End of the year – you know what time it is.
A wise man named Smash (but it’s Dr. Mouth to you) once said “the years start coming and they don’t stop coming”. He was so right for that. 2025 felt a decade long, but also it’s already December again. What’s that about? Not a fan!
Some real bullshit in the world this year, dude! I know it’s not what you came here to read about, so I won’t get into it. But if life feels more and more like circling the drain these days, I get it, and implore you to hang in there. Yes, Dr. Mouth, our world is also on fire – but every now and then we get a One Battle After Another. Or go to Red Rocks for the first time. Or compete in a parallel parking contest. Or watch stand up comedy in a park on a summer afternoon. And it’s like, oh shit, life is pretty tight actually!
Wonderful year in music though – it was tough narrowing down to 50 selections. Can you believe I did it? Applause break please. My fun little annual project at the end of every year is to count down my list over the course of a week on Instagram stories – it’s not the ideal platform for something like that, but I like to think of it as an exercise in concise (and very casual) writing since there’s a limit on space for text. Below you’ll find my favorite albums of the year, with all of those little blurbs. If you don’t care about any of that, scroll to the bottom of this page for a screenshot of the list in its entirety.
If you’d like to save a playlist with samples from each album found on this list, please click here for Apple Music, and here for Spotify.
- Moving Mountains – Pruning of the Lower Limbs
In reality, any of the top 3 could be in this spot. After barfing up The Starting Line’s blurb found below, it feels insane to call this the definitive # 1. But out of the three, this is the only one I didn’t expect to ever hear. The Moving Mountains self titled record of 2013 is my favorite album of all time. I could not have dreamed that the tiny, under appreciated band who broke up shortly after releasing it would ever return, let alone release something that so accurately picks up where they left off. An instant classic in this household. What an album, what a surprise, what a year. - Dijon – Baby
I will push up my stupid little glasses and be one of dozens (dozens!) to claim ground floor real estate on Dijon’s career. Finding the first Ahbi//Dijon tape on AbsolutePunk 10 years ago was one of the best come ups in my history on this forum – shout out to whoever it might’ve been that put me on. He’s been on the way up since his 2021 debut LP as a solo artist, but his meteoric rise to pop star collaborating, Paul Thomas Anderson casted, tastemaking cultural phenomenon in 2025 has been nothing short of astounding. This was his year. And it couldn’t have happened at a better time, or with a better album. It is indeed a summation of his influences, but no one could make this besides Dijon. He is singular. - The Starting Line – Eternal Youth
It’s 2003 – you’re 12 years old, standing alone in a crowd at your first concert. Sum 41 and No Use For A Name, Celebrity Theatre. Some band called The Starting Line takes the stage to open. You buy their CD the next day. You fall in love.
It’s 2008 – your friend’s band takes you on tour and you wind up at Bamboozle, on stage with The Starting Line, surrounded by various other heroes, screaming their hit song to a teary eyed festival crowd. It is their last show
It’s 2025 – you stare at a release date on your phone. 9/26. It has been long since 2008 was considered their last show, and the prospect of a new album has become more “when” than “If”. But you read that date make an unholy noise as if it was a “never”. You listen to the single 19 times that day (for real). You punch the air, you strum invisible guitars. You think of your old friend Amanda, who your entire adult relationship was founded on this band, and think about how much she would have loved this. How unfair it is that shitty people get to live forever and how fortunate you are to be alive. You immediately take to the album, which is as musically risky as it is exactly the band you know and love. You drive to Seattle with your wife and brother man to see the band for the 12th time. You are 13 again. Your back hurts the next day. You were not actually 13 again. Ouch. You spend autumn making memories to new music by your favorite band. Youth may not be literally eternal, but The Starting Line is. You let a bunch of words about it flow from your thumbs while careening across the country at 30,000ft above the ground. You thank The Starting Line. - Charmer – Downpour
