As 2025 is now in the rear-view mirror, I figured it was about time to look back at the albums that defined the year. The following is my personal list built from what sounds and artists I think will hold up best over time. All things considered, 2025 turned out to be a pretty good year for music. There wasn’t one release that cast a shadow over everything else, no single trend dominated, and plenty of new artists broke through. This list isn’t ranked. There’s no hierarchy here. These are just the albums that mattered the most to me in 2025.
- Luminescent Creatures – Ichiko Aoba
Lacking any understanding of the Japanese language, I do not understand the words of Luminescent Creatures, but it’s undeniable the heavy influence nature has on the 8th studio album by singer-songwriter Ichiko Aoba. Focusing on its vibe, Aoba creates a landscape of psychedelic wooziness. The tracks blend together and send the listener on a journey into the vast openness of the universe. The flutes, woodwinds, and lush strings are present throughout the record. It’s a perfect album for soaking up the sun on Temple Green.
Top tracks: “COLORATURA & SONAR”
- Forever How Long – Black Country New Road
Black Country New Road have successfully leaned into a new sound. Forever How Long is the first full-length project from British art rock group Black Country New Road since the departure of former frontman Isaac Wood. The vocals were taken up by band members Tyler Hyde, Georgia Ellery, and May Kershaw, giving the album a more communal and diverse sound. The new vocals definitely stood out as a highlight for me. Stylistically, the band has moved away from the punk-rock intensity of previous albums to a warmer, folky sound. The album has rich orchestral sounds coming from the violins and saxophones layered throughout the project. It ultimately feels like a strong reinvention from a band whose identity is evolving. A perfect album to listen to at Coffee Closet.
Top tracks: “Nancy Tries to Take the Night” & “Forever Howlong”
- Golliwog – Billy Woods
Golliwog is another massive success for underground hip-hop titan Billy Woods. Woods continues to push his sound into eerie, horror-infused territory, and Golliwog is no different. Lyrically, Woods is as sharp as a razor, delivering bars about trauma, history, and systematic injustice. On the track “BLK XMAS”, Billy Woods tells a story of a family being evicted before Christmas.
Neighbors just got evicted/How you gon’ put folks out a week before Christmas and they/Got kids?/Them people sick in the head, it’s sickening/Everything ****** got, tossed in the street, crying kids, its/wicked/Took what they could fit in a cousin whip in two trips, the rest,/just sit /Nobody want to be the first, but it’s just sit/Eventually people/start picking, sifting through/Not proud, but eventually, I was with ‘em too /Pots and pans for the kitchen/Few old clothes, my kids is little, they won’t know the difference/Dolls with their heads missing.
Golliwog is filled with these first-person vignettes, this one telling a story about poverty, and survival. The images are specific, that’s what makes it devastating. The practicality of what he’s taking, pans, and clothes, the way he rationalizes it. The lines carry a heavy quilt. With production from The Alchemist and Kenny Segal, their ominous beats help illustrate the themes of the record. Billy Woods continues to make some of the best protest music out there; Woods infuses history with his perspective, giving listeners a personal viewpoint on the realities of racial injustice today. He continues to prove time and again that he is one of the best lyricists of our time. Perfect to listen to on a night stroll through the Arboretum
Top tracks: “Misery” & “Counterclockwise”
- I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away – Hayden Pedigo
I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away is a prominent example of showing how less can be more. Hayden Pedigo’s fingerstyle guitar playing is delicate and spacious. He blends American primitive guitar with subtle psychedelic infusions. Pedigo uses violins and electric touches to expand the sound beyond just the acoustic guitar. What sticks out to me is how unforced it all feels. The album wanders a bit, and that feeling creates a really interesting atmosphere. I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away is a small, patient and beautiful record. Perfect album for studying in the Chu Room.
Top tracks: “Long Pond Lilly” & “Houndstooth”
- Instant Holograms on Metal Film – Stereolab
Confession: Stereolab is my all-time favorite band, so no surprise that their brainy 2025 release Instant Holograms on Metal Films makes my list. I loved it when it was released and loved it even more after seeing them in concert last October. They returned with the same classic space-pop grooves that made me fall in love with them originally; the hints of jazz and lounge pop are also present in this record. Lyrically, it contains the mix of personal and social commentary we are used to seeing from them. With lyrics like
Viewed as natural as trees and grass/Given way for the middle class/A promise to outplay the mass/For all the wealth can be amassed
We see Stereolab often drawing on Marxist ideas, blending their lounge pop sound with big critiques on consumer capitalism. The album doesn’t reinvent their sound, but it does feel like a vibrant continuation and a satisfying comeback. Perfect for a day spent exploring New London.
Top tracks: “Melodie is a Wound” & “Transmuted Matter”
- Getting Killed – Geese
I fully admit to falling for the Cameron Winter and Geese hype, but can you blame me? Getting Killed was a big step forward for the Brooklyn-based indie rock band. Their previous record, 3D Country, felt incohesive and unpolished in an unintentional way. I wasn’t even planning on listening to Getting Killed until I found out it was produced by, of all people, Kenny Beats. I’m so glad I did. The intensity of the album comes from Cameron Winter’s voice— his rawness is what makes it great. Another highlight is drummer Max Bassin, who might be the best drummer in an active rock band today. Bassin’s unpredictableness, mixed with Emily Green on guitar, and Cameron Winter’s vocals, make the record feel like controlled chaos. I’m 100% sold on Geese and its future. Perfect album for singing along to in your dorm.
Top tracks: “Husbands” & “Islands of Men”
- Showbiz! – MIKE
Mike has had one of the best decades of any artist so far, releasing multiple critically acclaimed records that allowed him to push his unique hip-hop blend. In that time he’s worked with artists like Earl Sweatshirt, The Alchemist, and Larry June. Showbiz! is a return to sample-heavy hip-hop that Mike is best known for. He showcases some of his best flows and creative production. Even with the 24-song tracklist, no moment feels like filler. The album is a great look inside the mind of Mike, who first received attention at just 18 years old. Now at 27, we see his growth reflected. His delivery is unhurried, his voice is filled with experience. Showbiz! is another great entry in an already impressive catalog. Perfect album for working out at the AC.
Top Tracks: “man in the mirror” & “Lucky”
