Even Better Asks: Best of 2025 Rapid Fire
Racing into the next one
You’re reading Even Better Asks, a recurring series where the head honchos at Even Better come up with an open-ended question for our extended web of pals to answer in blurb form. Last time, over the summer, we asked about the songs that best sum up our music taste. This week’s prompt is several, like last year’s end-of-year roundup, and so many that we won’t bother to type them all out up here. Right at the buzzer, we’ve asked our crew a bunch of quick-hits on their favorite albums, music moments, live shows, movies, and food they took in this year (with a few other surprises).
Nick Adams
Favorite album of 2025: I’ve been waiting all year for an obvious #1 to present itself to me, but it never quite happened. The marquee indie rock releases mostly weren’t my speed and even my GOAT Alex G’s new record was too spotty for me to fully embrace. I’ll say Bleary Eyed’s Easy is my favorite album of 2025.
Favorite specific music moment of the year (i.e. part of a song, lyric, transition, etc): First few seconds of “Sickle Walk” by YHWH Nailgun. I love powerful drums.
Favorite live show you saw this year: I was bowled over by Greg Freeman and his band—a very full sound. I was also happy to finally see Rilo Kiley live.
Favorite film(s) you watched this year (2025 releases and/or favorite first watches from any year): Todd Solondz’s Welcome to the Dollhouse.
Favorite scene from a 2025 movie: Infrared spying in The Naked Gun.
Most desired 2026 comeback: I’m not getting my hopes up but it’s Deerhunter.
Best thing you ate this year: I made Molly Baz’s garlic bread from More Is More for multiple gatherings this year and it was a hit every time. As for restaurant fare, there’s a new spot in Portland called Bialy Bird and the taylor ham breakfast sandwich might be the best I’ve ever had.
One 2026 prediction: Tom Cruise cast in Wes Anderson’s next movie.
Ethan Beck
Favorite album of 2025: “The Passionate Ones” by Nourished by Time. I’m taking the line “We don’t have to be so average” for motivation.
Favorite specific music moment of the year (i.e. part of a song, lyric, transition, etc): The final, rambling portion of “Curtain” by Greg Freeman when the honky-tonk piano comes back in. When the distortion lights up for the second chorus of “Mother’s Day” by Sleeping Witch & Siren. The drums on “Aspen” by FearDorian. Once things really get rolling on “Hoe Down” by Gregory Uhlmann, Josh Johnson, and Sam Wilkes. Mel V’s breathless delivery on “NEVER GAF.” Some other lines or melodies imprinted on my brain: “Feel like Jesus in the mosh pit” from “JRJRJR” by Jane Remover. “Everywhere I run, I’m always running to ya” from “Favourite Daughter” by Lorde. But the moment I’ve thought about the most is when the background vocals of Cameron Winter singing “Falling apart” over and over again come in during “Husbands” by Geese. It’s got the impact of a sledgehammer.
Favorite live show you saw this year: I found Lorde’s arena tour for “Virgin,” which I saw in Brooklyn, to be really moving, vulnerable. I cried at the climax of “Supercut,” where she sings that aching chorus while jogging on a treadmill. The show helped me reconsider “Virgin,” which I now see is a great album for being a 22-year-old, recently out of college, listless and working.
Favorite film(s) you watched this year (2025 releases and/or favorite first watches from any year): “Killer of Sheep,” “Yi Yi,” “Offside,” “To Live and Die in L.A,” “Platform,” “Hester Street.”
Favorite scene from a 2025 movie: Hard to shake the ending of “It Was Just an Accident.”
Most desired 2026 comeback: Some new Hank Ballard & The Midnights.
Best thing you ate this year: The scallops at Third Falcon in Brooklyn. Date night.
One 2026 prediction: Pittsburgh is, again, described as a livable city.
