Getting down to the business end!
20: The Swell Season – Forward
A gentle and beautiful album built by a pair of musical master craftspeople. Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová pack more emotion into thirty seconds of singing than some bands manage in an entire career.
19: Youth Lagoon – Rarely Do I Dream
Trevor Powers takes a collection of home videos he found at his parents house and turns them into a stunning album bursting with nostalgia and beautiful vignettes. Fragile, yet empowering all at the same time.
18: Die Spitz – Something To Consume
Die Spitz are likely to be key players in 2026 as there is immense talent packed into this debut album. They will appeal to fans of older rock bands but are so earnest and packaged in such a way that they will absolutely cut through to a younger audience.
17: Sleep Token – Even In Arcadia
2025 was the year that The Sleep Token backlash stepped up a gear. They are very much a marmite band in that for every person you can find who adores them there is another person with a surprisingly powerful need to hate them. As predicted, most of the hatred is coming from older white guys who are intent on gate-keeping metal music and Sleep Token do not fit neatly into their boxes. Yes, there were a few stinkers in the lyrics this time around but they were more than balanced out by an unexpected amount of real world honesty from Vessel. It isn’t the wall to wall brilliance of Take Me Back To Eden but there is still more than enough magic here to warrant a high placing on the end of year list.
16: The Sick Man of Europe – The Sick Man of Europe
Standing all on its own this year was this fine debut album beholden to nothing but an abstract set of rules that the makers set upon. Those lucky enough to catch the live show this year understand that they have caught something very special on the ground floor. Now the rest of the world just needs to catch up.
15: Natalie Bergman – My Home Is Not In This World
If you have ever enjoyed any sixties soul inspired music then you are going to love this album. There is a simplicity to it that makes it very easy to engage with, yet the simplicity hides a deceptive amount of complex musical skill and, at times, powerfully deep emotional observations.
14: Self Esteem – A Complicated Woman
Rebecca Taylor has in the last few years closed in national treasure status. No, this isn’t Prioritise Pleasure, but it is chock full of ambitious songwriting and huge swells of emotion and self examination. Epic, orchestrally augmented, pop music.
13: kae Tempest – Self Titled
A bold and confident career best effort from an invigorated and reborn Kae Tempest. Solid beats and tunes, but, as you would expect from one of the great wordsmiths of their generation, it is the razor sharp delivery that stands out and makes this so hugely memorable.
12: Bon Iver – Sable, Fable
This was the album where Justin Vernon stopped playing ball with the wider musical world. Always a reluctant tourer there have been zero live dates announced for the album. He has also suggested he might never make another Bon Iver album. If this the end of the road it is one hell of a way to go out on.
11: Billy Woods – GOLLIWOG
Quite simply the most interesting rap/hip-hop album released in 2025, and the year as a whole belonged to Billy Woods. We also got a very good Armand Hammer album and a couple of cracking collaborative singles. GOLLIWOG is not an easy listen but it is an incredibly rewarding one. Musically it is like a mash-up of nightmare fuel horror movie soundtracks, but striding atop it is some of the most incredibly poetic flow committed to an album in recent years. “The English language is violence, I hotwired it, I got a hold of the master’s tools and got dialed in.” Too true Billy, too true.
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