Like last year and the year before that, I decided that it would be fun to do a write-up of all my favorite local songs of the year. And like the previous couple of years, I quickly found myself overwhelmed. How do you narrow it down to just a handful of songs when there are so many great ones that deserve to be on this list? The answer, at least in my case, is to completely overthink it and spend way too many hours listening and re-listening to songs over and over again in a futile effort to try and narrow it down.
In the end, I had almost 50 bands/artists listed with numerous songs from each of them. And in my head, I had a convincing argument why none of them should be cut, and then guilt when I did.
If you or your favorite band/artist didn’t make it on here, know that you/they were probably on my initial list, and that I also think it sucks that you/they got cut. Please don’t take it personally. There is a good chance that I just literally never heard you/them because there is a shitload of music coming out of Louisville these days and I can’t keep up with it all, (it’s a good problem to have, though).
I decided early on to exclude Louisville artists who are already successful in favor of smaller, lesser-known artists. So yes, Jack Harlow, My Morning Jacket, Ben Sollee, Greyhaven, Gates To Hell, White Reaper, xWeaponx, and several others deserve to be on here, but aren’t for that reason.
I said this last year, and I’ll say it again: I’m not claiming any of these to be the best local songs of 2025. Best is very subjective. These are simply my personal favorite songs of the year. Each of these songs spoke to me for different reasons and stood out from the crowd. Give them a chance, hopefully they will for you too.
Even at 25 songs, this list isn’t long enough to cover all of the incredible music coming out of Louisville these days. Seriously, I’ve been around the scene here since the early 1990s and I don’t recall it ever being like it is right now. The talent, the songwriting, the musicianship, the diversity in sound, even among bands/artists you’d consider to be in the same genre, is absolutely astounding! And I know 2026 will bring yet another plethora of outstanding releases, and I can’t wait to hear as many as possible!
This list is sorted alphabetically by band/artist last name and is not ranked in any particular order.
Check out LEO Weekly’s Spotify playlist, which features all songs on this list (with the exception of Young Widows, who have pulled their catalog from Spotify)
BARCLAY’S
“If It Kills Me”
linktr.ee/barrclayss
Like a few bands on this list, it was never a question if BARCLAY’S (stylized in all-caps) were going on here; it was a matter of which song. “Comatose” and “Hot Dog Millionaire” both certainly deserve to be on here, but “If It Kills Me,” the opening track from their brand new EP Jur, ultimately wins out for me. A bit of a darker, grungier tone here than the rest of their material, but that’s what makes this band great; they have never limited themselves to any specific sound or style of music. The unexpected sax solo at the end of this track was the icing on the cake for me.
Bill Clark and the Route 15 Band
“Route Fifteen”
billclarkandtheroute15band.com
With a lifetime of musical experience behind him and arguably one of the most talented bands in the city helping bring his songs to life, Bill Clark delivered one of the most impressive albums of the year with Through The Years, his first solo album in 49 years. However, it was the closing track and band namesake “Route Fifteen” that really grabbed me with its mix of bluegrass, blues, and folk with Bill’s natural ability to paint a vivid picture and intriguing story through his lyrics of lost souls crossing paths along Route 15. Hopefully it won’t take another 49 years to get a follow-up album!
Cowboy Preachers Club
“Little Rooms”
cowboypreachers.club
With “Little Rooms,” Cowboy Preachers Club creates an amazingly rich, warm, happy, carefree soundscape of shoegaze indie rock bordering on dream pop to sink into and lose yourself in. With lyrics reflecting on the friends and love they’ve received as a result of the four of them creating music together, “Little Rooms” is a wonderful song that, once finished, you can’t hit replay fast enough, and it will be stuck in your head for days to come!
CROP
“10-56”
legalizecrop.bandcamp.com
Ok, so this song actually came out in 2023, but I left it off my favorites list for that year due to the band being from Lexington. However, this track was included on their 2025 album S.S.R.I., so I’m righting that wrong and including it now. And I figure they play Louisville often enough that I’m comfortable with calling this local. As for the song, I had previously described it as the musical equivalent of hitting a brick wall doing 100 mph while simultaneously having a drug overdose, and I stand by that. This is pummeling, soul-crushingly heavy doom/sludge/stoner metal that will physically hurt you. Turn it way the fuck up!
Deady
“Hot Damn”
linktr.ee/deady183
With a purposely campy, cheesy, humorous, sci-fi-inspired music video that is actually extremely well made by Boyz House Productions, Deady returned with their first new song in over a year in grand fashion. The song, barely clocking in at two minutes in length, is a frantic, thrashy punk rock tune chock full of the catchy riffs and quirky time changes that have become Deady’s signature. If you’ve seen them live before, then you know how energetic and fun their shows are, and “Hot Damn” is a perfect example of that.
