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My Top 10 Albums of 2025

This year, I challenged myself to listen to 200 albums released this year.
The goal was to force myself to branch out and find music from artists I'd never heard before. I think this was mostly successful, since I did find some absolute gems, including my #1 album of the year.
However, I don't think I'd do it again. At least, not with such a large number. I felt like I spent a lot of time listening to new albums because I 'had' to, and didn't get to revisit some albums I really would have liked to because I spent that time trying to pad out my numbers instead.
As usual, I have a Spotify playlist with my favourite track from every album I listened to here, and a spreadsheet with my ratings and a little blurb here.

And now, my top 10 albums of 2025...

Yes, this whole album is in Spanish, and no, I can't understand a lick of it, but damn does it slap. Much like a lot of Rosalía's work that's shown up on past AOTY lists, I love artists who can jump between genres and pull inspiration from all over to create something that feels uniquely their own. This ended up being my most listened to album of the year—it's perfect background music whether I'm working, working out, or just puttering around the house. If you somehow haven't listened to Bad Bunny yet, now's a great time to catch up.

I love this album despite the vocals, which are definitely challenging. What makes it work for me is everything else: crisp production and a relentless sound that's far easier to get into than most black metal. Deafheaven pull influences from well outside the genre but always return to big, crushing grooves. It's engaging, fun, and a solid entry point into an otherwise pretty inaccessible style of music.

This is a strange album, and I genuinely didn't know if I liked it at first, but once it clicked I couldn't stop coming back to it. The songs drift between different sounds and moods, but there's a consistent dreamy feeling holding it all together. It feels like wandering through a big city half-asleep, catching quick flashes of music as you pass shop windows and street corners.

If Deafheaven feels like dipping a toe into black metal, Abduction is the shallow end—though there's nothing shallow about this album. It's heavier, darker, and more firmly rooted in the genre. What really stands out are the vocals, which shift between deep growls, harsh screams, and clear chants as the album goes on. The instrumentation is more straightforward, resulting in a solid release that feels like essential listening for black metal fans.

Brat summer may be over, but it turns out it just leads into Brautumn. Whether this album is fully autobiographical or not doesn't really matter—what works is how personal and emotionally direct it feels. The Charli XCX influence is obvious, with heavy autotune and big, sticky hooks, but there's also a vulnerability running through the whole thing. It's fun, catchy, and surprisingly affecting.

This album was part of a conscious effort for me this year to explore country-adjacent music I usually would've ignored. It avoids most of what turns me off about bro country and instead leans into something rougher and more grounded. There are clear touches of rock and shoegaze here, paired with a dusty, cowboy-ish twang that gives the songs real grit. It sounds honest and lived-in, and that mix really works for me.

This album is packed with energy, even if some of its nostalgia hits a little too close to home—especially the track referencing the iPod touch, which I vividly remember being released. What really surprised me is how well this works as a full album. Instead of just a few standout tracks, it flows smoothly from song to song. EDM albums so often feel like a handful of bangers surrounded by filler, so it's refreshing when one bucks that trend entirely.

There's something special about a band that can write a genuinely heartfelt song about grief and loss and then name it Monica Lewinskibidi. The vocals didn't work for me at first, but the honesty of the lyrics won me over. I missed most of the original emo wave(s), so it's been fun rediscovering the genre and watching a new one take off alongside it.

This album brings together a group of indie and alternative musicians who never fully clicked for me on their own, but something about this combination really works. The songs are comfortably indie rock with just a hint of country, and the warmth feels natural rather than forced. The writing is honest, the hooks are some of my favorites of the year, and it's stayed in heavy rotation since release.

Sometimes you just want to hear someone absolutely destroy a drum kit, and this album delivers immediately. It was a total surprise from a band I'd never heard of, and it sits right in the sweet spot between technical precision and pure aggression. There's enough atmosphere to keep things interesting front to back, with no filler and very little downtime. While the vocals are intense, the musicianship makes this a great entry point for anyone curious about heavier music.