My Top 25 Albums of 2025
Something funnier than 24
Happy New Year, folks! Jesus, I uploaded all of....one article last year. Productive as ever! Well considering I do want to keep this more thing active, despite all appearances, why don't I return to that ever-helpful format for pumping out content and grabbing easy clicks: listing shit!
And what shit exactly shall I list? Well, despite being a piss poor year by just about every other imaginable metric, 2025 was actually a pretty strong year for music. Not that a lot of you may have noticed. The mainstream was a pretty baron wasteland this year, with seemingly the only things finding massive success being Taylor Swift's album long tribute to Regina George and Alex Warren's incredibly aptly titled "Ordinary". Yet a lot of greatness managed to lurk in the shadows, so much so that even at 25 I had to make a few painful cuts to this list. Speaking of which-
Honorable Mentions:
- Backxwash - Only Dust Remains
- Matt Berry - Heard Noises
- Billy Woods - Golliwog
- Danny Brown - Stardust
- Chance the Rapper - Star Line
- De La Soul - Cabin in the Sky
- Dijon - Baby
- FKA Twigs - The EUSEXUA Saga (EUSEXUA, EUSEXUA Alternate Version, EUSEXUA Afterglow)
- Maruja - Pain to Power
- Stereolab - Instant Holograms on Metal Film
- Tropical Fuck Storm - Fairyland Codex
- Wednesday - Bleeds
With that out the way, on to the list proper:
25. Panchiko - Gingko
Key Track: One of the most serene moments in music this year was the dream soundscape provided by title track "Gingko".
24. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Alfredo 2
Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist are back to do what they do best. For Freddie, that's effortlessly exhaling machine-gun flow verses about petty beefs, selling cocaine, and, as he puts it, "lavish habits". For Alc, that means pumping out grimy, moody, minimalist beats for Freddie to slide over. They aren't messing with the formula here, so if you haven't gotten much out of Freddie's previous releases, that probably won't change for you here. Personally, I tend to eat up just about everything he drops, and that didn't change with this one.
Key Track: Anderson .Paak collab "Ensalada" is a one of many examples on the album of why I'd say Freddie currently has the best flow of any rapper in the game. Plus, it has Anderson .Paak on it, which is, ya know, a plus.
23. Way Dynamic - Massive Shoe
One of the best beach listens of the year. An incredibly charming set of singer-songwriter pop from Australian native Dylan Young, releasing his third project as "Way Dynamic" here. Like Panchiko, he wears his influences a bit on his sleeve, but similarly he uses those inspirations to strong effect. If you want a quick blast of some soft rock/bedroom pop vibes with some truly sticky melodies, definitely hit this up.
Key Track: "Miffed It" feels like it could be a future "white guy with acoustic guitar" favorite. While I want to see this guy find more success, we must also keep that from happening and ruining this otherwise lovely song.
22. Lausse the Cat - The Mocking Stars
Certainly the last thing one can accuse of the Lausse the Cat's The Mocking Stars of is lacking ambition. Where else will you find an epic tale of a dejected kitty going on a journey where he meets the sun, moon & stars on his quest to confront his own existential dread? This is Lausse's debut LP, following an acclaimed EP in 2018 and essentially seven years of silence in between. And you certainly get the sense this is a guy who's had a lot of time to think about what he's going to say. Yet the album rarely feels overwhelming, gliding along with quirky jazzy beats and being commanded by Lausse, who remains as oddly captivating as ever. And as much as the story holds you at a distance, you get let in behind the curtain just enough to feel genuinely moved in the album's later passages as the Lausse character chooses life over death.
Key Track: One of the most blissful moments on the album comes early on, with "I.D.W.G.A.J.", where Lausse fantasizes about the ultimate bohemian lifestyle of skirting along with no job and still managing to procure endless funds.
21. WITCH - SOGOLO
Key Track: Opening track "Kamusale" kicks the record off like a battering ram to the door: just an immediate way to grab your attention.
