10: MercyMe - Oh Death

I don't really listen to too much music by MercyMe, so this was just one that came up on my Spotify shuffle when listening to some new music, and I really got into it! It's a very 'cheery' (if you can call it that) song making fun of death from a Christian standpoint, showing that whilst it's something that used to scare and control the band, they can now 'dance on [its] grave' as death won't have the final victory!

9: The Head And The Heart - Arrow

A #1 from early in the year now, I always love a song which has a piano riff and Arrow really hits the mark on that count. It's a song about always being on the move, and always feeling 'called' to new places instead of settling down - hence the chorus line of 'I am my own arrow, I am my own home'.

8: Sigrid - Jellyfish

The highest female-vocalled song in my countdown this year, Jellyfish is just a fun song to listen to and to have around, particularly with lines like 'if you're a loser then I'm just like you'. She seems to be having a lot of fun in the music video as well! The song was a real grower for me, entering my chart at Number 64 in August and slowly climbing to its peak of #2 in November, making it her highest-peaking song in my chart to date.

7: WE ARE ONE - Nazarene Slums

Another song which is in the Top 10 thanks to its extended chart run prior to topping my chart, Nazarene Slums is the second #1 in my chart for WE ARE ONE and is simply a song talking about different views of Jesus at the time he was around, and whether anything good can come 'from Nazarene slums' - an interpretation of Nathaniel's initial reaction to Jesus in the book of John. And as mentioned, this entered my chart in May, and spent 11 weeks in the 21-40 section of my chart before rocketing up into the Top 10.

6: Jonathan Ogden - Set Me Free

And at #6 we have the highest Christian song in my chart this year, from British guitar-strummer Jonathan Ogden. Set Me Free is a very sweet song about him finding freedom in God (even if the song itself doesn't explicitly mention it), it's also got an interesting song structure as the backing guitar suddenly changes after what you might call the 'chorus' (even though said chorus is only sung once in the song). It topped my chart for a week in September and stuck around until Christmas.

Hello again Pete

My biggest highlights since I last commented are: 'Lullaby', 'Bara Bada Bastu', 'Jellyfish' and especially 'Tavo akys', amazing that we had the same Eurovision favourite last year I wasn't too surprised that it wasn't all that popular on the forum overall, but seems to be a big highlight for those who do like it, I know it's Bré's favourite too for instance. Love the intensity of the vocal performance and the alt-rock guitars are right up my street as well.

Nice to see "Jellyfish" on here!

Right let's get this finished

5: Of Monsters and Men - Dream Team

Everyone's favourite Icelandic multi-vocallist indie band lands at Number 5 with Dream Team. I had heard Ordinary Creature and Television Love earlier in the year and both had just about scraped my Top 40, but this one grabbed me a lot more with its whistling and generally positive message. Definitely one to dance along to, and it marks their first chart-topper in my chart!

4: Seafret - Wait

At number 4 we have the highest song not to top my chart, with Wait stalling at number 3. It is absolutely Seafret at their best though, with guitar-indie-pop music that just gets my head tapping. It's a song about trusting in someone even if everything around them is falling to pieces, and hoping that the other person will be patient and recieve them when they're struggling. A beautiful song and one which stuck around for most of the year!

3: Bon Iver - From

Bon Iver have never had a hit in my chart before - their only appearance before this was on Taylor Swift's 'Exile'! I know they switch between all different sorts of genres but this song is a really lovely one, the vocallist clearly showing an amount of care and sensitivity to the subject of the song, recognising that below the surface everything isn't perfect, and to 'just take my love in your time' as the chorus says. I actually discovered this one from the Radio 6 music playlist and glad I did, one of the songs of the summer!

2: DI-RECT - Wastelands

I've been toying with making this my song of the year as it really is a belting track with a fantastic piano riff and an understated bass guitar backing, but alas it just misses out. The Dutch indie-pop band managed a #1 in my chart in 2024 with My Blood, and they've done it again here, but this song is the best I've heard from them by a country mile, singing about shining light into the 'wild, wild wastelands'. It spent a good chunk of my year in the charts and still sounds fantastic now.

1: half.alive & The Walters - R.I.P

And so we have our #1! On the surface there really isn't anything that separates this song out from any other song - it's a song about someone who is clearly madly in love with someone else, behind a funky guitar riff and some high-pitched vocals. But something about it really grabs me, it might just be the simplicity of the song. Going from the 'I'm falling, to pieces' in the bridge to the 'i hold my breath' in the chorus just sets it on a completely different level. And it's a chart debut for both of these acts (I'd heard of half.alive before but never The Walters) so pretty good going.

Here's the full list - thanks everyone for following along!

