Presenting the best / my favorite albums of 2025, featuring: Geese, Rochelle Jordan, Armand Hammer, Rosalía, SML, Deafheaven, Lady Gaga, Anthony Naples, Erika de Casier, Dijon, and more!
Another year of an abundance of new music has once again made my self-imposed task of listing the best albums of the year a rather difficult one. Each week seemed to deliver something of significance and narrowing down the cream of the crop felt more difficult than ever and I can truthfully say there are a ton of great records that were released this year that you won't find below, but that only proves to the strength of the ones that did make the cut. Career highlights from some legendary superstars rank right up against newcomers and others who have made remarkable returns after years away. There's so much great music from the year to celebrate and I hope that something on this list connects with you whether it's ambient electronic music, surging metal, dynamic hip-hop, or pure pop pleasures, there are LPs here that will have you grooving on the dance floor or stirring things up in the pit. Regardless, I hope you can take time with as many of these records as possible because all of them are great and given the correct setting, they can feel transformative. The world is a dark and scary place, but I hope music can still be a comfort to many and that something here brings you the joy you deserve.
When we last heard from Deafheaven on 2022’s
Infinite Granite, the band were at an interesting point in their career. Having reached critical mass with their monumental and perfect album
Sunbather, the band spent the next two albums trying to further their sound while also exploring new territory and found success on the hardened
New Bermuda and the alt-rock streaked
Ordinary Corrupt Human Love. When they delivered
Infinite Granite, however, fans were left disturbed by the band’s shift towards melodic and dreamy shoegaze that gave in more to ambient music than it did metal. You wouldn’t have been wrong to think, perhaps, at that time that the band had lost their edge. The pressure was on when the band announced this year’s
Lonely People with Power - would they continue to pursue sounds outside of the metal world or would they reverse course and deliver more destruction. This new album still doesn’t reach the towering heights of the sublime Sunbather, but honestly those expectations are unfair because I’m not sure anything will ever again come close, yet
Lonely People with Power comes close. The boys found their bite and made sure to let everyone know they can still bark and gnash their teeth with the best of them. Tracks on this album rush ahead at furious speeds, jackhammering drums pound like Thor’s hammer, and those surging elements of shoegaze still crank out at volumes that will split your ear drums. “Magnolia” is as diabolical as it is triumphant. Guitars soar with pleasurable power and George Clarke’s wicked screams are as relentless as ever. There are interludes which still recall those blissed-out states, but the band has found more successful ways to blend those moments into their metal madness. Take the transition from “Incidental II” into “Revelator” for example, a moment that can flatten you in an instance as the band whips back into extreme mode after a momentary state of limbo. “Winona” is another grueling example of the band firing on all cylinders to transform their most blistering moments into ones of surreal transcendentalism, where you can feel yourself elevating and escaping the moment. Deafheaven may spend the rest of their career chasing the high of their metal masterpiece, but
Lonely People with Power is here to remind you that there are still plenty of tricks up their sleeves and they can still come very close to reaching those heights of brilliance once again.
Who’s been doing it like Panda Bear for the past two decades? Pretty much no one! Two years shy of the twentieth anniversary of his groundbreaking LP
Person Pitch and Noah Lennox is still churning out work that you could argue is perhaps his best to date (I think
Person Pitch probably still takes the number one spot, but it’s tough!). Following his collaborative record with Sonic Boom and a painful divorce, Lennox is still in his comfort zone (musically at least) and from the opening of “Praise,” he sets off on a course of sonic wonder that mixes playful melodies and rhythms with his typical smears of psychedelia and twisted pop moments. We may be far from the halcyon days when Animal Collective were operating at a level that made them the epicenter of indie music, but no one seems to have told this to Noah. And if they did, he doesn’t seem to care. This is music in his sweet spot, he’s firmly in the pocket here picking up those pastel grooves and putting them into a tie-dye spin job. Those quintessential harmonies are lathered up in the gossamer glow we’ve come to know so well and even when he slows things down for piano ballad moments like “Left in the Cold,” a down right cold and haunting tune, or "Elegy for Noah Lou,” there’s still those familiar moments that harken back to his past work. Of course bringing in Cindy Lee for the lurching “Defense” to bring it all home, is a fantastic move, the pair’s admiration for vintage sounds like a match made in heaven. He’s so far into his career and Noah Lennox isn’t showing signs of slowing down or falling out of place. His music feels as crucial and relevant as ever, even if it may not be finding new audiences in the way it once did. The intrigue and mystique are still apparent, the ideas endless, and the journey through his sonic playground still provides a wild ride of thrills.