20. Wet Leg - Moisturizer
British indie band Wet Leg made a lot of noise with their 2022 self-titled debut, and came back this year with an even stronger and more confident set of tunes. The dance punk vibes of the debut remain in tact here, with singer Rhian Teasdale sounding more self-assured and in her bag than ever, towering over the album like an absolute star. Yet it's not just brash charisma and detached irony carrying things along, as could be the case on their debut, as there are also unexpectedly warm and sincere moments that feel like a natural evolution for the group. It's great to see them avoid the sophomore slump by both doubling down on what made the previous record work while also finding ways to expand their approach.
Key Track: A lot of Wet Leg's appeal comes from their snotty piss-and-vinegar energy, and nowhere is that more evident than on bar fight anthem "Catch These Fists".
19. Little Simz - Lotus 
Little Simz, one of the UK's most acclaimed modern acts, returned this year with some stuff she needed to air out. There's a lot of baggage I don't feel the need to get into that you can look up if you're curious, but the most basic truth at the core of everything is that Inflo, the man who produced essentially all of her work up to this point (along with his own band SAULT and other acclaimed acts like Michael Kiwanuka), fell out with Simz to the point where they're likely never going to work together again. Throughout this album, you can feel Simz process feelings of betrayal, grief, frustration and true anger as she tries to make some sense of what happened to her. It's what keeps the album from ever feeling like a simple public airing of dirty laundry; this is a bitter and sobering portrayal of feeling heartbroken over the actions of someone they deeply trusted.
Key Track: This can certainly be a heavy album at times, so perhaps it's only natural the song I ended up returning to most was one of the more cheerful interludes it provides. "Young" is a self-proclaimed ode to being "young and dumb". It's the brightest moment on the album, with its bouncy guitar instrumental and Simz adopting the most cockney-posh (don't ask me how its both, it just is) accent she can manage.
18. mei ehara - All About McGuffin
Some of the most lushly produced pop you'll hear all year. Melodies that are cotton-candy sticky over some truly gorgeous instrumentals. The lyrics are entirely in Japanese, so I can't analyze the themes of the album or anything, but listening to the record, you won't want to. This is music to drift away to and become the floating Spongebob meme.
Key Track: I love the hook to "ゲームオーバー (Game Over)" so, so much.
17. Melody's Echo Chamber - Unclouded
Key Track: MEC teams up with El Michaels Affair for the album’s closer, “Daisy”, a 60's pop homage that stands as one of the most infectious tracks of the year.
16. CMAT - EURO-COUNTRY
The award for the biggest "don't judge a book by its cover" of 2025 goes to CMAT's EURO-COUNTRY. Based on that cover, I was fully expecting an obnoxiously in your face hyperpop album, and not one that mixes indie pop with soft rock and folk. Or, in other words, euro-country. All these disparate elements manage to come together under Irish singer-songwriter CMAT's steady vision, as she delivers one massive hook after another, elevated by her distinctly emotive voice. Much like BRAT, this is an album in many ways about hiding big emotions and insecurities behind an equally big personality, but the assured approach and dry wit CMAT brings throughout allows me to connect more deeply with this one. This is an artist is full command of her craft, and seeing as it's only her third album in about as many years, I can't wait to see how/if she keeps the momentum up.
Key Track: The title track "EURO-COUNTRY" was among the most blown away I was after any first listening experience last year. A truly knock out single.
15. Olivia Dean - The Art of Loving
As I mentioned above, this wasn't the greatest year for mainstream pop. That isn't to say there weren't any exceptions, and probably the biggest one would be the breakthrough of Olivia Dean. While her biggest hit, "Man I Need" is a damn fine 80's inspired pop song, the rest of the album hues much closer to more R&B and neo-soul sounds, which just fit Dean like a glove. In a year where it was so hard to predict what would hit, it's especially nice to have a record like this that just about everyone can seem to agree on.
