TOP 25 ALBUMS OF 2025

25 | YVES JARVIS – ALL CYLINDERS

Shapeshifting super-producer Yves Jarvis’s latest effort finds him really leaning into his pop sensibilities. Sure, the signs have always been there, amidst knotty production and left-field sonic choices. But on All Cylinders, Jarvis embraces his songwriting chops and puts forth his most digestible record to date. The experimental tendencies remain on the edges, but his expressive voice and virtuosic guitar playing are brought to the forefront with excellent results. 

RIYL: Michael McDonald, John Mayer

Standout track: “The Knife in Me“

24 | DERBY – SLUGGER

Sophisti-pop R&B, a la Dijon and Mk.gee, has permeated just about every corner of music in 2025 (see Justin Beaber’s SWAG records). But while there are many who try to imitate the sounds of those auteurs, Derby takes his inspirations and spins up something purely original on his debut LP, Slugger. 

Craig Caldwell mangles and warps his voice into a distorted, pitched-up alter ego to add extra depth to his late-night confessions. Caldwell channels his roots in Houston, TX, and his current home in NYC to inform the sonic palette with indie-country flourishes that complement his hyper-modern vocal delivery. It might’ve once sounded like an unlikely pairing, but country is hot these days, and Derby is one of several artists taking the best parts of the genre and using them in new ways.

RIYL: Frank Ocean, Dijon, BROCKHAMPTON

Standout Track: “Two Step“

23 | LOADED HONEY – LOVE MADE TREES

J Lloyd and Lydia Kitto, best known for their work in Jungle, formed Loaded Honey as a side project for new sounds. While Loaded Honey shares the love of throwback vibes and deep grooves that Jungle has become famous for, the prominence of Kitto’s vocals steals the show on Love Made Trees. Her warm delivery and stacked harmonies sound straight out of the Motown catalog. Play this one for your parents and wow them when you reveal it’s a record from 2025. 

RIYL: AM Radio, Jungle, The Mamas and the Papas

Standout Track: “Don’t Speak“

22 | BLAKE MILLS & PINO PALLADINO – THAT WASN’T A DREAM

Without nerding out too hard, I want to touch on the exciting new developments in guitar that have been percolating for the last couple of years. Advances in MIDI deployments, explorations of fretless necks and developments in pickup technology have breathed new life into the instrument. The guitar can now be as expressive as a flute, have the timbre of a theremin and play the microphonic scales of the sitar. 

All of these innovations are present on That Wasn’t a Dream. Blake Mills and Pino Palladino are world-class players on their respective stringed instruments. On their second album together, they push the boundaries of guitar and bass to extraterrestrial heights. The sounds are at once organic and alien, and the arrangements twist and turn. It is hard to fathom how you can simply compose this music. It feels as if That Wasn’t a Dream just poured out of their fingers and now exists in space. 

RIYL: Fretless guitar and bass, polyrhythm

Standout Track: “Taka“

21 | DYLAN DAY – THE UNANSWERED PRAYER

In the Generative AI era, it is SO exciting to hear subtle details on a record to let you know: “yes, this was created by a person.” On The Unanswered Prayer, guitarist Dylan Day embraces the imperfections of his humanity. Whether it’s a deep breath before a movement change or fret buzz as a note rings out, Day brings you into the room with him to live inside his ruminations. Composed solely of acoustic guitar, The Unanswered Prayer captures your attention and lulls you into a trance thanks to the jazzy play of Day. 

RIYL: Fingerstyle guitar, quiet jazz

Standout Track: “Near to the Brokenhearted“

20 | DEAN BLUNT & ELIAS RØNNENFELT – LUCRE

An album can be 15 minutes, ok? We’ve fried our attention spans, and we deserve albums that prioritize substance over runtime every now and then. Lucre, the collaborative effort between Copenhagen crooner Elias Rønnenfelt and British world-builder Dean Blunt, packs a huge punch over seven tracks. 

Blunt’s shadowy, post-indie productions match Rønnenfelt’s doomsday prophecies and tranquil musings perfectly. Shifting between a Jagger-type swagger and sobered-up-Yung-Lean spit, Rønnenfelt continues his run of meticulously melancholy vocals and deceptively descriptive lyrics. No one has ever sounded so good out of key as he does on “2,” my favorite song of 2025. 

