Romantic Songs Playlist for Valentine's Day 2025

This time around, I was able to create this Romantic Songs Playlist 2025 from heartfelt tunes released in the past year. Give a listen on Spotify here .

As always, you can visit my posts from the past for more inspiration: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017,2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012. 

1. "Angels" – Mondo Cozmo
2. "Still Can't Believe" – Dr. Dog

3. "April" – Local Natives

4. "Colorful State" – Kashi Bashi

5. "In Front of Me Now" – Nada Surf

6. "Maybe We're Alright" – Guster

7. "Bright Spot II" – Blue Canopy, A Beacon School

8. "Duet" – Jon Hopkins

9. "Alone" – Maps

10. "Long as I'm Not the One" – Grandaddy

11. "Docket" – Blondshell, Bully

12. "One of a Kind" – The Heavy Heavy

13. "All a Mystery" – Phantogram

14. "Say You Love Me" – Wilco

15. "Dreamweavers" – trentmøller, DiSA

16. "Let Your Heart Fill Up" – Jerome Blazé

17. "Come Find Me" – Caribou

Top 20+ Songs of 2024

  Listen on Spotify, enjoy!

1. "It's Over, If We Run Out of Love" – David Holmes, Raven Violet
2. "Talk is Cheap" – Dr. Dog

3. "Coming of Age" – Van Houten

4. "Make it Happen" – Wonder 45

5. "Alone" – Maps

6. "Let Your Heart Fill Up" – Jerome Blazé

7. "Angels" – Mondo Cozmo

8. "Bright Spot II" – Blue Canopy, A Beacon School

9. "One of a Kind" – The Heavy Heavy

10. "Consciousness Felt" – Tycho

11. "Strange World" – La Luz

12. "Apparition" – Quivers

13. "Nearly Daffodils" – English Teacher

14. "All a Mystery" – Phantogram

15. "Come Find Me" – Caribou

16. "Maybe We're Alright" – Guster

17. "The Hardest Part" – Washed Out

18. "Cherry Pie" – Fazerdaze

19. "Say You Love Me" – Wilco

20. "Together Forever" – STRFKR

21. "Alone" – The Cure

Summer 2024 New Music Playlist

Listen on Spotify, enjoy!

1. "The Hardest Part" – Washed Out

2. "Strange World" – La Luz

3. "Angels" – Mondo Cozmo

4. "Still Can't Believe" – Dr. Dog

5. "April" – Local Natives

6. "Hello" – Girl on Girl

7. "Colorful State" – Kishi Bashi

8. "Make it Happen" – Wonder 45

9. "In Front of Me Now" – Nada Surf

10. "Apparition" – Quivers

11. "Maybe We're Alright" – Guster

12. "So Lo" – Pond

13. "Docket" – Blondshell, Bully

14. "Nearly Daffodils" – English Teacher

15. "Forever" – Hovvdy

16. "Bright Spot" – Blue Canopy, A Beacon School

17. "Duet" – Jon Hopkins

Spring 2020 New Music Playlist

Listen on Spotify, enjoy!

1. "Where Do You Go When You Dream?" – Woods

2. "Fear of Heights" – Wye Oak

3. "Karen" – Surfer Blood

4. "Beaten Down" – Sharon Van Etten

5. "Friday" – Real Estate

6. "The Worst in Us" – The Dears

7. "Videostores" – Quivers

8. "Music" – Peter Bjorn and John

9. "Hey Hey I" – Other Lives

10. "As the Sun Sets" – Sorry

11. "Too Late" – Washed Out

12. "Mikaela Corridor" – Baths

13. "Upside Down" – Mondo Cozmo

14. "Aries" – Gorillaz featuring Peter Hook and Georgia
15. "Why Not" – Unloved
16. "Olympik" – EOB

17. "Illusion of Time" – Daniel Avery, Alessandro Cortini

Late Fall 2019 New Music Playlist

Listen on Spotify, enjoy!

1. "Good Luck" – Broken Bells

2. "Running" – Teen Daze

3. "Sat by a Tree" – Dan Deacon

4. "When it Breaks" – Quivers

5. "lucy" – Soccer Mommy

6. "Destroyer" – TR/ST

7. "playing the long game" – Panda Bear

8. "Take Care" – SASAMI

9. "Peach Fuzz" – Caamp

10. "Tongue Kissing" – Little Dragon

11. "Come On" – Mondo Cozmo

12. "Hyperlife" – Beck

13. "Uneventful Days" – Beck

14. "Home" – Caribou

15. "It Might Be Time" – Tame Impala

16. "Temple of Sorrow" – M83

17. "Summer Rain – Instrumental" – Kinobe

18. "In the Shattering of Things" – Hammock

Fall 2019 New Music Playlist

Listen on Spotify, enjoy!

