The best new music of 2025 thread

[Taake]

Most of them probably not but the Messa might be rather palatable due to the plaintive female vocals.

[glos_olly]

These girls ROCK. Just realised I missed them in the autumn, dang!

[formelyknownasMoog]

Need to listen to a lot more, but this is my Top 3 from what I’ve heard so far.

Lido Pimenta - La Belleza. I haven’t had a chance to listen to Rosalía’s new album apart from the superb ‘Berghain,’ but I imagine it has a similar vibe to this. Pop artist goes neo-classical.

Key Track: Ahora

FKA Twigs - Eusexua. More commercial than her previous two albums, in which you can hear the influences of Madonna circa Ray of Light and Kate Bush.

Key Track: Girl Feels Good

Heartworms - Glutton for Punishment. Another great guitar-based UK band with a female lead. Lyrical imagery of the First World War, as demonstrated in the key track, Extraordinary Wings.

[GraemeBC]

I have spent most of the day going through your list and while some weren’t my cup of tea some have now made it onto my ever expanding “next purchase” list.

I particularly liked Messa and Hooded Menance - they are definitely buys. Messa could be a vinyl purchase which i don’t do often these days

Blackbraid, Grima and Drofnosura all have vocals a bit on the edge of what I like but musically I liked them so they made the list as well where they line up with Gaahls Wyrd and Haxkapell which were added earlier in the year. Rivers of Nihil will probably make the cut as well.

I liked the music of Satan’s Hammer, there is a definite Iron Maiden vibe there, they just didn’t make the cut.

Only 3 that I really didn’t care for so thanks for posting.

[Taake]

Love to hear it. Really appreciate you taking the time to check out the albums. Glad you found some that resonated with you.

[GraemeBC]

By the way, have you heard the latest (2025) release by Saor : Amidst The Ruins.

I really like their (his) stuff. Over the years there has been a marked improvement in song writing, musicianship and recording. Again the vocals are just on the edge for me but the black folk metal with flutes etc just really hit the spot for me. In my top ten for the year for sure

The whole album is great but the last track is phenomenal (IMO) with the addition of the female vocals. It so uplifting towards the end

[Taake]

I gave this a listen and I really liked it. Reminds me a bit of Agalloch (always a good thing) but with more Celtic/Gaelic influences. Quite well recorded, too. Sounded really good. Will buy a digital copy. Cheers.

[riffandrhythm]

A selection of albums I’ve really enjoyed this year. The order from two to ten probably changes day by day, but Little Simz has been at the top of my list for a while now. Lotus is an excellent listen from both a songwriting and production perspective, and it’s one I keep coming back to. Hayley Williams’ album didn’t grab me as quickly, but it’s probably the one that has rewarded repeat listening the most. It feels like a great follow-up to Paramore’s most recent album, which, for me, is their best project for a while.

1. Little Simz - Lotus

2. Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party

3. Pulp - More

4. Black Country New Road - Forever Howlong

5. Sparks - Mad!

6. Clipse - Let God Sort Them Out

7. Natalia Lafoucade - Cancionera

8. Hannah Frances - Nested in Tangles

9. Big Thief - Double Infinity

10. Bon Iver - Sable, Fable

[mikehughescq]

Have gone back to the Geese album and, whilst I’m not raving about it yet, there’s definitely some aspect of it which has stuck in my head and made me want to (finally) hear it again.

[crispyduck]

At last!

[mikehughescq]

Have now moved onto the Jeff Tweedy triple. Has given me much pause for thought about whether we’ve become so critical of critics that they’re now scared to say even the most obvious things.

Some of this stuff is of the standard he’s been producing all his career. Much of it really is not. The problem is he’s so good at songwriting and arranging that he can do this stuff in his sleep. It often sounds like he did. His attempts to make it sound different, the occasional weird guitar lines which drift in and out of discordancy, are ever so polite. Interesting as that can be I do find myself wishing he’d just do the best thing for the song and not something which entertains him. He’s brilliant at taking decent songs and making them sound decent and a bit off kilter but lord does he need someone else to edit and produce him.

Equally, the lyrics are often lovely but just as often symptomatic of his book on writing a song. “Here’s a clever word. Let’s surround it with stuff that rhymes and pretend to find meaning.”

It’s unceasingly listenable, periodically great and moving, but… it’s a triple album which, as ever, would have benefitted from being a single. I do feel there’s enough of it I’ll come back to repeatedly, particularity on the middle of the three, but not quite enough.

[crispyduck]

I thought exactly the same - one album at the most. And I’m a huge Wilco fan.

[mikehughescq]

Same. I’m a Wilco fan. There is some absolutely fabulous stuff on there, but…

[AndyJ]

These are my 13 most played records of new music for 2025.

If I picked one it will be Alan Sparhawk with Trampled By Turtles. Discounted this earlier in the year but really enjoying this a lot recently. Jeff Tweedy and many others are still on my list to properly listen but never enough time, when you also have countless re-releases, older recordings etc.

• Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by Turtles
• Sessa “ PEQUENA VERTIGEM DE AMOR”
• Makaya Mcraven “Off the Record”
• Alabaster Deplume “A Blade because a Blade is Whole
• Titanic “Hagen
• Olafur Arnold’s “ A Dawning”
• S.G Goodman “Planting by The Sign”
• Stereo Lab “Instant Holograms”
• Ganavya “Nilam”
• Djrum “Under Untangled Silience
• Weather Station ”Womanhood”
• SML “Have you been”
• Hania Rani “ Non Fiction Music in Four Movements”

[mikehughescq]

Aha, a reminder that I need to go back to the S G Goodman.

[Markush8]

Maybe interesting to see: Top pics from Bowers & Wilkins Blog - Our 12 favourite albums of 2025

[Middle]

Not new music but a new release? Does that count? If so…

Sir Charles Mackerras | The Complete Warner Classics Edition

[Cmax]

My best/fav’s of 2025, in no particular order.

Alan Sparhawk With Trampled by Turtles
Pulp - More
Saving Grace - Robert Plant
Twilight Override- Jeff Tweedy
Steven Wilson - The Overview
Geese - Getting Killed
Molly Tuttle - So Long Little Miss Sunshine
The Lemonheads - Love Chant
The Delines - Mr Luck & Ms Doom
Paul Weller - El Dorado

[Blacknote]

I’ve just bough Big Visit by Emma Rawicz and Gwilym Simcock. Thanks for sharing it Nigel.

[Nigel1957]

Hope you enjoy it. It gets better on every listen.