Top Albums of 2025

6 min read

Album cover of the album Getting Killed by Geese.

It’s the last week of the year! That means I can make my favourite list again: a top ten of my beloved albums released this year. As tradition prescribes (invented last year (opens in new tab)), I am allowing myself a strict top ten and a non-exhaustive honourable mentions-list of albums, singles, or artists which impressed me in 2025. Let’s go!

The Top Ten

  1. Geese - Getting Killed - In my opinion, Geese is the only indie band in the scene that tries to shake up the mainstream. I already loved their 2023 album 3D Country, but they go an extra mile on Getting Killed. Their songs feel chaotic and all over the place, yet they’re catchy and very thought-out. The lyrics have a bit of a freaky edge to them, but after a couple of listens, you’ll sing along with sentences like “THERE’S A BOMB IN MY CAR”. I love how Geese challenges you as a listener and tries to do things differently. Forget the ‘same old’-ness of MJ Lenderman: Geese is where it’s at.

  2. Viagra Boys - viagr aboys - The Swedish boys are back again with another album, and it totally slaps. On viagr aboys, frontman Sebastian Murphy goes a level deeper with the lyrics. Who would you be in the 1970s? You would probably be working in a factory, Murphy answers. I loved how introspective these lyrics are about the time we live in. Where will it all go? Is being terminally online okay? This and more is explored by the Viagra Boys on this banging album.

  3. home is where - Hunting Season - A discovery I made by accident on Reddit. I wasn’t very familiar with the Midwest emo scene, but this was a great introduction. Hunting Season has great themes, great riffs, and it’s not very screamo either. Loved the country/Bob Dylan edge to the songs as well.

  4. Hotline TNT - Raspberry Moon - A brilliant shoegaze album which was on heavy rotation when I was doing focus work this year. Loved how ‘fresh’ the dreamy soundscapes were and how the band kept that freshness across the full record. Also saw Hotline TNT live later this year, where I got the opportunity to support the band in their protest against Spotify (opens in new tab) (by buying vinyl).

  5. Mon Laferte - FEMME FATALE - Being into Latin is definitely something I never expected to be, but here I am, and I love it. Mon Laferte is one of my favourite (alternative) Latin artists. On FEMME FATALE, Mon Laferte uses classic soul & jazz to tackle the myth of the femme fatale. Every song has something special or a message, but my favourite was “My One and Only Love”, which is a lullaby-like song together with Silvana Estrada and Natalia Lafourcade.

  6. Natalia Lafourcade - Cancionera - This year was also the year when I finally got into Natalia Lafourcade’s discography. Cancionera sounds like an album which was recorded in an old 1930s theatre in a town from a bygone era. It takes you on a journey where you don’t notice one song transitioning into another, where only the (Spotify) algorithm will wake you up from the artistic trance this album can give you.

  7. Osees - ABOMINATION REVEALED AT LAST - John Dwyer never stops releasing albums, and this year was no exception. This album is a combination of the garage rock loudness you’re used to from old Osees records, but now infused with punky and loud synthesisers. Great for waking up in the morning. Their 2025 Paradiso show was my favourite concert I attended this year.

  8. Little Simz - Lotus - This year, I could listen to a great deal of good hip-hop music, but Little Simz always captured a special place in my listening habits. I just loved the lyrics on this one. Especially the song Young was a big standout. If you love British hip-hop and witty jokes, this is the 2025 hip-hop album for you.

  9. Guerilla Toss - You’re Weird Now - A fun and loud psychedelic rock album, which was a bit of a discovery for me. When I was looking for new, guitar-based indie bands, a certain bald music reviewer was highly praising this new Guerilla Toss album. I love how ‘pop’ and catchy the songs are, but they still have a deep rock sense to them. Hopefully, they’ll do a tour in Europe real soon.

  10. Forever Howlong - Black Country, New Road - Honestly, Black Country, New Road always challenges me. It never follows the traditional song patterns and is very music academy-like. But when I am over that feeling, the music is just superb. On this album, BC;NR reinvents itself as a band (due to the frontman’s departure) with a totally new sound (let’s call it their Besties (opens in new tab)-era). It’s happy and optimistic, and the band sounds very much like one entity. I am super curious where they’ll be headed with this new sound.

Honourable Mentions

  • Vulfpeck - Clarity of Cal - Vulfpeck is my go-to easy listening. Is their music new or special? No. But these guys have just so much fun making music. Their music-making joy is just simply very contagious to listen to.
  • Nourished By Time - The Passionate Ones - A very close Top Ten contender. A neo-R&B album which sings about the hard working passionate ones, who go their own way in this world of late capitalism.
  • Die Spitz - Something to Consume - Whenever I think that hard rock or metal bands are on their way out, something new shows up, which makes the genres interesting again. Die Spitz is such a band. Listen to the song Throw Yourself to the Sword and you know enough.
  • Melody’s Echo Chamber - Unclouded - This album was super short, but super well-produced. I just love how clean everything sounds, while being a very fuzzy and dreamy psychedelic album. A good example of this was the song Eyes Closed.
  • Wednesday - Bleeds - I always give Wednesday a try when they release new music, but with Bleeds, it finally clicked. The tormented singing and the pedal steel made this album a very good listen.
  • Snocaps - Snocaps - Waxahatchee and her sister deliver a playful rock/country album about their relationship and life together.
  • Whitney - Small Talk - When I listened to Whitney’s debut album a while ago, I really thought these guys had the potential to blow up to something bigger. But unfortunately, they didn’t. Small Talk is a return to form and tries to evolve the sound of their debut album.
  • Big Thief - Double Infinity - A very low-key and relaxed folk album. Not as good as their past work, but definitely a worthy addition to their catalogue. Adrienne Lenker is once again showing her lyrical talent on this album, and I just love it.
  • Cameron Winter - How can I not talk about Cameron Winter when I put Geese as my number one album? His solo debut album was on constant repeat this year. This album is definitely the big ‘foreshadow’ to Getting Killed, where Cameron sharpens his songwriting. Also loved the big Leonard Cohen influence on this record.