Key Track: While "Man I Need" was the true big hit, I'm glad to see the warm bossa nova jam "So Easy (To Fall In Love)" has taken off in its own right as well. I hope she continues to dig further into this particular sound, because man it suits her.
14. betcover!! - Yuki
betcover!! are young, but man can they already rip it the fuck up. This is jazz rock operating at full function on both parts of that equation, hitting you with a stupefying level of technical skill. Admittedly, things cool off as the record moves along, but the opening 3 track stretch here might be the strongest contained run across this whole list.
Key Track: "ゴーゴースチーム (Go Go Steam)" is some true face melting shit. Like, you'll feel like Nazis from Raiders by the end.
13. Mamalarky - Hex Key
One of the most impressive things about Hex Key is how effortlessly it transitions between different sounds. Over the course of 13 tracks, we bounce between crunchy indie rock (opener "Broken Bones"), psychedelic electronica ("Won't Give Up"), twee pop ("Take Me") and trip-hop ("Nothing Lasts Forever"). What keeps it all feeling like a whole is the sense of bratty confidence the group exudes. There's this general sense from the group on here that they can just try whatever they feel like and they'll pull it off. And to their credit, they don't seem all that wrong.
Key Track: "#1 Best of All Time" was the first song I heard from this group, and it made me instantly curious in hearing more from them. When you hear how much groove they manage to pack into just 2 minutes, you'll understand why.
12. Joey Valance & Brae - HYPERYOUTH
The album here I would most lovingly describe as "dumb". I doubt that's a descriptor that would offend JVB much either, considering these are the same boys who willingly committed the lyrics "I'm half amazing and half Asian / I'm so good, you could say I'm Am-Asian" to record (you may justifiably cringe at that line, but I've kind of grown to love its insane corniness). That kind of forcible approach to having a good time at all costs can lead to mixed results (the lows here are probably the lowest lows of the whole list), but at the same time it's hard not to be eventually bowled over by the boys' relentless commitment to turning the fuck up. This album just wants to be a liquored-up good time. In a particularly dreary year, it's a blessing to hear a group with little more on their mind than getting lit.
Key Track: One of the best lead singles of the year was "Wassup", a collab with JPEGMafia where you can practically feel the boys reaching out and grabbing you by the collar, commanding you to jump.
11. JID - God Does Like Ugly
Boy, JID sure can rap. It's kind of the main takeaway from each JID album at this point: "Man, this guy can rippity-rap his ass off". This may not quite be on the level of JID's previous phenomenal LP The Forever Story, but its still yet another dizzying display of skill from one of the most talented MCs alive. From the opening line of "Live from the depths of hell with angel wings that have yet to flail", to the verve of my personal favorite line from any album this year - where he threatens to "put a bullet in Bob the fuckin' Builder" - everything out of this guy's mouth feels alive. Due to the nature of current mainstream hip-hop, there are a couple misses here (remember how I said the JVB album had the lowest lows on the list? I forgot about the song here with Don Toliver) but they mostly get papered over by the highs. It's just hard to deny that when JID is on, he soars.
Key Track: "G'z" was the hardest rap song of the year, full stop.
10. Snooper - Worldwide
I've heard from two separate people now they've seen in Snooper in concert and felt their ears ringing for days after. That right there tells you everything you need to know about this record. Punk rock turned all the way up. There isn't much more on Worldwide's mind beyond spending 28 minutes blasting you in the face with how hard it can rock. If you want some of the rawest punk being made today, look to these guys.
Key Track: Title track "Worldwide" kicks off with one of the strongest riffs of the year and doesn't let up from there.
