Another year has passed, which means another crop of albums has released. From long-awaited drops to sudden, meteoric rises from up-and-coming artists, 2025 had a lot of great music to offer. As the world faced strife, conflict, and challenge, musicians and fans alike sought out and gathered around inspiring, cathartic expressions that functioned just as much as refuge as they did acts of resistance. That isn’t to say that 2025 was all bad, though, as it was one of the most momentous years of my personal life. The selections that I’ve made for my top albums of the past year reflect both of those realities simultaneously — music that was both necessary for the world but also extremely important and transportive for me through a new job, a move, and a dream wedding season. I took extra time to reflect and decide the order of the list this year, as there was simply so much incredible material to choose from. I wanted to be confident with my selections, and at last, it’s time to unveil my top albums of 2025. Without further ado, let’s get into the list. But first, I’d be remiss not to list some honorable mentions that had an impact but didn’t quite crack the top ten.
Honorable mentions (in no particular order):
Cancionera - Natalia Lafourcade
Revengeseekerz - Jane Remover
Glory - Perfume Genius
Alfredo 2 - Freddy Gibbs
Dead Channel Sky - clipping.
DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS - Bad Bunny
God Does Like Ugly - JID
Hurry Up Tomorrow - The Weeknd
Don’t Tap The Glass - Tyler, The Creator
The Life of a Showgirl - Taylor Swift
10. Pain to Power - Maruja
To kick off the list, I felt the need to highlight the Manchester-based Maruja and their hard-hitting, bombastic debut album Pain to Power. There is a familiarity and maturity to this project that gives the impression that the band has been doing this for decades. But that couldn’t be further from the truth; instead, this potent group is completely fresh on the scene. Inspired by the likes of Black Country, New Road, black midi, and Geese, Maruja embraces a post-punk, noise rock sound that both overwhelms and hypnotizes its audience. At the same time, though, Pain to Power is thoughtful, poignant, and political in all the right ways. I can’t wait to see where they go from here.
9. Getting Killed - Geese
I discovered Geese through their lead singer Cameron Winter and his recent full-length album Heavy Metal. His gorgeously grating, instantly-recognizable vocals translate incredibly well to a group-based project, as Getting Killed is one of my favorite experimental releases of the year. There is a captivating balance of tenderness and unabashed aggression throughout this project, with syncopated melodies and unique subject matter. This project is wide-ranging, covering subjects from spiritual searching, anxieties of modern life, apocalypse, to loneliness and seeking purpose in our current society. A whirlwind, Getting Killed is a must-listen from 2025.
8. People Watching - Sam Fender
Another new discovery for me in the past year, Sam Fender and his newest full-length album People Watching immediately had me hooked. The English singer-songwriter’s heartfelt and evocative lyricism discusses nostalgia, class struggle, addiction, and the importance of reflection. The instrumentation on this project is vast and whole, and the production value is very impressive for a modern rock album. Certain tracks evoke a young Bruce Springsteen, but Fender’s originality and unique perspective make him much more than a copycat of any other artist. The original release of this project was impressive enough, but the deluxe version and the additional tracks and collaborations he introduced on it bring People Watching to the next level.
7. Portrait of My Heart - SPELLLING
The first full-length follow-up to her enchanting 2021 album The Turning Wheel, SPELLLING’s Portrait of My Heart is the stylistic and thematic curveball she needed to both evolve and live up to the incredibly high standard that she set for herself with her last project. Self-reflective, raw, and honest, Portrait of My Heart lives up to its namesake with Chrystia Cabral’s most introspective lyricism to date. But this emotional clarity and availability isn’t masked by understated instrumentation; instead, this album’s alternative hard rock sensibilities amplify and strengthen the themes that Chrystia gets across to her audience. The theatrics are still present, and Chrystia’s unique vocals will always be a staple of her sound, but this project was also a step into a new direction, and I couldn’t get enough.
6. Forever Howlong - Black Country, New Road
With perhaps the highest stakes at hand with their 2025 album release, Black Country, New Road had the Herculean task of attempting to follow up the release of their 2022 smash hit sophomore album Ants From Up There after the departure of lead singer Isaac Wood, who for many fans, defined and sculpted the group’s identity. But the group didn’t regress into safety or mediocrity after this switch up — they rose to the challenge and doubled down by fully embracing their progressive, baroque-pop inspired sound and highlight each member’s unique talents brilliantly throughout the project. While not reaching the same cohesive and spellbinding heights of AFUT, Forever Howlong is an inspired, imaginative, and impressive showcase that proves Black Country, New Road is going nowhere but up as it features some of their best pieces yet.
