Welcome to The Jammies Awards 2025, a year-end indie music awards episode celebrating the best songs, albums, EPs, and artists of 2025. This special edition of The Jammies highlights standout indie rock, indie folk, alternative, and emerging artists that defined my year of listening. From breakout EPs and unforgettable singles to hidden gems and jammiest tracks. Featuring dozens of artist nominations and approved music throughout the episode, this is the most music-packed Jammies episode to date and a great guide for discovering new indie music heading into 2026.

All music featured in this episode has been approved by the artists. If a nomination does not include music, it’s simply due to not hearing back in time. Thank you to every artist who responded and to everyone out there releasing music, the world is better because you do.

Major Awards and Nominees:

EP of the Year

Honorable Mentions:

She Ain’t About It – Vision Arcade

Otherworld – Rec Hall

Nominees:

Upstate – Brenn!

The Garden – Bo Staloch

where do we go from here – Nikki and The Barn Boys

Fall Back – Florence Road

Music for the Soul – Sam Barber

Nostalgia – Sons of Habit

It’s So Good To See You – Noah Richardson

Your Name Stuck to My Teeth – Elias Hix

Album of the Year

Nominees:

Recency Bias – Rum Jungle

Colorado’s On Fire Again – Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners

Old Mervs – Old Mervs

The Pit – Arcy Drive

When I Change My Mind I Don’t Mean It – Chance Peña

Dark – EDEN

Breach – Twenty One Pilots

bones – Rainbow Kitten Surprise

Thinking Too Much – Joshua Slone

Best Song of 2025

Nominees:

For the Jets – Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners

Best I Know – Old Mervs

Natural Disaster – Brenn!

Spinning – Chance Peña

City Walls – Twenty One Pilots

Eraser – The Terrys

Lonely Jester – Margot Sinclair

Lights Fall – Arcy Drive

Drowning – Nikki and The Barn Boys

Backwards – Rum Jungle

Artist of the Year

Nominees:

Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners

Sam Barber

Brenn!

Vision Arcade

Old Mervs

Florence Road

Who Ate All The Crayons

Rec Hall

Rum Jungle

The Stews

Best Artist Under 50,000 Monthly Spotify Listeners

Nominees:

Margot Sinclair

Who Ate All The Crayons

Nikki and The Barn Boys

Junkyard Cat

The Brungas

The Debtors

The High Lines

Certainly So (honorable mention)

Banger of the Year

Golden – HUNTR/X

One Of These Mornings – Zeds Dead

Dead Or Alive – Evening Elephants

Stone Man Rises (Wildcard) – Codfish

Jammiest Song of the Year

Nominees:

Too Much To Lose – The Stews

Best I Know – Old Mervs

Don’t You Give Up On Me Yet – Jonah Kagen

Golden – HUNTR/X

Doubletake – Edgehill

Eyes – Vision Arcade

Even If You Do – Certainly So

Supper – Who Ate All The Crayons

The Jammies returns in 2026 on February 27, continuing with monthly indie music discovery episodes released on the last Friday of every month.

Explore the Jammies Playlists for full context on every song and artist mentioned:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0GWa9NEHX6Gy3ijpJrghRz?si=jBBO888KSaOaVEPRji8hOg&pi=ELTjjFLIQgWMi&pt=ec54957ef120bf6dd178859c02b2960d

Thanks so much for listening!
Reach out to the show via email TheJammiesShow@gmail.com

-Matt

We’re closing out the 2025 Year in Review with a deep dive into the music that carried me through the second half of the year. This episode focuses on all the music that worked well for me from July through December, specifically the music that has stuck with me for months now, all the music I was ecstatic to get back to!

Along the way, I revisit artists like Florence Road, Certainly So, EDEN, Rec Hall, and Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Sam Barber, and many more. Going over all my favorite albums and EPs, as well as a long list of singles that I loved all summer, fall, and into winter.

This episode is about reflecting on what actually held up, highlighting key tracks, and wrapping up the year with a full snapshot of my listening habits. If you’re searching for indie music discovery, year-end music recommendations, or the best albums of 2025, this one ties everything together.

