Staff Picks ‘25
Our favorite albums of 2025.
artwork by Taylor Pate.
graffiti by Levi Simon.
Sharing taste is equal parts gratifying and unnerving. It is a social act: an unabashed proclamation of identity, a vulnerable offering of our most readily impeachable or ratifiable psychic limbs. When asked to place their annual personas at the altar of public discourse, only 28 among our staff stood unfettered by prospective shame and judgement. Some justified their slice of cultural capital and some left their list of titles in monastic solitude. In either case, our opinions and selves were not presented nakedly, and now they shall be. As promised in the preface to our collective ranking, albeit at a severely delayed clip, here lie the souls of those brave 28. We hope you embrace them and share at least a few of our opinions.
— Levi Simon, Executive Editor
Ryan D'Urso, Writer
1. The Fearless Flyers — The Fearless Flyers V
2. Telula — Track Day
3. Wet Leg — moisturizer
4. Vulfpeck — Clarity of Cal
5. The Hives — The Hives Forever Forever The Hives
6. Telula — Telula Live I
7. Vulfmon — Deg
8. KALEO — MIXED EMOTIONS
9. Colter Wall — Memories and Empties
10. Moon Hooch — Tomorrow
As I mentioned in my Burning Questions response last quarter, I think Fearless Flyers V is an incredible leap forward for the band and the instrumental funk scene at large— it sees them break away from the confinement of their choppy, speed and syncopation-driven past in favor of spacey, deeply groove-oriented pieces that blend genres and push the envelope of what short-form instrumental music can achieve.
Kaden Kaden, Writer
1. Die Spitz — Something to Consume
2. Lorde — Virgin
3. PinkPanthress — Fancy That
4. Amyl and the Sniffers — Cartoon Darkness
5. Royel Otis — Hickey
6. Happy Death Men — Happy Death Men
7. Sarah and the Sundays — Like a Damn Dog
8. ROLE MODEL — Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye)
9. Rental — Rental
10. EsDeeKid — Rebel
This album will melt your heart, but be careful, right after that it's going to melt your earbuds. Raw, refined, starving, Something to Consume leaves you on the edge of your seat after every track. Die Spitz have given us all a healthy dose of their simultaneously frenetic and cathartic energy with this album.
Roxane Bushofsky, Writer
1. Tyler Childers — Snipe Hunter
2. Horsegirl — Phonetics On and On
3. Charlie Crockett — Lonesome Drifter
4. The Kooks — Never/Know
5. Charley Crockett — Dollar a Day
6. Sombr — I Barely Know Her
7. Geese — Getting Killed
8. Olivia Dean — The Art of Loving
9. Tame Impala — Deadbeat
10. Willie Nelson — Workin Man: Willie Sings Merle
Tyler Childers is a classic country singer who really couldn’t care less what his peers want to call classic. He does his own thing, and sometimes it seems strange. But it’s absolutely undeniably wonderful every time. Snipe Hunter is so good that I raced to see it in concert (three hours away in the middle of nowhere) the day after it was released.
Luca Bigler, Writer
1. Maruja — Pain to Power
2. Geese — Getting Killed
3. Weatherday — Hornet Disaster
4. Jane Remover — Revengeseekerz
5. Deafheaven — Lonely People With Power
6. billy woods — GOLLIWOG
7. Edward Skeletrix — Museum Music
8. Oneohtrix Point Never — Tranquilizer
9. L’Eclair — Cloud Drifter
10. Racing Mount Pleasant — Racing Mount Pleasant
After a series of hard-hitting EPs and singles, Maruja finally put out a full LP that fully summarizes their sound in a gorgeous, brutal and heart wrenching manner. Pain to Power finds a way to balance primal aggressiveness with beautiful instrumentation which is a quick path to album of the year in my eyes.
Alexandra Moxey, Outreach Director
1. Confidence Man — 5AM (LALALA)
2. Aminé — 13 Months of Sunshine
3. Arodes — Game Changers 2
4. Barry Can't Swim — Loner
5. Anyma — End of Genesys
6. Oklou — choke enough (deluxe)
7. Nas, DJ Premier — Light Years
8. Sofi Tukker — butter
9. Suki Waterhouse — Memoir of a Sparklemuffin
10. Sabrina Carpenter — Man's Best Friend
In this album Confidence Man extends the life of their top 10 album 3AM (LA LA LA). They commit to a full scale remix record in this album. In just 15 tracks they bring in Orbital, Jimmy Cauty, Fcukers, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard to create the ultimate after hours nocturnal mix. Have a listen you won't regret it!
