As 2025 comes to a close, Mersey Music editor Sam Millne picks his personal top 20 songs to come out of Liverpool and beyond this year.
The year 2025 has been another brilliant year for music in the north west, with artists from Merseyside particularly shining.
Here, you will find Sam’s personal picks using just one track from each artist.
Let us know your favourite songs of the year in the comments and on social media!
A playlist with plenty more songs and honourable mentions is linked here.
#20 We Made It by Circa Waves
Circa Waves are in their 12th year as a band and have sonically evolved to become esteemed album writers.
We Made It is arguably the pick of their latest LP, Death & Love, which showcases some of the darker underbelly they have developed since the early days of carefree summer songs such as T-Shirt Weather.
#19 World Without You by The Farm
Age is just a number for The Farm who released their first studio album in over 30 years, Let The Music (Take Control).
Time hasn’t softened the grooves in their music, though. The first three tracks on the album, released as singles in 2024, are dance numbers to rival their early work.
World Without You not even being among the top couple of songs is a testament to the strength of their writing.
#18 Calling Out Your Name by Cast
Cast have had a mega 2025, opening for Oasis and bringing them back into the mainstream.
As well as putting on relentless live performances, they have also found time to release four new singles, the anthemic Calling Out Your Name arguably the pick of the bunch.
#17 Can’t Say No by The Wombats
Noughties indie band The Wombats are proving they are far from finished, with their new album, Oh! The Ocean, a hit on their recent American tour.
Can’t Say No is among the best of the LP and takes its lead from a synth line that provides an ethereal backdrop to the verses that are full of bass.
Dreamy backing vocals complement the chorus on a track that will no doubt have your feet tapping.
#16 Peace In Your Sound by Jamie Higgs
This has been Jamie Higgs’ best year yet, the highlight being the July release of Peace In Your Sound.
For followers of Higgs, the driven tones are in stark contrast to his acoustic solo performances.
However, head to one of his bouncing live shows and you’ll discover what a diverse songwriter he has become.
#15 Runaway by Caitlyn Eve
Caitlyn Eve doesn’t miss. Her fourth single, the track opens with an unmistakable riff that blends effortlessly into the catchy verse melody.
As we have become accustomed to, the chorus then makes full use of her superb vocals, with additional harmonies really bringing the song to life.
#14 Raise Your Colours by BANNERS
Another release, another anthem from BANNERS. Raise Your Colours has the ability to raise your spirits, whatever mood the listener may be experiencing.
The combination of acoustic guitar, piano and prevalent toms gives BANNERS’ tracks an anthemic quality which seems to have the power to unite a crowd.
#13 Chemistry by Katie Nicholas
It has been a tough year for Katie Nicholas, but her storytelling shone through in her songs.
Chemistry is a beautifully written ballad with lyrics that are picked perfectly to complement the strings and banjo that fill out the track.
#12 Good In Goodbye by Rianne Downey
Rianne Downey’s sound may be heavily influenced by her childhood in Scotland, but she infuses her music with Scouse joy, as evidenced by filming her latest music video in Ye Hole In The Wall.
Her album, The Consequence of Love, is a must-listen for lovers of folk, pop and country music, three genres she melts together to produce catchy tunes for her increasingly wide fanbase.
#11 Foam Animals by Novelty Island
Heavily influenced by The Beatles and The Beach Boys, Novelty Island is one of the most creative artists around.
His 2025 album Jigsaw Causeway takes you on a journey through the dreamy soundscape of Tom McConnell’s mind and is a real piece of artistry.
#10 Walton Vale by The Cheap Thrills
Walton Vale is everything that is great about The Cheap Thrills: catchy synth lines, memorable melodies and lyrics that pack a punch.
The band are fiercely proud of their roots, and this track is an apt nod to their home with which they credit much of their support and success.
#9 Scars by Tom Collins
Tom Collins has gone from strength to strength over the last 12 months, which have included successful releases of Little Louis and Scars.
Like previous standout song Halfway Boys, Collins uses raw lyrics to his advantage with a brilliantly written chorus that leaves you feeling the emotion from his voice and reaching for the replay button.
#8 American Nights & English Mornings by Red Rum Club
Capped by two stunning hometown headline shows, Red Rum Club have continued their ascent with constant live dates and their fifth studio album, Buck.
Drawing influence from their tours across the USA, the LP has an American feel, but American Nights & English Mornings retains the classic Red Rum Club sound to culminate in a brilliant track.
#7 I’m Not A Number by The Balla
The Balla’s debut release, I’m Not A Number was a long-anticipated track that takes inspiration from the likes of The Verve.
The definition of an anthem, this is a song to sing in unison as a protest or rejection of the capitalist culture in which we all reside.
#6 Love off the Shelf by Room Two
A taste of 1970s California has hit Liverpool with Room Two’s latest releases, Love off the Shelf particularly shining as a brilliant showcase of the band’s abilities.
The addition of female vocalist Erin O’Connell has added another dimension to this musically talented group, really setting them apart from the rest ahead of a big 2026.
#5 James Dean by The Kowloons
Short and sweet, James Dean is the title track of The Kowloons’ latest EP and is a song that begs to be added to a listener’s library.
Combining the group’s Britpop influences with an extra hint of rock ‘n’ roll compared to their other songs, James Dean is two minutes and nine seconds of nostalgia from a rapidly rising new band.
#4 Across The River by Jamie Webster
Jamie Webster’s only single of 2025 was well worth the wait as he returned to his roots with Across The River.
An emotionally intelligent songwriter, Webster knows how to capture a moment through music. With subtle references, we know he is describing Liverpool but his lyricism allows his songs to be enjoyed by all.
#3 Rock My Love by Keyside
In truth, we could have picked any of Keyside’s latest singles to make this list.
Rock My Love takes the No. 3 spot this year thanks to its capacity to feel both dramatic and airy in the same breath.
Keyside are growing astonishingly quickly, and 2026 will bring an album that is already gearing up to make a serious mark on the city’s musical outlook.
#2 Veronica by Ava Fitz
Produced masterfully by Ben Harper, who has played a part in several of the tracks of this list, Veronica is the perfect exhibit of how to build and liberate tension in a song.
Young Wirralian songwriter Ava Fitz showcases her extraordinary songwriting talent with Veronica, a song that brings together piano, acoustic guitar and her pain-tinted voice in three minutes and 50 seconds that ought to be noted.
#1 Cariad by The Royston Club
Taking top spot in our countdown for the second year in a row are The Royston Club, this time with Cariad.
Within their excellent album Songs For The Spine comes a song for reflection, a track to consume, absorb then become obsessed with.
Frontman Tom Faithfull vocals brilliantly portray the torment felt by the song’s writer, guitarist Ben Matthias.
With a bridge for the ages and a chorus that invites you to join in, this track rises and falls in equal beauty.
Cariad is a triumph in songwriting.
Mersey Music 