Top 10 Albums Of 2025
Feature First lists down the 10 best albums released in 2025 across all genres. Check out the list below.
Yes, it is damn near impossible to keep track of every single release of the year, let alone listen to them all. However, we have tried our very best to narrow down all the new music we heard in 2025. And some honourable mentions, of course! The popular music scene thrived, as it usually does every other year. With releases from pop juggernauts like Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and more. Popularity doesn’t always equal quality… especially in the case of The Life of a Showgirl by Taylor Swift or Man’s Best Friend by Sabrina Carpenter. I think it is best if we forget about these two and move on to the important things like Lorde’s comeback, or Hayley Williams’ third solo outing (after some alleged trouble within the band… oof) and finally the coming-of-popstar personification of an artist… are we talking about Addison Rae? Or maybe Olivia Dean? Perhaps both. And finally, how can we forget about the indie gems of the year? Fret not, because we haven’t.
Honourable Mentions
‘Evangelic Girl Is A Gun’ – yeule
The Singaporean artist’s 4th album is a delight. Its tracklist combines beats of grit and grunge unlike any of their previous work. Evangelic Girl is a Gun falls short of the Top 10 for its absent dissimilarity between the tracks. More suited to be an EP, but it still bangs!
Favourite tracks: “Eko”, “Dudu”, “Evangelic Girl is a Gun”
Image Courtesy of Ninja Tune
‘private music’ – Deftones
We would’ve called it their late-career renaissance but honestly, Chino Moreno and Deftones have never lost their touch of alt-metal brilliance. Learn consistency from this and learn how to headbang again as if the 90s and the early 2000s are back.
Favourite tracks: “my mind is a mountain”, “i think about you all the time”, “infinite source”
Image Courtesy of Reprise Records
‘choke enough’ – Oklou
Alt-pop goodness from the French musician. Oklou’s debut record is an improvement over her mixtape, Galore, in every aspect. The collaborations with bladee and underscores are not to miss.
Favourite tracks: “ict”, “take me by the hand”, “harvest sky”, “blade bird”
Image Courtesy of True Panther & Because Music
‘Addison’ – Addison Rae
A wildcard pick, for sure, but hear us out. Addison Rae’s redefining of her entire persona from a TikTok celebrity to a full-on popstar has been a ride. Like her or not, her debut packs banger-after-banger… even most of the critics seem to think so. Keeping in company of Charli xcx seems to have done wonders for her and we think this is only the beginning.
Favourite tracks: “Diet Pepsi”, “Aquamarine”, “High Fashion”, “Summer Forever”
Image Courtesy of Columbia Records
‘Heavy Metal’ – Cameron Winter
We know this was released in the last month of 2024, but it is incredibly hard not to mention this here because the Geese frontman and his first solo outing’s rise in the independent music scene has 2025 to thank. This is an era-defining debut project. The nostalgia in his voice. The transcendental lyricism. This would have made our Top 10 if his band, Geese, wasn’t already in the list.
Favourite tracks: “Nausicaä (Love Will Be Revealed)”, “Love Takes Miles”, “$0”, “Drinking Age”, “We’re Thinking the Same Thing”
Image Courtesy of Partisan Records
‘The Art of Loving’ – Olivia Dean
Olivia Dean’s sudden rise could be likened to that of Chappell Roan last year. Her debut album was great, but her sophomore record has put her in the mix with some of the biggest popstars today. The Art of Loving infuses pop and soul with hints of jazz gracefully. Not one to miss.
Favourite tracks: “Nice To Each Other”, “Close Up”, “So Easy (To Fall In Love)”, “Loud”, “Baby Steps”
Image Courtesy of Capitol Records
Feature First’s Top 10 Albums of 2025
10. ‘EUSEXUA’ – FKA twigs
Charli xcx’s BRAT was 2024’s club favourite. EUSEXUA might just be the one for 2025. Incredibly catchy tunes that you can try your hardest to not move to… you will fail. A very well-rounded record top to bottom.
Favourite tracks: “Eusexua”, “Girl Feels Good”, “Perfect Stranger”, “Drums of Death”
Image Courtesy of Atlantic Records
9. ‘LUX’ – ROSALÍA
One of the most anticipated releases of the year that exceeded everyone’s expectations. ROSALÍA’s newest is even better than the near-perfect MOTOMAMI. She sings in 13 different languages throughout this and has a Björk feature. We will be talking about this album for a long time.