9. Bon Iver - Sable, Fable
A strange release strategy (dropping the first 4 songs of a 13 track album as its own EP, then dropping three more singles before the album finally came out) meant this album felt a bit overlooked, which is a shame because its one of my favorite things Justin Vernon's ever done. It's an incredible simple strategy: the opening set of songs is your typical somber yet lovely set of Bon Iver tracks, only for the album to suddenly open up and achieve a level of bliss and hope never felt on any the act's previous records. I'm a sucker for an album about a sad-sack breaking down their walls (I Love You Honeybear still remains by far my favorite thing Father John Misty's ever done), so I really found this incredibly affecting.
Key Track: "Everything Is Peaceful Love" is the track that opens up the album's soundscape, and it really does feel unlike anything we've heard from Bon Iver before: a joyous, open-hearted celebration of life.
8. Aesop Rock - Black Hole Superette
An album so strong that Aesop managed to follow it up in only a few months with a damn solid disc that I suspect was packed with leftovers from this very tape (I Heard It's a Mess There Too). That's the thing about Aesop though, isn't it? He's remained remarkably consistent over the years, regularly dropping hour-plus blasts from his one-of-a-kind mind that generally tend to go down similarly smoothly. Still, here he does manage to sound particularly locked in, and it leads him his best overall LP since 2016's The Impossible Kid. As always, Aesop is here to talk about any and everything on his mind, whether it be reminiscing about a college lecture from a painter who got sidetracked and just started talking about the documentary When We Were Kings, or spinning a tale about a mysterious self-reproducing snail. There's nobody like this guy, and we're better off for weirdos like him.
Key Track: A collaboration between Aesop and Armand Hammer (the group project of rappers billy woods and E L U C I D) just makes incredible sense. They're all true blue weirdos who rap like they have a thesaurus connected to their brain, so it's only natural their collaboration "1010WINS" is a highlight here (speaking of collaborations, I'll also shout out Lupe Fiasco's stellar guest verse on "Charlie Horse").
7. Phoebe Rings - Aseurai
One of my favorite releases of last year was the self-titled debut EP from dream pop group Phoebe Rings. They continue to bang out some enchantingly hypnagogic sounds here. This puts the soft in soft rock: music to float down a lazy river with, gliding along to the laid back rhythms and delicate vocals of lead singer Crystal Choi.
Key Track: It feels like a bit of a cop out to go with the lead single / opening track / title track, but "Aseurai" really is just that good.
6. Tyler, the Creator - DON'T TAP THE GLASS
Released just 9 months after Tyler, the Creator's similarly fantastic Chromakopia (not to mention only 5 months before his role in Marty Supreme) Glass feels like the victory lap for Tyler cementing his spot as hip-hop's favorite weirdo. While other Tyler albums have some grand concept or new character or sound to introduce, there really isn't much new here other than Tyler feeling himself more than ever before. While for other artist's this may be a sort of stopgap release, something to tide the fans over, Tyler ended up delivering one of the most consistently enjoyable listens of the year.
Key Track: One thing apparent throughout Tyler's career, but on this album more than ever, is his worship of Pharrell. So it's only fitting the album kicks off with "Big Poe", a high-energy collab between the two. This isn't the first time these two have worked together, but it is easily the best result of their joint efforts so far. And for bonus points, it samples that kick ass chorus from Busta Rhymes's "Pass the Courvoisier (Remix)", so you can hear that and not have to hear Diddy.
5. Viagra Boys - Viagr Aboys
Post-punk that's raw, loose, funny and in-your-face. If there's one thing you absolutely have to give Viagra Boys' (basically) self-titled 4th LP its that it doesn't fuck around. Like their previous work, this is dripping with nihilistically sharp social commentary and buoyed by some of the strongest grooves of the year.
Key Track: "Man Made of Meat" is an uppercut of an opener, immediately throwing you off balance in the best of ways. Also, while I claimed earlier JID's out-of-nowhere threat to Bob the Builder was my favorite line of the year, I have to amend that to number two after this insane stream of consciousness about people who "watch TV about a man named Chandler Bing / Who died in a freak hot tubbing accident / And spent his time drinking hot dog flavored water / On a popular TV show called Tub Girls".