Chris Bench
Favorite album: Headlights, Alex G
Favorite music moment: The outro for “Playing Classics” by Water From Your Eyes
Favorite live show: Maruja at the High Dive
Favorite film of 2025: Motern Media’s Evil Puddle. Honorable mention to Ella McCay. Favorite first time watch from the past: Super Mario Bros. (1993)
Favorite scene from a 2025 movie: The rescue scene on the hill in Evil Puddle. Honorable mention to my most quoted line of the year coming from The Three Stooges with “Hey Bulldog.”
Best thing I ate this year: a nice big ol’ hunk of Tuna in Hawaii. It was so wonderful.
Dream Traitors casting: I haven’t watched and I don’t know the rules so I’m gonna say the cast of Evil Puddle vs the cast of Ella McCay.
2026 prediction: Frank Ocean puts out an album.
Michael Clawson
Favorite album: Tough to pick as I have at least five albums I could put as number one for the year, but I’ll stump for FKA Twigs’ “Eusexua.”
Favorite specific music moment: The first and second verses of Wet Leg’s insanely catchy “catch these fists.”
Favorite live show: Doechii at WaMu Theater in Seattle. A blast from start to finish.
Favorite films: My favorite new releases are One Battle After Another (PTA), Afternoons of Solitude (Albert Serra), Invention (Courtney Stephens), Caught by the Tides (Jia Zhangke), The Secret Agent (Kleber Mendonça Filho), About Thirty (Martín Shanly), Pepe (Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias), Windward (Sharon Lockhart), The Shrouds (David Cronenberg), and You Burn Me (Matías Piñeiro). The best older film I watched for the first time is Maurice Pialat’s “The House in the Woods” - a total masterpiece.
Favorite scene: Closing scene in The Shrouds. Or the climax of One Battle After Another. Or the snowman scene in The Naked Gun.
Most desired comeback: Kenneth Lonergan!
Best thing I ate: Spice Waala in Seattle’s Columbia City neighborhood. Perfect for a bite before or after watching something at The Beacon.
Shawn Cooke
Favorite album of 2025: Jane Remover — Revengeseekerz / ♡ (Pitchfork Fleet Foxes AOTY moment)
Favorite specific music moment of the year (i.e. part of a song, lyric, transition, etc): “(Referee)” → “Rewind” on Dijon’s Baby (the latter of which is BY FAR the best Bon Iver song released this year). Also the last chorus / entirety of CMAT’s “The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station”
Favorite live show you saw this year: Uncfest 2025: Wilco at Heinz Hall and Nine Inch Nails at Climate Pledge Arena (this year’s Even Better summit) within one week’s time. True to theme, Superchunk was the most I’ve flipped from casual fan to true believer during a set
Favorite film(s) you watched this year (2025 releases and/or favorite first watches from any year): new: One Battle After Another old: The Black Cat, The Crowd, Boudu Saved From Drowning, Love Affair, Once Upon a Time in China
Favorite scene from a 2025 movie: “Dirty Work” (One Battle) and “Butterfly” (Caught by the Tides) needle drop moments
Most desired 2026 comeback: Brian De Palma, Divine Fits, Talk Tuah
Best thing you ate this year: Dad’s Dog and Burger cheeseburger x10, Rainbow Trout Filet at Fet-Fisk (don’t even like seafood like that)
One 2026 prediction: Lights Camera Jackson enters the villa during Casa Amor
Dream Traitors casting: fwiw Susan Boyle was on the mind long before her Marty Supreme marketing stunts (date included for transparency)
Elliott Duea
Favorite album of 2025: Oklou - choke enough is my #1, but that plus Friend by James K and Lifetime by Erika de Casier (”You Can’t Always Get What You Want” song of the year) have been my 2025 holy trinity of dreamy nocturnal records (Oklou for laying in bed and drifting to dreamland, James K for night driving, and Erika de Casier for night walks)
Favorite specific music moment of the year (i.e. part of a song, lyric, transition, etc): The eruption of noise plus nu-metal/deep/heavy-as-a-Head-and-Munky-from-Korn guitar strum and scream at the 4:24 mark of “Jelly Meadow Bright” by No Joy
Favorite live show you saw this year: Oasis at the Rose Bowl. Biblical.