Episode’s Spotify Playlist: Every song mentioned, all in one playlist (link below)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2OoGrKrDXJcHOwI9pmr0ic?si=h9k_Yb8sTyWTdKmdBKejKQ&pt=ad62bfe20fe3e3c9a8f51fc2b6c96775&pi=4qfR_DWUSl-yR

Find everything else at linktr.ee/thejammies

Thanks so much for listening!
Reach out to the show via email TheJammiesShow@gmail.com

-Matt

We’re kicking off the first half of the 2025 Year in Review with a massive dive into the artists, albums, EPs, and songs that stuck with me the most from January through June — the music I kept coming back to all year long.

We start in January with two huge discoveries: the Strokes-flavored rock of Margot Sinclair and the slow-burn guitar ballads from The Stews. From there, we move into a packed February and March, where Rum Jungle’s Recency Bias and RMCM’s Colorados On Fire Again cement themselves as some of my most replayed albums of the year. March also brought one of my favorites overall — the debut self-titled album from Old Mervs, which absolutely delivered front to back.

April keeps the streak alive with the long-awaited debut album from Arcy Drive, plus a deep return into the world of Brenn!, one of 2025’s standout folk/country voices. We also spend time with artists like Michael Marcagi, who slotted perfectly into that spring listening zone.

In May and June, new favorites emerged: the emotional, cinematic songwriting of Bo Staloch, the rising indie-rock energy of Vision Arcade, and the fantastic EP where do we go from here from Nikki and the Barn Boys — along with a massive list of singles that colored the first half of the year.

In this episode, I highlight 2–3 essential tracks for each artist or album, break down what made these releases special for me, and revisit the songs that truly held up months later.

Episodes drop once a month, playlists are linked, and timestamps are included so you can jump right to what you want to hear.

Episode’s Spotify Playlist: Every song mentioned, all in one playlist (link below)
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5BNdAVS2w23hYFnmJdTopC?si=8DCJt-YhRNKBClu_JC9wng&pi=iNxvGgDDQ1Cn4&pt=f05cb8357efa79847120670aaabd07f6

Linktree for everything else:

https://linktr.ee/TheJammies

Thanks so much for listening!
Reach out to the show via email TheJammiesShow@gmail.com

-Matt

This month kicks off with four standout discoveries: Who Ate All The Crayons, Sons of Habit, The Brungas, and Jonny West. From there, we dive into a fresh round of Saucy Singles, including tracks from Superior Motive, My Brother Einstein, and Tommy Armour. To wrap it up, I share thoughts and impressions on a stacked lineup of new albums and EPs — with highlights from The Moss, Good Neighbours, WHATMORE, Twenty One Pilots, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and more.

As always, episodes drop once a month, playlists are linked, and timestamps are included so you can jump straight to what you want to hear.

Episode's Spotify Playlist: all songs mentioned, all in one playlist (link below)
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4mEk6gRfIddZfWj1M65TaE?si=cc2aa6de76294033

Linktree for everything else: linktr.ee/thejammies

Thanks so much for listening!
Reach out to the show via email TheJammiesShow@gmail.com

-Matt

This month kicks off with four fresh artists: Sam Barber, Maudlin Strangers, Boxrooster, and Miles Hardt. From there, we dive into 10 Saucy Singles that cover everything from groovy indie rock to emotional folk standouts. To wrap it up, I share my first impressions on a packed slate of new albums, including releases from Chance Peña, Jonah Kagen, Matt Maeson, Twenty One Pilots, and Briscoe. Plus, an Artist Showcase featuring Noah Richardson’s brand-new track “My Turn.”

As always, episodes drop once a month, playlists are linked, and timestamps are included so you can jump straight to what you want to hear.

Episode's Spotify Playlist, all songs mentioned all in one playlist (link below):

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0sJxM9ba7LQWOHr54fup0C?si=e6382519525549b8&pt=9bb7803eacc118f28bd2e2ca71b6078e

Linktree for everything else: linktr.ee/thejammies

Thanks so much for listening!
Reach out to the show via email TheJammiesShow@gmail.com

-Matt

We’ve officially hit double digits! Episode 10 of The Jammies is loaded with music discoveries, lots of returning artists and brand new ones too, and plenty of new music to dive into.

