The Contenders, Vol. 18: Disiniblud, Anamanaguchi, more

All Songs Considered

NPR

Music

4.4 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 26 August 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We update our running list of the year’s best songs with a bunch of glitched-out ear candy, raging rock, and tracks that seek real, human connections in an increasingly artificial landscape.

Featured artists and songs:

1. Disiniblud: “Give-upping (feat. Julianna Barwick),” from ‘Disniblud’
2. ear: “Fetish” (single)
3. Emily Yacina: “Talk Me Down,” from ‘Veilfall’
4. Anamanaguchi: “Rage (Kitchen Sink),” from ‘Anyway’
5. james K: “Play,” from ‘Friend’

Weekly reset: A day at the county fair

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Transcript

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0:00.0	It's All Songs Considered. I'm Robin Hilton. NBR Music's Hazel Sills here. Hazel, welcome. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be on the show for the very first time. I've never been on the show ever. It's been a minute. Can we just see what it's about? Yeah. Yeah. It has been a while since you've been on. I don't remember last time you were on. I feel like I've just been booked and busy.
0:02.4	Yeah.
0:02.5	It's been a busy summer.
0:03.8	Yeah. on. I don't remember last time you were on. I feel like I've just been booked and busy.
0:22.8	It's been a busy summer.
0:24.2	Yeah.
0:25.0	But yeah, now I'm back.
0:26.4	Well, this is a contenders episode.
0:28.6	The NPR Music Team, we keep a running list of the year's best songs.
0:32.2	We add to it every other week or so.
0:34.2	With the latest tracks we love so much, they're in the running for a spot on our final best of the year list when we get to that point.
0:41.5	So what's going on with your picks this week, Kaisal?
0:43.9	I'm hearing a lot of ear candy, a lot of dreamy, glitchy stuff to kind of get lost in,
0:50.5	a lot about letting go, some self-reflection.
0:56.8	What else? Yeah, I definitely think it's music to get lost into. And definitely some artists who are playing with ideas of fantasy and kind of
1:06.6	like childlike wonder. Should I just go into the first song?
1:10.9	Yeah, what do you want to do?
1:11.9	Okay.
1:12.9	I want to play this band that I really love,
1:15.5	new group this year called Disney Blood.
1:18.4	I want to play their song titled Give Upping,
1:21.6	and it's from their self-titled debut album.
	...

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