MY TOP 25 ALBUMS OF 2025
But really my top 45 of 2025 lol
We’re mid-way through January and everyone posted their end year lists of the 2025’s best albums 3 weeks ago; but hey, better late than never =)
Warning: Wednesday, Geese, Lily Allen, Rosalía, Dijon, or Bad Bunny are not on my list, but I think you will discover a lot of really amazing and interesting music on this list.
My TOP 25 records of 2025 (as someone who KNOWS ball!):
Was absolutely obsessed with this album this year! Also saw them live at Scribble, and they were fantastic. This is a trans-fronted alt psychedelic country-rock jam band. The singer’s vocals at times reminds me of Dylan or early Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse). Great album!!!
Richard Dawson - End Of The Middle
A through-line you’ll notice on this list, is that I love “interesting” or unique voices. Dawson’s voice is definitely unique. He does this falsetto thing, that I absolutely love! This album feels very literary to me. Each song feels like a short story. I think that’s what makes Dawson such a great songwriter. In just a few verses he can create an entire world. Especially on songs like Knot. It could easily be a novel or a film. And what I especially like about his songwriting is it strikes this balance of sincerity and irony. Like, it feels and sounds so genuine and emotionally-charged; and it is, but also there’s that British humor dripping in irony and satire. You should really read the lyrics along while listening.
Case Oats - Last Missouri Exit
Alt-country out of Chicago. Lead singers Casey has a really interesting voice, at times it reminds me of the great Lucinda Williams with a touch of Kimya Dawson. Alongside Casey is a 5 piece band featuring Jeff Tweedy (Wilco)’s son on drums. The 5 piece band also includes fiddle and pedal steel; which I always love.
Dead Gowns - It's Summer, I love You, and I'm Surrounded By Snow
Another sub-genre I absolutely LOVE is what I call “Sad Girl Indie Folk” (a la Phoebe Bridgers). I’m not sure how I stumbled across Dead Gowns, but this is my far the best sad girl folk album of the year. I got to see her perform in Brooklyn when visiting NYC last fall; her voice is just as emotionally resonate live as on record! What a gem of discovery this was for me!
Jerskin Fendrix - Once Upon A Time... In Shropshire
Jerskin is best known as the composer for several Yorgos Lanthimos films (Bugonia, Poor Things). On this record; the English composer sings; delivering a sort of experimental “pop” sound (I’m using the term pop VERY loosely, cause this record is too unorthodox to actually be considered pop). As expected from a film composer; the instrumentation can feel very cinematic (but still weird or quirky); and again, as a lover of “weird voices”; Fendrix definitely fits the bill. Weird, and emotional. There’s a couple of songs on this record that left me feeling so moved that it shot Fendrix to my top 10. Two of which is The Universe and Together Again; both very weird long-from unorthodox songs, but for some reason they deeply moved me!
This one fits a few niche sub-categories for me. It’s sad indie girl folk; but also experimental, and at times even orchestral. As we already established I loved “weird” voices. One of my favorites is a “sad shaky” voice (for lack of any better terms). Prewn hits that sweet spot for me.
Dream Pop meets Shoegaze. No notes. This album is a VIBE!!!!
Really big indie Alt-Country record. Big sounds, Big choruses. Very literary-sounding; capturing a southern-gothic Appalachian blue-collar country sound. Really fantastic, well-rounded record.
Mess Esque - Jay Marie, Comfort Me
This is an album by an Australian Duo consisting of singer-songwriter Helen Franzmann and guitarist Mick Turner of the Dirty Three (whom is closely affiliated with Nick Cave’s the Bad Seeds). If you’re a fan of stuff like Mazzy Star, I think you’ll love this record!
Anna Von Hausswolff - ICONOCLASTS
Man, this album is something! It’s sweeping, theatrical, weird, ethereal, daring….It’s just something you truly have to experience! It kinda gives me Kate Bush.
Tbh number 8 - 11 on this list can be rearranged in any order. Like, they're actually all tied for #8, and it actually feels criminal that this album isn’t on my top 10. Just incredible album, incredible voice. I literally cried listening to this record. And I saw her live, and was BLOWN AWAY. Like, I knew I was witnessing something special; equal parts Tracy Chapman, Sade, and Nina Simone. I know, a tall order; but LISTEN!
Valerie June - Owls, Omens, and Oracles
Most of the music I like tends to be sad, so it’s interesting this made my top 15; because it’s quite a positive, uplifting album. This album has a 1960s Soul feel; mixed with Country-Blues and Gospel. The album was produced by M Ward, and even has Norah Jones doing backing vocals on one of the tracks. I would say this album was definitely a breath of fresh air…of joyful fresh air.
A hodgepodge of some of my favorite sub-genres; sad-girl folk, prog jazz, & Bossa nova. Sounds like It shouldn’t work BUT IT DOES!!!!!!
Freeman (and this record) should honestly have gotten the hype that MJ Linderman got. Freeman also does the whole slacker, alt-country, indie-folk, Neil Young thing too…BUT MUCH BETTER than MJ (shrug emoji)!