1. "Romeo" – Daphni

2. "Linked" – Bonobo

3. "Falling Down the Stairs of Your Smile" – The New Pornographers

4. "All Mirrors" – Angel Olsen

5. "Black Cadillac" – Mondo Cozmo

6. "Motorways (Erase It)" – Dhani Harrison

7. "Around Your Sun" – Surfer Blood

8. "Love Is Everywhere" – Wilco

9. "Bunny" – Tourist

10. "Empires" – Elbow

11. "In the Air" – Allah-Las
12. "You're Either on Something" – Temples

13. "Hope" – (Sandy) Alex G

13. "Nighttime Drive" – Jay Som

14. "Treat" – Vacationer

15. "Lost Heads" – Moon Duo

16. "Balance (featuring Washed Out)" – Toro y Moi, Washed Out

Top 20+ Songs of 2017 with Spotify and YouTube Playlist

So I broke my own rule here – I usually run over the total of twenty songs to represent the year but this time I allowed a double helping of two of my very fave bands Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem. (And keeping the choices down to just two songs was not easy to do!) But beyond songs from my  Top Ten Releases of 2017 heard on repeat, there are some singles on the list that became instant ear worms in a very good way. The upbeat approach of Phoenix's "J-Boy" along with the optimism of Woods' "Love Is Love" and Poolside's "Everything Goes" were just the antidote needed during this calamity of a year under the Trump Administration. Here's to weathering another year ahead with another soundtrack of sanity.

Listen on Spotify or as a YouTube Playlist below (except "Wave Is Not the Water" by Wye Oak).

1. "Andromeda" (featuring DRAM) – Gorillaz
2. "Hot Thoughts" – Spoon
3. "Everything Now" – Arcade Fire
4. "Put Your Money on Me" – Arcade Fire
5. "Dreams" – Beck
6. "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness" – The National
7. "call the police" – LCD Soundsystem
8. "american dream" – LCD Soundsystem
9. "Mourning Sound" – Grizzly Bear
10. "Wave Is Not the Water" – Wye Oak
11. "All About Waiting" (featuring Camila Grey) – Dhani Harrison
12. "How It Feels" – Ages and Ages
13. "Everything Goes" (Instrumental) – Poolside
14. "J-Boy" – Phoenix
15. "Hard to Say Goodbye" – Washed Out
16. "Noise Pollution" (featuring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Zoe Manville) – Portugal. The Man.
17. "Love Is Love (Sun On Time)" – Woods
18. "Shine" – Mondo Cozmo
19. "Magnificent (She Says)" – Elbow
20. "Name for You" – The Shins
21. "Call It Dreaming" – Iron & Wine
22. "Carry Me to Safety" – Mew
23. "Leven" – The Octopus Project

Top Ten Releases of 2017 with Video Highlights

Here I go again gushing about how this year was an awesome year of music... But really when your very fave bands come out with releases full of listening goodness, what other proper response is there? With plenty of new tunes from Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, and Spoon, plus those long
awaited Beck and Gorillaz albums, 2017 had me in music fan heaven. Add in beloved indie veterans (The National, The Flaming Lips, Mew, Elbow, Grizzly Bear) along with newcomer Mondo Cozmo, and it was a blissful, busy time catching up with everything across the calendar.

Give a listen on Spotify to all my Top Ten Albums of 2017 as well as Other Fave Albums of 2017 and check out my picks below with live video highlights. Also, I've created a Next New Music Matters Playlist to follow in order to see what's already cued up for 2018.

1. LCD Soundsystem, American Dream
The LCD Soundsystem songs on American Dream continued the Brooklyn band's musical thread after a long seven years – this is the fourth album since 2002 – like they never lost a beat! They also toured extensively and appeared all over the place (seen here confidently presenting "Call the Police" on the U.K. television program Live on Later... with Jools Holland) as if to make up for lost time and appease all the fans who were more than willing to buy tickets.

2. Arcade Fire, Everything Now
Arcade Fire's fifth album since 2001 caught heat for some ABBA-type dancehall leanings (see the Montreal based band rocking the title track "Everything Now" on daytime television with Régine Chassagne playing my dream instrument) but there were also plenty of soulful tracks to dig deep into, especially "We Don't Deserve Love" which is already cued up in my next Valentine's Day playlist. 

