26 Comments
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No Magic's avatar

Unsure what I can say here that I haven't said before, like: this subscription is the absolute best value for cost-to-content ratio. Josh is a treasure and makes Substack and the world a better place. I am a better music appreciator because of him. If anything, I hope commenting will impact the substack algo and provide more visibility to No Expectations.

Jared Smith's avatar

Merry Christmas to me.. I didn't want to work today anyways..

Andrew Paul Koole's avatar

Great list. Loved seeing Foxwarren's new album on there. You missed one though: quickly, quickly's I Heard That Noise was one of my favourites from this year.

Thrill Jockey Records's avatar

Yuuuup. Thanks for the kind words on the TJ releases <3

billy mack collector's avatar

Thank you for introducing me to Mei Semones with this list. I am truly enjoying this album.

Kenny Stone's avatar

This list is fantastic. Thank you so much.

Ruth Golomb's avatar

Can’t wait to see Greg Freeman and Golomb! Making my way through this list. HNY and thanks!!!!

Kira Deshler's avatar

love this list! one of my favorite new finds this year was carter faith. awesome old school country storytelling with a big personality and modern/classic sensibility. so fun!

Zach Kuhn's avatar

What better day than the last day of the semester to finally get to this list and playlist? YNWA, JT.

Max Himelhoch's avatar

still just scratching the surface on this list, endlessly grateful for sharing and also for the rich context <3

Jason Singer's avatar

this is great

Marshall Gu's avatar

That Haley Heynderickx & Max García Conover is truly special, heard 0 praise for it anywhere

Mimi's avatar

I found Way Dynamic and Neu Blume through this newsletter; both have become some of my top albums this year. Thanks always for all your thoughtful writing and curating, Josh! No Expectations is my favorite publication on Substack.

josh terry's avatar

This is so nice and made my day. Thank you so much, Mimi!

3Albums6OldGuys's avatar

Amazing stuff. Discovering this substack (via indiecast)was the best musical thing that happened to me in 2025.

Tom Savage's avatar

This is a great list! Slowly working my way through it. As someone who doesn't subscribe to any streaming services, I appreciate all of the Bandcamp links, as opposed to Spotify, etc.

Gabbie's avatar

i love your lists because we take a very similar approach to EOY (and the taste overlap doesn't hurt!). no ranking, no gatekeeping, focus on smaller/independent artists and on music discovery, etc. i'm always shocked, given how much i listen to throughout the year, just how much i've missed. but yours is my first port of call to flesh out my annual listening gaps. thank you!