What started as an album I was casually anticipating became a sleeper hit for me. Knew it’d be high on the list, if not only for the amount time spent with it – but when push came to shove in the ranking process, it finally occurred to me how far in love I’d fallen. I guess the band *is* called Charmer, shoulda seen that coming. A relentlessly catchy, over-before-you-know-it emo rock record. Absolutely nothing to trim. I will promise you this is not just weighted so heavily due to the token Dragonball Z reference on each record, if you promise to not check behind my back for crossed fingers. - Greet Death – Die In Love
Would you look at that, another band that just keeps getting better! The Greet Death concoction of shoegaze, doom, post punk and indie pop is simply at an all time high. While I have to recognize the vast improvement that both sides of this dual singer relationship have improved, I would be remiss to not once again praise Harper’s astounding melodic growth. It’s goosebumps every single time I hear her kick into the chorus of Emptiness Is Everywhere. - Cloakroom – Last Leg of The Human Table
The first album to really beat my ass this year. Cloakroom is known for crafting fuzzy space rock tunes not unlike the classic 90s pioneers, namely Hum. The songwriting feels a little more streamlined on this one, which can often be mistaken for less ambition in various rock subgenres, but has proven to be a net positive for the overall diversity in sound. The structuring of Ester Wind feels like a call back to the angst of early Weezer, where Bad Larry sends you straight to an introspective golden hour on a private beach. Many transcendent moments sprinkled through this thing. - Men I Trust – Equus Caballus
The two albums in a year thing almost never fully works for me – the second seldom lives up to the first. I don’t know why that is! Maybe I’m broken. In this case, it’s the second album that basically buried the first one alive. Men I Trust are known for a sexy dream pop sound that blends R&B bass lines with glittering clean guitars, all of which they employ here with the prowess of a band who barely notices the audience swooning over them. Endlessly replayable stuff. - Hayley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
On this forum and across various other friend circles, this felt like most ubiquitous, totally monocultural album event of the year. Not every day one of the biggest artists on earth drops 17 individual singles, insists it is NOT an album, and has no specific sequencing. Then 3 more singles spread throughout the year? Come on. She dominated the conversation. And not just because of all that – the album it became is also one of Hayley’s best, Paramore or otherwise. She’s one of the most eclectic songwriters we’ve got right now, and wears her heart on her sleeve like there was never another option. Most will not express themselves as precisely in their lives. If the pen is mightier than the sword, then she showed up with a loaded gun. - Hannah Cohen – Earthstar Mountain
Feels like a record that has been around forever. Premium classic rock, folk, and psychedelic vibes flowing throughout the whole thing – truly would not be surprised to learn that she discovered some completely unknown album from 1973 and covered the whole thing while hoping no one noticed. Biiig windows down music. Some of the vocal performances here are what I imagine Homer thought the sirens sounded like. - Great Grandpa – Patience, Moonbeam
Albums like this are too rare anymore. It’s not just the chameleonic swings it aims toward a breadth of sounds at once, but the transitions, recurring motifs, the peaks and valleys, and the overall sense of wonder that can happen when five people link up and just do the damn thing (as in making music. Not small orgies). No big single here, just demands a front to back listen. On the occasion I do cue up a random song from it, it’s like powering on the hotel TV to a scene in the middle of Heat – no matter where you start, you’re finishing that sucker. - Jay Som - Belong
Jay Som is one among a handful of artists posted this week who make my list every time she puts a record out. She’s on LP 4 and I’ve been doing this for like… 12, 13 years? She is incredibly consistent. Does anyone else feel like she gets weirdly slept on? She brought in Hayley Williams and Jim Adkins for a couple of features on this record, and if you haven’t heard, lemme tell ya. The chef? Is kissing. - Deftones – private music
I would leave it at “come on, it’s Deftones” if there wasn’t so much to be praised about the vigor they put into this album. Chino is 52 dude! Abe is 55!! And they’re throwing songs like Cut Hands into the mix? That song would be enough to kill a pilgrim with the right headphones on. Many bands would ve vaulted a spike with Gen Z into something half baked. Deftones played it cool for like three years and then gave us one of the best albums of their career. Living legends. - Audrey Hobert – Who’s The Clown?
