2025

Another year comes and goes. December marks 4 years since I first started posting, which is crazy to see its been that long already. It was a very on/off year for me; a lot of highs and lows personally, but still awesome Newgrounds wise. I started the year with almost 800 followers and ended it with almost 1200. I'm genuinely honored this many people like my music or enjoy the projects I helped with or tried to add to, thank you all.

Time for the recap and closing remarks! I guess I did more than I thought, a lot of collabs and projects, a lot fewer isolated songs.

I like doing this so here's the stats:

Total Tracks: 35

Total Views: 161,241 (GOD DAMN WHAT)

Favorite track: tie between Tuning the Car and HACKERMAN

I made a track for the Video Game Music Challenge!

I got 3rd Place in this years Pixel Day!

I got runner-up in the 2025 AIM Challenge!

@CrimsonKero made a very cool mashup remix of my tracks, check it out!

I did the audio for a FLCL x OTGW short, check it out!

I also helped make a replacement track for this sick animation with help from @NickSenny, check it out!

I'm also helping make the soundtrack for a game, Mach1! Check out the discord!

I was also in some (and made one) cool audio collabs!

The Who Dunnit? NG Audio Drama by @Ahwham:

The NG Mall Music Collab: Closing Time by ME:

Heroes of PICO'S SCHOOL (Side B Remixes) by @Adhem:

Summer Collab 2025 by @dry:

The NG 30th Anniversary Music Collab by @Intrapath, @Mantis, @Whirlguy, and @jamriot:

(Check out the game this is apart of here, its sick!)

Like Blood on Snow - Album by @Aalasteir:

I was also in some awesome collabs in general! (again just music but still lol):

Windowz 98 NetTowns Edition by @Kolombo:

The NG 30th Locker Collab by @CosmicPunked:

Newgrounds Arcade Online by @LarryNachos:

FLCL REANIMATED 1.5 - by @Shleptboi:

NGTV Halloween Broadcast by @Kolombo:

The Sketch Collab 2025 by @KingCrowned:

and Finally the 2025 Tankmas ADVENTure by @LarryNachos and Co.:

Special thanks to (not in any particular order):

@Teravex

@TomFulp

@NickSenny

@KittyhawkMontrose

@Kolombo

@SpiggyG

@Shleptboi

@Cosmicpunked

@Aalasteir

@LarryNachos

@Creachanoid

@Vockwell

@TheSpaceHatter

@BrandyBuizel

@Mantis

@Intrapath

@Whirlguy

@Jamriot

@Adhem

@Ahwham

@Marbardan

@GuardiasVA

@MayaLaCookie

@9hammer

@VoicesByCorey

@Kettako

@CoyKey

@Intrapath

@Whirlguy

@dry

@Kotico

@CrimsonKero

@ThePavaoProject

@Casualbreather

@POSTELVIS

@KingCrowned

@Staintocton

@Troisnyx

Everyone Involved in the Xbox Collab, which is still being worked on I swear!

And many more I am blanking on at the moment, I'm so sorry if you're not explicitly mentioned here, but you all deserve special thanks!

Closing

I personally felt this year like I started to get stale; It's all starting to sound the same; I don't have an appeal, or I'm an imposter or fake; and I'm just kind of a non-person personality wise. I don't even have a character as a profile pic. I had to do some reflecting on why I make music, or why I post at all. "What's the point? Do I add anything substantial to the projects I help with or collabs I join? Did my music bring the quality of the work down, or make it generic or bland? How do you even have 50 followers?" It's really easy to compare myself to my contemporaries and feel that my own work lacks genuine creativity or a soul, "they show more love for the genre in their WIP than you do in your whole discography, because you keep switching it up every track".

But that was the point right? I am (or at least try to be) the jack of all trades guy, right? I try to do anything and everything; Samba, Jazz, Metal, EDM, Rap, I will try anything! But that means I'm not proficient in anything. It all feels surface level; like I'm faking it, and I hate feeling that way. When I do think I made a really good song I can't get myself to even like it as it's own work, I just compare it to everything else! I've been doing it for so long I think I lost what I was even good at to begin with. It's a haze of 'meh', bland tracks, nothing to add, nothing to say.

Adding this to the massive burnout from the almost 100 tracks I made last year did not help. I'd go to work, get home and sit down at the DAW, and be unable to make anything. I felt anxiety riddled and panicky most of the time, people need music and I can't stop fumbling the bag and being unable to send anything of note, and I feel like becoming a recluse and giving up at least 50% of the time.

But... I still get asked to join projects and make music; which means something, right? Thinking this way feels like a disservice to those that ask me to make music for them, and I hate that just as much as the previous rambling. Typing this out makes me feel like a massive baby who can't stop being in self-pity mode, and that I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, and that it's just music and to calm down; but this is what I am. I really have no other defining skills, hobbies, or passions; anything worthwhile or of use at least. It feels like an identity crisis and I cannot seem to shake it. I've felt like this for a long time, but I guess it boiled over this year.

This is a dour way to end whats supposed to be a fun end-of-the-year recap, but I felt like saying this and not just ignoring it. In fact, I feel like doing something about it. This year, my resolution is to focus more on a few genres, rather than eclectically bounce all over the place like a crackhead, and only delve into other ones when someone needs me to for a project. I think I'll do EDM and Fusion stuff, I know I've said that I will focus more on electronic genres 94 other times but I mean it this time.

Thanks for everything, have a safe new year, and I hope only good news comes your way.

Have an awesome 2026!