I made a list, checked it twice, and decided to go short. Fifteen being this year’s magic number.
The condundrum with picking favorite albums is there’s either not enough or too many. Not enough and you leave out too many, and too many makes for an unwieldy and long list that usually begs the question—but which were your real favorites.
In my defense, of a short list balanced against my love of new music, I offer up each week’s Album of the Week picks, Stephen Mejias’ #NewMusicFriday picks, my weekly list (and associated playlists) of interesting tracks for Patrons, my monthly list of favorite test tracks again for Patrons, as well as all of the music I talk about in my reviews. By my rough count, that’s a lot of music loved and recommended.
Without further ado, here are my fifteen Favorite Albums of 2025 (in order of how I felt about each one while making this list).
Geese: Getting Killed (Partisan Records)
Joanne Robertson: Blurrr (AD93)
Lucrecia Dalt: A Danger to Ourselves (RVNG Intl.)
These New Puritans: Crooked Wing (Domino Record Co.)
Quade: The Foel Tower (AD93)
Bon Iver: SABLE, fABLE (Jagjaguwar)
caroline: caroline 2 (Rough Trade Records)
Milan W.: Leave Another Day (STROOM.tv)
Florest: Jellywish (Double Double Whammy)
Wet Leg: Moisturizer (Domino Record Co.)
Smerz: Big city life (Escho)
Kathryn Mohr: Waiting Room (The Flenser)
FKA Twigs: Eusexua (Young Recordings Limited)
Richard Dawson: End of the Middle (Domino Record Co.)
Hilary Woods: Night CRIÚ (Sacred Bones Records)
Bonus Round: Favorite Song of 2025
S.G. Goodman: Nature’s Child (feat. Bonnie “Prince” Billy) from Planting by the Signs (Slough Water Records)