A regular collaborator of Greg Freeman above. This is a great record of stripped-down, emotionally-charged folk rock. Arrow on this album was probably in my top 5 songs of the year. Something about it just really punches me in the gut!
The Reds, Pinks, and Purples - The Past Is a Garden I Never Fed
Morrissey meets Casiotone for the Painfully Album. Side note: If you aren’t familiar with Casiotone for the Painfully Alone; do yourself a favor and check them out. Especially the 2006 record Etiquette. This The Reds, Pinks, and Purples record actually hits a lot of the same notes for me that Casiotone’s Etiquette did in 2006. This sort of melancholy songwriting that feels sincere but is dripping in hipster-malaise irony. Fantastic stuff here!
Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band - New Threats From The Soul
How about an alt-country record with some DnB breakbeats? Something that you never knew you needed ha. This is a great record! Long-form Bill Callahan-esque Americana songs; most songs clock in at 7mins or longer. Fun record. Get into it!
Jason Isbell - Foxes in the Snow
Isbell is one of the founding fathers of modern alt-country (via Drive By Truckers); and unlike his recent projects with his band the 400 Unit; this is striped down to just Isbell and his acoustic guitar. I think it’d be safe to call this a breakup/divorce album. Heavy stuff, but beautiful in its humanity.
Hannah Cohen - Earthstar Mountain
This record kinda reminded me of a cross of Fleetwood Mac with Steely Dan and Jessica Pratt. Do with this info as you will lol
Funny enough this record to me kinda feels like a combination of two of the above records (The Reds, Pinks, and Purples + Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band). Golden Dregs was a solo project of UK based artist Benjamin Woods; but with this release they are now a 6 piece band; and the sound is for sure more expansive. This record felt like lil vignettes of ordinary life in South London. Really enjoyed this one
Atmospheric, ethereal, beautiful; but still weird/experimental.
I am not a “black metal” guy; like at all. But this album really resonated with me. First of all, this for sure isn’t your typical black metal; there is a lot of spiritual and buddhist themes throughout the record; and can be quite uplifting. I’ve heard the term “ecstatic black metal” being thrown around.
Dark dream/drone pop for fans of Grouper; for me it was especially reminiscent of Grouper’s Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill.
Kathryn Joseph - WE WERE MADE PREY
90’s Bjork; if she did a dark-folk record.
The New Eves - The New Eve Is Rising
British folk-punk/post-punk; and again like several on this list; really interesting/weird voice. Really enjoyed this one!
And for good measure, here’s 19 other records from 2025 I really dug; honorable mentions, if you will….
Midwest Emo with horns
SG Goodman - Planting by the Signs
Indie Americana songstress goodness
They’re based in Paris; but it’s giving sun-drenched California vibey psychedelica-americana pop
Mandrake Handshake - Earth-Sized Worlds
For fans of Stereolab; and while Stereolab did put out a record in 2025; I way preferred this one. Def a hidden gem! Give it a listen
Shallowater - God’s Gonna Give You a Million Dollars
Shoegaze w/ peddle steel…..Bootgaze, perhaps? =)
James McMurtry - The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy
Good ole outlaw counrty songs
The Crutchfield sisters are back (twins Katie of Waxahatchee & Allison of Swearin’) haven’t made a record together since their old band P.S. Eliot almost 15 years ago. Fun record of indie YALLternative jams
More indie YALLternative; but sad!
Sad girl indie-folk. Fantastic
I came to this album late. There’s a good chance with a few more listens this woulda made my top 25. Cocteau Twins meets Grouper
Really interesting and experimental record! This is like Avant-Garde funky hardcore w/ a dash of hip hop breakbeats
Melodic and hypnotic alt-country. Reminds me of a long drive through the desert.
Atmospheric, haunting, sparse & experimental
Kinds reminded me of Arab Strap. Very atmospheric and late-night feeling
Chat Pile / Hayden Pedigo - in The Earth Again
A collaboration I didn’t know I needed! Sludge Metal band Chat Pile w/ Americana guitarist Hayden Pedigo.
Motherfuckers JMB & Co. – Music Excitement Action! Beauty!
Psychedelic spiritual instrumental music featuring members of Animal Collective and Gwar. This seems like a made up sentence lol, but trust me.
SPELLING - Portrait of My Heart
Meets at the crossroads of pop-punk, alt-pop and even a touch of nu-metal.
Slacker blue collar rural queer love songs
Giving 70s private label cosmic-country jam band
AND ONE BONUS: This came out in December 2024, so It hadn’t made my best records of 2024 list, so it had to make its way to this list….
Gotta be honest, not a Geese fan. I stumbled on this record when it came out in December 2024, and I had no previous knowledge of Geese (it was before the new Geese record was garnishing so much critical buzz); I just thought this was in the linage of oddball “outsider” music a la Daniel Johnston, Michael Hurley etc. Anyways, fantastic record! Had it came out just a few weeks later in 2025, it definitely woulda made my top 5