Taylor Pate, Creative Director
1. Ethel Cain — Perverts
2. Oklou — choke enough
3. FKA twigs — EUSEXUA Afterglow
4. Dean Blunt & Elias Rønnenfelt — lucre
5. smerz — Big city life
6. Malcolm Todd — Malcolm Todd (still)
7. Bassvictim — Forever
8. PinkPantheress — Fancy Some More?
9. Blood Orange — Essex Honey
10. Tei Shi — Make believe I make believe
Jina Jeon, Writer
1. Jane Remover — Revengeseekerz
2. Quadeca — Vanisher, Horizon Scraper
3. Frost Children — Sister
4. Ninajirachi — I Love My Computer
5. Danny Brown — Stardust
6. Venturing — Ghostholding
7. Geese — Getting Killed
8. Rosalia — Lux
9. Kimj — Korean American
10. Bassvictim — Forever
River Wang, Editor
1. PinkPantheress — Fancy That
2. Cécile Mclorin Salvant — Oh Snap
3. Kokoroko — Tuff Times Never Last
4. Rochelle Jordan — Through The Wall
5. Sudan Archives — THE BPM
6. Yaya Bey — do it afraid
7. George Riley — More is More is More
8. Greentea Peng — TELL DEM IT'S SUNNY
9. Olivia Dean — The Art of Loving
10. Elaquent — If Not Now, When?
Fancy That is an exuberant Gen Z dance party filled with intelligent samples and catchy beats. Pink transforms UK garage into a refreshing breeze of bedroom electronica.
Mimi Mikhailov, Writer
1. Ethel Cain — Willoughby Tucker I Will Always Love You
2. Whirr — Raw Blue (Deluxe)
3. Black Country, New Road — Forever Howlong
4. Jane Remover — <3
5. Ethel Cain — Perverts
6. Jane Remover — Revengeseekerz
7. Bassvictim — Basspunk 2
8. Tyler, the Creator — Chromakopia
9. Turnstile — NEVER ENOUGH
10. Oklou — choke enough
Joseph Mooney, Former Editor-in-Chief
1. Tate McRae — So Close To What
2. Miley Cyrus — Something Beautiful
3. Amaarae — Black Star
4. Lady Gaga — MAYHEM
5. Addison Rae — ADDISON
6. Sabrina Carpenter — Man’s Best Friend
7. FKA twigs — EUSEXUA
8. Lorde — Virgin
9. Sudan Archives — The BPM
10. PinkPantheress — Fancy That
In a pop landscape where artists like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Gracie Abrams have set a precedent for melancholic, introspective “sad girl” music, Tate McRae’s third studio album, So Close To What, feels like a necessary and exhilarating pivot. McRae levels up in every sense on this record, finally committing to the dance-pop maximalism and Britney-inspired confidence she has always possessed. Packed with snappy choruses (“2 hands”), nods to her Y2K upbringing (“Sports car”), and lyrics that are playful, racy, and self-assured (“Dear god”), McRae built this album for movement rather than overthinking. So Close To What is McRae’s most convincing argument of “pop girlie” superstardom yet — and ultimately, it stands as a reminder that pop music can still be euphoric, unserious, and undeniably powerful.
Will Vanman, Copy Editor
1. Little Simz — Lotus
2. PinkPantheress — Fancy That / Fancy Some More?
3. De La Soul — Cabin In The Sky
4. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist — Alfredo 2
5. KAYTRANADA — AIN'T NO DAMN WAY!
6. Vulfpeck — Clarity of Cal
7. Butcher Brown — Letters From The Atlantic
8. Tyler, The Creator — DON'T TAP THE GLASS
9. Kamasi Washington — Lazarus
10. Black Country, New Road — Forever Howlong
In an increasingly impersonal world, Lotus feels refreshingly human. Emerging from the fallout of her financial conflict with longtime friends and collaborators Inflo and Cleo Sol, Simz reckons with loss, insecurity, and burnout with striking vulnerability, maturity, and honesty. The album’s uncluttered, carefully layered production gives her insightfully reflective lyrics room to breathe, unfolding with an almost orchestral character. Each feature is tastefully placed, while Simz weaves in post-punk, Afrobeat, and jazz influences to create a cohesive sound. Rising from muddied waters, Simz’s Lotus is a rebirth defined not by turmoil but clarity and renewed purpose.
