2025 Music Trends: Pop Hits vs Metal Mayhem

🎧 The Pop Landscape: A Summer Slump

Pop music in mid‑2025 is experiencing a noticeable downturn. After a powerhouse year in 2024—with hits from Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and breakout stars like Shaboozey and Chappell Roan—this summer simply doesn’t have a defining anthem.

• Billboard’s Hot 100 remains dominated by holdovers like Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” SZA’s “Luther,” and Alex Warren’s “Ordinary”.
• Critics attribute the lack of new hits to a “pop hangover” from 2024 and ongoing political unrest dulling the appetite for upbeat tracks.
• The result? A quieter summer soundtrack than expected.

🤘 The Metal & Hard Rock Boom

In contrast, the metal scene is thriving, with fresh albums, genre crossovers, and growing mainstream attention.

🔥 Metal Trends & Bands to Watch

• Genre-blending is on the rise. Bands like Ghost, Bring Me the Horizon, Sleep Token, and Spiritbox are mixing metal with pop, electronic, and alt sounds.
• Women-fronted acts are gaining traction, especially in extreme metal subgenres.

📅 2025 Album Highlights

• Metal Hammer’s top albums include Spiritbox, Ghost, Jinjer, Lacuna Coil, and Whitechapel.
• Consequence praises Deafheaven, Turnstile, and Sleep Token.
• Loudwire’s release calendar features weekly drops from Wytch Hazel and Chapel of Bones.

📊 Summary Table: Pop vs Metal

If you're looking for fresh inspiration, dive into today’s metal scene:

• Try Sleep Token and Spiritbox for genre-bending experiences.
• Pop fans may explore “Ordinary” by Alex Warren—though it’s not quite the anthem the season needs.

🔗 External References

• Pop music’s summer slump
• Best Metal Albums of 2025
• 20 Best Metal & Hard Rock Albums