2025 Albums in Review

Whew, this one took me a lot longer than I thought! In total I listned to SIXTY ONE albums/EPs that came out in 2025. Almost everything I heard that year was around average to pretty damn good, with one or two stinkers and a couple of exceptional albums that'll slot into my regular rotation. I wanted to give each album a quick fresh listen and jot down a few thoughts on each one - some albums I have a lot to say, some very little. I've ranked each album generally according to my level of enjoyment or enthusiasm. This is NOT a "Top Albums" list - for those lists I give each album a more thorough dressing down and usually do some research about each album's production cycle. This is just rapid-fire impressions of what I heard. With that, let's begin!

Oh, and take a shot every time you see an album/artist in stylized capital letters. (Please don't do this.)

Deadbeat - Tame Impala

zzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz (Okay, maybe I didn't hate it nearly as much as Anthony Fantano did, but yeah, this is a boring ass album.)

The Hives Forever Forever The Hives - The Hives

I never liked The Hives. Do you like The Hives? It's The Hives.

PRINCESS OF POWER - MARINA

I was always fond of Marina & the Diamonds, but there's always been this corny, cheesy element to Marnia's more pop-focused output that's been a put-off for me. Her single "Bubblegum Bitch" off her third album Froot was the first big eyebrow raise, but with this album my eyes are officially rolling out of my skull. You can't release a song called "Cuntissimo" and expect me to take you seriously, I'm sorry. More fun to all the girly pops out there; this heterosexual white boy is going to excuse himself from the table.

If Not Winter - Wisp

It's.....fine? It's fine. Sorry, EyePatchWolf. I'll let him gush about it.

Getting Killed - Geese

I feel like an absolute crazy person, because this album is getting so much buzz and attention from younger underground rock heads, and I just can't get on board. Their previous album was so, SO much better and fucked so much harder that this album gave me tonal whiplash. It's not bad but I don't see myself coming back to this one very often.

Tranquilizer - Oneohtrix Point Never

It's a neat electronic ambient record, but it doesn't grab me. Too noisy to be background but too mellow to be engaging. It's not for me.

Noble and Godlike in Ruin - Deerhoof

I know Deerhoof has been around for a while, but I've never really checked them out. There's some wild and progressive electronic production on display here, but for me the whole album just sorta blends together into an incomprehensible mess, like taking all of the paints on a palate and smearing them into an unappealing brown sludge. Maybe that's the point? Didn't hate it, didn't love it.

Goldstar - Imperial Triumphant

The heaviest metal album I heard this year. Definitely not my style but I appreciate what's here.

The Spiritual Sound - Agriculture

Black metal typically isn't my jam, but there's a lot to like here. Lots of melodic switches and more moodier passages prevent this from being just another loud metal album.

synthetic piss - Artisans

I do love me a good shitpost. I am by no means an expert in the "post-music" scene so maybe this Lithuanian music ensemble has some credibility in that space and I could just be displaying my ignorance here. But for me it's one of those albums that you bust out when you want to flex your musical superiority over the plebians. "Oh, you don't fuck with Artisans? Maybe you need to broaden your tastes a little bit" you say with a shit-eating grin.

Smoochies - Ashnikko

This one was recommended to me by my sister, and sure, I get the appeal. I just think there's way, way better pop albums that came out this year. If you've listened to every other girly pop album this year and need some more, give it a spin.

Everybody Scream - Florence + the Machine

I was a big fan of Florence's last album Dance Fever; while this album has more of that grandiose production that makes Florence's music stand out, the songwriting on this album loses me in a lot of places. This is a very bitter album from an artist who feels looked over, under-appreciated, and self-critical. Random pot shots are taken at other bands who absolutely don't deserve it. Can we just give the woman a Grammy already so she calms down a bit?

Kyle Gordon is Wonderful - Kyle Gordon

Everything was shit, and then Kyle Gordon released his beautiful parody/tribute to 90's Euro dance "Planet of the Bass" and everything was good. Sadly it didn't last and now everything is shit again. But Kyle Gordon persists and demonstrates a level of mastery over musical pastiche once only thought to be held by the legendary Weird Al.