Does anyone else remember a few years back when they were supposed to reboot Lizzie McGuire, but she was grown up, living in Da Big City, and it was aimed at young adults? This is like… the audio equivalent of that exact vibe. Audrey’s music is strangely relatable, candid, and often genuinely funny. At the risk of losing you, the storytelling here feels like the learned behavior of a militant Swiftie, but in a “student surpasses the teacher” sort of way. Before June, I would have been shocked to learn the songwriter behind Gracie Abrams would put out one of my top played records in 2025 – it is, however, one of the most charming pop albums I’ve heard in years. Hook after nuclear hook with some of these songs, and the DIY visuals to pair along earn her some big cred. - Billie Marten – Dog Eared
Music for the most pleasant summer-into-autumn afternoons. One of those records that you can’t imagine anyone hating. A goldmine of soft indie rock that just kept giving to my year. I still collect vinyl, albeit a bit more selective about what l pick up these days – the ol shelf is about At Its Limit (The Chair Company reference yes). When I’m standing there, staring at my wax wall of prized debt and wondering what to spin, the answer for the last few months has usually been this. - Superheaven – Superheaven
One of the many unexpected, but highly celebrated returns of 2025. There is probably a small generation of people who’s entire musical awakening was soundtracked by the iconic Will Yip production run of the early 2010s – while this band was squarely in the middle of it all, they felt pretty forgotten about by the end of the decade. Shout out to the kids on TikTok for inexplicably breathing life back into their career. It provoked their best album. - Ruby Haunt - Blinking In The Wind
This band has proven to be one of my favorite lil discoveries over the last few years. There’s been a natural sonic progression that’s been fun to follow – this album landing in a tender landscape of acoustic guitars, pianos, and brushed drums. Maybe the best album art to music pairings on the entirety of this list. Can say it hits like a sledgehammer while on a road trip through the foggy, forested valleys of southern - Nourished By Time – The Passionate Ones
This record deserves more than the very concerted effort at casual, concise, stream of conscious word vomit you’re currently browsing through. A genius R&B, pop, dance, soul, whatever you want to call this, record that insists on perseverance in the wake of struggle – late stage capitalism, police brutality, war crimes, and class divide. It’s not as heavy as that makes it sound either – the ass shaker per capita here is higher than anything else you’ll find on this list. We don’t have to be so average! - Mini Trees – Slow It Down
The Mini Trees debut, which made my list in 2021, sharply fell off for me in the ensuing years. What do you want from me? These lists are a time capsule! This follow up hits way harder for me than the old one ever did though. Fine tuned indie pop tracks with a bounce that don’t stop. Ask me again in 2029 how long it’s been since I’ve listened to this. If I say 3 or more years, you have permission to write my list that year. It’ll all be Al slop by then anyway so that’s your problem pal - Bon Iver – SABLE, fABLE
When Justin Vernon took Dijon, and by proxy Mk.gee, out on the road in 2022, it’s been said that he came away understanding that they were the future of music. I’d only been saying it for years, but sure Mr. Iver!! Yeah sure thing big dog!! What I didn’t do was use that inspiration as a launchpad to create the most inspired music I’d made in a decade. Y’know, like Justin did. I did not see something souful in this way entering his catalogue, but it’s a fantastic color on him - Ovrkast. – While The Iron Is Hot
Kast is one of those guys that feels like he’s mostly just rapping to justify his love for producing. Which is maybe not the the most reassuring indictment to make for what I thillink is the highest placed hip hop record on this year’s list? But hey man, I rank almost strictly on vibes, and this record is one I can pretty much always throw on – even if he doesn’t often have anything very interesting to say. It’s stylish, with some good hooks at play, and a worthy follow up to his 2020 debut. - Anxious – Bambi
By the end of 2024, the lead single for this album had become my third most played song of the year. Damn son that’s a lotta SONG you feel me?? You could not have convinced me back then that the eventual album would wind up being a grower, because managing expectations is for chumps (direct words from my therapist). All that to say, it took time for this record to click, but when I came around, I came around hard. Counting Sheep is still the star though – what a track! - El Michels Affair - 24 Hr Sports
