#8485

As I finish off my first year of university and as I am quickly being on track to moving out, I really can't help but think "Fucking hell, life is pretty good, actually!" I met lots of fun new folk, I dated someone, I went out to parties, I made an idiot of myself online by proclaiming I knew that Greek poet Homer was a god, the lot.

But of course, I engaged with a lot of cool shit this year. So, as is tradition, here is a big ol' list of things people made I really liked:

Hollow Knight: Silksong - I mean come on. If you're putting a game in a slow cooker for five years it's bound to be something top quality. This game made my head hurt and it's still amazing. Everything about Silksong takes all the tenets of the first game and bulks it up to a 60+ hour experience that I haven't even 100%-ed yet. The music and sound design are a standout aspect to me, big ups to my boy Christopher Larkin for smashing it out of the park once again. Highly recommend ONLY IF you play Hollow Knight first though.

One Battle After Another: An absolute rush from start to finish. I think if there was one film that could sum up the general tone of 2025, it would definitely be this one: anxious, but incredibly uplifting and spirited by the end. PTA still putting in effort even in his twilight years as a director is something to admire.

Sinners: A incredible bolt of originality from Ryan Coogler. This film is both funny and terrifying, sometimes swapping between the two on a dime. Michael B. Jordan plays two twins and I didn't even realise until like halfway through. A great allegory about colonisation and "culture vultures" too!

DELTARUNE (Chapters 3-4) - FuckfuckfuckFUUUUUCK you Tricky Tony. You made me replay that fucking Burger Time minigame a hundred billion times just so I could get the S Rank and then I HAVE to fight the Knight????? AND THEN IT TURNS OUT WEIRD ROUTE IS ACTUALLY THE PROPHECY????? Anyway super excited for next year :)

Oasis Live '25: I saw quite a few live shows this year, but none of them even came fucking close to this. I was one of the many, many concert-goers who suffered from the nagging question that echoed throughout the stadium as the gig came to a close: "What do I do now that I've seen the best band in the world live?" All killer, no filler. Liam Gallagher called out Blossom the Possum for saying Sydney can't rock. I sang until my lungs were tired, which didn't happen. If these brothers can bury a 15-year hatchet, then nothing is impossible.

Viagra Boys - viagr aboys: Probably my AOTY. I hadn't really paid attention to the band up until I saw the video for Man Made Of Meat and thought "Oh! These guys kick ass!", and this album absolutely kicks ass too. Incredibly tight and incredibly quotable. Look out for the dirty boyz.

8485 ft. Danny Brown - G.I.R.L.: Here's the pop single of the year! I found this song through YouTube and I’ve been incredibly hypnotised by it ever since. It’s a song that’s rooted in that classic late-00s club sound, but it’s been given a modern polish, with lyrics of parasocial relationships and an amazing feature from Danny Brown. Very excited to see what 8485 does next.

Joey Valence & Brae - HYPERYOUTH: The boys come out swinging once again with a simple request: nonchalance is dead, so dance like no one’s watching. The bold and brash sound they made themselves famous for is still present on this album (see BUST DOWN and SEE U DANCE), but it’s juxtaposed with themes of growing up and what that phrase actually entails (see LIVE RIGHT and DISCO TOMORROW), and definitely gives the lyrics some more depth. That being said, there are still plenty of banger lines from this album like “Got so much swag call me a swaggot”. No one’s doing like them.

Tyler, The Creator - DON’T TAP THE GLASS: Tyler, not even a year after releasing his last feature-length project, decides to put out a little project with the intention of getting people out to dance. While indeed incredibly short, all the songs act as quick bursts of danceability meant to get people off their arses and into the centre of the club. 29 minutes of pure energy.

And the hyperfixation of the year goes to…

Professional wrestling, for relinquishing an old friendship!!

I've always had a soft spot for wrestling, but I never really got into it on account of the fact that not a lot of places broadcast it regularly in Australia. Ever since WWE came to Netflix, I was tuning in regularly until about July when I sat down and watched AEW All In Texas with an old friend, who was also deeply into wrestling. This also showed me "wow the people that run wwe kinda suck lol"

Ever since, we've met up each month to watch the PPVs together, grog in tow, and each time it's been fantastic. Kyle Fletcher, Toni Storm (coincedentally both aussie!) and LA Knight (YEAHHHH) has since become my goats.

And that's that for this year!!!!! I, much like every other person on Earth, have made it through another rotation. And, by the odds, you're all here as well hopefully.

Here's to another year round da sun which powers my heat lamp :}