Spencer’s Top Ten Albums of 2025

Is this all we got?

I’ll get right to the point: this year was a disappointment for me, musically. In spite of a large number of albums releasing this year, many of my most anticipated records fell flat. So many were forgettable, unoriginal, or just plain boring. You’d be forgiven for thinking that the music industry phoned it in this year. However, there were a couple of bright spots that tempered my overall dismay with this year’s releases. In particular, the top four albums this year really stood out. They’re albums you want to go back to again and again, just to eke out a little more with each return. The rest of the list is quite good, but those albums still have weak spots or lulls. Still, they’re better than the rest! But enough about the negatives, it’s time to celebrate what makes these albums great. So without further ado, here are the albums that came out this year that are most worth your time!

Album #10: Better Dreaming by Tune-Yards

I kind of forgot this album came out. Upon re-listening, unlike most of those albums where I was reminded why they had so little staying power in my mind, I realized I had moved past Better Dreaming too fast. An album that revolves around liberation and movement, the latest record from Merrill Garbus and musical/life partner Nate Brenner is a celebration. Returning back to the band’s roots of drum loops and strong rhythms means that the melodies cut through more clearly than on previous records sketchy. and I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life. The result is an album you can dance to nearly the whole way through, with a few quiet spots for contemplation. The highlight of the album is “Limelight”, carried by a funky bass line and a steady drumbeat that builds excitement for an upcoming jubilee. And what other word is there for the consistent theme of the record except jubilation? So if you need to let loose a little and leave your worries behind, all you need to do is throw on Better Dreaming, and the rest will take care of itself.

Album #9: Oxis 7 by Oxis

Oxis is one of a handful of artists I discovered via TikTok this year — a solo artist whose videos show her making music on the floor of a mostly empty apartment looping certain tracks bit by bit over each other until they make a melody you can’t help but smile at, while glitches appear on top of her and her instruments keep up with the rhythm of the music. Part of her running theming is that every song is named for a fish, and there are certainly plenty of fish left in the sea for her to choose from. While fairly short, this album is enjoyable front to back, and leaves you wanting just a bit more at the end of each song. The standout track is viral hit “Long Sardine” whose loops are oddly hypnotizing and satisfying (also recommended are her mashup tracks mixing the instrumentals with her covering the lyrics of other songs like “Mr. Brightside” and “Skinny Love”). The song feels like an August summer day, with a touch of forlorn feelings, with the season fleeting as you look back at what you once had. Oxis 7 is the kind of soothing record that you throw on when you want to feel nostalgic for a time you can’t quite place, for the possibilities of what might have been. And true to theme, it simultaneously feels like an underwater voyage, where each track is your brief companion before it swims away, only for another underwater denizen to find you and keep you company, just for a little while.

Album #8: Let God Sort Em Out by Clipse

There’s not a doubt in my mind that Let God Sort Em Out is the best rap album of 2025. I hadn’t heard of Clipse prior to this year, but that makes sense — they haven’t put out an album since 2009, and in the meantime their members were putting out material under their own names (for example, I definitely knew who Pusha T was, and of course was familiar with Pharrell Williams, their longtime collaborator). And what a comeback this album is! From the jump, we’re thrown into a grapple with grief on “The Birds Don’t Sing” as the brothers sing about the passing of their parents, noting that when the grief overwhelms them they see the world differently — the birds no longer sing, but they screech in shared pain. The very next song, “Chains & Whips”, features a killer verse from Kendrick Lamar, playing both on the idea of having escaped from slavery (chains and whips) and also proving that success via wealth in the form of jewelry and cars (chains and whips). Immediately following this is “P.O.V.” featuring yet another scorching guest verse, this time from Tyler, The Creator. Here the duo confront how each generation of rappers has engaged with dope, with Malice stating almost directly that his generation sold it, and the new generation uses it, to everyone’s detriment.

The depth shown throughout Let God Sort Em Out makes it stand out relative to its competition this year, elevated by the stunning features and collaborations that make the album more than the sum of its parts. If you’re looking for the best of rap this year, this is it.

Album #7: Sinners (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Various Artists

This year has made me throw out one of my old rules: no soundtracks on the official list; they are to be reserved for honorable mentions only. But with what we had to work with this year, I’m setting that rule aside — plus, it was mainly intended to apply to collections of instrumental background tracks, which this album is very much not (see the Sinners original score if you want that — also fantastic in its own right).

Talk about a film that was all about its music! Sinners was one of my favorite films to be released this year, and it accomplished that rare feat in fiction of having their diegetic great musician perform some actually great IRL music. I was blown away upon learning that this was Miles Caton’s first ever role in a film, as he plays his part perfectly, but he was cast for his musical skills, and boy does it show. The way he croons on “I Lied To You” and brings the freestyle jamming vibes on “Travelin’” simply must crack a smile on your face.