Favorite film(s) you watched this year (2025 releases and/or favorite first watches from any year): Frederick Wiseman’s Aspen, Eric Rohmer’s The Green Ray and Manoel de Oliveira’s Abraham’s Valley
Favorite scene from a 2025 movie: The scene of Spike Fearn clumsily attempting to win Ayo Edebiri back in Ella McCay, Zhao Tao meeting the robot in Caught by the Tides, Karsh Relikh talking with his sexy AI koala assistant in The Shrouds, Matt Farley giving out his phone number in Evil Puddle
Most desired 2026 comeback: My Bloody Valentine (every year), Maren Ade, Brian De Palma, Bo Bice
Dream Traitors casting: Lights, Camera, Jackson (Jackson Murphy)
Best thing you ate this year: A warm chai snickerdoodle from Hot Cakes in Ballard (Seattle)
One 2026 prediction: Cal Raleigh will hit over 50 home runs again, Terrence Malick’s The Way of the Wind will premiere at Cannes (it almost surely will not but I’m attempting to manifest it), I will beat “Dead on Arrival” by Fall Out Boy on Expert Rock Band drums
Patrick Haynes
Favorite album of 2025: Geese - Getting Killed. Yell at a wall it rocks and is the only album from this year I can really see myself listening to in five years.
Favorite specific music moment of the year (i.e. part of a song, lyric, transition, etc): When Colin Miller dropped the reference/callback/whatever you want to call it to “Helpless” by CSNY in “Cadillac”
Favorite live show you saw this year: I saw Oasis in New York City, this will be my answer for the rest of time because I can pull up videos on my phone in 2037 and it will top seeing whatever band at the local 250 cap venue
Favorite film(s) you watched this year (2025 releases and/or favorite first watches from any year): Favorite 2025 film so far is One Battle After Another, favorite first watch of an older film was The Player by Robert Altman. I love movies man movies rule.
Favorite scene from a 2025 movie: The little scene of Benicio doing the DUI test at the end of OBAA. “A few small beers” will live with me forever.
Most desired 2026 comeback: More Oasis shows?? An album??? In reality, it’s probably whatever Mastodon releases as the first album after Brent Hinds’ passing but a boy can dream. Also, movie-wise, I am eagerly anticipating Heat 2 because I am a man in my mid-30s.
Best thing you ate this year: The Lomo Saltado from Llama Inn when I went to New York City to see the rock band Oasis
One 2026 prediction: Cameron Winter will throw the first pitch at a New York Mets game and it will go so poorly that it will launch a full-scale burning of the fleet on Geese fandom. Overstating this but I can smell the blood in the water.
Hannah Lynn
Favorite album of 2025: Euro-Country by CMAT
Favorite live show you saw this year: Lorde at the Pete
Favorite film(s) you watched this year (2025 releases and/or favorite first watches from any year): The Naked Gun, One Battle After Another, The Gullspang Miracle
Favorite scene from a 2025 movie: “Shut Up and Dance” playing while Willa is rescued from the school dance in OBAA
Most desired 2026 comeback: Lucas Hedges come back
Best thing you ate this year: Fresh oysters at a seaside wedding
Dream Traitors casting: Tyra Banks
One 2026 prediction: John Krasinski Emily Blunt divorce
Brendan Menapace
Favorite album of 2025: I think it’s “Violet” by L.S. Dunes. Supergroups shouldn’t work, and yet it does.
