The first Big Sonic Heaven episode of 2026 features a range of the latest music from around the world, including New York, Manchester, Germany, Lebanon, San Francisco, and Taiwan. And let’s not forget the Big Sonic classics.

See the playlist below, and don’t forget that this and every episode are available on demand for two weeks after it airs online.

Big Sonic Heaven Playlist for Jan. 5, 2025

• “Paris and Rome” – Cranes
• “Breaking My Light” – Minor Victories
• “The Loony Bin” – Jahrund
• “Love in Itself” – Depeche Mode
• “Silhouette” – She’s Green
• “I Want to Touch You” – Catherine Wheel
• “Phosphorous” – Lamb
• “Haunt” – Washed Out
• “Girl of Colours” – 24 Gone
• “The Great Unknown” – IVY
• “Doused” – DIIV
• “Lament” – The Cure
• “The Drift” – Deary
• “Hollywood” – Ashes and Diamonds
• “Memories Fade” – Tears for Fears
• “Goldmine” – Chokecherry
• “Someone’s Calling” – Modern English
• “Kiss of Snow (feat Krissy Vanderwoude from The Churchhill Garden)” – Longingsky
• “The Headmaster’s Ritual” – The Smiths
• “You Against the Rest of Us” – Airiel
• “Down with the Upward” – A Shoreline Dream
• “Blue Bell Knoll” – Cocteau Twins
• “Faît Accompli” – Curve
• “Wait” – Meena
• “Silently” – Blonde Redhead
• “Heaven” – Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
• “Before” – The Giraffe Told Me in My Dream
• “Celia’s Dream” – Slowdive
• “Clusters” – Emma Anderson
• “Once More” – Bathe Alone
• “The Him” – New Order
• “Construction Site” – Postcards
• “Raconte Moi Une Histoire” – M83

The last Big Sonic Heaven of the year features the latest from She’s Green, The Mary Onettes, Yndling, Night Tapes, 16 Underground, and more.

Plus, this episode features tributes to two music industry greats who passed away this week. Perry “Teddy” Bamonte, guitarist and keyboardist of The Cure, passed Dec. 26, and Howie Klein, head of Sire and Reprise Records, passed away at 77. Darren reminisced about long conversations with Howie and his love and dedication to music. 

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

• “Gold” – Sigur RósBlack
• “Celebration” – Depeche Mode
• “Little Birds” – She’s Green
• “From The Edge of the Deep Green Sea” – The Cure
• “Without a Trace” – 16 Underground
• “6 Underground” – Sneaker Pimps
• “No More Kissing in the Rain” – TrenteMøller
• “Sea of Tranquility” – Siouxsie
• “Champagne Charlie” – Ashes and Diamonds
• “Machine Gun” – Slowdive
• “Procession” – New Order
• “The United States of Amnesia” – Hooverphonic
• “What Else is There??” – Royksopp
• “Hurricane Heart” – The Mary Onettes
• “Musette and Drums” – Cocteau Twins
• “Pacifico” – Night Tapes
• “Blown a Wish” – My Bloody Valentine
• “Vertigo” – Miki Berenyi Trio
• “Jesseye ‘Lizabeth (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)” – Mercury Rev
• “You Know How I Hate it (How the World Moves On)” – Yndling
• “You Do Something to Me” – Sinead O’ Connor
• “Vertigo” – The Love is Deadly
• “Snow Heart” – Lucy La Dusk
• “Leave the Lights” – Marta and Tricky
• “All Night Long” – Peter Murphy
• “Sacred Echoes (Part Two)” – The Church
• “Twisterella” – Ride
• “Like Suicide” – Actors
• “Atonement (feat Hatchie)” – Winter
• “For Love” – Lush
• “Out of Breath” – Melt Motif
• “Shine ’07” – Ulrich Schnauss
• “War in Heaven” – The Raveonettes

Three straight hours of music released in 2025—the best of the best. Lots of my picks and lots of yours! Thanks to everyone that left a message on the In The Groove hotline with your picks; they were absolutely lovely and mixed right in with the show!

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for December 11, 2025

• “Save Me” – Emma-Jean Thackray

• “Si Chomphu” – Salin

• “SNC” – DARKSIDE

• “YUKON” – Justin Bieber

• “Found A Light (Beale Street)” – BADBADNOTGOOD & V.C.R

• “S.O.T.H.” – Sault

• “Be A Witness” – Lady Wray

• “Sad Makeup” – Yukimi

• “What It Gave Me” – Jordan Rakei & Jalen Ngonda

• “Constellation” – The Circling Sun

• “Puaj” – Salin

• “Alone (Four Tet Remix)” – The Cure

• “Angles Mortz” – Nightbus

• “Listen2me” – Foxwarren

• “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab (Daniel Avery Remix)” – English Teacher

• “Hit My Head All Day” – Dry Cleaning

• “Belong To You” – Cut Copy & Kate Bollinger

• “I’m Not Ready For The Change” – Nation of Language

• “Mercury” – Automatic

• “You got time and I got money” – Smerz

• “Lo Life” – Antibalas

• “Treat Yourself” – Franc Moody

• “Nobody New” – The Marias

• “Garden” – Maria Somerville

• “To Be A Rose” – Jenny Hval

• “Power of the Moon” – Ezra Furman

• “Sugar in the Tank” – Julien Baker & TORRES

• “Elderberry Wine” – Wednesday

• “..THUS IS WHY ( I DON’T SPRING 4 LOVE )” – SAYA GRAY

• “It’s A Mirror” – Perfume Genius

• “Elegantly Wasted (feat. Leon Bridges)” – Hermanos Gutiérrez

• “Waves” – ISTA

• “Lecker Song” – Yin Yin

• “Stone Shadow” – Glyders

• “Take My Hand” – El Michels Affair & Rahsaan Roland Kirk 

Friday, Dec. 12, 2025

We played three more hours of your top songs and mine on Friday to officially kick off the “Best Of” week of listening. 