Levi Simon, Executive Editor
1. caroline — caroline 2
2. Niontay — Fada<3of$
3. Joanne Robertson — Blurrr
4. PinkPantheress — Fancy That
5. Los Thuthunaka — Los Thuthunaka
6. Earl Sweatshirt — Live Laugh Love
7. Dean Blunt & Elias Rønnenfelt — lucre
8. Barker — Stochastic Drift
9. Zelooperz — Dali Ain't Dead
10. YHWH Nailgun — 45 Pounds
caroline 2 is a rupture in rock. eruptive, contemplative, formally radical, breathlessly organic, stunningly beautiful, and a bona fide masterpiece.
David Hall, Editor
1. Ninajirachi — I Love My Computer
2. Hayley Williams — Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party
3. CMAT — Euro-Country
4. Baths — Gut
5. Jane Remover — Revengeseekerz
6. Lily Allen — West End Girl
7. Oneohtrix Point Never — Tranquilizer
8. Keep It Together — Signals
9. PinkPantheress — Fancy That
10. Addison Rae — Addison
I Love My Computer is my own personal desire, emotion, homecoming. I grew up on the internet. This is my life. This is all of our lives condensed into a single moment!
Kristen Wallace, Former Executive Editor
1. Jim Legxacy — black british music (2025)
2. Chance The Rapper — STAR LINE
3. Daniel Caesar — Son of Spergy
4. Ghais Guevara — Goyard Ibn Said
5. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist — Alfredo 2
6. The Weeknd — Hurry Up Tomorrow
7. Odeal — The Fall That Saved Us
8. Clipse — Let God Sort ‘Em Out
9. Saba & No ID — From the Private Collection of Saba & No ID
10. Wale — everything is a lot.
Wanna know how much I love this album? black british music (2025) came out in July. Apple Music Replay (yes, Apple Music Replay) broke down my listening month by month and my #1 song across three different months belonged to three different tracks from bbm: “sos” in July, “‘06 wayne rooney” in October, and “tiger driver ‘91” in November. That’s without acknowledging “stick,” “new david bowie,” or “father.” This is an easy pick.
Jake Harvey, Editor-in-Chief
1. Dijon — Baby
2. Geese — Getting Killed
3. Adrienne Lenker — Live at Revolution Hall
4. Earl Sweatshirt — Live Laugh Love
5. Clipse — Let God Sort Em Out
6. Westside Gunn — Heels Have Eyes 2
7. Daniel Caesar — Son of Spergy
8. Smerz — Big city life
9. Weatherday — Hornet Disaster
10. Billy woods — GOLLIWOG
Please refer to Mr. Harvey’s entry in the conglomerate list at number 12.
Charlotte Littlefield, Layout Director
1. Wet Leg — moisturizer
2. The Lemonheads — Love Chant
3. Turnstile — Never Enough
4. Julien Baker and Torres — Send a Prayer My Way
5. Horsegirl — Phonetics On and On
6. Deftones — Private Music
7. Wednesday — Bleeds
8. Blondshell — If You Asked For A Picture
9. Badflower — No Place Like Home
10. Florence + The Machine — Everybody Scream
Is moisturizer my album of the year because “mangetout” opened episode two of Heated
Rivalry? Yes, of course. But it also earns the title on its own merits as a gritty and irresistibly catchy sophomore record from the English project Wet Leg. “CPR” throbs with Romeo-and-Juliet-style infatuation—reckless and maybe a bit hormonal—while “11:21” pines for sweet, obsessive requital. moisturizer is an album for spitting on the sidewalk, dancing in the mirror at 2 a.m., and falling headfirst into disastrous, all-consuming love. As the soundtrack to our pop-culture lives, full of late-night fixations and quiet obsessions, moisturizer doesn’t just score the moment, it defines it.