Favorite specific music moment of the year (i.e. part of a song, lyric, transition, etc): Craig Finn namedropping Harrisburg on the new album - the place I grew up in on the song “Bethany,” which is the place I went on vacation with my family every year as a kid. Hearing him repeatedly say “somewhere between Harrisburg and Bethany” was fun, because that’s a particular stretch of American road I know very well, and I don’t expect very cool songwriters like Craig Finn to namedrop Harrisburg too much. Harrisburg was home to bands like Fuel and Kingsfoil - which briefly featured Frankie Muniz - not something so culturally renowned like a Craig Finn lyric. Or maybe that’s what lends itself so nicely to a Craig Finn lyric. I live in Philadelphia, so I get plenty of specific geographic name drops from the likes of the Menzingers, and that’s fun. But Central PA never had too many shoutouts, except for the random Vampire Weekend Mechanicsburg name drop and the cKy song called “Shippensburg.” Also a good song, honestly.
Favorite live show you saw this year: Minus the Bear 20-year anniversary of “Menos El Oso” at the Fillmore in Philly. A band and an album that I love very much, and instantly transported me back to the age where I was about to come to Philly for college and felt so cool, listening to this album on repeat, now living here and still listening to it pretty regularly. They sounded better than ever. Hearing “Drilling” and “Michio’s Death Drive” live for the first time despite having seen them many times throughout college and young adulthood was very exciting.
Favorite film(s) you watched this year (2025 releases and/or favorite first watches from any year): Naked Gun. Loved the original, love its joke-a-minute pacing, love preserving the legacy by tastefully bringing a beloved IP to a modern audience. That said, let’s use this as a launching pad to fund more original comedies rather than think the lesson here is that we need to reboot more classic comedies. I’m already dreading the eventual, inevitable “Princess Bride” remake.
Favorite scene from a 2025 movie: This isn’t from a 2025 movie but it’s from a movie that I somehow saw for the first time in 2025: “Speed.” God, what a movie. The scene where Keanu is talking down the guy pointing a gun at him and he says “See? We’re just two cool guys hanging out.” I think more police de-escalation courses should include this line of dialogue. If I have to keep it current to 2025 movies, I’ll say the part in “Wake Up Dead Man” where Benoit Blanc says that telling the truth can be a bitter herb, but his accent tricked the Netflix AI caption program into thinking he said “telling the truth can be a belly rub.” Telling the truth really can be a belly rub, if you think about it.
Most desired 2026 comeback: Low-stakes stunt journalism that people read. I saw Vice is kind of doing that over in the UK, letting journalists do things like having Chat GPT dictate their day. Hopefully they pay them more than they did back in the day, though. Also, maybe Twitter as a place where you could just goof around and also build a reliable audience for your digital creative pursuit of your choice. Short of those things, I’d love to make an exception to my earlier point about avoiding reboots to publicly make myself available to Hollywood to write a good “Power Rangers” reboot script. I’d say “Jurassic Park,” my favorite IP of all time, but it seems like it’s too far gone and we can’t keep resurrecting things that are dead, as they taught us the first time around.
Best thing you ate this year: I went to Portugal this summer, and was staying in this little town whose grocery store in walking distance from my Airbnb was pretty minimal. Octopus was cheaper than chicken there, so we whipped up some octopus and sat outside and just looked at birds. The food was great, but it was one of those times where even if it were terrible, the experience elevated it all.
Dream Traitors casting: Never watched, but I’ll say Marshawn Lynch. He’s been great in everything I’ve seen him do so far.
One 2026 prediction: Someone will refer to a legacy network television talk show like Fallon or Graham Norton as a podcast not as a joke.
Pauline Mogilevsky
Favorite album of 2025: choke enough by Oklou
Favorite specific music moment of the year (i.e. part of a song, lyric, transition, etc): The part of Rebecca Black’s song “Sugar Water Cyanide” when Elliott started rocking out and saying “oh my god she’s good.” RB is my queen btw please go listen to her new stuff if you haven’t heard her music since 2011.
Favorite live show you saw this year: Kristin Chirico at the Emerald City Comedy Club for my birthday! She’s so funny and she responded to my DMs on Instagram which means she likes me and I got an A at being a comedy audience member.