4. Mei Semones - Animaru
I feel like I’ve used a lot of words like “blissful”, “charming” or “serene” here, and honestly I should have been holding on to all of them to describe this album. This is an album so strong I was sure listening to it I was hearing the work of a seasoned pro, rather than a debut. Semones takes on sounds of bossa nova and chamber pop here, all guided along with laser precision by her gentle touch. The most instant pick-me-up of the year.
Key Track: "Tora Moyo" sounds like it belongs on the soundtrack to the best film Pixar never made.
3. Clipse - Let God Sort 'Em Out
Boy oh boy, is it nice to have Clipse back and better than ever. On hiatus since 2009 while Pusha T found a far more lucrative side gig over at Kanye's G.O.O.D. music label (an association he's since striped himself of, cus, well), Let God Sort 'Em Out finds them reuniting with Pharrell (sans Chad Hugo, as Malice notes - "Ain't no more Neptunes, so P's Saturn") without missing a step. As always, they're mostly pre-occupied with finding the most clever ways to tell you they've sold cocaine ("You ain't thrive in the snow like it's The Revenant"), but with an effortless swagger few have graced when broaching the same subjects since the heyday of Raekwon & Ghostface. And in a year where we saw Timbaland making AI slop (I was going to link the song here, then realized - why do this?), it’s a beautiful thing to see Pharrell (hip-hop’s other biggest hitmaker of the 00’s) crafting some of the tightest beats of his career here. 2006’s Hell Hath No Fury is a classic of 00’s rap; an album lost in its own dark, grimy world where Clipse reign supreme. It’s nice to step back into that world and see they still rule it with an iron fist.
Key Track: Oh wait, did I say "G'z" was the hardest rap song of the year? Okay, sorry to take another accolade away from JID but, yea, I forgot about "So Be It", where Pharrell flips an Arabian sample and throws in some dusty drums and a warped ass synth line to drop the nastiest beat of 2025.
2. McKinley Dixon - Magic, Alive!
How do we define "magic"? That's the central question of McKinley Dixon's 5th album, a concept piece about three kids trying to revive their dead friend through whatever means possible. As is often the case in these kinds of stories, we end up seeing how magic often exists in our own world, an ephemeral feeling being captured when spending times with those we love. On Magic, Alive! Dixon's packs a jazz rap odyssey into 35 minutes. This is chockfull of ideas, both thematically and musically. Take the off-kilter banger "Crooked Stick", where Dixon raps over horns so abrasive Captain Beefheart would be proud, to the genuinely beautiful and optimistic closer of "Could've Been Different". It's the strongest work yet from one of the most exciting young talents in rap.
Key Track: The title track "Magic, Alive!" serves as an explosive climax to the album, with McKinley delivering impassioned emotional verses while his band just absolutely goes off (the hornsss).
1. Geese - Getting Killed
Yeaaa, I went with the boring Zoomer pick. It's hard to describe what exactly has made Geese, with their throwback indie sound and ever throat-warbling lead singer Cameron Winter, such a captivating force to so many in the last year. While there are plenty of factors you can point to - be it savvy marketing or Cameron Winter being a bit of cutey-patootey - I think at the end of the day, it's really down to the simplest factor: the songs are just there. This is just a killer set of endlessly re-playable tracks, plain and simple. Part of me even resisted giving it this top slot; I do really love the McKinley album and it does feel at a certain point like adding to the Geese hype is just pissing in the wind. And even worse than that: Cameron Winter has 3 incredibly solid albums under his belt (2 with Geese and his solo effort) and is only 23? Fuck offfff. But damn if this wasn't just the soundtrack for the end of the year to me. The Geese hype is real. I'm truly fascinated to see where they go from here.
Key Track: The way the track slowly builds only to suddenly fully kick in on "Taxes" hits me every single damn time.
Special shout-out: Mattalamode, who's cooler than me and told me to check out like ten of these guys.
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