It’s remarkable to me that
Headlights is somehow the tenth studio album from songwriter Alex G and he hasn’t even hit his mid-30s yet. The latest in his staggering discography is also another stunner, full of rich textures and sounds that span the gamut of genres while nesting everything under something that still doesn’t feel at home in just one place. There are moments when he pitch-shifts his vocals to a degree that you’d believe them to fit on a hyper-pop record and other times when melodies and arrangements can recall the romanticized tunes of Vince Guaraldi soundtracking the Peanuts. There are other moments that feel more straightforward, like things you’d consider folk music (perhaps) or guitar-pop (more likely) which culminates in this being, at least in my opinion, his most accessible and even his best album to date (I know diehards will likely disagree). At the core though, beyond his talents of bringing so many sounds into one sonic realm, are his lyrics and
Headlights gives plenty of phrases that will ruminate in your head long after the music itself fades. Opening with “June Guitar” he proclaims “End of my I, I swung so freely, I felt my gravity” an idea so heavy itself that my first listen nearly stopped me immediately so I could go back and hear that line again and think about the awareness and scope of such an idea. Moving to a major label after becoming a true indie sensation can sometimes spell disaster or at least come with some questionable actions that seem to be out of character for an artist, but Alex G took the jump as a leap of faith and has landed on solid ground with a sound that feels only enhanced, but not without the striking qualities that made him unique in the first place. (I also have no doubt that an increased tour budget helped bring this marvelous record to life with abundant joy.) Alex G is far from being old, but he sounds wise beyond comparison on this album and full of life which he recalls with exquisite detail. For someone with so much still ahead of him, it’s another impressive feat to already have so much in the rearview and Alex is a marvel at connecting the two, looking at both sides of life with the same wonder and glow. There’s just as much to enjoy ahead as we’ve already experienced in the past and that is something to enjoy now and in the afterlife.
An artist’s voice can be a major determining factor in their music. For some, the music of Geese and Cameron Winter hits a barrier when he starts to sing. His unusual garble and distraction from the music itself. Then you have someone like Annahstasia. When her voice opens up, it’s like a portal to a new world. One full of pristine promise and unbroken dreams. It’s potent, able to level you in merely a few words. It recalls hearing Tracey Chapman for the first time, a presence that feels so wise beyond their years yet arrives without hesitation or fear. Fully formed, strong as titanium, but lightweight and flexible as well. She uses her power for good here, a gift from the gods she knows she can’t keep to herself. The finger picking guitar of “Villain” is tranquil and the emotions in her voice merge with the liquid keys and delicate brushes of the drums to deliver something moving and divine. When the backing vocals kick-in, the song levitates and transports you to a higher state of being. The way her vocals quiver on “Unrest” makes it feel like she’s playing this for you in your living room. It’s intimate and up close as if you’re hearing this all acoustic and without the need of microphones. Gentle piano meets gorgeous string arrangements and moving orchestration that transcends towards a heavenly status. There are moments where she’s barely above a whisper, the emotions pouring out slowly, at their own pace, ready to unfold exactly as intended and not to satisfy someone else. "I've come into the power of my voice as a medium," she says. "As a tool of expression, I am able to shape the emotional space around me." As the album progresses, the music certainly follows her voice, wrapping itself around husky tones, but it also blossoms to show new petals of color the blissful folk-pop moments of “Overflow.” Yet it’s the album’s finale, “Believer,” when everything comes back together and swells for one final rush that acts as one of the most extreme exclamation points you’ll hear on an album all year. She goes out with one final bang that affirms her as a singular artist with a voice of a generation.
06
FKA TWIGS | EUSEXUA (Original Version)
There was a time when albums would be physically released and they would enter the musical canon as is and in a state that would remain the same for eternity (deluxe reissues aside). The digital and streaming era has changed that. Now records can morph and change over the course of time and we’re left without a consistent, unique body of work. When FKA twigs released her highly anticipated third studio album early in 2025, it was exciting to have this new album. I purchased the album on milky-clear vinyl not too long after it came out and have enjoyed it immensely all year. When twigs announced she’d be releasing the follow-up to
EUSEXUA in the same year, I was shocked. Twigs doesn’t have the reputation of releasing new music in such quick succession, so this was a treat and
EUSEXUA: Afterglow was a worthy fourth album. However, the same day she released the new album, she also issued a new version of
EUSEXUA, an album that was only about ten months old at the time. The “new” updated version features a re-worked tracklist with some omissions from the original (please bring back “Wanderlust”) as well as some new editions (what’s up “The Dare” and adding Eartheater to “Striptease”) and new artwork as well. Both versions are (as of now) on streaming services, but only the OG is available physically (again, at least as of now).