For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) - Japanese Breakfast

Boy, that album title is not lying! A radical departure from Michelle Zauner's previous album Jubilee which was my second-favorite album of 2021. For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) is a pleasant enough listen but is desperately lacking sauce. This is a woman who is tired after the immense critical success not only of Jubilee but of her memoir Crying in H Mart. Just because this album isn't for me (quite literally in this case) doesn't mean I'm not eagerly awaiting what JBrekkie cooks up next.

SALVATION - Rebecca Black

Rebecca Black continues to prove that she is a legitimate artist in the pop and hyperpop sphere with her sophomore studio album. I can't say that there's anything groundbreaking here, but it's a stupid fun pop album you can dance to and sometimes that's all you need.

LUX - ROSALIA

This style of vocal album is not typically in my wheelhouse, but Rosalia commands your attention with her presence. One of the more powerful singing voices I heard this year; I felt like I was front row to a Spanish opera. Despite Rosalia being the focus, the album does contain some wonderful orchestration from the London Symphony and some stylish production from Pharrell Williams. Bjork even makes an appearance!

Girl Violence - King Princess

It might shock you to learn that I am not a lesbian, but that doesn't mean that I can't appreciate an album about the unique ways that girls can break girls' hearts. The new King Princess is dreamy, vulnerable, and has an indelible swagger to it.

Forever Howlong - Black Country, New Road

It's always a big stumbling block when a band loses their front man, but Black Country, New Road rolled with the punches and managed to carry on after the departure of Isaac Wood. BCNR hasn't been a staple for me, but pretty much any rock band putting out new material earns a degree of my respect. If you like indie/folk rock, give it a listen!

The Film - Sumac & Moor Mother

This is an album about our modern times that sounds exactly like our modern times - disgustingly sludgey and fucking frightening. The poetry of Moor Mother and the doom metal of Sumac go together like motor oil and blood. An intense but worthwhile listen.

A City Drowned in God's Black Tears - Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals

A wild hip-hop album with zero ambiguity about its message and themes. I know writers who use subtext and they're all cowards.

Pirouette - Model/Actriz

The sophomore album by this...dance rock? group, there's a strange sort of stilted energy to the project. There's massive Nine Inch Nails influence all over this album, but the performance never reaches that fever pitch that a Trent Reznor song would. It feels like it's constantly in buildup mode, always threatening to explode into wroth, but never quite getting there. It leaves me wanting more, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Phonetics On and On - Horsegirl

A sweet little indie pop rock album and a bit of a departure from the band's usual distortion-heavy sound. Apparently this album was recorded during an especially bitter winter in Chicago, but the album itself feels like wearing your favorite old sweater with that old stain you can't seem to get out.

Black Hole Superette - Aesop Rock

It's another killer album from backpack rap legend Aesop Rock. It's a beefy album, too, running at just over an hour. Not much else to say about it - the beats are good, the flows are wacky, and the wordplay is clever.

DON'T TAP THE GLASS - Tyler, the Creator

Tyler is locked in at this point in his career. If you told me in 2011 that Tyler the Creator would be a Grammy award winner I'd call you insane, and yet here we are. DON'T TAP THE GLASS is nowhere near as compelling as 2024's Chromakopia but it's a lot more fun (and raunchy!)

The Passionate Ones - Nourished by Time

Is this a.....shoegaze R&B album? A post-New Jack Swing album? A Neo Soul album? Whatever it is, it's fascinating as hell. I can't say I'm fully on-board with artist Marcus Brown's vocal delivery, but it's a little refreshing to hear a voice so raw and rough around the edges.

The Sword & The Soaring - Navy Blue

Another great hip-hop album with a dreamy, ethereal production featuring lots of pianos, flutes, and vocal samples. A very self-reflective effort. This is my first time hearing Navy Blue and I'm interested in going back to check out his previous work.

Hurry Up Tomorrow - The Weeknd

The Weeknd and Bruno Mars occupy similar space in my brain - hated their initial output, then fell in love with them after a significant stylistic change. While Bruno leaned into 70s funk and soul, The Weekend got Daft Punk to produce on Starboy and that was that. Dawn FM was the culmination of The Weeknd's heavy electronic influence, and Hurry Up Tomorrow is the comedown. Advertised as The Weeknd's final album, it's a beast with plenty of catchy dance tracks. I still consider Dawn FM his magnum opus, but this isn't a bad sendoff either.