RIYL: Yung Lean, Knotty electric guitar, Compressed mp3s

Standout Track: “2“

19 | LAURIE TORRES – APRÉS COUP

Canadian composer Laurie Torres creates cozy nu-classical arrangements, full of arpeggiating pianos, droning synths and skittering jazz drums. Aprés Coup is the soundtrack of the stillness of the cool evening, with warm tones and earworm melodies to accompany you through the dark. Torres builds a piano player’s dream, with a natural ability that shines through and permeates every corner of the record.

RIYL: Classical piano, Kelly Moran

Standout Track: “Intérieurs“

18 | AFTER – AFTER EP 1 & 2

Y2K is so back. Across two EPs this year, After has pumped out nostalgic pop in the vein of Frou Frou and Michelle Branch with an earnest authenticity. In these 11 tracks, you’ll find sun-drenched synths, languid breakbeats and enthusiastic vocalises. There’s even an ode to Evanescence on the track “Ever.” While it’s easy to trace each inspiration back to its roots, the total package is more than convincing enough. 

RIYL: Y2K aesthetics, Lizzie McGuire movies

Standout Track: “300 Dreams“

17 | JOSHUA SLONE – THINKING TOO MUCH

My relationship with country music is complicated. I typically hate it, except for when I don’t. Newcomer Joshua Slone won me over with his buttery voice and crispy melodies, channeling the best of Kacey Musgraves and Zach Bryan along the way. 

Slone is a gifted songwriter and lyricist, with a desperation and urgency in his reflections that tug at the heartstrings. Thinking Too Much is comprised of songs he’s been working on since he was 15, but the anguish, remorse and acceptance in his writing isn’t usually found until much later in life. The maturity and beauty of his debut album have Slone quickly rising up the ranks of “Chase’s Favorite Country Artists.” 

RIYL: Zach Bryan, Pickup trucks

Standout Track: “Shark Attack“

16 | MARK WILLIAM LEWIS – MARK WILLIAM LEWIS

I have this thing where a record’s cover art embodies how I visualize the music. For Mark William Lewis’s self-titled LP, the stark contrast between the tones of the black-and-white album cover perfectly fits the mood of these 12 songs. Lewis sings as if he’s broadcasting straight from the seedy underbelly of society. Backed by prickly, ping-pong-delayed guitar and buzzy harmonica, these foggy tracks perfectly create a noir of the mind to get lost in. 

RIYL: Baritone vocals, harmonica

Standout Track: “Petals“

15 | YHWH NAILGUN – 45 POUNDS

The blistering gut punch of 45 pounds is unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. The Brooklyn noise rockers combine pummeling percussion with jagged guitars and ethereal synths for a hypnotic car crash of a record. Vocalist Zack Borzone barks as if he’s possessed by the strange rhythms his band conjures up (and dances on stage like it too). 45 Pounds is a strange sermon; a ritualistic release. 

RIYL: Panic attacks, Rototoms, Bass drops

Standout Track: “Blackout“

14 | SKELETEN – MENTALIZED

On Mentalized, Australian pop artist Skeleten (aka producer, DJ, and visual artist Russ Fitzgibbon) crafts hopeful landscapes full of trip-hop drums, tasteful record scratching and gentle tenor. Exploring themes of connection and community with wit and reverence, Fitzgibbon homes in on the globalist yearn for pacification, peace and purpose. The wide-eyed point of view is refreshing, and the upbeat sizzle of his compositions makes this record go down very easily. It’s just the thing when you want to escape from the daily hellscape. 

RIYL: Old Westerman, James Blake

Standout Track: “These People“

13 | HUNDREDTH – FADED SPLENDOR

For the last 8 years, Hundredth have been making a slow exit from the post-hardcore scene. The South Carolina band has been at it since the late aughts, crafting everything from brooding screamo to psychedelic dream pop. On Faded Splendor, it’s apparent that Hundredth have reached final form. Or at least they’ve fully realized their second act as a pop-rock band. 

