It’s that time of the year, so why not. Wondering what you reprobates have been listening to. Only albums released in 2025 qualify!
In my case, while 2025 has been, and still is, the shittiest year I have suffered in a while, it’s been a strangely pretty good year for new music releases. I even have an actual Top 10. First 5 below are in order; the next 5 are not, they fluctuate.
Igorrr | Amen
Ruby My Dear | Confiture à la plage
Maggie Lindemann | I feel everything
Tokyo Blade | Time is the fire
Anna Von Hausswolff | Iconoclasts
The Young Gods | Appear disappear
The Burnt Tapes | New lungs
Arch Enemy | Blood dynasty
The Pretty Wild | Zero.point.genesis
Daya | Every Petal Drops
I used to listen to “No Noia My Love” quite a bit when it was released. Then I totally forgot about the guy. Thanks for putting this on my radar, I’ll certainly check it!
No new music winners this year. I did take the time to trawl through some best of lists since I like searching out music, but everything just sounds so derivative. I made the mistake of looking at Pitchfork lol. The 25 best pop albums is rough. There’s an album that made their rock list that sounds EXACTLY like Cap’n Jazz to a T, which just kind of sums up my feelings. I’d rather just listen to Cap’n Jazz. Haven’t checked out NPR’s best of list yet.
@ddsot I like that Predawka album. Thanks for sharing that.
That Bleeds album I keep seeing pop up makes me want to stab out my ears lol.
Found some good music this year, but it wasn’t released this year. The new Chris Clark album I think is the only 2025 thing I’ve heard, and while it’s good, it’s not best of the year material, in my opinion (his last full length was REALLY good though).
Everything just sounds so gimmicky to me. I can’t really explain it. Don’t mean to be a Debby downer lol. I got nuthin’!
No worries. Predawka is pretty inspiring. I was impressed by the drive and focus to story board and create a full length animated movie that runs along with the album.
i cycle into this thought-process often. it’s not debby downer. also a year is a long time. i’m having to really think about what i heard this year that made The List. i created Tape Loops so it would force me to be more of an active listener. that was my problem anyway… music would always be on but i wasn’t really listening to anything. TL didn’t develop till Q4 though so hopefully this year will be different. my goal for 2026 is to actively listen to more music without doing an activity or chore. on a walk is ok, driving is kind of ok.
for me, seeking music on cassettes (physical media) and re-exploring that world has felt like a great treatment for “everything sucks”. i’ve discovered a lot of great music in the last few months.
but yeah … dude, sometimes everything just sounds like shit. that’s when i go outside and lay in the hammock just listening to the wind in the trees, the squirrels and birds, the airplanes and cars. the air. my brain. the air in my brain.
Man, I pulled a 180; I thought there wasn’t anything good, found out I was completely wrong, and now I keep finding shit that I’ve been jamming out to for the past year that I didn’t even realize was made in 2025 (to be honest, I probably listen to way too much music while I’m doing other things, and it’s hard for me to figure out what’s new to me or just new in general most of the time).
I deleted my post so I could redo it, but I think I have too much of a stockpile to even begin again, and my taste is a bit too far off course to really put too much into here. 2025 was a damn good year for music imo, that’s all I know.
I’m looking through compiling a list from my music players based on what I liked, and yeah you’re right. lots of good music came out in 2025. Generally I’m of the mindstate of “there’s always good music” and when I feel the way I explained before I rationalize it by telling myself “you just haven’t found it yet and you’re in a slump.” which turns into, “so go find it.”
this is what i’ve got so far but I know there’s more.
Amon Tobin - Nomark Selects, Vol. 2
Oneohtrix Point Never - Tranquilizer
Max Cooper - On Being
Rival Consoles - Landscape from Memory
Weval - Chorophobia
Shackleton, Light-Space Modulator, & Marlene Ribeiro - The Rising Wave
Automagheddon - British Anarcho Punk Classics
RC is one of my favorite artists, but I couldn’t get into this album. I’m going to give it more time though. My mate got me free tix to see him in Sydney in Feb, can’t wait.
EDIT: I take it back, I can definitely get into this. I think all the 4 to floor stuff threw me, but I’m in a better headspace now.
Music is all time and place! I make serious effort to relisten to albums I can’t get into. especially if i like the artist’s previous stuff. generally I get into it after a few more tries. I didn’t like Amon Tobin’s 2025 release at first but now I think it’s one of the most brilliant works I’ve heard in a long time. I’m kinda stunned no one has really talked about it.
I’m hella jelly you get to see RC. also one of my faves. he should be coming back around my way soon but the venue he played at last fall was one of the best in the Bay Area and I know I missed a great one.
One album I didn’t know of at the time of starting this thread, but listened to before the end of the year is DeathByRomy’s “Hollywood Forever”. Absolutely killer album - and now in my top 5 of 2025.
Having lived in L.A. the last 15 years myself, I can certainly relate to a lot of it.
