The MOnday: 6.1.25

Start your week with new music highlights, and more

Friday is still the most popular music release day: at the end of every week we can look forward to a deluge of new singles, EPs, albums and news. So, rather than adding to the pre-weekend madness, I’ll be posting regular Music Observer highlights on a Monday. (Subscribe to get it straight to your inbox!)

Listen to this

It’s early days for 2025, but the releases are ramping up dramatically already, and here’s one of the best so far. New Year’s Day saw Dictator share the fabulously dramatic ‘El Niño’, a track replete with huge beats, funky instrumentation, and all the fresh, quirky touches which make this band stand out. They could be your new favourites in ’25, and there’s an EP coming soon…

All my playlists, from 2021 to January 2025, are on this page:

Playlists

Read this

Jodie Nicholson

’s 6 Things newsletter is one of the favourite things to land in my inbox every month. It’s a great way for her to connect with audiences beyond her (sublime) music, and her recommendations are always interesting. Find it on

Jodie Nicholson

’s Substack page, and be sure to subscribe.

Watch this

NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts are legendary (not least for their pinpoint audio engineering) and you could while away many sweet hours watching the archive. I’ve made this YouTube playlist with some of my favourites.

One of the most recent concerts featured Billie Eilish expressing sublime nuances of feeling through a stripped-back, gentle but intense set. Enjoy!

Don’t miss this week

• Wednesday 8th Jan: A surprise single from Blue Violet, ‘Sweet Success’. I’ve heard this one live: it’s cheeky, catchy and a brilliant foretaste of their imminent album, ‘Faux Animaux’.

• Friday 10th Jan: Rosie Gault’s new single ‘Dim Lights’.

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