That's a wrap, 2025 edition

music art

I used to do these on my old site, so it felt right to bring it back. A yearly pause. A look back at what actually happened, what surprised me, and what quietly changed everything.

2025 was a big one. One of those years that you don't realise was so hectic until you take a step back and write it down.

Art

Working quietly in the background

I haven't posted much on the site this year, but I have still been cranking away at art and crafts, both digital and physical.

Music videos

A lot of my work this year has been with Unreal Engine, creating arts and assets for the music that Gloom Darkheart and myself get up to. The biggest project was a full music video for our October release, 'Sleep' that featured a fully animated and lip-synced avatar that sang the song in an abandoned basement:

I was really happy with how this one came out and it was a blast to do. We'll definitely be doing more of these in the future.

Marketing & Graphic Design

Alongside the videos, I spent so much time this year thinking up, designing and creating marketing content behind our music. Everything from album artwork, to mock-up-movie posters teasing our release.

We also tried out hand at some 'behind the scenes' stuff this year, with a little look at the process behind creating a comic for one of our songs.

3d printing and painting

I was a bit slack on my physical crafting this year, though I still did bits and bobs I just haven't had time to document yet. One of those things is creating a set of Christmas decorations based around the past ten years of my music. I set about modelling and printing various objects themed around each song, giving them a coat of bronze paint and hanging them on my tree:

A limited run was available in our merch store for a brief moment, but they sold out very quickly. I'd love to do the same next year, but on a bigger scale!

I also continued to paint figures - again, I will be documenting them here when I get the chance, but here's a look at one - the Divine Machine, by the awesome Bestiarum Miniatures.

• Divine Machine 1
  
• Divine Machine 2
  
• Divine Machine 3
  

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Music

Two decades in

Gloom and I have been making music together for over two decades years now, which still seems crazy to me. It only feels like yesterday we were hiding under duvets singing verses to Blood and Bones and re-recording lines till we were happy with them (spoiler, it never happens, we're both perfectionists).

This year we released 13 songs, including some cool little covers, quite a few brand new original pieces, some seasonal songs, as well as remastered editions of Unhealthy Obsession, Blood and Bones, and Mania. Songs that have been part of our lives for a long time finally got the attention and care they deserved.

A lot of 2025 was about closing loops. Finishing tracks that had been sitting around for years, cleaning them up, and throwing them out into the wild. At the same time, we were also writing new material, and that balance felt good. There is a lot organised in the pipeline for 2026, though I'm sure there'll be some surprises and spanners in the works.

The year Unhealthy Obsession went viral again

In June, Unhealthy Obsession went viral for the second time. I still do not really have words for how that felt. Watching something you made years ago suddenly find a new audience again is surreal. June saw the song rack up almost half a billion plays on TikTok, featuring as background music in so, so many amazing little animations, memes, mines and dances.

That was also the catalyst that exploded our Spotify account and led to a milestone we'd never imagined, let alone planned for. For the first time, we have been able to make a living from music. Typing that still feels unreal - it's still all just mouth noodles for fun in our brains.

This also led to us surpassing a million monthly listeners on Spotify. That number does not feel real either. I think to us, ultimately, numbers don't really matter - if there are a handful of people enjoying our dark ditties, then it's been worth it. Does feel good knowing we've managed to keep over a million people enjoying them, though!

Crazy, crazy, crazy.

Making the art match the music

One of my biggest personal shifts this year was focusing more on the marketing and visual side of what we do. The art behind the songs. The presentation. The consistency.

We rebranded with new colours, cleaned things up, and started thinking more deliberately about how everything looks together. I have been putting a lot more effort into making things feel cohesive and intentional. I'll probably keep at that into 2026, with more song artwork getting a fresh lick of paint on our Spotify, Apple and other music stores. It just feels good to finally give the music a visual identity that matches how it sounds in our heads.

Learning new things, slowly

This year I also finally taught myself an instrument. I have been learning guitar, and more recently bass. I am still very much in the early stages, but it has already changed how I write and think about songs. You can probably hear it in the more recent tracks and remasters. I am not shredding like a pro yet. Maybe 2026.

Merch, deluxe editions, and being humbled daily

We launched our merch store this year. We're both not one for big pomp and ceremony, so it was a quiet launch - we felt it better that people organically found it when they went looking rather than being hounded to 'check out our latest drop'. Again, merch isn't something we really see as income, and so its been nice to ignore margins and targets and just release things for decent prices that we (hope) our listeners can afford.

Honestly, I was not prepared for how that would feel. Seeing people on social media wearing our name is incredibly humbling. Knowing someone loves our music enough to spend their money on it still catches me off guard.

We also started releasing Deluxe editions of our digital downloads, with instrumentals and bonus versions. That has been a really satisfying way to give a little more back to the people who want to go deeper into the music.

Music To Murder To, slowly becoming real

Behind the scenes, We also started pulling together a proper Music To Murder To release. It's always been our little tagline for the collection of songs we release, but it's finally taking (physical) shape in a way it never has before. Keep an eye on 2026 for a tangible treat. Maybe reserve a spot on your shelf or wall for something...

Looking ahead

To conclude - 2025 was not just busy. It was validating. It made the recent jump to focusing on our 'Gloom Theory' (Gloom and I combined) era feel like it was the right move. I think we're heading into 2026 feeling focused, grateful, and quietly ambitious. There is a lot more coming, and for the first time in a long time, it feels sustainable.

If you listened, shared, sent us a message, hearted a post, subscribed, bookmarked, bought something, or simply stuck around, thank you so much! We appreciate it all - None of this happens in a vacuum. Drop us a comment on our YouTube, Insta or other socials and I'll be sure to drop it a heart! 

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What I'm using to compose

I use various bits and bobs to produce my musics.

• FL Studio with my BRSO Articulate plugin,
• A bunch of privately developed sample libraries,
• Pretty much everything Spitfire Audio, which some other developer's libraries here and there,
• A HILS HN3, HILS HNB5, Gretsch Jet Mk II, PRS Holcomb Signature
• The stolen mouth box of one Gloom Darkheart.