FALL
“Poor Advice”
fall.bandcamp.com
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that FALL makes my list for the third year in a row, as I had said in my review of their split with GVUP several months back that this track was going on this list. Repeated listenings over time have only strengthened my position on that statement. Equal parts chaotic and melodic, “Poor Advice” is 100% true, unrelenting, adrenaline-fueled, aggressive-as-fuck hardcore that is brutally powerful and absolutely crushing! If you’re not giving a windmill kick to someone’s face during the first 40 seconds of this song, then you’re on the receiving end of one. You feel this song with every ounce of energy you have.
Hannan
“Deliver Me”
hannanmusic.us
I’ve said it before, and I’m going to keep saying it – Hannan is one of the most professional bands in Louisville. Everything with them is top-tier excellence with no expense spared and no effort rushed. Their latest single (and sole 2025 release), “Deliver Me,” is their catchiest tune yet with rock-solid hooks, outstanding musicianship and songwriting, and their richest production to date, giving a truer representation of what you experience when you hear these guys live, (and it is most certainly an experience). This is tight-as-hell, highly polished, top-notch professional, arena-ready, modern alt/hard rock with roots in early 80s metal that sinks its fangs into you from the moment it starts and holds you there until the last note.
Cait Justice
“Lovesong”
instagram.com/caitjustice
Dear Danny Wimmer Presents, Cait Justice needs to be on the bill for Bourbon & Beyond 2026! Seriously, there’s lightning in this here bottle! Pikeville native and Louisville resident Cait Justice’s debut album Angel Teeth is an absolute masterpiece of traditional Appalachia bluegrass, country, folk, and Americana. Her voice: beautiful, sweet, charming, angelic, yet at the same time rich, strong, proud, and even a bit haunting. All of which make “Lovesong” such a tearjerker. A simple but wonderful little ballad with lyrics taking the point of view of someone near the end of life comforting a loved one, and it is as heartbreaking as it is beautiful. Drop whatever you’re doing and give the full album a listen! You’ll be a fan well before the end.
Dewey Kincade and The Navigators
“Shit Piles Up”
deweykincade.com
Even in a city like Louisville that is bursting at the seams with an exceptional amount of musical talent, Dewey Kincade still manages to stand out from the crowd. With a wealth of talent and decades of experience, (he certainly flirted with musical success while in NYC), Kincade is nothing short of local music royalty at this point. “Shit Piles Up” is a catchy, upbeat roots rock tune not far removed from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and goes back to when he was (at the time) giving up on music and leaving New York City to move back to Louisville to raise his family. This song, which Kincade confesses on his website blog has been 16 years in the making, is a deeply personal nod to where he’d been and where he was going at the time. It’s worth the wait!
Left For Last
“Grave Digger”
instagram.com/leftforlast
If you weren’t aware, “Grave Digger” is Left For Last’s debut single. THEIR. DEBUT. SINGLE. No band this young should be this good right out of the gate; it’s unnatural. With all of the precision and chops of seasoned professionals, these four twenty-something guys took the Loudest In Lou competition by storm, proving that not only were they ready to play Louder Than Life, but that they could also hang with any of the other 175+ bands playing it. And it’s not hard to see why they won. Their brand of modern hard rock/metal lies in the vein of Bullet For My Valentine and Trivium. There are a few bands/artists in Louisville I could see making major waves in the music industry, but Left For Last may just be at the top of that list.
Loam
“Golden Hour”
loam-ky.bandcamp.com
When Shitfire guitarist and solo singer/songwriter Cadillac Young sent me Loam’s latest album, Our Haunts (on which he plays drums), I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it wasn’t this. Melancholic and brooding, haunting yet peaceful, dark but with a pronounced glimmer of light, Loam falls somewhere between Slowdive and Smashing Pumpkins’ less poppy tunes. A slow-burner of a record that weaves lo-fi, shoegaze, alternative, and indie rock into a dreamlike soundscape that envelops the listener. A product of singers/songwriters and husband and wife duo Dan and Devin Serke, Loam’s Our Haunts has been several years in the making and should be enjoyed beginning to end. However, “Golden Hour” is a great place to start.