EUSEXUA (the original) found twigs in the club, resurrecting ‘90s techno and blown-out pop bangers which are some of her most abrasive, intense, and all out blockbuster songs. “Drums of Death” rattles with industrial-strength rhythm, “Room of Fools” gives us that laser-injected dance club vibe, and “Girl Feels Good” gives us that illustrious pop moment. It’s unclear to me what version people will remember and what one will be queued up on Spotify in the future, but for me, the first version of Eusexua is the one that will be spinning on my turntable until the end of time.
On the phenomenal new album
Bleeds by alt-country rockers Wednesday, Karly Hartzman puts her vulnerability on the line and opens up in honest ways you may not expect. Her lyrics have always been transparent, but she really bears her soul on this new album and lets us in on some private moments in her life. On “Townies,” the musical tones suggest something sweet and charming, but the lyrics reveal Hartzman’s conflicted emotions of having her nudes sent around by someone and how she never got the chance to get mad because the harasser died. These are complex feelings and thoughts that are paired with chords and melodies that don’t reflect the exact themes. There are other moments where she talks about puking in the pit at a Death Grips show (one of the most hardcore things I’ve heard on record) and other tales of awkward encounters, like seeing someone on the livestream of a funeral and then running into them in person. Hartzman’s stories are real and paint a vivid picture of rural southern life and often talk about some of the darkest moments you can imagine (there are several references to discovering dead bodies, funerals, and wakes) and at times, Hartzman’s vocals match the intensity of what she’s describing. On “Wasps,” the band swerves into hardcore-mode as thrashing guitars and blast beats accompany her immense wail as she screams with unfiltered rage. When Wednesday played at Brooklyn Steel in support of the album, Karly made a comment about the hat she was wearing on stage that night. It was from her high school, a place she says she despised at the time and couldn’t wait to leave, but was now something she repped with pride. North Carolina and her community are the heart and soul of
Bleeds and even with all of the gloom, doom, and misfortune that comes with the territory, it’s clear that there’s nothing as familiar and no place she’d rather be than at home.
04
ARMAND HAMMER / THE ALCHEMIST | Mercy
I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it until it stops being true. If you’re a fan of hip-hop and you’re still not listening to billy woods, what are you doing? The greatest rapper on the planet once again delivered this year with verses on records by Panchiko, Preservation, HUMAN ERROR CLUB, Cleo Reed, and as half of the duo Armand Hammer on their fantastic record Mercy. He did all of that while also dropping the best solo rap album of the year as well, his own
GOLLIWOG, and while his solo material is truly some of the best, this year it was his work with ELUCID that was the standout. Trading bars, there’s the wispy, almost playful nature of ELUCID, his woozy rhymes calling out significant one-liners through his raspy drawl. One the other side is woods with his barbed rhymes that hit like shrapnel, the biting verses enough to stick you with each knotted word. The Alchemist delivers some of his best work as well here, his dusty grooves matured beyond the usual crackly jazz samples into something more crisp and dignified. As the first half of the record comes to an end, a wiry synth line ruminates and hums along while ELUCID kicks off the song with a running monologue before handing it over to woods who proceeds to deliver the hook and verse of the year. Pondering over the question “what’s the role of a poet in times like these” by an unnamed woman, billy then goes on to describe the mundane events of his week that followed as the question tumbles in his mind. The way he dictates basic interactions and every day activities seems trivial, but comes across as extraordinary in a way that elevates his already heightened status. The streak of woods on his own is already elite, but now his work with ELUCID has eclipsed it and
Mercy arrives as one of the greatest achievements of his career and puts Armand Hammer at the top of the list as the greatest duos in modern hip-hop. The exchanges between the two are paramount and their ability to support one another with their varied delivery is nothing short of remarkable. These two emcees have been on a journey and
Mercy is their, for now, apex, but hopefully something that unlocks even further greatness from two of the best in the game.
Justin Vernon recently gave an interview saying he’d be surprised if there was another Bon Iver album. I would be bummed at that news, especially given his return this year with
SABLE, fABLE the brilliant new album where he seems to be at his most happy. Proceeded by last year’s EP
SABLE,, it seemed at first that we might be getting a return-to-form album from Vernon in the sense of the sounds that made up
For Emma, Forever Ago. However, when the album dropped, we instead were met with a culmination in so many of the sonic landscapes Vernon has taken us to over the course of his career. Yes, those log cabin acoustic ballads were there, but so were the glitch-pop strokes of
22, a Million and the supreme pop moments of
Bon Iver, Bon Iver. At the center of the album lies “Everything Is Peaceful Love” which enters the canon as one of Vernon’s most accomplished pop anthems. Combining yacht rock harmonies and sophisti-pop melodies, it’s hard to imagine how anyone could think anything less of it. Vernon’s love for power ballads shows up here in a number of ways, but more importantly we see and hear him at the pinnacle of his songwriting craftsmanship and the peak of his accessibility. Still, while Vernon himself may be recalling his admiration for soft rock, the presence of Dijon and other torch carriers for a new class signify the influence at stake and the range of Vernon’s touch. He’s as much an artist for the underground as he is an inspiration for a new generation of pop. The full circle moment in his sound might make sense as the final chapter in a career that was dotted by albums that seemed to define eras of time. If this really is the end, it’s a stunning finish and brilliant high note in a career lined with accomplishments.
