WALL OF FAME: Best New Sound of 2025 – Annie DiRusso

Wall of Fame
Jer@SBS
January 1, 2026
0
6 minutes read

The SBS Top 10 Of 2025: #01 – Annie DiRusso – Super Pedestrian

There wasn’t even a moment’s hesitation in figuring out what the year’s best record was. Ironically called Super Pedestrian, Annie DiRusso’s debut full-length album proved to be anything but! Super amazing? Super addictive? Super extraordinary? It could have just as easily been called any of these things, and/or all of them. Whether you were examining the incredible performances, the sparkling production, the spectacular songwriting, the outstanding accessibility, or simply her astounding growth as an artist, you had to acknowledge that Annie DiRusso had one of the best years possible. Watching her make that shift from the independent music scene into the mainstream with profile pieces written in Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, and Spin was awesome. Seeing her play in key online spaces like Jimmy Kimmel Live and NPR’s legendary Tiny Desk series was equally fantastic, and continued to help generate the buzz she so absolutely deserves. And what about all those official videos supporting a ton of the single worthy tunes she put out this year, like “Legs,” “Wet,” “Back In Town,” and “Good Ass Movie” all achieving solid numbers of clicks & views, solidifying her name at the tops of playlists all over the globe and sparking her audiences to sing along loud & proud with her at every stop along the way as she toured? Pick any month of the year – she CRUSHED 2025, 100%.

That’s right – let’s not forget the fact she was out there TOURING the freakin’ GLOBE at the same time, supporting the sensational songs of her album Super Pedestrian. With all this happening and everything going on, it’s very likely she might not have even noticed us singing her praises in the review we wrote for her brand-new record in April this year. We’re not totally delusional here – Annie outgrew our tiny corner of the internet long ago, and we’re nothing but proud of her for that accomplishment. Way back when we first wrote about her in 2018, we knew that she was destined for success, and it’s truly been our pleasure to watch her continuing to excel with every move she makes. Whenever we get another opportunity to see her, we do – and that included two shows this year, one in Vancouver here in Canada, as well as one in Pomona, California, where she played a brand-new song called “Muck” for the crowd. At this point, we’re simply fans like everyone else, cheering her on as she keeps shattering expectations – but we never forget that we’ve been listening since day one & we called the meteoric rise of Annie DiRusso long ago before anyone else did.

Super Pedestrian contains eleven absolutely remarkable songs…so damn good, so well balanced, and so undeniably irresistible from start to finish, that dare we say it – it is an objectively PERFECT album. From the highest of highs like supercharged sing-along anthems like “Legs,” “Ovid,” & “Good Ass Movie,” to the spellbinding depths she launched into with tracks like “It’s Good To Be Hot In The Summer,” “Wearing Pants Again,” and the album’s grunged-up GEM called “I Am The Deer,” to unmistakable single-worthy songs like “Back In Town” & “Wet,” to surprisingly innovative cuts like “Hungry,“ “Leo,” & “Derek Jeter” that confirmed she’s every bit as unpredictable and fun as ever…every single ticking moment of Super Pedestrian was memorable and revealed how much work she’s put into her career to get to this pivotal point. Recently expanding Super Pedestrian into a fifteen track Deluxe Edition that contains her new single “Muck,” as well as the previously released “Hudson Line,” Annie continues to show the world how truly special and gifted she is. From her insightful and wonderfully shocking lyricism, to her uncanny ability to create hooks that consistently supply us with universal sound that can’t possibly be ignored – DiRusso is surging straight into her prime, right in front of our eyes & ears. Artists like this & music like she makes doesn’t just come along every day y’all – you get there by putting in the work and loving every minute of the journey along the way.