3. Spoon, Hot Thoughts
Austin band Spoon returned super strong with its ninth album since 1993, acknowledging many female fans mindset by the title Hot Thoughts. Frontman Britt Daniels exhibits why during this smoking hot performance of the song, "Do I Have to Talk You Into It," to open their sold out show at Brooklyn Steel December 8th.

4. Beck,  Colors

Beck's 13th studio album Colors arrived in the fall with stylish songs across the spectrum to showcase yet again his musical prowess, but all contain the artist's mantra of group catharsis.  He also toured widely and continued to be eager to please his fans with hits old and new. Here Beck brings the single "Dream" to life in a session for his L.A. hometown station KCRW.

5. The National, Sleep Well Beast

Cincinnati-raised quintet The National is now dispersed across the country, but gathered in a newly built recording space in an upstate New York barn to create the seventh album since 1999, Sleep Well Beast. The songs seemed even stronger live, with the power of this band's groupthink exhibited on stage. Check out "The Day I Die" at the Pitchfork Music Festival Paris 2017.

6. Gorillaz, Humanz

Six years passed between albums for the animated U.K. band Gorillaz, as Humanz landed with a host of featured artists in cameos almost distracting the mission.  Damon Albarn is still the mastermind behind it all, seen here leading the way with the song "Andromeda" in a live session at New York City's WFUV.

7. Mondo Cozmo, Plastic Soul

L.A. artist Josh Ostrander, a.k.a. Mondo Cozmo, appeared on KCRW late in 2016 after the strength of a few well played singles. This new band quickly went from small venues (I was lucky to see him at the tiny Mercury Lounge in January) to playing festivals and headlining concert halls. Witness Ostrander's gritty determination here, singing the title track of his debut album "Plastic Soul."

8. Grizzly Bear, Painted Ruins

The quartet Grizzly Bear has expanded from its Brooklyn base, but the band's tightly layered sound remains in sharp focus for the fifth album since 2002, Painted Ruins.  The group dynamic is on full display here during "Mourning Sound" at the Electric Lady Studios in NYC for WFUV.

9. Elbow, Little Fictions
English alt rock band Elbow released its seventh album since1997, Little Fictions, full of trademark emotional depth and lush textures.  Guy Garvey's rich vocals provide the passionate porthole, as witnessed on the U.K. Graham Norton Show with "Magnificent She Says." 

10. Mew, Visuals

Another transfixing voice that transcends our mortal coil is that of Mew's Jonas Bjerre. Angelic yet immediate, he leads the quartet into a singular space of musical brilliance for the seventh album since 1995 Visuals, as evident in "Carry Me to Safety" performance at Seattle's KEXP.

Honorable Mention: The Flaming Lips, Oczy Mlody

One more shout out to The Flaming Lips, for releasing a whopping sixteenth album since 1983 in dreary January with the title Oczy Mlody (that roughly translates to a Polish expression meaning eyes of the young) with wacked out pysch rock that still keeps us on our toes. My favorite tracks are "The Castle" and "We A Family," but this video of "There Should Be Unicorns" shows frontman Wayne Coyne's willingness to continue playing the rock star.

Summer 2017 New Music Playlist

Now that summer is in full swing, here’s another compilation of new tunes curated into a personal listening session.  There are singles from anticipated albums by Arcade Fire, The National, and Grizzly Bear, along with Mondo Cozmo, The War on Drugs and Rostam’s debut. Stand alone songs by Alex Ebert, Declan McKenna and liv round out the list with unreleased music by Gorillaz, Beach House and Daphni plus more. Listen on Spotify or as a YouTube Playlist.

1. “Everything Now” – Arcade Fire

“Everything Now” is a swirling, musical ride and title track for the upcoming fifth studio album since 2001 by North American indie juggernaut Arcade Fire. While lyrically skewering materialism, the band seems eager to dance with the help of co-producer Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk. 

2. “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” – The National

“The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” serves as a vigorous reintroduction to The National, the indie rock band from Cincinnati formed in 1999.  This is the first single for Sleep Well Beast, the seventh studio album from the group. Guitarist twins Aaron and Bryce Dessner develop the musical structure for each song, then singer Matt Berninger adds a melody and lyrics to fit the composition, as the creative collaboration continues.