But of course, Miles is not the only artist bringing the heat on this album. Jayme Lawson gives us a great new Halloween track with “Pale, Pale Moon” and we get some traditional Irish flair from Jack O’Connell and Lola Kirke on “Rocky Road to Dublin” and “Will Ye Go, Lassie Go?” respectively. We’re also treated to a version of “Pale, Pale Moon” sung by Brittany Howard that may be even more fun than the version from the film.

We get more insight into the film itself with the inclusion of the original recording of “Pick Poor Robin Clean” by Lillie Mae “Geetchie” Wiley right at the end of the album, reminding us that the song was written and performed by a black woman, so in the film when Remmick picks this song to sing to try to enter the juke joint he’s trying to set our heroes at ease with something familiar, but fails by picking a tune that completely misses the vibe of the joint and sounds both creepy and wrong from his voice.

All of this makes the Sinners soundtrack truly different from your average film soundtrack that left me listening to it for weeks on end after leaving the theaters.

Album #6: TRON: Ares (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Nine Inch Nails

So. We all know TRON: Ares was a bad movie. There’s the Jared Leto of it all, the poor writing and confusing plot — I won’t make excuses for any of it. But it is also true that every Tron movie has been a mediocre film accompanied by a banger soundtrack. Famously, Daft Punk composed the soundtrack for TRON: Legacy and Wendy Carlos for the original Tron. And now, for TRON: Ares, Nine Inch Nails has stepped up to the plate. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross have been film composers in their own right for over a decade now, starting with their Oscar-winning score for The Social Network in 2010, but this is their first time making a score under the NIN moniker. Why the change? Well first and foremost we have multiple tracks that include Trent singing on them, rather than sticking solely to instrumentals. Secondly, people (who aren’t me) don’t get hyped over seeing a score is composed by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross. They do get hyped over seeing a score is composed by Nine Inch Nails. And, to be clear, the hype is correct.

This album from top to bottom is the electronic industrial world of the computers of Tron. Frankly, I think it would be warranted to say that the film should be regarded as an accompaniment to this album, rather than the other way around — it’s one big music video for NIN. “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” feels like the endgame of NIN going full electronic, being digitized themselves while preserving the energy and intensity they’ve been known for their whole career. Meanwhile, “Who Wants To Live Forever?” brings out the softness reminiscent of “Hurt” or “La Mer” putting the versatility of the band on full display. And of course, the instrumental tracks are Trent and Atticus at their best, crafting the haunting, exciting, and tense atmospheres only they can create. Sorry Sinners, I love you, but this right here is the best soundtrack of the year.

Album #5: EUSEXUA by FKA twigs

Picture this: you’re in the club. It’s past midnight. Strobe lights, all around you. Bodies, sweaty, faceless in the dark, dancing all around you, their shapes difficult to discern in the gloom. Your own identity is lost in the crowd as you become one with your surroundings. What music accompanies this surreal experience? FKA twig’s EUSEXUA. The fourth album from the English artist comes to claim its rightful place as the forefront of sexual expression at the edges of social acceptance, pushing the boundaries of experience. On “Perfect Stranger” FKA twigs explores the intimacy that comes from dancing with someone you don’t know. That your dancing partner knows nothing about you only adds to the experience. The baggage of the past is left behind for the moment — no need to dwell on anything but the here and now. The same sentiment expanded to an entire room of strangers is laced into “Room of Fools” as the feeling of euphoria described by the term “eusexua” is approached. The album concludes with “Wanderlust” and captures the moment you find yourself outside the club once again, as the feelings from the evening subside, and it is only then that the rest of life comes flooding back, and all your decisions are suddenly important once more, creating a longing to return to that state of euphoria in which all your troubles were no more. When listening to EUSEXUA, we can at least temporarily reach this state ourselves.

Album #4: Virgin by Lorde

If Lorde was looking for a comeback after the lull that was 2021’s Solar Power, there is no doubt in my mind that she’s found it in Virgin. An album that directly deals with her exploration of her gender identity, and what it means to feel fluid between various states, eschewing any clear labels, Virgin brings both the intensity and lyrical intricacies that made us all fall in love with Melodrama. A return to the electronic instrumentation is not the only welcome change on this album — Lorde also goes on a clear journey of introspection. Starting with “Hammer” where she expresses her own identity as having become muddled, she turns to outside sources for answers (“Take an aura picture, read it and tell me who I am”). Elsewhere, on “Man Of The Year” Lorde wonders whether she will ever experience the kind of love she gives to the partners in her relationships, or if she can give that love to herself at all. Finally, the hammer chips away at the marble to reveal the final sculpture: “David”. The acceptance comes of the woman and man inside her, coexisting and eschewing any precise labels or a box to fit in. And as the song begins to collapse in on itself Lorde asks if she will ever love again now that she’s undergone such travails to just accept herself as she is.

Out the other side we have an album that is Lorde at her peak, bringing the sort of heat that has made her one of the biggest pop stars in the world, and Virgin proves it is deservedly so.