5. Lotus - Little Simz
I truly believe that Little Simz is one of the greatest living hip-hop artists and is greatly underrated in the genre. Her 2025 album Lotus is another entry into her increasingly legendary discography that proves just that. After the public fallout with her longtime producer and collaborator Inflo, Simz had a chip on her shoulder and a point to prove. Lotus opens with a bang, addressing the conflict head on with the hard-hitting and direct “Thief,” but the project doesn’t linger and overly focus on a subject that proved he isn’t worth Simz’ time. The project expands to let her loyal fanbase into the mindset she was in when navigating this difficult period of her life, which often led to uncertainty and a lack of creative direction. But that struggle is also what was needed to create this beautiful, somehow relatable project. After seeing her live in concert in November of last year, I believed even more firmly that Simz is one of the best rappers alive.
4. Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You - Ethel Cain
Another installation of the lore-heavy sonic universe created and inspired by Hayden Silas Anhedönia, otherwise known by the same name as her title character Ethel Cain, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You serves as part two and a prequel to the trilogy that her 2022 album Preacher’s Daughter introduced. This Americana, slowcore project delves into the depths of doomed young love, generational trauma, and disillusionment over the course of its sprawling seventy-three-minute runtime. While much of this project’s tracks are intentionally and methodically drawn out, its peaks are among the highest of the previous year, with tracks like “Nettles” and “Tempest” stealing the show with their inescapably poetic lyricism. “‘Cause baby I’ve never seen brown eyes look so blue” still twists the knife every time. I can’t wait to watch this trilogy conclude once Hayden is ready to tell the rest of her compelling and heart-wrenching story.
3. Let God Sort Em Out - Clipse
The reunion of Clipse’s founding brothers Pusha T and Malice is exactly what hip-hop needed in 2025. Not only is this project as hard-hitting and downright fun as their past work, like 2006’s classic Hell Hath No Fury, but Let God Sort Em Out showcases a maturity and emotional vulnerability that humanizes the brothers more than ever before. The album’s opening track, “The Birds Don’t Sing”, discusses and reflects on the passing of the brothers’ parents in the time since their most recent project, setting an emotional tone for the rest of the album. But that isn’t to say that the brash confidence of these two is gone — in fact, it’s stronger than ever. Tracks like “Chains & Whips” and “P.O.V” also employ the use of collaborations and features masterfully, with Tyler, The Creator and Kendrick Lamar offering some of the best verses of the year, respectively. This project’s production is top-notch, its melodies are infectious earworms, and the aura of Let God Sort Em Out is unmatched. Despite strong competition, this is by far the best rap album of the past year.
2. The Art of Loving - Olivia Dean
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I know. I get it. This is one of the more unexpected selections that I’ve ever made on a top albums list, especially considering its very high placement at my number two spot for 2025. What you may be even more interested by is the fact that Olivia Dean was my top artist of 2025 according to Spotify’s Wrapped. Yes, I’m serious. I know.
But you, like I wasn’t, also shouldn’t be surprised. The Art of Loving is one of the most soulful, romantic, and uplifting albums of the decade so far. Olivia Dean’s ability to deliver timeless, vulnerable, jazzy pop music in a modern context is second to none. Songs like “Man I Need,” “So Easy (To Fall In Love),” and “Let Alone The One You Love” sound like they’ve always existed. And the emotional finale of “I’ve Seen It,” an interpolation of Bill Withers’ “Just The Two of Us” is simply exquisite. Dean is warm, welcoming, audaciously-talented, and we are lucky that she is sharing her gift to tap into this genre of music so delightfully with the world. This album served as the soundtrack for my Maui honeymoon, and I will continue to return to its brilliance for years to come.
1. Vanisher, Horizon Scraper - Quadeca
Vanisher, Horizon Scraper was easily my top selection for best album of 2025. The artistic progression we are witness from Ben Lasky, known by his performing name of Quadeca, is unrivaled and truly inspiring. I knew that we were in for a treat once the intentionality of this album’s rollout became clear — every detail accounted for, not a single stone unturned. Then came the singles to introduce the new era: “GODSTAINED” and its Bossa Nova-inspired art pop, “MONDAY” and its progressive baroque tendencies, and “FORGONE” and its progressive chamber pop sprawl. What I could never have imagined was how Ben would be able to tie these tracks from one to the next so seamlessly, creating a narrative depiction of the sailor’s journey that explores individualism, existentialism, the search for meaning, and a futile pursuit of the impossible. This project’s themes and tracks resonated with me on a very deeply personal level, and the cyclical structure of this narrative is continually submerging in all of the best ways.
