My 2025 Apple Music Recap

A music collage representing Judson Doncaster's most listened to artists in 2025. (Malachi Lefurgey/AQ)

In 2025, I listened to an obscene amount of music.

My total ended up at over 150,000 minutes and these are the tracks that I spent the most time with. 

“Pennies” by The Smashing Pumpkins came in at number one for a good reason. 

This song is airy and jovial without feeling mockish. While it is buried deep in the long and masterful album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, listeners who find it are handsomely rewarded. This song is perfect for any situation and during my peak, I listened to it more than 200 times in one day. 

Despite the fact that “Cry” by Jaydes ranks as my second most listened to song, it is my favorite song of all time.

This track topped my most listened to songs in 2024 as well. It is gritty, just like every modern Jaydes song. It is captivating like no other, as if a cartoon character floats off the ground toward a pie.  

“RX Queen” by Deftones is a track that I did not get into until the end of 2025.

I have loved the album White Pony for years, but somehow this song slipped through the cracks. I found it on my way to a Deftones concert. This song feels eerie with the opening riff and from there, it unfurls its wings until the chorus, where it begins to fly.  

“Jerry was a Racecar Driver” by Primus was the first song I heard from the iconic band. It perfectly encapsulates their sound, featuring the signature plucky slap bass that is so compelling. 

I love artists that sound like no one else and Primus is exactly that. There is no description I can give that will give you the full picture of this band. Fifty per cent of the population will despise it, while the other 50 per cent won’t be able to get enough.  

“Eatmydust” by Bunii is so much fun. The underground artist Bunii’s album Bastard came out this past summer and from the day it was released, I couldn't stop listening. 

This song is upbeat and the feature from Ankle puts it over the top. If I could recommend any artist from my top tracks, it would be him. It’s easily accessible and deserves more listens. 

All of the artists behind these songs have been influential to my music taste.  Bands like Deftones or Primus opened my eyes to new genres that I came to love. 

Every single one of these songs has a memory associated with them. It makes me love them even more than I already do.