After producing my favorite record of 2024, Leon Michels, who let’s be honest is obviously just Lorne Michaels with some STANK on ’em, continued his own discography with another brilliantly eclectic album. The cohesive meld of decades and genres in this thing is nothing short of a distilled reverence for the artform of sampling. That makes the album sound more dense than it is – be assured it is one of the breeziest records of the year. - Seer Believer - Make A Wish
Nick Manske’s 2020 debut of this solo project was an illustration of what we can assume he didn’t see fit for his primary band, Gleemer. This one carries over some of that sorta post grunge revival sound, but also very much trails off into more interesting territory that feels like it stands more confidently on its own two legs. Stronger hooks, more interesting riffs. Better album, better songs, Papa John’s. - Momma – Welcome To My Blue Sky
Momma hit the ground running and still hasn’t stopped. Their trajectory from intimate bedroom dwelling indie rock to boisterous, sunny 00s clad alternative has had me locked in every step of the way. For my money, they’re still the best doing this kind of thing right now. Guitars are doing just fine!! - Saba / No ID – From The Private Collection of Saba and No ID
If Saba puts a record out, you can pretty much guarantee it’ll land somewhere on this list. Always super impressed with the ground he’s able to cover across a project, and it’s obviously big ups to No ID for helping set the stage on this one. Chicago’s finest rn if you ask me. Well worth the wait and worth the listen. - Dirty Art Club – The Silver Suite
Always bringing that heat. As much as I dig the Yungmorpheus record from a few slides back, I’m gonna keep it a buck and admit I spent way more time with this. Love a beat tape. The arrangements he puts together are the type I just wanna live in – with the replayability factor here, it at times feels like I already do. - MIKE – Showbiz!
I was watching an interview with Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist a few months back, in which the interviewer abruptly asked “who’s the greatest rapper of all time” like it was a new question he just thought of. Interviewers! The bar is on the floor in 2025! Do better! Anyway, Earl shrugged and said it’s MIKE. Which like, no, but also yeah. MIKE’s the goddamn best, and his records just keep getting better. - crushed – no scope
Some Portlandcore for ya. Loooved the EP this duo dropped in 2023, honestly did not know if we were meant to expect more music until this was suddenly announced. From the moment it gets going, No Scope doesn’t really let up on its hazy pop sound – trip hop style drum machines demanding a groove in even its slower tracks. Might be a bug to some, but it’s a feature for me. - YUNGMORPHEUS – A Spyglass To One’s Face
When I heard he was collaborating with producer Dirty Art Club for this, I knew it’d be the first Yungmorpheus album that, for me, had a longer shelf life than its runtime. He’s one of those anomalies who is great at putting out records I dig upon first listen and then forget to ever go back to. The pairing here certainly broke that mold! - Whitney – Small Talk
After kicking off their career with two damn near identical albums (both of which I adore to this day), Whitney tried some new stuff in 2022. As a long time fan, I clung to optimism – but time has revealed it to be their least consistent album. Too much of a stepping stone and not enough of a grand gesture, as if it’s asking for your permission to exist. Thankfully, Small Talk is a wonderfully self-assured course correction! It’s Whitney doing what they do best, making it sound as natural for them to write as it is for me to listen to. - Geese – Getting Killed
The kids are alright, and they’re making albums that nobody will shut da hell up about (compliment). I was super late to the indubitable consensus indie rock critic favorite of the year because, and I am not kidding, until like November I thought everyone was talking about the band Goose, who is decidedly Not For Me. Uhh my bad! This record is insanely good and should probably be ranked higher, but ranking is the worst part of this project so who cares. Kenny Beats producing it is extremely cool. Excited to dig back through their discography – this band was obviously new to me this year. - Ben Quad – Wisher
This is what we call a level up!! It’s been clear for years that this band had a secret spice to put them above your average ten cent riff salad “midwest emo” band, but it felt like they were maybe too steeped in that world to fully lean in on their better tendencies. I think sometimes people forget that pop punk thrives under structure and a well written hook. Or it’s just a skill issue. Either way, it’s no impediment for these fellas. They’ve got juice on tap and are coming for the throne. - Zac Farro – Operator