Rock Doido - Gaby Amarantos

A killer Portuguese dance album. Shake your ass on the 2's and 4's.

Bury the Key - TOPS

TOPS is back! After a bit of a hiatus and with a new record label attached, the Montreal band bring back their brand of bubbly synth rock while delving into more mature themes of self-destruction and the push-and-pull nature of modern life. It's groovy in a moody way - just like reality!

LEGION - Creepy Nuts

Beyond what is arguably the single best anime OP of the 2020's so far, Creepy Nuts lay down a barrage of machine-gun fire rap flows on minimalist but effective beats. I can't speak to the lyrical content except for the track "japanese" which is clearly a jab at the portrayal of Japanese stereotypes in Western media. I hope to hell I get to see these guys perform live some day.

Sinister Grift - Panda Bear

Out of the members of Animal Collective, Panda Bear has been the most notable and prolific solo artist to varying degrees of success. With Sinister Grift, we get the same synthy Beach Boys kinda vibe we've come to expect from Panda Bear at this point, but with more concrete songwriting than we've seen in the past - the songs build around the theme of coming to terms with middle age. Many guests appear on this album, including contributions from Panda Bear's own family. It's a good times album and an easy listen.

Revengeseekerz - Jane Remover

Listening to this album is like snorting Ajax while boofing Carolina Reaper sauce. I'll leave it up to you whether those words indicate a positive or a negative. One of those albums that left me exhausted after listening to it.

Live Laugh Love - Earl Sweatshirt

The production on this one is so eclectic in a way that reminds me a lot of Madlib. Earl's rambling flow feels effortless and the lyrics display a maturity and optimism not often seen from this artist. Of the Odd Future crew, while Tyler the Creator has certainly earned his accolades, I would still say Earl Sweatshirt is the most gifted and interesting rapper to come out of the group.

Worldwide - Snooper

Like all good punk albums, it's fun, it's fast, it's lively, and it's short. This is my first Snooper album but it won't be my last.

Soft Spot - Honningbarna

Norweigan hardcore! This is my first album from them but they've been around for a while now, and this is totally my jam. I'll be spending some more time exploring these guys.

FEMME FATALE - Mon Laferte

Bolero is cool! Cumbia is cool! Salsa is cool! Dig it!

Snipe Hunter - Tyler Childers

Country music sucks shit these days, but there are a couple artists doing some good things in the space. Zach Bryan is an artist I've grown to appreciate for being a more honest and heartfelt lyricist than many of his contemporaries on the Billboard Country chart. Tyler Childers matches Bryan's earnestness and love for traditional Country sounds but injects a playful humor into his songs that I find endearing. Special shout out to the track "Bitin' List" for being the laugh-out-loud funniest song I've heard all year.

Cabin in the Sky - De La Soul

De La Soul's best album and a wonderful tribute to fallen band member Trugoy the Dove. Just a beautiful classic hip-hop album from top to bottom.

She Comes From Nowhere - Neggy Gemmy

The second album to come from Los Angeles artist Lindsey French after a re-brand of her former music project Negative Gemini. This album continues the dance/club vibes introduced on CBD Reiki Moonbeam while blending in her signature reverb-drenched vocals and dreampop aesthetic. There's some great tracks on here that throw in some electric guitar and almost sound like B-sided from a My Bloody Valentine project. She's slowly crawling her way into the mainstream despite being 100% independent and I love that for her.

Heard Noises - Matt Berry

Fun fact! The opening track "Why On Fire?" opens with the same guitar chord progression as my previous band's biggest non-hit "Space Satan." Matt Berry, however, makes much more effective use of the sound and builds an incredible rock anthem. The rest of the album is a psyched out blues and folk journey of fear, paranoia, and feeling trapped.

Corporal - Lorelle Meets The Obsolete

Love me a good moody shoegaze/post-punk album, and this fits the bill. Mexican artist Lorelle Quintanilla and her band put together some dark sound spaces with oppressive synth loops and pounding drums. Nice to have a Spanish-speaking artist in my rotation as well.

Fairyland Codex - Tropical Fuck Storm

More insane art punk/noise rock fusion from Australia. This album is a more somber affair compared to their previous works, with a more distinct blues influence.

