Music
Follow her on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2025 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
playlist
Additions to the Carte Blanche Music playlist (week 49)
Went through 300+ new tracks this week, only to find three I’d really recommend. Added to the playlist this week (alphabetically):
- Molly Grace – Bow Wow indie | pop | r&b | soul
- Loi – Red Eyes electronic | indie | pop
- Roe – New Year, New Me indie | pop
Check them all in the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music Spotify playlist.
Add it to your library (click ‘+’) to hear the best new music first.
Partly selected via input by Musosoup. Submit your music here. #sustainablecreators
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