3. “Automatic” – Mondo Cozmo

Mondo Cozmo, a.k.a. Josh Ostander, is ready to release his debut album in August, Plastic Soul. “Automatic” features his gritty vocals and rock anthem leanings, that have quickly found a solid fan base for this new musical project (during the 2017 tour the backing band is Illinois).

4. “Dancing is the Best Revenge” – !!!

“Dancing is the Best Revenge” sums up the credo for this dance punk band out of Sacramento, CA. It is a funky, fun single for the group’s seventh album since 1996, Shake the Shudder, which was formed out of jam sessions during a week in Barcelona.

5. “Hard To Say Goodbye” – Washed Out

Georgia native Ernest Greene has released a third album, Mister Mellow, full of quirky tunes and studio wizardry.  “Hard to Say Goodbye” boasts an infectious melody over Greene’s signature chillwave sonic foundation formulated in 2009.

6. “Three Rings” – Grizzly Bear

“Three Rings” is the first single from Painted Ruins, the fifth album since 2002 by indie quartet Grizzly Bear, which is due in August. The group is now split between coasts, so recording took place in both NYC and LA studios using the usual mix of traditional and electronic instruments for this elegant soundscape.

7. “Broken Record” – Alex Ebert

L.A. based singer/songwriter Alex Ebert is best known as the frontman of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Ima Robot. His distinctive vocals highlight the jumpy flow of “Broken Record,” a single for the follow up to his solo debut, 2011’s Alexander.

8. “Chariot” – Beach House

The sumptuous opening organ chords and majestic singing in “Chariot” herald a new Beach House song on a compilation album of unreleased cuts and one other new song, B-Sides and Rarities.  Baltimore duo Victoria Legrand (vocalist/organist) and Alex Scally (guitarist) decided to release every song that did not exist on an album elsewhere for the band’s dedicated fans.

9. “Humongous” – Declan McKenna

Young English singer/songwriter Declan McKenna is ready to release his debut album, What Do You Think About the Car? “Humongous” is yet another solid pop single from the collection.  After a breakout year in 2016, McKenna is now confidently playing festivals.

10. “Ultralife” ­– Oh Wonder

Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West record as Oh Wonder, a London based alt-pop duo. “Ultralife” is the title track to their second album since 2014, a melodic romp sweetened by synth riffs.

11. “Bike Dream” – Rostam

Multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij will soon release a debut solo album after years with Vampire Weekend and collaborating with Hamilton Leithauser, among others. The single “Bike Dream” is a sweet tune that genuinely expresses joy over life’s little moments.

12. “Heaven” – liv

Swedish indie band collective liv released another single, “Heaven,” a hopeful, hazy, pop gem flaunting the powerhouse vocals of Lykke Li and Andrew Watt of Miike Snow.

13. “Tin” – Daphni

Canadian electronic mastermind Dan Snaith (who also records under Caribou) returns to his Daphni alter ego for another album since 2012 of unreleased tracks. The dance music whirl of “Tin” fits in with the title, fabriclive93, which honors the venerable London nightclub.

14. “City Music” – Kevin Morby

L.A. based musician Kevin Morby,  former bass player of the folk rock band Woods, just released his fourth solo album, City Music. This title track, with Woods’ husky, soulful voice on full display, refers to the idea that cities have singular identities of musical style.

15. “Holding On”­ – The War on Drugs

“Holding On” is the second single for the fourth album since 2005, A Deeper Understanding, by Philly band The War on Drugs due out in August. Adam Granduciel’s gritty singing and guitar wailing is the backbone for the group’s sumptuous, expansive sound.

16. “Sleeping Powder” – Gorillaz

This previously unreleased track seems more emblematic of this U.K. cartoon band, with its cheeky harpsichord intro and melodious dance spin with synths galore. “Sleeping Powder” is reportedly one of over 40 unused songs from the group’s fifth album since 2001, last year’s Humanz, so fans can hope for many more singles ahead.

Winter 2017 New Music Playlist

Here’s a playlist to get caught up on recent releases as well as others on the horizon. Check out new tunes from The Shins, Elbow, the xx, and Animal Collective along with up and coming bands like Day Wave and the latest collab of artists called LIV. There are also tunes from new musical projects by Michael Nau, Peter Silberman and Joshua Ostrander plus a cover by Nada Surf. Listen up on Spotify or as a YouTubePlaylist.

