It would have been easy to do a top 100 in 2025, such was the depth of good albums released. The high points may not have been quite as high as 2024 but there was still so much to enjoy. Ordering the top 50 has been a challenge!
Spare a thought for the many fine albums that didn’t quite make the cut this year. We had really expected Ethel Cain, Pinkshift, The Belair Lip Bombs, Flock of Dimes, caroline, The Cardiacs and Maruja to feature but they all fell at the last cut, as did The Favors, Folk Bitch Trio and Heartworms. On to those that did make it!
50: Djo – The Crux Deluxe
Back in April we were pretty confident The Crux would not be featuring in the end of year best of list… What we didn’t know at the time though was that Joe Keery was going to drop a special edition version which contained an entire second album worth of tracks. What tipped it further was that those offerings were full of gorgeous 60s and 70s style tunes influenced by T-Rex, ELO, Mott The Hoople and other bands of that era. We now have just a few days left to find out if Joe’s character Steve Harrington makes it to the end of Stranger Things alive or not, “If you die, I die.” Either way, a future career in both acting and music is assured.
49: Geese – Getting Killed
A truly ramshackle album that permanently feels like the pieces barely fit together, that at any given second one of the spinning plates of its musical components is going to collapse and smash upon the floor. ‘Cobra’ was definitely up there in contenders for the most off-beat and charming single of the year. Cameron Winter built on the success of his solo record Heavy Metal with his bands best record to date. His love of The Rolling Stones has always been worn on his sleeve and the early Stones are a huge influence on this record. Musically, through its shared love for the blues, and vocally through the Jagger-esque performance. Like Jagger, Winter is an effective singer rather than than a great one but there is an undeniable charm in the way both can barely keep attached to a musical note. It will take a truly horrendous clash for us to miss their Reading Festival set in 2026.
48: Young Knives – Landfill
The world shrugged its shoulders with great indifference at the return of Wantage’s Indie legends, but it was the world that missed out. Is it their best album ever? Quite possibly. Crammed full of lyrical wit and a desire to push the edges of their guitar sound into corners and spaces far beyond those they have previously reached. Every inch of their songwriting experience was used to great effect combining melancholy, annoyance, bewilderment, indie-groove and more. Their gig at The Facebar was one of the few live events we attended that we didn’t get round to writing up this year but it was as gloriously surreal as of old, complete with doilies and daft dance moves.
47: GHOSTWOMAN: Welcome To The Civilized World
Excellent, blues-tinged, two piece guitar and drums based rock and roll in the grand history of the tradition. We enjoyed it on release, it has only grown in our estimations since then.
46: Landmvrks – The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been
This rising French band have been building an audience for over a decade now and they do both metal and rap superbly. ‘Creature’ dates all the way back to January 2024 but remains a stunningly oddball, but powerful, release. Anyone who loves an interesting heavier album is going to find plenty to enjoy here.
45: CMAT – Euro Country
We enjoyed this album, though perhaps not as highly as it has been valued elsewhere. 2025 has undeniably been Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson’s year though, rising through the ranks and emerging with a rapidly growing fan base appreciating her heady mix of pop, country and righteous honesty. We absolutely need her at Reading Festival next year!
44: The Five Hundred – GHOSTWRITER
We are still stunned that ‘NEW WORLD’ and ‘IN THE DARK’ haven’t connected with a decent size audience yet. This is very fine heavy rock and metal music. The album is great, the band are great. Surely their time will come?
43: Wet Leg – Moisturizer
The return of Wet Leg was worth it just for the amount of annoyance and rage Rhian Teasdale summoned up in THE PATRIARCHY simply by daring to grow her armpit hair and flaunt it on a regular basis. The music was decent too, a more muscular and less silly return than their well regarded debut.
42: The Last Dinner Party – From The Pyre
It is a fall from 2024’s Top Five but this is still an intricate and high quality album. It is steeped in classic album tricks from the 1970s but mixes it with a massive dose of theatricality. The possibilities for their next album are wide open and the future is theirs.
41: Mark Pritchard and Thom Yorke – Tall Tales
We have kept coming back to this album throughout the year and thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance its twitchy electronica generates. The lack of live dates to support it seemed surprising, until it turned out Yorke was busy with other plans.
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