Favorite film(s) you watched this year (2025 releases and/or favorite first watches from any year): Due to Elliott’s presence in my life, I’ve watched 62 movies so far this year, which is at least 57 more than most years of my life. So there’s a lot of new faves that I was late to the party on! I’ll go with The Birdcage, Frederick Wiseman’s High School, and Arrival.
Favorite scene from a 2025 movie: Every scene with The Sensei in One Battle After Another
Most desired 2026 comeback: Small apartment buildings getting built in Seattle instead of townhouses!!! Please!!!!
Best thing you ate this year: Potato pelmeni with caramelized onions and marinated cabbage at Hey Dumplin’ in Bellingham. As a certified Russian-food-hating child of Soviet immigrants, this is big for me.
Dream Traitors casting: Katya, Shangela, Nicole Byer, Trisha Paytas, Bowen Yang, Slime from The Yard, Dr. Spectred aka Balatro University, Chris Fleming
One 2026 prediction: My monstera will grow a new leaf
Aidan O’Neill
Favorite album of 2025: Prior to 2025 I had never described myself as a Bad Bunny fan, but Debí Tirar Mas Fotos caught me off guard and (partly due to the early January release) ended up being my most played album of the year. But Clipse’s long awaited comeback (Let God Sort Em Out, title of the year too) on their newly founded label was Even Better™, and kept me in permanent stankface until Rosalía’s Lux came to absolutely steal the year. I don’t think I’ve listened to an album front to back so many times in a month since Blonde. Extremely different musically, but the three winners do have something in common: mainstream artists changing up from previous releases, putting in obvious creative effort and growth while already at their peak.
Favorite specific music moment of the year (i.e. part of a song, lyric, transition, etc): On Lux, the crescendo opera ending of Mio Cristo Piange Diamantes into the frenzied violin intro of Berghain goes so hard.
Favorite live show you saw this year: Lila Downs at Nola Jazzfest
Favorite film(s) you watched this year (2025 releases and/or favorite first watches from any year): Finally saw The Grand Budapest Hotel
Favorite scene from a 2025 movie: Benicio Del Toro giving the audience a tour of his home / quiet resistance movement. A unique combo of understated righteousness, enviable coolness, while somehow also lighthearted and comedic.
Most desired 2026 comeback: Besides Frank Ocean? Actor — Cary Elwes or Artist — Solange
Best thing you ate this year: chocolate cake at Savary Island Pie Company (Vancouver, Canada)
Dream Traitors casting: RuPaul or Vince Staples
One 2026 prediction: With no Chiefs to stop them in the playoffs this time, Bills win the Super Bowl. Benny the Butcher gets back to 2020 form in a celebratory album.
Grace Robins-Somerville
Favorite album of 2025: Geese, Getting Killed
Favorite specific music moment of the year (i.e. part of a song, lyric, transition, etc): Right now it’s a toss-up between the “I wanna take you out” refrain of “Sushi” by FKA twigs OR the hook of “Stunning” by Um, Jennifer?
Favorite live show you saw this year: Geese’s pop-up album release show at Banker’s Anchor
Favorite film(s) you watched this year (2025 releases and/or favorite first watches from any year): Rains Over Babel
Most desired 2026 comeback: Joanna Newsom please come home we need you
Best thing you ate this year: Oysters, a burger, and part of an apple galette and dark chocolate cake at The Fulton
One 2026 prediction: Televised debate between Candace Owens and Erika Kirk that ends in a physical altercation
Emily Schweich
Favorite album of 2025: The Tubs - “Cotton Crown”
Favorite specific music moment of the year (i.e. part of a song, lyric, transition, etc): “God is real, God is actually real” - Cameron Winter, $0 (technically a 2024 release but included in this year’s list season)
Favorite live show you saw this year: Glitterer at Joint Custody record store
Favorite film(s) you watched this year (2025 releases and/or favorite first watches from any year): “Presumed Innocent” (1990)
Favorite scene from a 2025 movie: the dance scene in “Sinners”
Most desired 2026 comeback: Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman
Best thing you ate this year: scallops with a dessert of gelato and limoncello at Caffé Molise in Salt Lake City
Dream Traitors casting: MJ Lenderman, Rachel Brown, Karly Hartzman, Katie Crutchfield, and Kevin Morby. Is that how this works?
