<p>The Slate Music Club returns, in this special year-end edition of Hit Parade’s The Bridge! Host Chris Molanphy joins New York Times pop music critic <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/signup/AMP"><u>Lindsay Zoladz</u></a>, and <a href="https://www.hearingthings.co/author/julianne-escobedo-shepherd/">Julianne Escobedo Shepherd</a> of <a href="https://www.hearingthings.co/juliannes-favorite-music-of-2025/"><u>Hearing Things</u></a> in a critics’ roundtable led by Slate’s own <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2025/12/best-music-2025-songs-albums-protest-music-top.html"><u>Carl Wilson.</u></a> They discuss their favorite albums and singles, as well as the trends that shaped music in 2025.</p><p>Among this year’s big musical questions: Have we reached peak Bad Bunny yet? Did those animated <em>Demon Hunters</em> reinvent K-pop? Are Geese the saviors of rock, or just muppets with guitars? Is hip-hop ready to move on from Kendrick and Drake? Plus: Rosalia, Water for Your Eyes, Gaga, Wednesday—and of course, Taylor Swift.</p><p><strong>Note: Slate Plus members can hear this special episode in full. Ad-supported listeners will hear the first half. Want to hear the whole discussion?</strong><a href="http://slate.com/hitparadeplus"><strong> Sign up for Slate Plus!</strong></a> Unlock monthly early-access episodes, bonus episodes of “The Bridge,” and ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Visit <a href="https://slate.com/podcast-plus?utm_medium=link&amp;utm_campaign=plus_pod&amp;utm_content=Hit_Parade&amp;utm_source=episode_page">slate.com/hitparadeplus</a> to get access wherever you listen.</p><p>Podcast production by Kevin Bendis.</p><p><br></p><p>Don’t miss the rest of this year’s Slate Music Club episode! Become a Slate Plus member! Join for monthly early-access episodes, bonus episodes of "The Bridge," and ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Hit Parade show page on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hit-parade-music-history-and-music-trivia/id1291058235"><u>Apple Podcasts</u></a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4GqbdfOT9Je4nEp5BqnGit"><u>Spotify</u></a>. Or, visit <a href="https://slate.com/podcast-plus?utm_medium=link&amp;utm_campaign=plus_pod&amp;utm_content=Hit_Parade&amp;utm_source=episode_summary"><u>slate.com/hitparadeplus</u></a> to get access wherever you listen.</p><p> </p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>