Marley Pileggi, Writer
1. Geese — Getting Killed
2. Racing Mount Pleasant — Racing Mount Pleasant
3. Wednesday — Bleeds
4. Clipse — Let God Sort Em Out
5. Joanne Robertson — Blurrr
6. Dijon — Baby
7. Blood Orange — Essex Honey
8. Nourished By Time — The Passionate Ones
9. Dove Ellis — Blizzard
10. Bad Bunny — DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
Scarlet Rogers, Treasurer
1. Fred again.. — USB
2. Big Thief — Double Infinity
3. Nourished by Time — The Passionate Ones
4. Sudan Archives — The BPM
5. Oklou — choke enough
6. Skrillex — F*CK YOU SKRILLEX YOU THINK UR ANDY WARHOL BUT UR NOT!! <3
7. Blood Orange — Essex Honey
8. Ethel Cain — Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You
9. Sammy Virji — Same Day Cleaning
10. LCD Soundsystem — Home (Tom Sharkett Edit)
The build up, the teased sequential rollout, the specialized song for each tour location, the energy of the live shows each song debuted at: USB invigorated global audiences with stunning in-person shows and inviting, intimate virtual peeks into Fred again..‘s infectiously joyful and collaborative process of creating some of my favorite songs of the year!
Mark Kamulegeya, Writer
1. PinkPantheress — Fancy That
2. Addison Rae — Addison
3. Lady Gaga — MAYHEM
4. FKA Twigs — EUSEXUA
5. Sabrina Carpenter — Man's Best Friend
6. Reneé Rapp — BITE ME
7. Lorde — Virgin
8. Miley Cyrus — Something Beautiful
9. Zara Larsson — Midnight Sun
10. Ariana Grande — eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead
After Heaven Knows, PinkPantheress had demonstrated that she can put out a standard length body of work. She didn't need to, but she did. So with Fancy That, she returned to her succinct formula. On eight tracks spanning around 20 minutes, PinkPantheress gets even more real about desire and love. This is my favorite album of 2025 because it soundtracked my summer "Illegal" and all the other things that I was feeling from forwardness on "Tonight" to more cautious moments such as "Stars." Tracks like "Nice To Know You" show that PinkPantheress has mastered how to borrow from the music that inspires her and make it her own.
Neha Modak, Social Media Director
1. Pink Pantheress — Fancy That
2. Rosalía — Lux
3. Bad Bunny — DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
4. Lady Gaga — Mayhem
5. FKA Twigs — EUSEXUA
6. Sudan Archives — The BPM
7. Oklou — choke enough
8. Clipse — Let God Sort Em Out
9. Momma — Welcome to My Blue Sky
10. Amaarae — Black Star
Seth Eaton, Editor
1. André 3000 — 7 piano sketches
2. Freddie Gibbs — Alfredo 2
3. Duckwrth — All American F⭐️ckBoy
4. Amber Mark — Pretty Idea
5. Clipse — Let God Sort Em Out
6. Earl Sweatshirt — Live Laugh Love
7. Zahir — What If the Blind Woman Saved Him
8. Rico Nasty — LETHAL
9. Larry June, 2 Chainz, The Alchemist — Life is Beautiful
10. Yaya Bey — do it afraid
The number one choice for me is 7 piano sketches by André 3000 because the second album with inspiration from the ambient jazz world from the rap legend was the establishment of his versatility to make great music whether it by way of voice, flute, or piano!
Nick Park, Editor
1. Geese — Getting Killed
2. Boldy James, Antt Beatz — Hommage
3. SHEMYYY — this is how it's meant to feel
4. Ethel Cain — Perverts
5. Algernon Cadwallader — Trying Not To Have A Thought
6. DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ — Fantasy
7. Oklou — Choke Enough
8. Justin Bieber — SWAG
9. Effie — pullup to busan 4 morE hypEr summEr it’s gonna be a fuckin moviE
10. Ninajirachi — I Love My Computer
If Van Morrison blew out his voice, hooked up with the Birthday Party's rhythm section, and had a subsequent mental breakdown the end result might sound something like Getting Killed. Sporting lyrics like "There's a bomb in my car!" and the twitchiest keyboards this side of the One Battle After Another soundtrack, Geese's breakout record is a bug-eyed masterpiece, driven by groove, paranoia, and a burning passion for not paying taxes. It's festivals jams for the American fascist age. Because sometimes, when the world is falling apart around you, all you can do is grit your teeth and fight your way through. And to do that, you're going to need a killer soundtrack, courtesy of Cameron Winter and associates. Geese might not have any idea where they're going, but here they come.