Anyone who’s trying to tell you or anyone else that guitar music isn’t cool anymore wasn’t there when Geese played a pop-up show at Lot Radio in Brooklyn right after they released their best album yet,
Getting Killed. Based on the size and the median age of the crowd, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who could tell you this wasn’t the moment for the band and an official signal that guitar music is, indeed, cool. But I get it, I wasn’t there either. Geese might not have you convinced on first listen that they’re the moment, but repeated listens sure do help. The vocals are strange and the music itself doesn’t fit nicely into one specific genre. Elements of dreamy psychedelia splash around with sharpened post-punk rhythms and it doesn’t really make sense until it does. There was a day when I was walking through McCarren Park in Williamsburg and when the breakdown in “Taxes” hit, it was a moment that stopped me in my tracks. “If you want me to pay my taxes” wails lead singer Cameron Winter before concluding “you’re gonna have to nail me down!” When the rest of the band joins in, there’s a sonic shift and when it clicked for me, there was no turning back. Through warbled vocals that sound like a new generation’s Clap Your Hands Say Yeah playing over chord progressions from the worst people to be influenced by The Strokes, the new cool kids of New York City have revitalized something that’s been dormant since the scensters moved to Brooklyn from the Lower East Side. Sure Geese have been around for a bit and they’ve made some great songs before, like “Cowboy Nudes” from 2023’s
3D Country, but this was the year that the band really broke through. I’ve been making the Goose vs Geese joke
since 2023, but when the New York Times dropped an article highlighting both bands’ rise in popularity, the zeitgeist moment crystalized. Winter’s solo album dropped in December of 2024 and has been included in numerous best of lists for this year and paired with
Getting Killed and a recent coronation-esque show at Carnegie Hall, he seems poised to lead a new generation. That’s a lot of pressure, but for a man ready to be nailed to the cross, he seems up for the task.
At 3:30am on Saturday June 7, 2025, Turnstile closed out Barcelona’s Primavera Sound festival with an electrifying set of wonderful intensity. The day before their set (or maybe two days before if you’re saying 3:30am on Saturday is really Sunday, but whatever), the Baltimore hardcore band released
NEVER ENOUGH, their latest album and their most divisive, yet influential one yet. I was in the crowd and yelled to my friend “hold my tote” so I could jump into the pit for this show and you could feel the tidal shift change as someone did the “Hot to Go” dance while people ragged around him. The band wasn’t a headliner (that was Chappell Roan, hence the dance) and this wasn’t the mainstage, but I was still shocked to see a group rooted in hardcore playing show a massive set and you could sense this was only the beginning. As the band’s success blew up with their previous record
GLOW ON, they have been catapulted into a spotlight bigger than most could imagine and in some ways, it’s come at a price. Hardcore devotees will argue, at length, that Turnstile isn’t a hardcore band. Some will even take their rage to
LinkedIn, clearly the most vetted place for hardcore discussions, to share their thoughts on the matter. Sure, on paper, there isn’t much about
NEVER ENOUGH that you’d typically classify as hardcore. Yes, there are breakdowns, there’s screaming, there are blast beats, and there’s plenty going on to cause a rush of people to stage dive. There are also moments of levity, when soaring synths take over and IDM-style breakdowns take the place of thrashing guitars. Yet at the essence of what Turnstile do and what they represent is hardcoded into the DNA of hardcore and their ability to bring this kind of music to such a massive audience is truly something to behold. As their tour progressed, the crowds got bigger, the pits more intense, and people flying off the stage became a non-stop event. Yet at the heart of it all is still the same band (more or less) that has continued to foster a community of hope, positivity, acceptance, and connection through the power of their music. A flute solo from Shabka Hutchins, cello arrangements from Dev Hynes, and backing vocals from Hayley Williams and Faye Webster, Turnstile cast a wide net for collaborators and proved their acceptance across genres to make something so pure, so honest, and truly for the masses. If 1991 was the year punk broke, it’s probably fair to say that 2025 was the year hardcore hit the masses and there’s no one more responsible than Turnstile.
---
No comments:
Post a Comment