As 2025 comes to a close, the new year brings a period of reflection on the moments that defined the year and the music that accompanied. With all of the music headlines and releases that came out this year, it felt like there was something for everyone to be excited about.
Music fans were gifted with many welcomed surprises and incredible hits from their favorite artists. Rapper Playboi Carti came back from a five year hiatus with “MUSIC,” his first album since 2020. Former TikTok sweetheart Addison Rae broke out as an unexpected pop star despite her long held reputation from her social media presence. Other generationally beloved artists like Blood Orange, Alex G, Pink Panthress, Rosalía, Earl Sweatshirt and more made their mark on the industry with critically acclaimed album releases that spoke to a wide spectrum of music listeners and fans around the world.
While yearly music statistics are often associated with streaming apps and devices, KCPR’s on-air statistics – the most played singles, albums and artists, can be used to track our evolution as a station throughout the course of the year.
Top 10 NEW Albums of 2025
- Radio DDR – Sharp Pins
- frog song – fish narc
- Cowards – Squid
- Eternal Reverie – TOKiMONSTA
- Soft Power – Fazerdaze
- TRANSA – Various Artists
- Mudglimmer – The Slaps
- Welcome to My Blue Sky – Momma
- Forever Howlong – Black Country, New Road
- Moisturizer – Wet Leg
Psychology senior and podcast team member Sydney Cates, known by her DJ moniker Skipper, shared some of her personal favorite pieces of music that she listened to this year. Among her picks, Geese’s critically acclaimed album “Getting Killed”, along with album “Riviera” by The Hellp and Feeble Little Horse’s single “This is Real” as releases she thoroughly enjoyed in 2025.
“I feel like KCPR is only getting more exploratory and diverse in what we’re putting out there on air,” Cates said. “It’s a thrill to be a DJ for the station during such a great year for music. I’m so hyped for what’s coming in 2026!”
Top Artists of 2025
- Wishy
- Nilüfer Yanya
- Baby Rose, BADBADNOTGOOD
- Japanese Breakfast
- Dutch Interior
- Squid
- Blondshell
- Magdalena Bay
- TOKiMONSTA
- Chanel Beads
Top NEW Spun Singles of 2025
- Sandcastle Molds – Dutch Interior
- Pause at You – Courting
- This Is Real – feeble little horse
- Turn – Kytis
- Aerial Troubles – Stereolab
- catch these fists – Wet Leg
- Crispy Skin – Squid
- Fundraiser – bar italia
- 2468 – Horsegirl
- En joue – Choses Sauvages
This year alone, KCPR 91.3 FM reached 351,503 monthly listener sessions from national and international cities alike. California made its mark on the KCPR leaderboard this year, with Los Angeles, the Central Coast, and the Bay Area hosting the majority of the station’s American listeners.
Internationally, KCPR reached listeners in little corners all over the world. Tatabánya, Hungary was the city with the highest number of international KCPR listener sessions, followed by Bielefeld, Germany, Toronto, Canada, Frankfurt, Germany, and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, to name a few.
When it came to the ways people chose to listen in to the station, there was no shortage of devices that were used to tune in for. From desktop browsers and mobile devices to smart speakers and various other outlets, listeners found many avenues to tune in to San Luis Obispo college radio in 2025.
While it’s time to say goodbye to 2025, here’s to more awesome music, achievements, and success in 2026!
