It’s That Time of the Year Again
Well, it’s that time of the year again. All the end-of-the-year lists are coming out, so I thought I’d join in on the fun and put out my favorite records of 2025. There were A LOT of good ones to choose from this year, and I spent a lot of time listening to many of them. So let’s just get right to my top 10.
The List
10) Geese “Getting Killed”—This one is an adventurous album that showcases Geese at their most ambitious yet on this, their 4th album. It does a great job of blending groove‑heavy rhythms, fun instrumentation, and lyrical eccentricity with raw emotional energy. Some standout tracks for me are Husbands, Bow Down, Trinidads, and Au Pays du Cocaine. DISCOGS
9) Health “Conflict DLC”—As you’ll see on this list, I love a band/artist that blends all kinds of different genres, and that’s what Health continues to do on their newest album. It’s an ambitious album, and you’ll hear them pushing their industrial and metal instincts into sharper focus while keeping moments of melody and emotional depth. They explore loss, existential dread, anxiety, and disconnectedness in the digital age. DISCOGS
8) NIN “Tron: Ares Soundtrack”—I know it might seem weird to include a soundtrack on this list, but it’s two of my favorite things combined into one. I love Nine Inch Nails, and I love the Tron movies and the music that goes along with them. So when I heard they were doing the music for the new movie, I was super stoked to hear it. And it did not disappoint. It does a great job of blending synthetic beats, pulsing electro rhythms, dark ambience, and layered textures, making it sound like a perfect modern industrial take on what a Tron score should sound like today. DISCOGS
7) Cameron Whitcomb “The Hard Way”—This album is about as vulnerable as it gets. It chronicles Whitcomb’s journey through addiction, recovery, self-doubt, heartbreak, and growth. It mixes folk, rock, and punk-leaning pop elements, reflecting his varied influences and his refusal to be boxed into one sound, which I absolutely love. Check out some of my favorite tracks like “Quitter,” “Options,” and “Medusa.” DISCOGS
6) Royel Otis “Hickey”—This is the sophomore album from the Australian duo, and it packs so many catchy tracks onto this new album. It navigates breakup confusion, romantic longing, and messy relationships but is produced in an upbeat way that contrasts with the emotional content. Super solid stuff from them. DISCOGS
5) Sleep Token “Even In Arcadia”—I LOVE this band. Their albums Sundowning and Take Me Back To Eden are a couple of my go-to albums when I’m rocking out in the car. But I’ll be honest, when I first listened to this new album, I was really split on it. I really loved tracks like “Emergence” and “Caramel,” but thought some tracks leaned into the pop realm a little too much for me. But after repeated listens, I started to like it more and more. It’s certainly a polarizing, ambitious album that pushes their sound further into genre-blending territory, which I now appreciate more after many listens. DISCOGS
4) Wet Leg “Moisturizer”—This is the band’s 2nd album, and you can tell they’re really coming into their own on this one. They’ve built on their quirky post-punk/indie roots while still having fun with nods to things like Pokemon; they also get more vulnerable on this one with heartfelt explorations of love. DISCOGS
3) Wisp “If Not Winter”—I’m a huge sucker for shoegaze, and this album had me falling in love with it super fast. Wisp had been releasing singles on social media that built up her following, leading to this debut album that is a more modern take on shoegaze/dream pop with heavy layers of reverb, distortion, and soft, breathy vocals. Some standout tracks for me include “Sword,” “Breath Onto Me,” “Save Me Now,” and “Get Back To Me.” I can’t recommend this album enough. DISCOGS
2) Turnstile “NEVER ENOUGH”—If my number one album wasn’t released this year, this would have been my top pick. This was the band’s first album in 4 years, and man, did it deliver. This album perfectly blends various genres together, like hardcore, pop, funk, synth-laden indie, and even ambient elements, giving it so many layers of sound. You still get their hardcore roots on songs like “BIRDS” and “SOLE,” but you also hear them expanding their sound on tracks like “SEEIN’ STARS” and “MAGIC MAN.” DISCOGS
1) Deftones “Private Music”—This being #1 was a slam dunk for me. I’ve been a Deftones fan since Around the Fur came out in 1997, and they’re still delivering amazing music all these years later. Now I’ll be honest, they’ve had some less than stellar albums since Saturday Night Wrist was released in 2006, but they more than made up for it on this one. They give you hard in-your-face tracks like “milk of the madonna” and “my mound is a mountain,” and then slow it down on a track like “i think about you all the time,” giving it a melodic contrast to heavier tracks. Sometimes it takes me a few listens to an album to really get into it, but they had me hooked on this one after one listen and then kept me coming back for more. DISCOGS