There is a global conspiracy to make you believe that Hayley Williams is the only member of Paramore that makes music outside of Paramore. In fairness to the puppetmasters, Zac’s solo stuff until now has been… stuff. But this? Man throw this on by a body of water and you’re cookin. Pop it on during those Sunday afternoon errands and your head will bop, my friend. Show it to grandma, brother! She’ll get wide eyed and tell you an unhinged story about her 20s that you’ll wonder if you were better off not knowing. - Mo Lowda & The Humble – Tailing The Ghost
Smooth as butter, this one. Probably would’ve been massive 10-15 years ago, somewhere between the height of Kings of Leon and the rise of Foals. I always love when a record that, by all means, has not been where I’m at musically for ages, comes out of nowhere and just kicks my soft stupid ass. It’s a great reminder of how some things transcend their time and place – it’d be easy to say I like this because it feels nostalgic. No dude, I like it because it actually just rules. - Jim Legxacy – black british music (2025)
This man continues to hit the blend button on genres until something comes out that can only be described as Jim Legacy. I won’t pretend like there aren’t a couple of relatively straightforward bangers here, but by and large you can never be too sure what he’s gonna do next. That kind of thing can sometimes feel like an itch you can’t quite reach – with Jim it feels like a satisfyingly controlled chaos. - Teethe – Magic Of The Sale
Once you get past how this cover is a thing of nightmares, you may find yourself relenting to the unquestionable beauty scattered all over this record. One of the more unique albums to fall under the slowcore tag any time this side of 2020 – lush with dreamy guitars, pedal steel, and orchestral arrangements. Songs like Lead Letters and Hate Goodbyes make me feel like it’s all gonna be alright. The thing on the cover is coming to get me though, and also you. - Garage Sale – Any Day Now
Some of Melbourne’s finest, at it again with a new batch of moody little tunes to mope to. Basement bops, we call them (“we” is just me. Maybe now you too). Parts of it bare heavy resemblance to Armlock – another adored Aussie gem, whom I have a similarly difficult time describing the sound of. There’s also an unconfirmed (I tell myself it’s intentional) Fall Out Boy reference on this record that felt like whiplash the first time I heard it. So, big ups to them for that. Breaking hearts has never looked sooo coooool - Dream, Ivory – When You Come Back, I Have So Much To Tell You
It took a while for these guys to find their footing between the blissfully anonymous dream pop they built a name on, and the upbeat indie pop sound they pivoted to a few years back. Really dig where they’ve landed, though. It’s accessible with a fair bit to chew on – a keen sense for melody on display amidst the towers of buzzing synth and guitar tones. - Loyle Carner – hopefully !
Haven’t been too enamored with anything he’s done since his 2019 LP, but the sonic shift here is one I’ve welcomed with open arms. The loungey instrumentation really hits with some rainy weather and a cup of hot bean water (posers call it “coffee”), and suits his generally poetic style of rapping in a refreshing way – even if he’s definitely doing less of it across this record. Some real nice features by Navy Blue and Nick Hakim as well. - Glare – Sunset Funeral
Glare stays being one of the better bands to come from the school of Whirr. This type of stuff can feel especially junk foody these days, but I think they’ve transcended the cosmetic formula donned by most of their peers with this record. It’s spacious and enveloping, but with a clear effort to leave some actual melodies strewn about for grasping onto. It’s… also not really doing anything new. But honestly, if this genre appeals to you, I doubt that will matter. - PUSH – maybe our days are numbered
Considering their 2024 LP, I definitely didn’t expect another PUSH record so soon. It’s got that classic rainy day emo rock thing going on for fans of older From Indian Lakes or Valleyheart. Or, y’know, PUSH. I don’t think a time will ever come that this sound doesn’t immediately click with me. I would like to start a class action lawsuit for anyone who feels wronged by the comic sans ass font on the cover, though. It isn’t okay! If you’re interested in joining, send me your social security number and mother’s maiden name and we’ll be in touch. - Mei Semones – Animaru