1: half.alive & The Walters - R.I.P

2: DI-RECT - Wastelands

3: Bon Iver - From

4: Seafret - Wait

5: Of Monsters and Men - Dream Team

6: Jonathan Ogden - Set Me Free

7: WE ARE ONE - Nazarene Slums

8: Sigrid - Jellyfish

9: The Head And The Heart - Arrow

10: MercyMe - Oh Death

11: Cut Copy & Kate Bollinger - Belong To You

12: Sons of Sunday - I Looked Up

13: Amy Macdonald - Is This What You've Been Waiting For?

14: John Allan - Resurrection Power

15: Kinnship - Zeal

16: Katarsis - Tavo Akys

17: Josh Gauton - Sanctuary

18: Mumford & Sons - Rushmere

19: Ball Park Music - Please Don't Move To Melbourne

20: Klemen - How Much Time Do We Have Left Together?

21: The Red Clay Strays - I'm Still Fine

22: The Maccabees - Koya

23: Stanfour - Stay

24: KAJ - Bara Bada Bastu

25: Kate Flanders - Satisfier

26: Together For Palestine - Lullaby (ft. Nai Barghouti, Neneh Cherry & Leigh-Anne)

27: Kensington - Stay

28: NEEDTOBREATHE & Tori Kelly - I've Got A Story

29: Chinese American Bear - Forever Lover

30: Limoblaze & Joe L Barnes - Do It Now (Agbanilagbatan)

31: Jack Garratt - Ready! Steady! Go!

32: ALEXSUCKS - Flowers & Dirt

33: Seafret & KT Tunstall - Five More Seconds

34: Joshu - holding on

35: Maverick City Music, Jordin Sparks & Anthony Garigula - Constant (ft. Chandler Moore)

36: Ben Fuller - Walk Through Fire

37: Tide Lines - Better Days

38: Josiah Queen - Two Wooden Beams

39: The Slow Readers Club - Boy So Blue

40: Steph Macleod & Nathan Jess - Prepare The Way

41: Jeremy Loops & Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Coming Home

42: Tommy Cash - Espresso Macchiato

43: Patrick Wolf - Jupiter

44: Chinese American Bear - Kids Go Down

45: Saint Etienne - Glad

46: Jonathan Ogden - Blue Feathers

47: Beluga Lagoon - Isla

48: Amy MacDonald - Can You Hear Me?

49: Chance Pena - Collapse

50: The K's - Breakdown In My Bedroom

51: SERA - Firestone

52: Strings And Heart - oasis for my soul

53: Grace Graber & Daniel Spriggs - My Favorite Part

54: Josiah Queen & Brandon Lake - Can't Steal My Joy

55: Connor Price, Taylor Hill & Maverick City Music - I Need Help

56: Andrew Ripp - Breakdown

57: Pat Barrett - All This In A Name

58: Curtis Harding - There She Goes

59: Zoe Me - Voyage

60: Phil Wickham - What An Awesome God

61: Dan Stirling & Gareth James - Morning

62: St. Lundi - Mercury

63: Limoblaze - Pray

64: Josh Gauton - In The Water

65: Shkodra Elektronike - Zjerm

66: fieldlily - Grow

67: Jonathan Ogden & Praise Lubangu - Safe

68: Ax and the Hatchetmen - Blurry Lights (with Albert Hammond Jr)

69: James Marriott - I Don't Want To Live Like This Anymore

70: Kensington - A Moment

71: Mumford & Sons - Malibu

72: Tors - Never Give Up

73: Cosmos in Buzunar - I AM BACK

74: The Afters - You Never Gave Up On Me

75: Jim Noir - Out Of Sight

76: Josh Gauton - Thomas, I Get It

77: Amistat - stranger

78: Steph Macleod - Serenity

79: Reverend and the Makers - Haircut (ft. Vicky McClure)

80: Zoe Me - Million de Mois

81: Stephen Stanley - idols

82: Inhaler - Billy (Yeah Yeah Yeah)