Magic, Alive! - McKinley Dixon

McKinley Dixon smashed out a home run with 2023's album Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? and featured heavily in my rotation. Magic, Alive! reaches many of the same heights with a very fresh, jazzy production style paired with Dixon's insanely good abilities as a storyteller. Magic is indeed alive as Dixon explores the realm of the magical and spiritual as methods of dealing with loss and the preservation of memory. It's a consistently great album but I wish there were a couple more bops on it.

TRON: Ares (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Nine Inch Nails

Full disclosure - I haven't actually watched the film as of the time of this writing. Tron: Legacy was a fundamentally flawed movie but it still holds a special place in my heart, and I was really excited for the kind of world and conflict it was building up. I'm sad to see that not much came out of it. I am also very biased about that film's score - it's my favorite film score in all of cinema. However, if Daft Punk weren't to return, then Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are the next best duo to call on (although The Chemical Brothers can also whip together a killer film score.) This film score is badass, with the highs and lows you would expect from a good action movie. The inclusion of some vocal tracks from Reznor make this feel like a legitimate NIN album. Absolutely a worthy successor to the Tron: Legacy score. Now I guess I'll have to actually watch the damn movie...

Phantom Island - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

These Austrailian maniacs have been taking it a little easy these days, with only one studio album released this year (between their debut album in 2012 and today, they've released 27 studio albums, 3 EP's, 64 live albums, 5 compilation albums, and one remix album) but it's a damn good one. No strangers to modifying their sound to their whims, this is the first album to introduce orchestral instrumentation alongside their brand of psychedelic rock. This is a fun time album with a lot of bounce and pomp.

Let God Sort Em Out - Clipse

The stand-out rap album of the year. Critically acclaimed for a reason. Legit made me cry. I don't have much to add that other critics haven't said already, so just go listen to it.

Diary of a Candle - Faten Kanaan

More enchantingly beautiful counterpoint soundscapes from an amazing producer and instrumentalist. The variety of woodwind instruments featured gives the album a playful, mysterious aura. Perfect meditation album.

Kawaii girl - WEDNESDAY CAMPANELLA

Hey, that Ranma 1/2 remake is pretty good! This album is a continuation of the more hyperpop-style production the group has leaned into, with lots of high-energy beats and whacked-out vocoder vocals. The group has strayed pretty far from their original sound (2016's Zipangu will always be my favorite of their albums) but you can't argue with the results.

Stardust - Danny Brown

Danny Brown delivers another completely whacked-out experimental hip-hop album. This is Brown's most braggadocious album yet, and much like Tyler the Creator, he has cemented his legacy and is basically doing victory laps at this point.

You're Weird Now - Guerilla Toss

I can't remember the first time I heard the song "Betty Dreams of Green Men" but I was instantly mesmerized by this synthy post-punk B-52's soundalike group. You're Weird Now is another dose of insanity but with a thick crust of distortion baked on top. The synths are still there but the crunchy guitars are the star of the show.

EUSEXUA (and EUSEXUA Afterglow) - FKA twigs

If pressed, I would tell you that my favorite Madonna album is her 1998 masterpiece Ray of Light. EUSEXUA feels like a modern reincarnation of that album with its trance and new world influences, sultry vocals, and etherial vibes. Despite the relatively downtempo feel, there are absolutely some bops on here in "Perfect Stranger" and "Childlike Things." It's a lovely dance pop album that I would gladly put on even if I were just chilling with a good book. The follow-up companion album EUSEXUA Afterglow maintains the otherworldly instrumentation but is a more straight-forward dance album with a lot more bangers on it. While exceptionally produced, it's acutally a little less interesting to me than its predecesor (the Hypnotize to her Mezmerize if you will...) As a double-album experience though, it's a treat.

bop it! The Video Game (The Original Soundtrack) - 2 Mello

Considering 2 Mello doesn't even have a Wikipedia page, I'm not surprised that I don't get to talk about them very much, but anyone who's in the know won't be surprised that we got another absolute banger from the mysterious producer this year. No, there isn't an actual bop it! video game, but after hearing this EP you might wish there were. Hip hop, jazz, dance, jungle, R&B, hardcore, and trance all marry together in a delicious stew.

