The Contenders, Vol. 1: The songs we can't stop playing this week

By Hazel Cills,

Robin Hilton

Published January 7, 2025 at 9:07 AM EST

FKA Twigs' latest album, EUSEXUA, includes "Perfect Stranger," one of the songs we can't stop playing this week. — FKA Twigs' latest album, *EUSEXUA*, includes "Perfect Stranger," one of the songs we can't stop playing this week.

We kick off the new year with a look at some of the albums we're most excited about for 2025, and the songs from them that we're obsessed with. This includes the transfixing sounds of Anna B Savage, moody club beats from FKA Twigs, '80s-influenced rock and pop from Sharon Van Etten and more.

NPR Music's Hazel Cills joins host Robin Hilton.

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Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org

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Hazel Cills

Hazel Cills is an editor at NPR Music, where she edits breaking music news, reviews, essays and interviews. Before coming to NPR in 2021, Hazel was a culture reporter at Jezebel, where she wrote about music and popular culture. She was also a writer for MTV News and a founding staff writer for the teen publication Rookie magazine.

Robin Hilton

Robin Hilton is a producer and co-host of the popular NPR Music show All Songs Considered.

See stories by Robin Hilton