83: New Wine Worship & Sharyn - Anointing

84: Stephen Stanley - i still have you

85: Harrison Storm & Brittany May - You Beside Me

86: The Fray - Angeleno Moon

87: Elle Limebear & CalledOut Music - One God

88: Reverend And The Makers - UFO

89: Ziferblat - Bird of Pray

90: Gas Street Music & Michael Shannon - Fruit Of My Life

91: James Bakian - At The Cross

92: Benjamin William Hastings - if it wasn't for Jesus

93: Steve Queralt & Emma Anderson - Lonely Town

94: Maali - Someday

95: Alex Warren & Jelly Roll - Bloodline

96: Cut Copy - Solid

97: Saint Etienne - Take Me To The Pilot

98: Circa Waves - Let's Leave Together

99: David Kushner - Breathe In, Breathe Out

100: Land of Color & Sarah Kroger - Again And Again

101: CalledOut Music - Onyeoma

102: Sheppard - Beautiful Nothing

103: Josh Gauton - Starlight

104: Tom Speight - Buzzing

105: Caleb Hearn - Get There When I Get There

106: Jonathan Ogden - Be My Peace

107: SAINT PHNX - Best of Me

108: Walk Off The Earth & Ryan Mack - Where Would I Be

109: Kingfishr - Gloria

110: Alex Warren - Eternity

111: Elle Limebear & Zo Ross-Waddell - Every Good Thing

112: Colony House - OK OK OK OK

113: Nation of Language - I'm Not Ready For The Change

114: Blessing Offor - Lift Me Up

115: Darren Kiely - Late Texts

116: Circa Waves - Old Balloons

117: Desparate Journalist - 7

118: Sons of Sunday - GOD DID!

119: Rend Collective - Fight Of My Life

120: Faith Child & Joe L Barnes - Holy Place

121: Glockenbach & Tom Walker - Home

122: Sam Fender - Tyrants

123: Son Mieux - Morning

124: Olafur Arnalds, Talos & Sandrayati - Bedrock

125: Rea Garvey - Happy Christmas

126: WILD - Sitting On Top of the World

127: Lucy Grimble, Beth Key & Meg Loney - First Love

128: Tide Lines - By The Quayside

129: Sam Fender - Little Bit Closer

130: Elle Limebear & Samm Henshaw - Vulnerable

131: SOFYKA - Again Again

132: VÆB - RÓA

133: Ben Bohmer - The Sun (ft. Oh Wonder)

134: Son Mieux - Free For Another Day

135: WILD - Anything For You

136: Kygo & Sandro Cavazza - Hold On Me

137: Bjorn Holmgren - Radda mig

138: Curtis Harding - The Power

139: Forrest Frank - YOUR WAY'S BETTER

140: Josh Gauton - Desert Rose

141: James and the Cold Gun - Above The Lake

142: Wole Awolola - Beautiful Thing

143: Obongjayar - Just My Luck

144: DC3 - BEG

145: Zach Williams - Jesus Loves

146: Of Monsters and Men - Ordinary Creature

147: Ryan Stevenson - All Falls Away

148: Ray Dalton - Tears To Stay

149: Limoblaze & Krisirie - Sunshine & Laughter

150: DC3 - Seek

151: Strings And Heart - kerosene

152: Tonio Geugelin - Your Ways

153: Tom Speight - Higher

154: Cephas Azariah & Elle Limebear - you're gonna be ok

155: Rend Collective - Burn

156: bodie - smile

157: Barbara Pravi - La Pieva (Chez moi)

158: Jacob Smith - Set Our Sights

159: CalledOut Music - Adore You

160: Lukas Graham - You You You

161: Son Mieux - Have A Little Faith

162: Biffy Clyro - A Little Love

163: Elle Limebear - Bloodline

164: Louane - maman

165: John Allan - On & On

166: bodie - SETTLE

167: Twenty One Pilots - Tally

168: Of Monsters and Men - Television Love

169: Tautumeitas - Bur man laimi

170: Warehouse Worship - Love Song

171: Good Neighbours - Ripple

172: The Lottery Winners - Turn Around

173: Tom Odell - Don't Cry, Put Your Head on My Shoulder

174: Unheilig - Wunderschon

175: Quiet Man - Treading Water

176: JT Suavé & Sam0 - By The Grace

177: Faith Child & Marizu - Oluwa is Involved

178: Toby Lee - House On Fire

179: Jack Robson - Run Miles

180: Sissal - Hallucination

181: The Head & The Heart - After The Setting Sun

182: Elis Floreen - Avalanches

183: Johnossi - Gemini

184: Caamp - Mistakes

185: Praise Lubangu - fair weather!

186: Muyiwa & Riversongz - Dancing Around The Manger

187: Moses Brothers - Sailing

188: JERUB - Kumbaya

189: Lucy Grimble & Jonny Riggs - Thanks And Praise

190: Michael Kiwanuka - The Rest of Me

191: MEAU - Een Nacht Als Deze

192: Tom Speight & The Mayries - Kind To You

193: Eugy Official - Pray

194: Michael Kiwanuka - One and Only

195: Rend Collective - The Reason

196: White Lies - Juice

197: HAAi, Jon Hopkins, Obi Franky, ILA & Trans Voices - Satellite

198: Sam Hibbard - Oasis

199: Ten Fé - All Night

200: Ed Sheeran - Sapphire