During 2025, Ban Ban Ton Ton hosted only one bit of “pukka prose” penned by Patrick Syms – the third instalment in his “In Praise Of The Spoken Word” series, focused on Pilooski’s Villa Isola. Patrick, however, has been in contact throughout the last 12 months, as he completed and published his debut novel, Am I The Asshole?

Brilliant books and smashing music selected and recommended by Patrick Syms. 

Trying to keep up with new releases, I feel like a thirsty man standing in a monsoon downpour with my mouth open. So, as a greedy consumer of music, choosing my favourites from the past year is always a stressful reminder that so much of it passed me by. What did I miss?

As I’ve spent quite some time writing recently, Rob suggested I might contribute some favourite novels instead. Of course, trying to keep up with new fiction is almost as daunting as staying up to date with music. Of the titles I did manage to catch and read this year, here’s my Lucky Seven:

Tony Talathimutte / Rejection

In a collection of loosely connected short stories, Talathimutte reveals the delusions, insecurities and self-loathing of his 30-something characters so brutally, it’s difficult to look away even when you feel you should. I would label it car crash literature if it wasn’t occasionally laugh out loud funny.

Nick Newman / The Garden

Two aging sisters live a life of secluded self-sufficiency in a crumbling country house. This flirts with a number of genres without committing to any one of them. Kept me guessing right to the end.

Lucy Steeds / The Artist

Provence in 1920. A warped love triangle of sorts. A renowned but reclusive painter, his housekeeper-niece and the journalist who arrives one summer and disturbs the fragile balance. A visceral tale of passion, secrets, seafood and fruit.

Yael van der Wouden / The Safekeep

Van Der Wouden depicts a societal trauma at an intimately individual level in this family drama powered by generational intrigue and heirloom crockery in The Netherlands of 1960.

Wendy Erskine / The Benefactors 

I didn’t count but apparently this is told from the perspective of over fifty different characters. It works much better than you might think. By which I mean it works brilliantly.

Hiroko Oyamada / The Hole

A novella in which a woman relocates with her husband from the city to his parents’ town in rural Japan. Oyamada manages to blend the mundanity of everyday life with unsettling fantastical intrigue. A literary espresso shot.

Rufi Thorpe / Margo’s Got Money Troubles

From 2024 but my favourite read this year. A knockabout plot about a young mother who turns to Only Fans to make ends meet and the help – and hindrance – provided by her ex-wrestler father. There’s also bags of depth: it’s a touching portrayal of parenthood and an oblique rumination on authenticity in a world of performative social media and real-world arse-covering fakery.

While listing books might get me off the hook of choosing some records, it doesn’t seem right to be here without mentioning some music too. Here are seven tunes that soundtracked my year in between the writing and reading.

Céline Dessberg / Selenge

I fell in love with the A side of this 7” last January. Played it all year. I’m now falling in love with the B side. Sublime folk-soul from French / Mongolian Dessberg.

Ugnė Uma / Someone Call Donna

Lithuanian weirdness riding on an ingeniously inspired (sampled?) bassline (the clue is in the title). There’s something about the transatlantic drawl in Uma’s vocals that reminded me of Jayne Cortez. Weird, indeed.

Lovehandles / Unrequited Dub

This may have been circulating on digital in 2024, but I discovered it on its vinyl release this year. The Pat Benator rework is near perfect and the rest of the five track EP is ace too.

Lady Blackbird x Crooked Man / Let Not (Your Heart Be Troubled)

In a set of amazing remixes, this for me was the standout track. On repeat for much of the autumn at Syms Towers.

Lakes & Fires / Last Dive

Laid back laziness from Copenhagen. Shades of Khruangbin and Sven Wunder. Simple but effective.

The Mighty Zaf & Linkwood / Yokai

This is on a lot of people’s 2025 favourites list. It’s richly deserved. Both mixes are cracking.

Surya Botofasina / Your Soul is Perfect (Supreme Uniter)

This is actually from late 2024 but I nearly wore out the vinyl playing it this year. A blissed out spiritual cosmic jam from a disciple of Alice Coltrane. Essential.

That’s it. 7 and 7. Double the good fortune in 2026? Let’s hope so.

You can purchase a copy of Patrick’s debut novel, Am I The Asshole, here.