(via Shutterstock)
There are some months that just reward you with brilliant songs.
Songs that, for a whole host of reasons, you play over and over again and which, for this beleaguered commuter reviewer at least, making walking to the train station and back not feel quite so arduous and even, by some article, a little cinematic and fun.
These five songs made their way into my September 2025 playlist and honestly I haven’t tired of them yet; that can happen when you play songs repeatedly and what was once shiny and glossy, exciting and new, can start to feel like yesterday’s tired old listening pleasures.
Not so these gems which spark me back to life with sizzlingly good music, vibrantly incisive lyrics and sense of emotion and time & place that is fresh now as the first time I heard the songs.
“Wanna Play” by Georgia
(courtesy official Georgia Facebook page)
Releasing under the mononym Georgia, which simply means dropping the surname, this English sinbger-songwriter-producer-rapper-drummer has all the talent in the world.
It’s brilliantly evident on “Wanna Play”, a song that comes roaring out the musical gate with beats pumping and a catchy melody racing in and off Georgia’s always evocative vocals, and which is, and here I have to agree with Domino Music, “an absolute bop”.
Her first music in two years, “Wanna Play” picks up the pace from the get-go and doesn’t slow down for even a nanosecond, the energy coming courtesy, says Domino, of “long-time studio collaborator Mark Ralph (Years & Years, Daniel Avery, Hot Chip) who she also worked with on her Mercury Prize-shortlisted 2020 album Seeking Thrills.”
And yes, the song is meant to be fun as Georgia explains:
I wrote this song at a complete crossroads in my life, which is why I stuck with the 160bpm! It’s a fast tempo punk-electro song, inspired by early Knife songs & 80’s Depeche Mode bass-lines. It’s a bit of fun really, I wanted to explore my love for synths again!
“Off the Rails” by BENEE
(courtesy official BENEE Facebook page)
You can always rely on New Zealand singer-songwriter Benee to ramp up the pace and flow to frenetically fantastic.
Her songs often possess an emotional punch that can’t be ignored, and why on earth would you, with “Off the Rails” delivering on all fronts, channelling much of the same energy as “Green Honda”, which makes sense since the same team of Elvira Anderfjärd and Luka Kloser wrote and produced both tracks.
And if sounds angry in all the best ways, there’s a reason for that as the artist explains to Rolling Stone.
‘It’s an aggressive, angry, chaotic product of my navigating the current state of the world and channeling my existential dread … It’s feminine rage—sick of being pushed around and embracing the chaos.
‘Luka and Elvira are two incredible producers in the music industry right now. First we made ‘Green Honda’, and then “Off The Rails”. I felt this energy was really needed and perfectly places a certain tone in my storyline. It honestly was one of the few studio sessions I’ve ever done with only women, which brings such a different creative energy. I felt so comfortable really saying anything. In a typically male-dominated industry, I had a different connection with them. We had a lot of fun making this song and I love it, I hope listeners do too!’
“Fort Knox” by Sigrid
(courtesy official Sigrid Facebook page)
I have loved anything that Norwegian singer-songwriter Sigrid does.
Her songs, whatever the style or genre always have a sense of individuality and uniqueness and possess a warm, sweet humanity that puts them a cut above the more generically propulsive tracks that flood the charts and streaming services.
“Fort Knox” was released in August as the second single from her third studio album, There’s Always More That I Could Say, and is a ragingly intense post-break-up song that takes absolutely no prisoners.
The understandable fury at love gone wrong aside, and it’s impactfully expressed, the song is full of the raw emotional honesty you’d expect from an artist who wears her heart on her sleeve effectively all the time and who produces songs that always reach your heart as a result.
“Don’t Follow Me” by Ella Collier
(courtesy official Ella Collier Facebook page)
Crashing through the walls and bulleting up the roof, all metaphorically of course – though you get the feeling the song has so much power and impact it could likely affect the real world – “Don’t Follow Me” is a turbo-sized slice of pop magnificence that doesn’t slow down once little bit.
The fifth single from Atlanta-born, L.A.-resident Ella Collier‘s album DANGEROUS, “Don’t Follow Me” is a powerhouse of a track that radiates a startlingly invasive sense of emotion-on-edge and which the artist herself describes as:
[pulsing] with gripping contrast—industrial electronic textures and haunting classical piano collide to underscore a narrative of isolation, power, and awakening. Laced with raw, bittersweet lyrics, the track turns the chaos of self-doubt into a declaration of self-trust.
The video that accompanies the song is all adrelnalised momentum and emotional honesty, coupled with fairly intense visuals, which more than match the tenor of a song which presses the pedal to the metal and doesn’t slow for anyone.
“24/7” by Moyka
(courtesy official Moyka Facebook page)
Back to Norway, which surely rivals Sweden now for innovative, clever, thoughtful and highly listenable pop music, and Moyka aka Monika Engeseth who, rather fabulously, has christened herself a “Norwegian Pop Witch” (don’t overthink it; it just sounds so cool) who ix creating a “mystic universe” with her lyrics.
Influenced by artists like Sigrid (see above), Auroram Highasakite and Röyksopp, Moyka has crafted a pop gem in “24/7” which comes atmospherically alive with moodily on-point vocals and music that possesses an unrelenting, propulsive momentum that wraps you up in the opening bars and pushes you forward through the track with not a look back at where it’s been.
It’s her first release since her second album, Movies, Cars & Heartbreak, “24/7” is as catchy as pop tracks comes with Deep Cuts Daily having this to say about a track that should be busting our globally.
[The track] marks a powerful return for Moyka as she revisits the mesmerizing Royksopp-influenced soundscape from her early music. This track masterfully blends a rich electronic soundtrack with an enchanting style that captivates listeners from the very first note. It delves deep into the experience of invading someone’s thoughts, depicting the struggle to be free from lingering feelings. This fascination persists even as love turns sour, complicating the journey of moving on. Through this exploration, Moyka presents a compelling narrative that resonates with anyone who’s experienced the weight of obsessive longing.
SONGS, SONGS AND MORE SONGS EXTRA!
Fresh from the latest ABBA email … ABBA performing “Mamma Mia” taken from the SVT-special ‘Made in Sweden for export’ from 1975.