Mommy’s Cigarettes
“Gatekeeper”
mommyscigarettes.bandcamp.com
Mommy’s Cigarettes is probably the catchiest punk rock band in Louisville! And “Gatekeeper” (off their latest album Mommy II), is straight-up Ramones-inspired punk rock in the vein of The Queers and Screeching Weasel that, even though I’m not a huge fan of the mix, I can’t stop listening to. The great thing about Mommy’s Cigarettes is that they tend to break into snippets of classic punk rock songs at random times during their own songs. Case in point right here when they drift into “Chainsaw” by the Ramones at the end of this track. Bottom line, you need Mommy’s Cigarettes in your life!
Chenille oKeel
“This Town”
instagram.com/chenille_okeel
You never know exactly what it is you’re going to get from Chenille oKeel, (the solo project of Francis deRome), but you can bet it’s going to be a little quirky, perhaps a bit strange, but always with a lot of heart behind it. And that’s exactly what you get with “This Town,” a track in which deRome goes bare bones ukulele and vocals to deliver a sincere, charming, upbeat, fun, heartfelt song about the passing of time that spotlights not only deRome’s distinctive, unique, slightly odd but wonderfully charismatic vocals, but also his penchant for writing lyrics that are positive and happy, yet thoughtful and introspective at the same time.
Plague IX
“Oh Fuck Who Cares”
plagueix.bandcamp.com
Subtlety has never been one of Plague IX’s strong suits. Clocking in at 1:38, “Oh Fuck Who Cares” takes exactly 8 seconds before pummeling you with an old-school punk rock assault with lyrics about gun culture in America that are as equally pissed off as they are fun. Yeah, this is punk rock, but with a strong influence of proto-punk bands like The Stooges and MC5 and a hint of early metal in the vein of Motorhead. Mix that with a bit of garage punk like New Bomb Turks and The Pagans, and top it off with a hefty dose of hardcore punk such as Black Flag and Misfits, and you’ve got yourself an idea of Plague IX’s sound.
Producing a Kind Generation
“All of Us”
pakg.world
PAKG makes my list again for the third year in a row. If you’ve listened to any of their material from any point in their musical journey, you can certainly understand why. These three guys are consistently turning out amazing tunes, and 2025 may have been their most productive year yet with a 10-song album titled Slump, a 6-song EP, For Love’s Sake (in which this track is from), and their latest single “About It.” While PAKG takes influence from numerous musical genres, the band really drives it home when they are in their alt-rock/funk groove wheelhouse, such as on the track “All of Us,” a mid-tempo burner with a hell of a powerful, funky bass line, smooth drums, and rolling bluesy-funk guitar riffs. Definitely one of Louisville’s most underrated bands!
Punji Pit
“Intermittent Inculcation”
linktr.ee/punjipit
Although we only got two new songs out of Punji Pit this year, they were both more than solid enough to make this list. “Intermittent Inculcation” sees the band embracing their grungier side while holding strong to the punk sound of their 2024 EP Sweating Bullets, Keeping Beat. Their heavy, fuzzed-out guitar and bass riffs mixed with thundering drums bring to mind early that early Seattle sound like Soundgarden, Melvins, and Nirvana, but mixed with just a tiny bit of that late 70s/early 80s Louisville punk sound of bands like Babylon Dance Band and Malignant Growth. Here’s to hoping 2026 brings more new tunes because I’m looking forward to seeing where Punji Pit takes their sound next.
Radiokiller
“Dead in the Water”
radiokiller.bandcamp.com
Brand new band here featuring some familiar faces from the local punk scene, (members and ex-members of Indignant Few, The JimHarrelson, Ultra Pulverize, The Shanks, and several others). Taking a strong influence from early Rolling Stones, Radiokiller crafts a sound fusing early 70s proto-punk with late 70s punk rock that comes across like a mix of The Stooges, MC5, New York Dolls, Dead Boys, and The Damned. So far they’ve only released a three-track demo titled Basement Recordings, but it is a beast! All three songs are packed with extremely catchy hooks and scorching riffs, and “Dead in the Water” is an excellent example of what these guys are bringing to the table. If you thought pogo punk was dead, think again!
Small Time Napoleon
“Lucky Breaker”
smalltimenapoleon.bandcamp.com
2025 saw these Louisville greats return with their first full-length album in over 10 years. Subverted Expectations is about as solid of an album as you can possibly get with 11 tracks and not one single filler song to be found. However, it was “Lucky Breaker” that grabbed my attention. An exceptionally well-written smooth jazz/yacht rock tune that also incorporates strong elements of funk, soul, and R&B brought about by incredible musicianship and extraordinary songwriting skills. This is upbeat, feel-good music that will be bouncing around in your head for days!
