DEEP DIVE RECORD REVIEW
WITH RYAN

We've finally reached the end of our listening on the 5s saga. It's time to count down what really shined bright in 2025. Overall, I'd say 2025 was a mixed bag of a year, with many of the world's biggest stars either delivering some of the biggest flops of their careers or not dropping at all, which left room for a series of incredibly unexpected comebacks for legacy artists, surprise drops from new favorites and a few records that crowned new legends as the old idols have

Our penultimate stop on our trek through the musical 5s is 2015, a year that gave us more than a few bonafide modern classics as well as some underrated gems I rediscovered on my listening journey. Overall, I'd say 2015 was a year where many of the up and comers who started the decade with guns blazing were able to settle into their role as the torch bearers of their respective genres, whether it be pop, rock, R&B or hip-hop. That newfound comfort in their place in the musi

Next up on our journey of the 5s, we've hit 2005, a year that gave us a solid assortment of modern classics. Sonically, 2005 was a year of both throwbacks, with a few big name legacy acts delivering excellent work that can rival their best moments, and of new voices emerging and staking their claim on the new era. The mix of new and old really defines the year, with the blend of sounds that we knew and loved with new flavors of the month, best seen in the rise of movements