Fancy That - PinkPantheress

These days, hyperpop artists are seeping in from everywhere, but if there were one of these artists that I would hitch my cart to, PinkPantheress is the one. "Illegal" of course became a massive TikTok hit, which is a requirement for any pop artist to make it big now, but the rest of the album fucks just as hard. The album has a timeless quality to it, with sounds from multiple decades expertly blended into a funky, groovy, and fun dance album. The children yearn for drum 'n' bass!

Portrait of My Heart - SPELLLING

Spellling's last big studio album The Turning Wheel is one of those albums that took me a few listens before it clicked for me, and now it's an album that I cherish. This album from Spellling brings a new energy and intensity with a much more rock-driven production. The songwriting is playful and rebellious in a 2000's pop rock/pop punk way. There are even some heavy distorted guitar breakdowns reminiscent of the nu-metal of that era. It's a fun but less sophisticated follow-up.

Pogo Rodeo - Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

There must be cocaine in the water supply down in Australia 'cause we're getting some amazing psych rock bands from there. This album scratches the itch that the new Geese album (or hell even the new King Gizzard album) couldn't scratch. It's in-your-face, aggressive, heavy, fuzzy, and non-stop. Put it on and smash some shit up.

Attempted Martyr - Prostitute

I'm never not going to give a noise rock band their flowers. There's something about the genre that hits me in just the right spot; it's not just that it's high energy, it's high raw energy (as opposed to the more polished energy of a metal band) and that slight layer of grime that coats the ears. This album is ~technically~ a 2024 release but it didn't hit major streaming services until November of 2025 so IT COUNTS DAMMIT IT'S MY FUCKING LIST. Imagine a Swans album (albeit an incredibly short Swans album) with some Middle Eastern influences and that's Attempted Martyr in a nutshell. It's chaotic, noisy, abrasive, and beautiful. It's a solid debut album, but I'm excited to see where the band goes from here.

I Love My Computer - Ninajirachi

AAAAAAAAAAAAA This is such a fun album! Incredible vibes on this one with hard as fuck production paired with bubbly sweet vocals. In this modern age where the Internet feels like a cage of torment, Ninajirachi reminds us that technology can be empowering, enlightening, and even romantic.

Only Dust Remains - Backxwash

Backxwash has been on my radar for a while now ever since her 2020 album God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It, a hellish, dark, and bleak rap album based on Backxwash's experiences with bigotry and self-loathing living as a trans woman with a traditional Christian upbringing. Backxwash continued to explore this dark musical space, drawing more influences from black metal & heavy metal on her follow up I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND DRESSES. After a couple more albums that related thematically, Only Dust Remains seems to be the start of a new era for Backxwash. The production on this album is heavy but less abrasive, with stronger influences from traditional hip-hop, gospel, and traditional Zambian music. The album is also more global in nature, as Backxwash relates her personal trauma to global issues such as the genocide in Gaza and the rise of Christian Nationalism. It is a brutal, uncompromising album from an artist who has mastered their craft.

viagr aboys - Viagra Boys

"I survived a sacrificial ritual. I was gutted like a fish and stabbed by a shadow man from an ayahuasca cult. I floated down a black river into an ancient structure resembling Skeletor's lair. I got monkeypox in the '90s, and I was sent to an institution whereupon my arrival, I introduced myself as one of their new therapists. I ended up working there for three or four months before I lost my medical license and I ended up back on the streets. I met with the Shadow Man once again but this time his shroud was evaporated and he was glowing brilliantly like a white wizard. He led me to an ancient tomb in the subway systems of New York City where celebrity cabal was taking place. I then proceeded to steal Poseidon's trident from the Navy SEALs, and they'll never get it back." - Viagra Boys, "Best In Show pt. IV"

Dead Channel Sky - clipping.

EASILY my favorite album of 2025, this group commits to the idea of the concept album like no one else currently does. After a shockingly cruel but bittersweet space opera with Splendor and Misery and the horrorcore duology of There Existed an Addiction to Blood and Visions of Bodies Being Burned, clipping. come back with a cyberpunk extravaganza, complete with a Neuromancer-inspired title. Daveed Diggs is one of the best rappers alive right now, and the production duo of William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes continue to explore every possible avenue for making rap beats. Mirror shades are fully on, and I did NOT forget to pull the yellow wire.

That's a wrap! Which album from 2025 was your favorite, and which albums did I miss that I should check out? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!