That's a wrap, 2025 edition
I used to do these on my old site, so it felt right to bring it back. A yearly pause. A look back at what actually happened, what surprised me, and what quietly changed everything.
2025 was a big one. One of those years that you don't realise was so hectic until you take a step back and write it down.
Two decades in
Gloom and I have been making music together for over two decades now, which still seems crazy to me. It only feels like yesterday we were hiding under duvets singing verses to Blood and Bones (OG) and re-recording lines till we were happy with them (spoiler, it never happens, we're both perfectionists).
This year we released 13 songs, including some cool little covers, quite a few brand new original pieces, some seasonal songs, as well as remastered editions of Unhealthy Obsession, Blood and Bones, and Mania. Songs that have been part of our lives for a long time finally got the attention and care they deserved.
A lot of 2025 was about closing loops. Finishing tracks that had been sitting around for years, cleaning them up, and throwing them out into the wild. At the same time, we were also writing new material, and that balance felt good. There is a lot organised in the pipeline for 2026, though I'm sure there'll be some surprises and spanners in the works.
The year Unhealthy Obsession went viral again
In June, Unhealthy Obsession went viral for the second time. I still do not really have words for how that felt. Watching something you made years ago suddenly find a new audience again is surreal. June saw the song rack up almost half a billion plays on TikTok, featuring as background music in so, so many amazing little animations, memes, mines and dances.
That was also the catalyst that exploded our Spotify account and led to a milestone we'd never imagined, let alone planned for. For the first time, we have been able to justify giving our music more time, resources and energy and know it will pay for itself. Typing that still feels unreal - it's still all just mouth noodles for fun in our brains.
This also led to us surpassing a million monthly listeners on Spotify. That number does not feel real either. I think to us, ultimately, numbers don't really matter - if there are a handful of people enjoying our dark ditties, then it's been worth it. Does feel good knowing we've managed to keep over a million people enjoying them, though!
Crazy, crazy, crazy.
Making the art match the music
One of my biggest personal shifts this year was focusing more on the marketing and visual side of what we do. The art behind the songs. The presentation. The consistency.
We rebranded with new colours, cleaned things up, and started thinking more deliberately about how everything looks together. I have been putting a lot more effort into making things feel cohesive and intentional.
I'll probably keep at that into 2026, with more song artwork getting a fresh lick of paint on our Spotify, Apple and other music stores. It just feels good to finally give the music a visual identity that matches how it sounds in our heads.
We also spent a lot more time this year on the marketing side of things, from mock-up movie posters, to pages of the Gloomnomicon, to Christmas decorations to a full-blown music video for our song 'Sleep', complete with fully-animated-and-lip-synced Gloom.
There's been a lot more effort in general of building a world around our songs. It'll be interesting to see how we top this in 2026!
Learning new things, slowly
This year I also finally taught myself an instrument. I have been learning guitar, and more recently bass. I am still very much in the early stages, but it has already changed how I write and think about songs. You can probably hear it in the more recent tracks and remasters. I am not shredding like a pro yet. Maybe 2026.
Merch, deluxe editions, and being humbled daily
We launched our merch store this year. We're both not one for big pomp and ceremony, so it was a quiet launch - we felt it better that people organically found it when they went looking rather than being hounded to 'check out our latest drop'. Again, merch isn't something we really see as income, and so its been nice to ignore margins and targets and just release things for decent prices that we (hope) our listeners can afford.
Honestly, I was not prepared for how that would feel. Seeing people on social media wearing our name is incredibly humbling. Knowing someone loves our music enough to spend their money on it still catches me off guard.
We also started releasing Deluxe editions of our digital downloads, with instrumentals and bonus versions. That has been a really satisfying way to give a little more back to the people who want to go deeper into the music.
Music To Murder To, slowly becoming real
Behind the scenes, We also started pulling together a proper Music To Murder To release. It's always been our little tagline for the collection of songs we release, but it's finally taking (physical) shape in a way it never has before. Keep an eye on 2026 for a tangible treat. Maybe reserve a spot on your shelf or wall for something...
Looking ahead
To conclude - 2025 was not just busy. It was validating. It made the recent jump to focusing on our 'Gloom Theory' (Gloom and I combined) era feel like it was the right move. I think we're heading into 2026 feeling focused, grateful, and quietly ambitious. There is a lot more coming, and for the first time in a long time, it feels sustainable.
If you listened, shared, sent us a message, hearted a post, subscribed, bookmarked, bought something, or simply stuck around, thank you so much! We appreciate it all - None of this happens in a vacuum. Drop us a comment on our YouTube, Insta or other socials and I'll be sure to drop it a heart!
Here's to next year!