Mei is such a talent, man. She shreds all over this thing. There really isn’t much that could be described as bossa nova in my musical diet, but the grip this had on me for a couple of weeks there in the summer made me consider changing that. At the very least, the way she blends it with a Snail Mail type of emo pop makes for a pleasant soft launch into that world. Keep an eye out for the all bossa nova 2026 list! - Dying Wish – Flesh Stays Together
Dunno what the token metalcore record thing is all about, but it kinda feels like a trend at this point on my year end lists. A whole world of bands doing this type of thing, apparently I’ve got enough room in my heart for one (1) per year. Filling the quota in 2025 are Portland’s favorite hometown headbangers. Man these folks rip. Emma Boster is a monster on the mic and Will Putney can turn an already pummeling breakdown into a full blown defibrillator. If doing a spin kick at the ripe age of 36 wouldn’t surely send me directly into the grave, I’d say to stand back and watch this cool thing I’m about to do - Bedridden – Moths Strapped To Each Other’s Backs
This thing is just riff city. It doesn’t let up. Started to say it “feels like a bat to the chest in the best way”, and eye rolled at myself. Be like, that’s still a bat to the chest, y’know? Shit sucks probably. This is more like a really intense high five that you and the other person nail dead center, and the slight sting you feel is only an indication of how awesome connecting with another person is. Bedridden! Good band! - little truck - Miss Honey
This was a slow drip of individual songs throughout the year – truly unsure if it was an intentionally interesting release strategy, or if it was an accidental album. Let’s be honest, it was probably a “beat the algorithm” thing. Artists, I feel for you. The game right now is stupid. Awesome record though! Lands right in that emo-slowcore-indie folk venn diagram that always hits for me to an irrationally successful degree. - Earl Sweatshirt - Live Laugh Love
Sweat! Shirt! I’ll admit that it feels like Earl is coasting a little bit on this, but as long as he stays up with an interesting beat, I’ll keep listening. It’s a good time. His collab with The Alchemist in 2023 wound up being a divot in his discography for me, which is maybe controversial, but what can I say? I’m just a boy, standing in front of his phone, asking you to not yell at me for my occasionally correct but often baffling opinions. - MAVI – The Pilot
While I didn’t spend a ton of time with MAVI’s last record, I still think he’s staying with the no-miss streak. Jazzy beats, A-tier feature list, and while he mostly sticks to a pretty mellow disposition even on the heavier topics, some tracks here have him actually kinda rapping like the rent is due. It’s short and sweet, and came out just in time to disrupt my list after I put in the time getting it together!! He should consult me next time! - forever ☆ - Second Gen Dream
Breaking the self imposed no EP rule here, sometimes you just gotta live on the edge!! This thing is a blast – the perfect length for its chaotic shoegaze-meets-trip hop sound. You know when you go to a show and can swear the band you’re watching might be the loudest you’ve ever seen? At any volume, that’s kind of what listening to this feels like. Interested to see what this duo does next! Will they tell me if I’m supposed to pronounce the star in their name, or will they simply press on with their mission to deafen headphone enthusiasts everywhere? - Rocket – R Is For Rocket
Hard to not love something like this. Explosive 90s style alternative with that dreamy flair. It does feel like there’s a large crop of bands trying to occupy this space these days, but Rocket has the songwriting juice to set themselves apart. They’re also styling on everybody by self producing their debut LP! Not entirely uncommon in the year 2025, but a grade A flex nonetheless. - Japanese Breakfast – For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)
OK! If you’re one of the (searches for the word for groups of people smaller than “tens”) uhh, people, who sifts through my list every year, there’s likely no getting around the humor in knowing her last album was my favorite of the year in 2021. Clearly this follow up didn’t hit quilite the same, but there’s still a lot to throw praise at here. It’s a good record! Jubilee was huge for her career and I’m glad she didn’t play it safe by forcing a replica. As if we could Never get Enough. Because a risk is a risk, even if that risk is a Jeff Bridges (yes, that Jeff Bridges) feature
You made it! Thanks for browsing through. One day when I was 12, my mom brought home a New Found Glory CD, and then the rest of my life happened. Talking about, discovering, and sharing music is one of the last true pure things in this world. Come find me in the forums to keep that conversation going.