Tin Zelkova
“Bring Your Love”
tinzelkova.com
Tin Zelkova has always created a fine mesh of 70s classic rock mixed with modern alt-rock, and “Bring Your Love” is one of their best examples of that. Built around a catchy-as-fuck guitar hook, “Bring Your Love” features crunchy guitar, thick bass lines that do some great walking around, thunderous drums, and the tight, in-the-pocket musicianship we’ve come to expect from this band. The main riff sounds like something that would have been on Led Zeppelin II or Rush’s Fly By Night, but the vocals and the rest of the track have a modern rock sheen to them, making for yet another track that is simply Tin Zelkova through and through.
Turn3
“Joyfield”
turn3.rocks
Turn3’s latest album, I’m Getting’ There, is an anomaly. Overall, it’s a cohesive record, yet every song stands on its own with its own groove, own style, own pace, and own identity. Mixing exemplary musicianship and songwriting skills, powerful storytelling, heartfelt lyrics, and soaring melodies together, Turn 3 creates tunes that run the gamut from hard rock, classic rock, alternative, pop punk, blues, R&B, country, and more. Take for instance my favorite track on the record, “Joyfield,” which sees Motown, soul, and funk melded together for an unforgettable, upbeat, extremely catchy tune that will have you up and dancing while smiling ear-to-ear.
Turner
“Jump In”
instagram.com/turnertheband
Turner’s debut single, “Jump In,” is yet another reason why I say if there was still a record industry left, Louisville would now be where Seattle was in the early 90s. The great thing about this track is that while there are obvious influences of indie rock, alt-rock, grunge, emo, and punk, this isn’t derivative of any genre. It’s just an extremely catchy, highly enjoyable, over all-too-quick earworm that mashes together the best sounds of the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and today. It’s nostalgic yet modern; the kind of sound that appeals to all ages from 15 to 50. Not to mention the music video for this song is great! Mark my words, Turner is a future legendary Louisville band!
Virgin Birth
“I Can’t Read”
nevernervousrecords.com
With 2025’s full-length Total Annihilation, Virgin Birth has pulled off the rare feat of creating an album that would sound at home in any of the past four decades. They manage to combine the throwback beats and synth of the 80s dark wave sound, the grit, grime, and power of 90s industrial, the edge and excitement of 2000s EDM, then give it all a modern sheen. Album opener “I Can’t Read” comes off like the missing link that ties together early Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, KMFDM, and Pixel Grip. This is world-class, genre-defying music that is meticulously thought out and extremely well-crafted. If you’re not already familiar with this band, get off your ass!
Why DOMS
“Off This Earth” (featuring Jethro and Allen Vice)
whydoms.com
Why DOMS was literally the last band I cut from my 2024 favorites list, and I’ve felt guilty about it ever since. So when I heard their latest full-length, Say Sum Else, and especially the track “Off This Earth,” I knew they were making the list this year without a doubt. This time, the duo team up with prolific beat maker and rapper Jethro, whose slow-groove jams mix Motown soul and R&B to form the perfect backbone to propel the seemingly unmedicated, hyperactive flows of Why Mark, the in-your-face, take-no-shit rhymes of J DOMS, and the smooth flow of guest rapper Allen Vice. No autotune or corny radio rap, this is straight-up hardcore shit from four of the hardest players in the Louisville rap game!
Young Widows
“The Darkest Side”
youngwidows.bandcamp.com
Are Young Widows too big for this list? I struggled with that before finally coming to the conclusion of fuck it, I love this song and it’s going on here! Almost 11 years after the release of their previous studio album, Easy Pain, Young Widows came roaring back with one of the most powerful albums of their career, Power Sucker. And they couldn’t have opened the album with a more powerful statement of just who the fuck they are and why they’re still here with “The Darkest Side,” a track that is as gritty, noisy, and disjointed as the band has ever sounded, yet tight and cohesive at the same time. Noise rock has never sounded so good!
Zelly
“Right Now” (featuring Milayzia)
linktr.ee/zelllllyyyy
Last but definitely not least is Zelly, and this might just be my top pick on this list! Using his alter-ego Mister, Zelly dropped his debut full-length album, Mister, and it is literally one of the best hip hop albums ever to come out of this city! He’s also released several music videos from the album, and each one is an absolutely stunning piece of visual art. Using smooth jazz and R&B samples, Zelly effectively lulls the listener into a sense of calmness and ease, serving as the perfect backdrop for his unique and distinctive flows. His lyrics are deep, extremely personal, occasionally heartbreaking, but always rooted in the reality of his life; the overall message being one of hope and determination. This is Louisville rap at its best!
This article appears in Dec. 1-31, 2025.