Chief songwriter Chadwick Johnson has never sounded more confident and in control of his voice. Despite decades of screaming, Johnson’s vocals are at once crystalline and brawny, with the perfect touch of emo’s embrace. Traversing the arena indie of Interpol and the alt-pop of Toro y Moi, Faded Splendor could’ve been the biggest alternative record of 2025. Unfortunately, Hundredth are still occupying the middling space between genres that I’ve seen countless of their contemporaries get stuck in. Fortunately, they’re damn good at what they do, and I’m a believer that hard work will pay off. 

RIYL: Bloc Party, The Story So Far

Standout Track: “Blitz“

12 | COREY MASTRANGELO – PROMISE

After years of leading the instrumental post-rock trio Vasudeva, Corey Mastrangelo has been quietly building an impressive solo discography. On his second album of 2025, Promise, Mastrangelo produces his finest work to date. Tape-driven guitar, pitched-up vocals, stereo synths and cluttered breakbeats round out this exciting blend of sounds, fusing elements of electronica and Midwest emo into a new genre. Is this post-post-rock? Emotronica? Anti-ambient? Who knows (and who cares)? Promise defies categorization and Mastrangelo keeps up his streak as an inventive and prolific producer. 

RIYL: Aphex Twin, Alex G’s pitched-up vocals, Vasudeva

Standout Track: “Halo“

11 | EARL SWEATSHIRT – LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE

In 2025, several MCs decided to rest on their laurels and turn in uninspired, unimaginative work (looking at you, Young Thug). But since Some Rap Songs, Earl Sweatshirt has been fine-tuning his own wave of hip-hop, marked by an extremely casual delivery and a diligent approach to beat selection. Earl sounds perfectly at ease on Live, Laugh, Love and continues to sharpen his pen, using humor AND sensitivity to his advantage. 

He’s in his “unc” era, or more appropriately, his dad era, as he writes about family and the embrace of parenthood with a smooth simplicity that’s admirable (and enviable as a new dad myself). It’s satisfying to hear this version of Earl, after years of clear turmoil and an early exposure to the spotlight that could’ve derailed what ended up being a bright future. 

RIYL: CBD doobies, Navy Blue, Grilling up

Standout Track: “CRISCO“

10 | BON IVER – SABLE, fABLE

The fifth full-length from Bon Iver arrived in pieces. Last year, we were blessed with fABLE, a three-song EP that stripped Justin Vernon’s project back to its acoustic roots. Then SABLE, fABLE was announced, which included the 2024 EP as a prelude to nine new tracks. If that sounds confusing, that’s because it kind of is. But always the innovator, Vernon decided to take an unlikely approach to what’s rumored to be the last Bon Iver album. 

With some new collaborators in tow (chief among them Jim-E-Stack, the “it” producer of the moment), Vernon abandons his much-lauded “beat poetry” and trades it for the clarity of direct songwriting. At first, it’s surprising to hear the nakedness in the lyrics (“because you really are a babe”, “I wanna kiss you ear from ear”, etc.). But it’s also refreshing. There’s a comfort (and a rhythm ;)) in these tracks that exude from Vernon. The pairing with Stack brings out a playful and softer side of Bon Iver, and while the full record struggles in the shadow of the group’s near-perfect discography, this newfound weightlessness birthed some of Vernon’s best songs to date, including “Speyside,” “Walk Home” and “From.” 

RIYL: Bonny Raitt, the War on Drugs, The “For Emma” era

Standout Track: “From“

9 | FLYCATCHER – WRENCH

Flycatcher isn’t the first band to marry the heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics of emo with the throaty rasp of alt-country and the in-your-face guitars of grunge. But the New Jersey quartet is jamming those sounds together better than any of their peers. Part 400 unit and part Balance and Composure, Flycatcher writes songs that live between worlds, painting pictures of blue collar work, brotherhood and natural disaster anxiety. 

Whoever says Jersey ain’t a little country has clearly never been south of Trenton or west of Bridgewater. Flycatcher is authentically Garden State, and as a Jersey boy myself, I really fuck with that. 

