Albums of the Year 2025

Artwork by Nathan Hardyman

Below is a list of 100 albums, unranked, that were our favorites from the year. Music is magic and nothing online will ever match being at a show watching it happen IRL right in front of your face. Buy art, love your neighbor, and thank you for coming here to discover new sounds.

Adam Amram Family Band
To The End
[self-released]

Alli Blois & The Orange County Shred Center
The Quest
[Halloween on Raspberry Hill]

Andy Boay
You Took That Walk For The Two Of Us
[self-released]

Barry Walker Unit
At the 13th Moon Gravity Well
[Jean Sandwich]

Bonnie “Prince” Billy
The Purple Bird
[No Quarter]

Cactus Lee
Cactus Lee
[Western Vinyl]

C.A.D. & The Peacetime Consumers
Play Atlantis
[Dot Dash Sounds]

Car Culture
Rest Here
[Naff]

Caution
Peripheral Vision
[Dust’s Delight]

Chad Van Gaalen
Peace Museum Vol. 1: The Bleachwipes
[self-released]

Cole Pulice
Land’s End Eternal
[LEAVING]

Colin Miller
Losin’
[Mtn Laurel Recording Co.]

Combat Naps
This Was The Face
[Poison Rhythm]

Cooper Kenward
haha, now i’m sad
[Soggy Anvil]

Credit Electric
SALVATION
[self-released]

Cruise Control
Time Is An Angel
[Curation]

Dead Gowns
It’s Summer, I Love You, and I’m Surrounded by Snow
[Mtn. Laurel Recording Co.]

Dean Johnson
I Hope We Can Still Be Friends
[Saddle Creek]

Dutch Interior
Moneyball
[Fat Possum]

Duval Timothy
wishful thinking
[Carrying Colour]

Easy Sevens
Guitar Music
[Online Ceramics]

Equipment Pointed Ankh
Eggs A Little Late
[Petty Bunco]

Floating Action
A Hand Carved Garden Tool
[People In A Position To Know]

Florry
Sounds Like…
[Dear Life]

Friendship
Caveman Wakes Up
[Merge]

Frown Town
Dark Green Curtains
[Earth Libraries]

Fust
Big Ugly
[Dear Life]

Glyders
Forever
[Drag City]

Go Kurosawa
soft shakes
[Guruguru Brain]

Good Flying Birds
Talulah’s Tape
[Carpark]

Greg Freeman
Burnover
[Transgressive]

Gwenifer Raymond
Last Night I Heard The Dog Star Bark
[We Are Busy Bodies]

Hannah Cohen
Earthstar Mountain
[Congrats]

Hayden Pedigo
I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away
[Mexican Summer]

Helado Negro
The Last Sound On Earth
[Big Dada]

Hobby
Clear Blue River
[Telephone Explosion]

Hotline TNT
Raspberry Moon
[Third Man]

Hussain Bokhari
Possessions
[Mood Hut]

Jack Alboher
Cornbliss Highway
[ULYSSA]

Joe Harvey-Whyte & Bobby Lee
Last Ride
[Curation]

Joe Westerlund
Curiosities From The Shift
[Psychic Hotline]

John Myrtle
The Little World of You and Me
[Dog Bite]

Jonny Kosmo
Undercover Butter
[Scribble]

Joseph Allred
Old Time Fantasias
[Scissor Tail]

Joseph Decosimo
Fiery Gizzard
[Dear Life]

Kassi Valazza
From Newman Street
[Fluff And Gravy]

Liam Grant
Prodigal Son
[VHF]

Liam Kazar
Pilot Light
[Congrats]

Lightheaded
Thinking, Dreaming, Scheming!
[Slumberland]

Lily Seabird
Trash Mountain
[Lame-O]

Lou Hazel
Riot of the Red
[self-released]

Magic Fig
Valerian Tea
[Exploding In Sound]

Mei Semones
Animaru
[Bayonet]

Michael Hurley
Broken Homes and Gardens
[No Quarter]

Misha Panfilov
To Blue From Grey In May
[Ultraääni]

Modern Nature
The Heat Warps
[Bella Union]

Monde UFO
Flamingo Tower
[Fire]

Moon Mullins
Hotel Paradiso
[Ruination]

Motocrossed
Motocrossed
[self-released]

Neu Blume
Let It Win
[Music Sounds]

Nick Shoulders
Refugia Blues
[Gar Hole]

Nyron Higor
Nyron Higor
[Far Out]

Okonski
Entrance Music
[Colemine]

Old Saw
The Wringing Cloth
[Lobby Art]

Panda Bear
Sinister Grift
[Domino]

Resavoir & Matt Gold
Horizon
[International Anthem]

Rose City Band
Sol Y Sombra
[Thrill Jockey]

Rubber Band Gun
Record Deal With God
[Historic New Jersey]

Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band
New Threats From The Soul
[Sophomore Lounge]

Ryan Sambol
Friend of the Show
[self-released]

Sabine McCalla
Don’t Call Me Baby
[Gar Hole]

Sam Amidon
Salt River
[River Lea]

Scott McMicken and The Ever-Expanding
New Purple Dress
[Press On]

Sean Thompson’s Weird Ears
Head In The Sand
[Ears Over America]

Semi Trucks
Georgia Overdrive
[Post Present Medium]

Sessa
Pequena Vertigem de Amor
[Mexican Summer]

S.G. Goodman
Planting by the Signs
[Slough Water]

Shallowater
God’s Gonna Give You a Million Dollars
[self-released]

Sharp Pins
Balloon Balloon Balloon
[perennialdeath]

Shrunken Elvis
Shrunken Elvis
[Western Vinyl]

SML
How You Been
[International Anthem]

Snooper
Worldwide
[Third Man]

STERÖID
CHAINMAIL COMMANDOS
[Crypt of the Wizard]

Sword II
Electric Hour
[section 1]

Tanner York
Welcome to the Shower
[self-released]

They Are Gutting A Body of Water
LOTTO
[ATO]

THiQ
The New Cats
[Grape Street Inc.]

Thomas Dollbaum
Drive All Night
[Dear Life]

Thought Leadership
III of Pentacles
[Be With]

Tobacco City
Horses
[Scissor Tail]

Tracey Nelson
Tracey Nelson
[self-released]

Uwade
Florilegium
[Ehiose]

Verity Den
Wet Glass
[Amish Records Required Wreckers]

Way Dynamic
Massive Shoe
[Soilsport]

Wednesday
Bleeds
[Dead Oceans]

Weirs
Diamond Grove
[Dear Life]

Western Extra
Zig Zags on the Book of Changes
[self-released]

Wilson Tanner
Legends
[Efficient Space]

Winter McQuinn
Where Are We Now?
[Third Eye Stimuli/Born Losers]

Zach Romeo
Little Action
[self-released]