1. “Name For You” – The Shins

Songwriter James Mercer confidently returns to earlier Shins form with this swinging single “Name for You” appearing on an upcoming album, Heartworms.  This is the fifth album for the Albuquerque band since 1996.

2. “Here in Spirit” – Jim James

“Here in Spirit” features the plaintive vocal stylings of Jim James, the primary songwriter of Louisville band My Morning Jacket.  The song is off his second solo album since 2010, Eternally Even.

3. “Wasting Time” – Day Wave

Day Wave is the musical project of Jackson Phillips in Oakland, California, enlisting touring musicians as needed. “Wasting Time” is a lush indie pop tune off his second EP, Headcase.

4. “Follow the Leader” – Foxygen

“Follow the Leader” is another overblown but irresistible song by L.A. band Foxygen, created by Sam France and Jonathan Rado in 2005. It serves as the single for their third album of psych pop, Hang.

5. “On Hold” – the xx

London band the xx is back with a third album since 2009. It veers away from what The New York Times once called "miserabilist," thanks to band member/producer Jamie xx’s infusion of beats to up the mood. Co-members Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft coo the lyrics back and forth in this single “On Hold” from the new release Trio.

6. “Noise Pollution (featuring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Zoe Manville)” – Portugal. The Man.

Portland based band Portugal. The Man. is ready with its eighth album since 2004, Gloomin + Doomin, with Mike D of the Beastie Boys producing.  This explains the new sound for the group, as a gritty dance groove permeates the single “Noise Pollution.”

7. “Sweep Me Off My Feet” – Pond

Australian psych rock band Pond, a collaborative music project, shares members with fellow Aussies Tame Impala. This stand alone single, “Sweep Me Off My Feet,” begins in a buzz of synths to expand into a meandering sonic journey of wavering melodies over a percussive landline.

8. “Shine” – Mondo Cozmo

Mondo Cozmo (a.k.a. Joshua Ostrander) is an L.A. based musician, visual artist and human rights activist who has released a series of songs. This cathartic single “Shine” imagines a worry-free world, complete with an uplifting sing along chorus.

9. “Dream Awake” – liv

Liv is the Swedish word for life, and this supergroup of musicians from the country (Lykke Li, Bjorn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John, and Pontus Winnberg, along with Andrew Wyatt, of Miike Snow) churn out a grand vision for pop songs like “Dream Awake.” Li has described the vibe as a lovechild of ABBA and Fleetwood Mac.

10. “Love Survive” – Michael Nau

Guitarist Michael Nau, formerly of the Cumberland, Maryland, indie folk outfit Cotton Jones, has embarked on a new solo project writing songs like the lilting “Love Survive.”

11. “One Eye Open” – Trentemøller

Trentemøller is the musical moniker of Danish producer and multi-instrumentalist Anders Trentmøller, based in Copenhagen. “One Eye Open” showcases the haunting vocals of singer Marie Fisker – the first track Trentemøller worked on for the fourth album since 2006, Fixion.

12. “Mountain Game” – Animal Collective

Animal Collective was formed in Baltimore as an experimental pop quartet that would eagerly crisscross genres and bend many rules. After ten albums since 2003, the atmospheric “Mountain Game” was released as a single after somehow being rejected for a video game.

13. “Laura Lee” ­– The Besnard Lakes

Montreal’s six-piece The Besnard Lakes recently released its sixth studio album since 2003, when it was formed by the husband and wife musical team of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas. “Laura Lee” is a prime example of the ambitious sound of the band’s expansive songs.

14. “Magnificent (She Says)” – Elbow

English alt rock band Elbow will soon release its seventh studio album since 1997, Little Fiction. The elegant comfort of Guy Garvey’s vocals return in full force for the single “Magnificent (She Says).”

15. “Distant Shore” – Porcelain Raft

NYC- based Italian musician and producer Mauro Remiddi is releasing the third album of his solo career, Microclimate. The gauzy sonic structure of “Distant Shore” is emblematic of Remiddi’s alluring compositions.

16. “Where Is My Mind” ­– Nada Surf

Nada Surf singer Matthew Caws brings an enigmatic yet casual take on this cover of The Pixie’s “Where Is My Mind,” which was recently snagged to soundtrack a Samsung ad. The NYC indie band has released eight albums since 1992.

17. “Slips Away” – Peter Silberman
Peter Silberman of The Antlers has a new solo project with a debut album called Impermanence. He has brought the same restraint to songwriting after dealing with severe hearing problems, displayed here in the single "Slips Away."