RIYL: Jersey pride, Yeemo, Grunge-try

Standout Track: “Flood“

8 | CLIPSE – LET GOD SORT EM OUT

I’m highly skeptical of late-career comeback records by legacy acts. Usually, the well has run dry, and the ideas are stale. But on Let God Sort Em Out, Clipse sound reinvigorated after 16 years away as a duo. Backed by some of the best Pharrell production in recent memory, Pusha T and Malice lock in to tell tales of love, loss and luxury. Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator, Nas and plenty more show up to get in on the action, but the features never steal the spotlight away from Clipse. The brothers from VA enjoy a well-earned victory lap, finally getting the praise they deserved all those years ago. 

RIYL: Old Jay Z, Nas, Pharrell

Standout Track: “F.I.C.O.“

7 | AVERY TUCKER – PAW

Sometimes it just feels really good to let it all out over some open chords. Avery Tucker, recently gone solo after years in the duo Girlpool, understands this well. On his debut album, Paw, Tucker channels his raw emotions into cathartic sing-alongs about tangled romance and the fleeting moments of youth. You can feel the weight of every word penned, and the vibration of every string plucked. Songs build and breathe as organic entities, taking the heartland rock of Tom Petty and infusing it with some well-earned Western rasp. It’s a familiar sound, but Tucker’s sharp writing and naked confessions welcome you into something more untamed. The human condition is the overarching theme of Paw, but the primal instincts make it special.  

RIYL: Hop Along, Neil Young

Standout Track: “My Life Isn’t Leaving You“

6 | CAROLINE – CAROLINE 2

Experimental rock is a tired term. I’m guilty of using it; championing it even. But if any modern band is deserving of the tag, it’s Caroline. The octet from London takes post-rock and infuses it with intimate autotune, head-swirling production and cascading crescendos. Two guitars play the same chords with different rhythms, a kick drum thuds in the room next door and vocal lines slide with digital precision. All of that contributes to the totally euphoric (*wink*) vibe, with precise execution and imaginitive production. It takes gusto to pull off the genre bends sprinkled throughout Caroline 2, but the wide-eyed ambition of the group is fulfilled with full force. 

RIYL: Talk Talk, “Playing in the other room” YouTube videos

Standout track: “Tell me I never knew that“

5 | JAMES K – FRIEND

It’s no easy feat to make the modern sound timeless. On Friend, singer and producer Jamie Krasner creates a body of work that is undeniably “twenty twenty five,” but also feels like it might’ve always existed; somewhere in the shadows, reaching out with a friendly embrace when needed. 

The music is decidedly beautiful, lush and tranquil, at once harkening back to 90’s trip-hop and shoegaze and looking ahead to the IDM and dream pop of the future. Krasner’s voice glides by limpidly, pleasantly aloof as it cascades over this gorgeous blend of electronica, like some sort of spritely being. Her stoned realizations and enviable whimsy pair perfectly with her dreamy soundscapes. It’s a deeply pleasurable listen that inspires endless intrigue. Friend will keep you coming back and reward you with every listen. 

RIYL: Björk, Slowdive

Standout Track: “Days Go By“

4 | QUICKLY, QUICKLY – I HEARD THAT NOISE

Graham Jonson cut his teeth in lo-fi Soundcloud beats before shifting his Quickly, Quickly project towards collagist indie-folk on his first studio album, The Long and Short of It. And it’s a good thing he did. On his follow-up, I Heard That Noise, he drastically refines his chops as a songwriter and producer. 

With a strong sense of melody and a keen ear for arrangement, Jonson is putting himself in the company of greatness. You can feel the serenity of Bon Iver, Bon Iver. You can sense the spirit of Phil Elvrum. You can hear the prowess of Mk.gee. But I Heard That Noise never succumbs to its influences. Rather, it makes a passing nod to their eminence and says “make room for me” on that shelf of indie classics.  

RIYL: The Microphones, Mk.gee

Standout Track: “Enything“

3 | DIJON – BABY

My connection with this record reaches deeper than the music itself. Released two months after the birth of our daughter, Baby soundtracked groggy summer mornings, afternoon bottle washing sessions and late-night feedings at the Montani household. Our world had become so insular that an exciting new piece of music that not only spoke to our current situation, but was released by one of our favorite artists, hit especially hard. 