Album #3: moisturizer by Wet Leg

I don’t know why it is that Wet Leg seems to have found themselves in the crosshairs of “the discourse,” but for whatever reason I saw numerous accusations that they were industry plants without real talent, that the success of their self-titled debut was a fluke that should be forgotten. moisturizer proves that Wet Leg is no fluke. Fun from top to bottom, the duo from the Isle of Wight return to their signature heavy guitars and tongue-in-cheek lyrics for their sophomore record. With the newfound romance between the duo threaded throughout the record, the album alternates between the fun that comes from mutual admiration and attraction, and flipping off the rest of the world for daring to try to diminish them. The results are some of this year’s most danceable songs, including banger hit single “catch these fists” which contains so much hype it’s bursting with energy.

The album opens with “CPR” in which Rhian Teasdale sings about how she needs to be resuscitated as a result of her critical condition: being in love. The extremes of love are a common theme throughout the album, made explicit on tracks like “pillow talk” in which she practically begs her lover to be together in a more intimate manner (“Every night I fuck my pillow, I wish I was fucking you”; “You wanna eat me, I’ll be your carrot/Are you a bunny? I’ll let you have it”). The bursting of emotions here is accompanied by rip-tearing riffs that force you to get up and move. If you’re looking for a rock-forward band to jam with, Wet Leg has everything you need.

Album #2: Equus Caballus by Men I Trust

When Men I Trust released Equus Asinus in March, I’ll admit I was a little disappointed. The album was incredibly soft, quiet, and slow — it just wasn’t sticking with me. With the release of the Canadian trio’s second album of the year, Equus Caballus, it is clear that they were saving the best for last. Equus Caballus is the height of indie dream-pop, pulling together the band’s best singles from the past few years (“Billie Toppy”, “Ring of Past”, “Husk”), reworked to be even better somehow, sprinkled among ten new songs that bring a vibe reminiscent of early Clairo or a stripped-back version of Beach House. Men I Trust epitomize what it means to have an ethereal sound, with Emma Proulx’s vocals feeling like a wisp on the wind that could slip away at any moment if you let your mind wander. And yet wander your mind will, as the band takes you through stories of love and longing and nostalgia for days gone by, with time both preserved in a moment and simultaneously falling through your fingers. It’s the perfect album to throw on at a lo-fi party — everyone will love it, and it won’t overpower the vibes, but if someone’s really paying attention they’ll know you have impeccable taste.

Aside from the reworked singles, the standouts here are “Hard To See”, “In My Years”, and “Worn Down”. Dashing between light glittery synths, breezy guitars, and a cool bass line to accompany the steady drumbeat, these songs are a kind of out of body experience, and feel as though they’ve been whispered in your ear from on high. When everything is strung together, Equus Caballus can be heard as dispatches from the angels, that we mere mortals get the chance to glimpse while we can.

Album #1: It’s A Beautiful Place by Water From Your Eyes

Water From Your Eyes is not new to the music scene but this year I was new to them. The seventh studio album from the Chicago duo, It’s A Beautiful Place combines guitars and synths to explore the expanses of planet Earth, from the sublime to the astronomical. The opening and closing tracks of the album, “One Small Step” and “For Mankind” respectively, reference Neil Armstrong’s famous first words as humankind first walked on the moon, while serving as discordant bookends, both making the songs in between feeling removed from and observant of humanity. Water From Your Eyes don’t shy away from telling you directly what their album is about — on “Life Signs”, the first non-instrumental track, Rachel Brown sings “What’s on the record?/Life in a small town/Fifth and a first sound” which zooms in with the listener to the cosmically microscopic, before immediately following up with the energetic “Nights in Armor” which conjures images of clashing stars.

The highlight of the album is the absolute banger “Playing Classics” which may just be the ultimate dance song. Inspired by and clearly building upon Charli XCX’s “Club Classics”, the song starts with a rapid hi-hat and a pulsing synth beat, before switching over to piano and layering in a heavy guitar riff, and it all just plays together heavenly. And if the instrumentals weren’t enough to get you hooked, Brown’s speak-talk voice completes the picture with a sense of clairvoyant urgency that makes her sound like the oracle come down from the montain with just the message we need to hear right now, but the hallucinogens from the cave are still wearing off.

The cohesiveness with which this album flows from start to finish cannot be overstated. At the end of each song you’re pulled right into the next, and you just can’t help but want to listen on — and when the album ends, the closing song loops perfectly back into the opener, so you can keep the record spinning again and again sans interruption. I, for one, have already done this countless times since I first listened to the album back in August, and I have no doubt I will continue to do so in the months and years to come. It’s A Beautiful Place is the best album of the year.

And that’s a wrap! Let’s hope next year clears the bar for music better than this year. As always, I’ve got a playlist below of all the albums from this year’s list for your listening convenience. For what to expect next year, Magdalena Bay sure has been releasing a lot of singles, and I for one really hope that means a new album is on the way. Robyn, Courtney Barnett, and Spoon all also had late-year singles that hopefully indicate forthcoming albums, so we already have a few possible releases to look forward to. See you all next year for the next review!