Favourite tracks: “Sexo”, “Violencia y Lantas”, “Berghain”, “La Perla”, “De Madrugá”, “La Yugular”
Image Courtesy of Columbia Records
8. ‘A Matter of Time’ – Laufey
The Icelandic singer understands how the marriage of jazz and pop works in her music and she hits it home with this record. In our opinion, her best outing yet.
Favourite tracks: “Snow White”, “Castle in Hollywood”, “Mr. Eclectic”, “Clean Air”, “Sabotage”
Image Courtesy of AWAL Recordings Ltd.
7. ‘Big city life’ – SMERZ
The Norwegian duo’s debut album slithers and grooves into your rotation once you listen to it once in its entirety. Some of the catchiest pop tunes of the year.
Favourite tracks: “But I do”, “Roll the dice”, “Feisty”, “A thousand lies”, “You got time and I got money”, “Street style”
Image Courtesy of Escho
6. ‘Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party’ – Hayley Williams
Hayley needs no introduction. Her first ever self-released album (third, in general) is her best effort yet. EDAABP is also her most personal project yet. Relationship drama within the band being used as a means of great, well-written music formula worked for Stevie Nicks… and it does here for Hayley Williams.
Favourite tracks: “Glum”, “Mirtazapine”, “Love Me Different”, “Negative Self Talk”, “Parachute”, “Good Ol’ Days”
Image Courtesy of Hayley Williams
5. ‘Forever Howlong’ – Black Country, New Road
BC,NR’s third best album yet is still one of the very best you can hear. The band seems to have moved on gracefully after their lead vocalist, Isaac, took indefinite leave. Tyler, May, and Georgia all smash it on the vocals. You thought they were done, but they will keep proving you wrong. The UK sextet is here to stay.
Favourite tracks: “Besties”, “Socks”, “Two Horses”, “Happy Birthday”, “For the Cold Country”, “Nancy Tries to Take the Night”
Image Courtesy of Ninja Tune
4. ‘Baby’ – Dijon
His debut, Absolutely, was brilliant. Baby is even better. Dijon has nothing left to prove. His work as a producer/writer for the biggest names in the industry has only helped his own work get to this stage. The strange blend of R&B, soul, and pop here is an experience in itself.
Favourite tracks: “Baby!”, “(Freak It)”, “Yamaha”, “FIRE!”, “Rewind”, “Automatic”
Image Courtesy of R&R Digital, Warner Records
3. ‘Bleeds’ – Wednesday
Karly Hartzman-led Wednesday comes out with yet another album to revel in the charm of. Much more grounded than their previous effort, Rat Saw God, this album is just as powerful both lyrically and sonically. It does get off the rails here and then… but it wouldn’t be a Wednesday record if it didn’t.
Favourite tracks: “Townies”, “Wound Up Here (By Holdin On)”, “Elderberry Wine”, “Phish Pepsi”, “Bitter Everyday”
Image Courtesy of Dead Oceans, Inc.
2. ‘Virgin’ – Lorde
Lorde’s placement here should come by no surprise. Ever since she announced her return, the world stopped in its tracks to witness. Her rebirth. Virgin may not reach the highest highs of Melodrama, but there is still a case to be made that it is her most intimate project yet.
Favourite tracks: “Hammer”, “What Was That”, “Shapeshifter”, “Favourite Daughter”, Broken Glass, David
Image Courtesy of Universal NZ, Republic Records
1. ‘Getting Killed’ – Geese
Our only perfectly rated album this year. We’ve already mentioned Cameron Winter on this list and now we are talking about the band he sings for. Could we make it any more obvious that we’ve been obsessed with Geese this year? The New York band’s latest might just be the strangest mix of rock in years. Sky is the limit for Cameron Winter and Geese, though we think Getting Killed is already touching it.
Favourite tracks: “Trinidad”, “Cobra”, “Getting Killed”, “Islands of Men”, “100 Horses”, “Half Real”, “Au Pays du Cocaine”, “Bow Down”, “Taxes”
Image Courtesy of Partisan Records
Thank you for reading our Top 10 Albums of 2025 article. For more, stay tuned here at Feature First.