Dijon continues to expand upon the sounds he explored on his 2021 breakout, Absolutely. Featuring many of the same collaborators from his last LP (Mk.Gee, Andrew Sarlo, Henry Kwapis) and introducing new ones into the fold (Justin Vernon, Carter Lang), smooth R&B is mangled in sundry ways on Baby. Loud bursts of noise interrupt buttery hooks. Drums boom, bap and bash. Vocals battle against synths and guitars for the spotlight. It’s a sensory onslaught at first, but it’s also a welcomed rush. 

The way Dijon writes about fatherhood on Baby is fresh and inspired. He’s sorry that he didn’t know his wife’s name before they first danced. He’s ready to get to work on baby number two. He’s trying to rush home to his family but keeps hitting red lights. Most of all, he’s happy, and happiness is dope. But Dijon packages this flowery joy in abrasive, experimental pop, pushing the envelope once again on what modern production should sound like. There’s a reason that Justin Bieber tapped him to breathe new life into his sound; it’s because he’s one of the most forward-thinking artists at it right now, and he works hard to present music with truth and verity. 

RIYL: Prince, UGK, Bon Iver

Standout Track: “Automatic“

2 | GEESE – GETTING KILLED

“What happened to the rock band?” I field this question often from my guitar-playing uncles, normie coworkers and out-of-touch friends. The thing is, rock n’ roll is still very much alive and well, but it looks much different from the way it did in its heyday. Rock has been fragmented into countless genres that now look very different from one another. How do you show someone an example of what they think rock looks like when that doesn’t really exist anymore? 

May I introduce you to Geese? Technically, Geese is not a new band. Officially, this is their third album (not counting a couple more in the archives from their High School years). I even wrote about their excellent sophomore record, 3D Country, a couple of years back. But it took until now for the boys from Brooklyn to become the hottest band in rock. Propelled by the success of the solo record from lead singer Cameron Winter, Getting Killed arrived with immediate impact. Major labels are fighting over them, ticket scalpers are getting rich off of them and late-night shows are rushing to book them. 

Produced by Kenny Beats, the quartet decamped to a burning LA in early 2025 to work on Getting Killed. Max Bassin drums as if his hair is on fire, Dominic DiGesu warms the low end with purposeful bass, Emily Green ignites the arrangements with morphing guitar licks and the embers of Winter’s voice are scattered about as if his diary has thrown up on wax. Getting Killed exudes heat, both in its urgency and its elation, but it also shines in its moments of tenderness. Winter is perhaps the most gifted lyricist this side of Dylan, with a deft and tact of someone twice his age. I do believe this is the kind of rock n’ roll you have all been asking about. 

RIYL: Van Morrison, Radiohead, Kenny Beats

Standout Track: “Getting Killed“

1 | SHRUNKEN ELVIS – SHRUNKEN ELVIS

I used to find comfort in the chaos. I established myself with post-hardcore in my teens and escaped with experimental rock in my 20s. But in my 30s, I’m slowing down. I got really into the Dead, throw on jazz in the mornings and listen to Sirius XM “Chill” in the car. This was just the right climate for Shrunken Elvis to enter my life. 

The self-titled debut album from composers Spencer Cullum, Rich Ruth and Sean Thompson is a deeply immersive ambient exploration of guitar and synth, propelled by an ethereal energy and telekinetic symbiosis. Shrunken Elvis possesses an alien quality, both in its futuristic sound design and western grounding. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve sworn this project was born in Roswell, NM, like a UFO sighting in the vast night. Turns out, Elvis was shrunk in Nashville. Who knew? 

These seasoned session players show off an innate sense of space and reserve, allowing each a turn up front in the mix with natural diplomacy. A slide guitar nestles up to an arpeggiating synth. A distorted lead breaks through a pad. A tapping beat brushes up against a sizzling sample. Each theme fades in and out with the proficiency of a spectre.  

Calm shapes the album’s environment, but animated moments of surprise embellish its edges. You can’t tell me you saw the guitar solo in “Marina pt. 2“ coming. It’s these little flashes that make this record so special. While “mood music” dominates Spotify playlists and generative AI replaces lo-fi beatmakers with insidious haste, Shrunken Elvis is background music that demands your attention. 

RIYL: 80s guitar solos, Study jams, Slide guitar

Standout Track: “K-House“