Madi Kim, Writer
1. Racing Mount Pleasant — Racing Mount Pleasant
2. Lorde — Virgin
3. Geese — Getting Killed
4. Alex G — Headlights
5. Big Thief — Double Infinity
6. Blood Orange — Essex Honey
Bring back wind ensembles
Jordyn Smith, Writer
1. FKA Twigs — EUSEXUA
2. Addison Rae — Addison
3. Olivia Dean — The Art of Loving
4. PinkPantheress — Fancy That
5. Oklou — choke enough
6. Sabrina Carpenter — Man’s Best Friend
7. Nourished by Time — The Passionate Ones
8. Lorde — Virgin
9. Not for Radio — Melt
10. Bar Italia — Some Like It Hot
Nic Restivo, Social Media Director
1. 300skullsandcounting — This Is My Zombie Killing Album
2. Worldpeace DMT — The Velvet Underground and Rowan
3. Mixed — I Loop You
4. First Day Back — Forward
5. Bassvictim — Forever
6. we’rethecurrency — An Ode And Farewell
7. my point of you — This is my first heist
8. Weatherday — Hornet Disaster
9. Cuntsniffer — For Your Amusement
10. galen tipton — the Death of Music
Fried
Alex Malm, Editor
1. Ninajirachi — I Love My Computer
2. Clipse — Let God Sort Em Out
3. McKinley Dixon — Magic, Alive!
4. FKA twigs — EUSEXUA
5. Huremic — Seeking Darkness
6. Annahstasia — Tether
7. Geese — Getting Killed
8. Nourished By Time — The Passionate Ones
9. Gwenifer Raymond — Last Night I Heard The Dog Star Bark
10. Danny Brown — Stardust
EDM as a genre is long past its mainstream heyday. Back in 2012, when YouTube was rife with Call of Duty Black Ops II gameplay compilations set to “Bangarang” or “Ghosts n Stuff,” Calvin Harris and David Guetta were ruling the charts, and many of today’s top EDM producers were getting their start. In the decade and change since, a section of the EDM has become much more online. Led by Porter Robinson, a new wave of artists emerged out of this popular wave, engaging more with the digital aesthetics of electronic music. Ninajirachi is a child of this movement. Her lyrical content, melodic sensibilities, and broad expanses of synths, vocal chops, and bass tones in some ways epitomize the EDM music of the recent past and in other ways help to carry the torch of electronic music into the future. What she’s doing is not revolutionary—I Love My Computer is an album that wears its influences on its sleeve—but the way those influences are manipulated as Ninajirachi bounces between heartfelt pop ballads and catchy EDM bops is incredibly impressive. As a debut album, I Love My Computer is a home run for Ninajirachi, and it’s really exciting to imagine what she will make next.
Alyssa Manthi, Writer
1. Audrey Hobert — Who's the Clown?
2. LAUNDRY DAY — Earworm
3. Babygirl — Stay Here Where It's Warm
4. PinkPantheress — Fancy That
5. Olivia Dean — The Art of Loving
6. Oklou — choke enough
7. Djo — The Cruz
8. Japanese Breakfast — For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)
9. Cameron Winter — Heavy Metal
10. Sabrina Carpenter — Man's Best Friend
I was hesitant to jump on the Audrey Hobert train after seeing her TikTok success. However, she might be the relatable pop princess we’ve all been waiting for. She is weird, quirky, kinda odd, and unapologetically herself. After a particularly rough summer, this album is exactly what I needed to get me through the rest of the year.
Alia Smith, Former Managing Editor
1. Rosalía — LUX
2. FKA Twigs — EUSEXUA
3. Geese — Getting Killed
4. Anna von Hausswolff — ICONOCLASTS
5. Oklou — Choke Enough
6. Erika de Casier — Lifetime
7. Titanic — Hagen
8. Black Country, New Road — Forever Howlong
9. Dijon — Baby
10. Joanne Robertson — Blurrr
LUX sees Rosalía doing what she knows best: creating exceptionally forward-thinking music that challenges us to reconsider the boundaries of pop, all the while maintaining killer hooks and mass appeal. Whether it’s the use of thirteen different languages, the influences ranging from classical to flamenco to opera, or the studied thematic exploration of the divine, this record convinces me that the sky’s the limit for Rosalía. As an avid listener, I’m happy to be in her orbit.
artwork by Taylor Pate.
art defaced by and preface written by Levi Simon.