One 2026 prediction: Dodgers MLB betting drama
Savannah Sprowls
Favorite album of 2025: MOBO Presents: The Perfect Cast LP feat. Modern Baseball (30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition). I don’t usually get worked up about live recordings but there were a few on this one that had me dizzy.
Favorite specific music moment of the year (i.e. part of a song, lyric, transition, etc): Every line of Viagra Boys’ “You N33d Me” is perfect but “I can drink about 15 beers or 25 / That depends on the can” is a real standout.
Favorite live show you saw this year: Emperor X at Kantine am Berghain. I got really obsessed with Western Teleport and Oversleepers International while blowing up my life in Australia over the summer. By fall, I was lucky enough to catch him in Berlin. Cozy and weird venue. Perfect sound. Lots of my own quiet, hot tears. Extremely special experience.
Favorite film(s) you watched this year (2025 releases and/or favorite first watches from any year): I took my mom to see “Becoming Led Zeppelin” in IMAX to celebrate her 70th birthday. The care and nostalgia of the storytelling was cool, but the best part was seeing it unlock my mom’s spiritual joy as she flashed all the way back to that wild, inimitable time in her life. And Zeppelin I rules.
Most desired 2026 comeback: Denny’s, should it survive its current financial plight, bringing back the “Rockstar Favorites” menu, featuring the inimitable Hooburrito. Have I ever liked Hoobastank? No. Was that goddamn burrito my favorite thing about being alive from 2009-2011? Yes.
Best thing you ate this year: My good friend up in Buffalo makes tteokbokki from scratch every time I come to visit and her December installment was easily the best yet.
One 2026 prediction: Set time transparency will finally get some legs.
Matt T
Favorite album of 2025: voyeur - The Burden of Desire. Welcome back Sonic Youth
Favorite specific music moment of the year: the last minute of Wound Up Here (By Holdin On): Karly’s voice coming close to but not breaking, the guitars building and building to a final scream. Exactly how this year’s felt
Favorite live show you saw this year: only made it to one this year, Japanese Breakfast
Favorite film(s) you watched this year: Watched Lost Highway, Eraserhead, and Mulholland Drive (in full) for the first time and loved all 3 of them. RIP David we miss you so much
Favorite scene from a 2025 movie: The anxiety-inducing car chase in One Battle After Another
Most desired 2026 comeback: it’s been 6 years since we heard anything from Deerhunter, this will be my answer until they come back or say they never will
Best thing you ate this year: spicy pork curry at Kamayan. If you are ever in Atlanta just outside the city, it is the best Filipino food you’ll ever have
Dream Traitors casting: Big Boi (I have never seen this show)
One 2026 prediction: Cheem gets a song in a Taco Bell commercial
Eric Zhu
Favorite album of 2025: Oklou - choke enough, (HM: Nourished by Time - The Passionate Ones, Geese - Getting Killed)
Favorite specific music moment of the year (i.e. part of a song, lyric, transition, etc): the last minute or so of FKA Twigs’ HARD
Favorite live show you saw this year: Oklou at The Fonda Theater
Favorite film(s) you watched this year (2025 releases and/or favorite first watches from any year):
New: Dry Leaf (Alexandre Koberidze)
Old: The House in the Woods (Maurice Pialat)Favorite scene from a 2025 movie: Subway Handoff in Highest 2 Lowest, “Benhayyi Al-Baghbaghan (Salute the Parrot)” in Morgenkreis, Touring the Empty Apartment in Father Mother Sister Brother, Exhibition Match in Marty Supreme
Most desired 2026 comeback: Valeska Grisebach!!!!!
Best thing you ate this year: braised quail eggs from a stand near my Grandma’s apartment
Dream Traitors casting: “The Slaysian Diva of Los Angeles,” Joella