What truly sets this album apart as an incredible work of art, though, is its accompanying film. Not just a cheap visualizer, but a full-length narrative in-and-of itself with some of the most creative, symbolic, memorable, and cinematic imagery I have ever seen put behind a concept album. If you haven’t yet, you owe it to yourself to get lost in the world of Vanisher, Horizon Scraper as I have many times. You can do so by clicking this link. I can’t wait to discover the universe that Quadeca introduces to us next.
And there we have it! Always my favorite blog post to write, my top albums of the previous year list is complete, and there are so many great projects to revisit and choose from. What music did you get into last year? Which projects are you looking forward to or hopeful for in 2026?
Quadeca
Album Review: Vanisher, Horizon Scraper
Quadeca’s fifth studio album, Vanisher, Horizon Scraper, might be his most expansive project to date. Fourteen tracks, nearly 69 minutes, and a full-length film that’s just as bold as the music itself. From the opening notes of “No Questions Asked,” you’re pulled into a windswept, apocalyptic folk saga — part philosophical journey, part descent into madness.
In many ways, this album feels like a fully evolved version of his most recent project I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You. That album lived in grief and isolation, wrapped in spectral, experimental arrangements. Vanisher blows that world wide open. Where Haunt You felt static and internal, Vanisher is outward-facing and mythic, leaning into the shape of an epic quest. You can hear The Odyssey all over this record: a lone sailor chasing purpose, navigating a dangerous sea of illusions, regret, and moments of fleeting beauty. But unlike Homer’s hero, Quadeca’s protagonist never comes home. The journey is the destination — and the curse.
The album is built like a modern myth, with each song playing out as a trial or temptation pulling him deeper into the unknown. Quadeca blends ambient textures and orchestral swells with folk instrumentation and experimental minimalism, giving the music a constant sense of drift. Tracks like “THUNDRRR” are dazzling not just musically but visually in the accompanying film, where lightning cuts across black oceans in perfect sync with the song’s chaotic crescendos. And quieter pieces like “I DREAM ABOUT SINKING” are just as vital, giving the narrative space to breathe and make the storms hit harder.
One of the album’s biggest peaks is “FORGONE,” a nearly eight-minute centerpiece that grows from hushed piano to gospel-sized catharsis before falling apart into silence. That collapse leads straight into the closing track.“CASPER (with Maruja),” whose post-rock textures and whispered vocals mirror the fragility of the album’s opening. In the film, the sequence is unforgettable: Quadeca’s character bobs in and out of water as space and time dissolve around him, finally consumed by the cycle he’s been trying to break. It’s one of those endings that stays with you long after — and makes you want to start the album again.
That cyclical structure is what makes Vanisher so addictive. It ends where it began, but everything feels different the second time through. It’s a story that resonates deeply with young people still finding their way, because it captures how early adulthood can feel like a loop of searching, rebuilding, and second-guessing. There’s comfort and fear in that repetition, and Quadeca leans into both. The lyrics are dense with metaphor: water as erasure, radio static as memory loss, longing as self-destruction. He’s both narrator and doomed protagonist, and by the time the mythic Bakunawa (brought chillingly to life by Danny Brown) devours the moon, you feel the inevitability of it all.
If I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You was emotional excavation, Vanisher, Horizon Scraper is the summit. A full concept pushed into operatic folk-epic territory. Ambitious in every sense but never indulgent. Like The Odyssey, it balances introspection with forward motion, knowing that the beauty of the journey lies in its cycles.
Ultimately, Vanisher, Horizon Scraper isn’t just a record — it’s a voyage that’s expansive, hypnotic, and heavy with meaning. It’s myth-making for a generation still trying to figure out who they are and where they’re headed. It pulls you in with its scale, keeps you hooked with its storytelling, and leaves you changed when it swallows you whole. Like the ocean it depicts, it’s impossible to fully grasp — and that’s exactly what keeps you diving back in again and again.
Favorite tracks: All
SCORE: 10/10
Album Review: I Didn't Mean To Haunt You - Quadeca
Creating a concept album is one of the most difficult challenges that a musician can partake in. Often centering around a linear narrative or discussing specific topics in-depth, concept albums require an intense attention to detail and ability to continually captivate their listeners without becoming stale or repetitive. When executed poorly, these projects can come off as pretentious or overambitious, but when pulled off successfully, concept albums are able to offer compelling messages that resonate more with listeners than standard albums do. I Didn’t Mean To Haunt You, released recently by Los Angeles native rapper, artist, and YouTuber Quadeca, is one of the most intriguing concept albums released this year. Its creative perspective, heartbreaking honesty, and authentic vulnerability elevate Quadeca’s artistry to new heights that I previously thought unachievable for the 22-year-old rising star.
