Favorite Albums of 2025 (so far)
We're halfway through the year already?!
It’s become increasingly tricky for me to keep up with new music since ditching Spotify and streaming in general this year, but somehow I’ve still managed to stumble across more than a few truly excellent albums. Also, support artists! If at all possible, buy their albums directly or go to your local record store if one exists in your city. Don’t rely on algorithms or streaming playlists which might be overwhelmed with AI slop to think for you! If I have two takeaways from the first half of 2025 beyond this observation, it’s that one; we are living in unprecedented times in terms of the sheer amount of new records being released and two, the ladies are absolutely killing it!
Hymnal
Lyra Pramuk
Another mind-expanding, deeply felt vision of sound and sensation from Berlin-based composer/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Lyra Pramuk. Hymnal is a truly stunning and challenging work that feels ancient but also beamed in from some distant future.
It’s All Feast or Famine
Touchdown Jesus
Cincinnati, Ohio art rockers Touchdown Jesus make prog-infused chaos with a dash of punk that combines the angular rawness of 90s acts like Drive Like Jehu and early Swans with the math-y weirdness of Black Midi. Basically, all the best ingredients for something fast, loose, and out of control!
It’s Summer, I Love You, and I’m Surrounded by Snow
Dead Gowns
Geneviève Beaudoin (aka Dead Gowns) has crafted something deceptively brilliant on her debut LP; a series of acoustic romantic folk songs that swing from gentleness to electric guitar-strummed rage so effortlessly that you find yourself marveling at just how she pulls off the magic trick.
Switcheroo
Gelli Haha
Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Angel Abaya leaves her folksy psych rock sound behind for a trip to the polyester-laced dance floor under new moniker Gelli Haha with Switcheroo, an album with its share of disco-tinged bangers that are more than the sum of their eccentricities. Fun stuff!
Magic, Alive!
McKinley Dixon
Richmond, Virginia singer/rapper McKinley Dixon’s fifth studio album, Magic, Alive! is a complete stunner; a joyous celebration of life told through various narrative perspectives that uses its dizzying kitchen-sink production choices to prove that maximalism can be just as moving as subtlety.
Squeeze Me
Sophia Kennedy
Underground pop music sifted through a lens of introspection that feels slightly out of time. That’s the best why I can describe German-based songwriter Sophia Kennedy’s new album, Squeeze Me. Over the course of 10 tracks, Kennedy creates a mix of lo-fi electro pop with more cinematic-leaning compositions that surprises and delights at every turn.
Vengeance des Fleurs
S/T
Analog electronics collide with something more primitively earthbound in this beguiling self-titled debut from Georgian duo Vengeance des Fleurs; the kind of listening experience that instantly transports you into the realm of twinkly synth arpeggios, roving flutes, and the warm embrace of nature. Beautiful and meditative.
Ready for Heaven
Deradoorian
I’ve already written at length about LA-based singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Deradoorian’s wonderful new LP, Ready for Heaven, here. Still, it bears repeating; this is one of the most textured and sonically pleasing albums I’ve heard so far this year, with sharp songwriting that keeps you coming back for repeat listens.
Matmos
Metallic Life Review
The sound of legendary experimental duo Matmos once again fully committing to the bit. This time, they take field recordings of metal objects and distort them into industrial auditory racket counterbalanced by more gentle melodic undercurrents. The results are classic Matmos; adventurous, thrilling, and exploratory.
Portrait of my Heart
Spellling
Chrystia Cabral’s fourth album, Portrait of my Heart, is just as its title implies; a nakedly emotional record that takes the songwriter’s usual penchant for synth-pop musings on nature, mysticism, and human longing and funnels it through the sounds of power balladry, nu-metal, and 90’s alt rock. It’s a surprising swerve that pays off, largely due to Cabral’s complete and utter conviction.
Other albums I’m digging:
NOW- Now Does The Trick
Marie Davidson- City Of Clowns
Chioke- When In Doubt
Hanna Leess- innocent as a rose
FACS- Wish Defense
Population II- Maintenant Jamais
Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals- A City Drowned in God’s Black Tears
U.S. Girls- Scratch It
Smerz- Big City Life
Stereolab- Instant Holograms on Metal Film
Thank you so much for including songs for each artist — it makes it so easy to take a quick peek! I’ve never listened to Vengeance des Fleurs before, but from what I’m hearing, they’re so up my alley. Such a pleasure to hear what you’ve been listening to. Also (and I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this before), since you’ve ditched Spotify, may I suggest NTS Radio for music discovery? It’s my favorite app — live music 24/7 from DJs around the world, plus mixtapes for any genre you can think of, including film-inspired compilations!
Need to catch up on many of these! Thanks for the recs.
Btw, have you heard the new Lambrini Girls record?