This episode marks the launch of Jammies Playlists – a dedicated Spotify playlist for every episode so you can instantly hear all the tracks we talk about. Find them linked in each episode's description or through linktr.ee/thejammies.

Episode 10 Jammies Playlist at link below:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5oQxHBZADOTgHvqBjptcE9?si=CkrylDvQQgmYKEfNBadVzQ&pi=sm8DDRF8S8GIW&pt=d37ecf79f1c49446b7196b476c04c06d

On this month’s lineup, I dig into:

• Certainly So – Beatles-inspired indie vibes across three albums.
• Penelope Road – smooth, groovy duets with tons of potential.
• Rec Hall – feel-good indie rock with hooks for days.
• Huntr/x & Saja Boys (AKA KPop Demon Hunters) – the animated phenomenon with a killer soundtrack.
• Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners – their brand-new album No Silent Monks and why “Sidewinder” could be a Jammies Song of the Year contender.

Plus, we speed through 17 new saucy singles, highlight upcoming albums from Chance Peña, Jonah Kagen, Twenty One Pilots, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and more, before wrapping things up with our Artist Showcase: FLUMP and their standout new single Sometimes but not for long.

Follow the playlists & socials: linktr.ee/thejammies

TikTok / Instagram: @MattyWitha

Thanks so much for listening!
Reach out to the show via email TheJammiesShow@gmail.com

-Matt

Get ready for a ton of great new music to add to your library! New artists like Florence Road, Lazy Haze, Junkyard Cat, and more to talk about. A new genre to checkout with artists like The Dip and St. Paul & The Broken Bones. 8 artists discussed, 9 saucy singles, a lot of music I think you will enjoy as much as I have been! After the music recommendations, make sure to stick around to hear our latest Artist Showcase: Nikki and The Barn Boys. We have one of their latest songs to showcase: Sacramento. Make sure to check out all their music, especially their latest EP: where do we go from here.

Find everything Jammies related at linktr.ee/thejammies

Episode Playlist for all songs mentioned:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2CymOWLcECQbhuOPDO5zBD?si=PkMqbgbxRkq_21YC77S2mA&pi=i1zm57wjQ_eSo

Or search my Spotify code: 12121134777.

Thank you so much to Nikki and The Barn Boys for the opportunity to share your music. Thank you to anyone who listened through the episode, now available in video on Spotify and YouTube. Find the video feed on my YouTube channel: MattyWitha.

Thanks so much for listening!
Reach out to the show via email TheJammiesShow@gmail.com

-Matt

At time of posting, the longest episode in The Jammies history, and for good reason. We have so much great music to talk about from a long list of different artists. We are talking amazing new artist finds like Vision Arcade, Nikki and the Barn Boys, auburn, Jonah Kagen, and many more! Queue up a list of 7 saucy singles and find some great new playlist stuffers. I did forget to mention an 8th saucy single, I mentioned Uncle Strut and forgot to mention the song I have been loving lately: The Other Side of the World. It is a slow acoustic jam, great lyrically, love the singer in this one.

We also go over Caamp's latest album: Copper Changes Color. Lots to love with this one, great work Caamp.

Stick around for our second ever artist showcase, Nicole Alexis. Listen to part of her latest single “Pick Your Poison”, and make sure to go follow Nicole and add the new song to some grunge-pop playlists!

Make sure to follow the podcast so you don’t miss future episodes.

Want to submit your music or recommend your favorites? Reach out to me at TheJammiesShow@gmail.com

Find everything Jammies related at linktr.ee/thejammies

Episode Playlist for all songs recommended, or search Spotify code: 12121134777.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6NW5afhg89ywRp70GrPnMY?si=RUfCzwm1T1K7cDhzeMs3fg&pi=96U0R4yxQgKAj

Thanks so much for listening!
Reach out to the show via email TheJammiesShow@gmail.com

-Matt