Festive Greetings from This Is Not Happening and welcome to our year-end, 2025 wrap-up episode. As always we split the pod into Part 1 and Part 2.

Part 1 features our Top 10 favourite albums of 2025. We use a proprietary algorithm to create our list our collective favourite albums, we're talking nascent data-science excellence! Every year it throws up some surprises as our tastes are so different (and in some ways so similar.

Part 2 features a festive Spin It or Bin It. We each bring a candidate for track of the year and ask the age old question 'Spin It or Bin It' ... will anyone really bin anyone elses Track of the Year? Probably.

To retain the tension, I won't share any spoilers here ... other than to share a 40 track playlist of some of our favourite 2025 tracks ... here.

Whatever you do at this time of year, who ever you do it with ... have a good one.

Please join us in January where we will go back to the usual format of Album of the Month + Spin It or Bin It.

We've been writing the blog for years come and have a look - https://thisisnothappening.net/

We are officially 62 months old. Welcome to the latest episode of This Is Not Happening, an album of the month podcast.

In Part 1, we review and Album of the Month. This month Guy brings back an artist that we first featured in early 2022, Joy Crookes. Joy is tackling the tricky 2nd album syndrome with her latest release 'Juniper'.

In Part 2, we play Spin It or Bin It, we pick a theme and all pick songs that represent that theme. This month, we stick with theme of 'Joy' and ask each other to brings tracks that bring us joy and happiness.

----- Part 1 | Joy Crookes | Juniper -----

In January 2022 we reviewed Joy's debut Skin. The consensus was that we loved it and it became a very important and deeply album for some of us. In terms of expectations, the bar was raised when Joy released the single 'Pass the Salt' in January of this year.

So what did we get with this sophomore release? Well, a lot is the simple answer! Perhaps not a big leap stylistically but a massive long-jump forwards in terms of song writing and performance. Will that be enough for the pod ... have a listen and tell us what you think.

• Listen to the album ... HERE
• Watch some great videos ... HERE
• Watch a great reaction video from Jakar right ... HERE
• Read a great interview with Joy in Glamour magazine ... HERE
• Listen to a deeply personal and revealing interview ... HERE

----- Part 2 | Spin It or Bin It | 'Joy' -----

Songs that bring us 'Joy and Happiness' sounds like a simple theme to find music for ... well, not for one of us who revels in the dark and miserable side of music. The selections are predictably brilliant!

• Nolan chose 'Jayou' by Jurassic 5.
• David chose 'Make Me Smile (Come up and see me)' by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel.
• Joey chose 'Superstylin' by Groove Armada.
• Guy went mental and chose 'Josephine' by Chris Rea!

We all chose 4 tracks as a shortlist which we combine into a belter of a 16 track playlist, listen to that bad boy HERE.

We've been writing the blog for years come and have a look - https://thisisnothappening.net/

Welcome to Episode 61 of This Is Not Happening, a monthly music podcast.

In Part 1, we review and Album of the Month. This month it's Joey's choice and he's picked Essex Honey, the latest release from Blood Orange, UK born and raised, New York based creative force.

In Part 2, we play Spin It or Bin It, we pick a theme and all pick songs that represent that theme. This month the theme is 'Colours'

----- Part 1 | Blood Orange | Essex Honey -----

Devonté Hynes, AKA Blood Orange, is a Grammy-nominated English singer, songwriter, record producer, composer, and director based in New York City. Devonté is a talented human being, playing multiple instruments, he is a consummate songwriter and an incredible producer.

His latest album, Essex Honey is quite something. We all agree that this is very intelligent, impressive album created by a unique artist. But that doesn't mean that we all like it. We get stuck right into that in this episode. Have a listen and let us know what you think.

• Listen to the album ... HERE
• Watch some great videos ... HERE
• Buy some stuff ... HERE

----- Part 2 | Spin It or Bin It | 'Colours' -----

Sometimes the simplest themes are the best, songs with colours in the title. The 4 tracks we chose and the 16 track playlist we created are belters!

• David chose - 'Grey Day' by Zoot Woman.
• Guy chose - 'Brown Paper Bag' by Roni Size.
• Joey chose - '99 Red Balloons' by Nena
• Nolan chose - 'Redbone' by Childish Gambio

We all chose 4 tracks as a shortlist which we combine into a belter of a 16 track playlist, listen to that bad boy HERE.

We've been writing the blog for years come and have a look - https://thisisnothappening.net/