Follow along with what our hosts are highlighting as the defining tunes of this year and listen to all of our picks in one place on the Best Of 2025: The WDET Playlist page. 

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for December 12, 2025

• “GOOD LUCK” – KAYTRANADA

• “Another Baby!” – Dijon

• “Rush” – Gerald Clayton

• “Red Moon” – Tom Misch

• “Survivor” – Chronixx

• “Carry Me Away” – El Michels Affair & Norah Jones

• “Heaven” – Yeek

• “SPIDERS” – Lola Young

• “SOS” – Jadu Heart

• “Believer” – Annahstasia

• “Left For Tomorrow” – Perfume Genius

• “Better” – SPRINTS

• “Man Made Of Meat” – Viagra Boys

• “High Vibrations” – Theo Croker, Malaya & D’LEAU

• “Sad Piano House” – Daphni

• “Babystar” – Matthew Herbert & Momoko Gill

• “Eye To Eye (Live From The Royal Albert Hall)” – Jordan Rakei

• “The Seize” – Jordan Rakei

• “N8 Medley (Live at Audio Gold)” – Lawne

• “Nubian Lady” – Don Was

• “Dumb Feeling” – Mei Semones

• “Animaru” – Mei Semones

• “Need To Run” – Matthew Herbert & Momoko Gill

• “Invocation (feat. Onipa, Jupiter & Okwess, Otim Alpha, Damon Albarn & Joan as Police Woman)” – Africa Express

• “MISK” – Roundabout

• “DON’T LISTEN” – corto.alto

• “Coltrane (Crooked Man Remix)” – Cymande

• “Ibiza” – Butcher Brown

• “Road To Nowhere” – Roge

• “Boste” – Oreglo

• “Uno Punto Uno” – Women In Jazz & Rosa Brunello

• “SPOTTIEOTTIEDOPALISCIOUS” – Kassa Overall

• “2close2farr” – Momoko Gill

• “All That We Were” – Georgie Sweet

 

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

This week’s episode leaned into our first big snowfall of the season here in Detroit with some holiday and winter songs from Cranes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and All My Faith Lost.

We also heard new music from Acopia, Chokecherry, Fawn, along with your favorite Big Sonic Heaven classics. 

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above

• “Undenied” – Portishead
• “Chained to a Cloud” – Slowdive
• “Silhouette” – She’s Green
• “Iceblink Luck” – Cocteau Twins
• “Television” – Night Tapes
• “Deus” – Sugarcubes
• “8th Deadly Sin” – Miki Berenyi Trio
• “Pale Trembles a Gale” – The Autumns
• “Like Cockatoos” – The Cure
• “Falter” – Acopia
• “Thursday” – Asobi Seksu
• “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” – Cranes
• “Waiting For the Night” – Depeche Mode
• “Doot Doot” – Fauns
• “Feels Like the End of the World” – Chameleons
• “Nirvana” – Glazyhaze
• “Smile” – State of Grace
• “Nobody Loves You More” – Kim Deal
• “Lie in the Sound” – Trespassers William
• “Setting Yourself Up for Love” – Ashes and Diamonds
• “We Have All the Time in the World” – My Bloody Valentine
• “In the Bleak Midwinter” – All My Faith Lost
• “Sacrifice” – Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke
• “Flood the Harbour” (feat. There’s Talk & Tamaryn) – Kai Tai
• “Thoughtforms” – Lush
• “Goldmine” – Chokecherry
• “All I Want For Christmas.” – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• “Fleeting Sun” – Fawn
• “Ulysses” – Dead Can Dance
• “Beauty in all Blue Satin” – Deary
• “Counting Sheep” – Acrylics
• “Wild Horses” – The Sundays
• “The Loony Bin” – Jahrund

This week’s episode of Big Sonic Heaven paid tribute to two great artists who recently passed: the bassist of The Stone Roses, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, at the age of 63, and Rorika, half of the shoegaze duo Fleeting Joys, who passed away in July of this year. The latter news just became public a few days ago.

Plus, new music from Ashes and Diamonds, The Church, Ivy, and a track from the Chameleons’ first new album in over two decades.

Check out the playlist below, along with the on-demand replay above for the next two weeks.

• Donimo – Cocteau Twins 
• Infinity Peaking – Bdrmm
• En Lögn, En Sanning – Kallsup
• Deep Ocean Vast Sea – Peter Murphy
• I Wanna Be Adored – Stone Roses
• Sapphire Door – Soft Blue Shimmer
• Holiday House – Beach House
• Hooked Into My Soul – Fleeting Joys
• Saviours Are A Dangerous Thing – Chameleons
• Carousel – Hatchie
• Fine Friend – Pale Saints
• Only So Much Light – Air Formation
• Just One Kiss – The Cure
• Hollywood – Ashes and Diamonds
• Creation – Meena
• Brother (feat. Dave Gahan) – Humanist
• All That We Had Is Lost – Postiljonen
• Say You Will – Ivy
• Double Dream – Bluhm
• The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove – Dead Can Dance
• Sacred Echoes (Part Two) – The Church
• Bedbugs and Ballyhoo – Echo and the Bunnymen
• Hazlewood – Toothpaste
• Division – Tycho
• Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf) – Pixies
• Until You Come Back Home – Nother & Moon Leap
• Mandy – She’s Green
• Dagger – Slowdive
• The Big Shake – The Mary Onettes
• New Town Velocity – Johnny Marr 
• City Girl – Kevin Shields
• Bright as Yellow – The Innocence Mission