I Didn’t Mean To Haunt You’s foundation is a subversion and new interpretation of two widely-discussed topics: death and grief. Instead of being told from the perspective of someone who has lost a loved one, I Didn’t Mean To Haunt You is told from the perspective of someone who has died and is mourning the life and loved ones that they left behind. Sitting uncomfortably in an in-between state, the album’s narrator deals with the stages of grief and feelings of loss as they watch others cope with their new absence. This ambitious and captivating approach pairs perfectly with the album’s otherworldly ambiance and aesthetic — hauntingly ambient instrumental tracks and layered vocals create a ghostly delivery that will not be soon forgotten.
The album’s opening track “sorry4dying” is the perfect introduction to the narrator’s circumstances. This piano-backed and melodic track portrays someone who is realizing that they are now in the afterlife, situating themselves in relation to those who they left behind. The central conflict for the project is introduced here, as well, in the lines “I just want to hold you / Without haunting,” as the narrator realizes that holding on to the life they once lived will bring distress to those he just wants to reconnect with again. “tell me a joke”, one of the projects lead singles, sees the narrator reflect on the shortcomings of their life, culminating in the idea that their existence was a joke filled with hardships and difficulties. Like many of the songs on this album, this track builds and crescendos into a symphonic finale that incorporates all of the song’s elements at once, layered masterfully over one another.
“don’t mind me” is a haunting and downright depressing appeal to the narrator’s mother who is grieving her late son. The narrator wants her to move on, but going through his belongings keeps him in her memory. The song’s uptempo delivery understates just how intensely melancholic its messaging is. “picking up hands” is next - an acoustic and ambient offering that sees our narrator intensely mourning his childhood and upbringing from the other side. This track is slightly less sonically inventive than the others on the album, but its subject matter is consistent with the rest of the project. “born yesterday” is a highlight and served as the lead single for the album, paired with an incredible music video. This glitchy rap-influenced track finds the narrator finally accepting and coming to terms with his death, a perfect transition into the interlude like “the memories we lost in translation”.
Up until this point, I was thoroughly impressed with this album. That’s why with “house settling” onward, I was completely blown away by Quadeca’s artistic capability, as these are some of the best songs released in 2022, an already competitive and abundant year for music in general. While this track is largely open to interpretation, it has been confirmed that Danny Brown’s feature is told from the perspective of carbon monoxide, so do with that what you will. The production quality is immensely impressive here, outmatched only by the following track. “knots” was quickly in song of the year contention upon my first listen. Sounding like a combination of BROCKHAMPTON and Death Grips, this electro-experimental song impresses from beginning to end and serves as an entire experience in its own right. “fantasyworld” has a tough act to follow, but it does so hauntingly and beautifully, as the narrator reflects on the many experiences that we tend to put off in life. Doing so from the other side of death is a harsh and poignant reminder to make the most of the life we have. Deep stuff, handled masterfully.
“fractions of infinity” comes next and reminds me of the gorgeously ambient and transcendent tracks that Pink Floyd got famous releasing. The Sunday Service Choir’s repetition of “Those words don’t do you justice” won’t leave my mind after multiple listens - depicting just how deeply our narrator feels now and how they did throughout their time on Earth. “cassini’s division” is one of the more artistic and experimental tracks on the album, serving as a narrative conclusion as the album’s speaker evolves into static between life and death, letting go of all of their grief, anguish, and trauma. With almost three minutes of static to finish the song, I can see many viewing this conclusion as confusing if not unsettling, but I find that it serves Quadeca’s artistic vision well.
This project’s conceptualization is dark; to engage with it is to accept one’s mortality and empathically relate to the narrator’s grief and mourning of the waking world. But great art wants to be truly understood. Quadeca’s decision to expose his most vulnerable ruminations on this project is nothing short of admirable, and the dedication and care put into every track is palpable. While not every song here has a lasting effect on me, the whole is so much greater than the sum of its individual parts. Deeply philosophical, narratively captivating, and hauntingly intelligent, I Didn’t Mean To Haunt You sets a new bar of artistry and standard of excellence for the wickedly skilled Quadeca.
Favorite tracks: “sorry4dying”, “tell me a joke”, “don’t mind me”, “born yesterday”, “house settling”, “knots”, “fantasyworld”, “fractions of infinity”, “cassini’s division”
SCORE: 8/10