A Sleep Token song is No. 1 on The New York Times‘ Best Songs of 2025 List.
The publication shared the list earlier this week, featuring a total of 50 tracks divided into two categories. The first category, compiled by writer Jon Caramanica, has “Caramel” from Sleep Token’s latest studio album Even in Arcadia at the very top.
“A huge, gloriously silly and brutally effective amalgam of abandoned styles ripe for reinvigorating — rap-metal, dream-prog, pop-reggaeton, backpack hip-hop, cosplay rock, metalcore and more,” Caramanica wrote of the song.
“Caramel” was the second single Sleep Token shared from the album after “Emergence.” Even in Arcadia peaked at No. 1 in the U.S. after earning a total of 127,000 album-equivalent units, 73,000 of which were actual album sales [via Billboard].
It was the band’s first No. 1 album in the U.S., and it also landed at No. 1 on album charts in eight other countries.
Sleep Token, 'Caramel'
What Other Songs Made the New York Times‘ Best Songs of 2025 List?
Caramanica’s picks include songs by other artists such as Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll, Drake, Tate McRae, The Weeknd, and a few others. The first 20 songs were ranked while the rest were honorable mentions.
READ MORE: The 13 Biggest WTF Rock + Metal Moments of 2025
The second portion of the list (titled “Blasts of Sass”) was written by Lindsay Zoladz, who included a rock song at No. 13— Wet Leg’s “Mangetout.”
“On this grinning kiss-off with sass to spare (“Get lost forever!”), Wet Leg’s Rhian Teasdale leaves the target of her ire staring a little too long at a bag of snow peas before the pun finally dawns on him: Man. Get. Out,” Zoladz said.
Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Lady Gaga, and Cardi B were among the other artists included in the “Blasts of Sass” section.
The 51 Best Rock + Metal Songs of 2025
In a year with thousands of new songs, we’ve narrowed it down to rock and metal’s 51 best.
See how many of your favorite songs from this year made the list!
Contributions by Chuck Armstrong (CA), Jordan Blum (JB), Rob Carroll (RC), Chad Childers (CC), Joe DiVita (JD), John Hill (JH), and Lauryn Schaffner (LS).
Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff
Here you can find the original article; the photos and images used in our article also come from this source. We are not their authors; they have been used solely for informational purposes with proper attribution to their original source.
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– What Other Songs Made the New York Times‘ Best Songs of 2025 List?: Caramanica’s picks, ranked songs
– The 51 Best Rock + Metal Songs of 2025: narrowed down to best songs
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