The 120 best albums of 2025
I tapped in. I survived. Did you?
OK, here it is. My 120 favorite albums (and EPs and mixtapes and comps) of 2025. I've already written about most of the projects on this list at some point throughout the last year, so this list is just that: a list. No blurbs, no affiliate links, no longwinded preamble that no one actually reads. I write longwindedly about music all year on Chasing Sundays. This time, I'm rewarding my readers by shutting up and numerically ranking my favorite projects of the last 365-ish days from 120 to 1. Music writers make lists in December, so I allowed albums released in December 2024 (that I didn't hear until 2025) to qualify. And that's all I've got to say. Thanks for reading. Enjoy finding something new. Tap in or die.
120) Conna Haraway - Shifted
119) Ethel Cain - Perverts
118) find my friends - find my friends
117) By My Blood - Clearfield Demo
116) Marcy the Baptist - Kot homewrecker (important fault line).
115) Ben Bondy - X0 Salt Llif3
114) Ø - Sysivalo
113) Holden & Zimpel - The Universe Will Take Care of You
112) nabeel - ghayoom
111) Spencer Radcliffe - Ohio Vision
110) Various Artists - Representing Hardcore Compilation
109) YT - Oi!
108) Taraneh - Unobsession
107) Olan Monk - Songs for Nothing
106) Sorry - Cosplay
105) Rooster - Rooster Slipped
104) Vivienne Eastwood - Take Care
103) Bassvictim - Basspunk 2
102) Maura Weaver - Strange Devotion
101) Weatherday - Hornet Disaster
100) The Armed - The Future Is Here and Everything Needs to Be Destroyed
99) The Regulars - The Regulars I
98) Logic1000 - DJ Kicks: Logic1000
97) Klein - Sleep With a Cane
96) Cloakroom - Last Leg of the Human Table
95) Quannnic - Warbrained
94) Zastava - Buildings
93) Nourished By Time - The Passionate Ones
92) Huremic - Seeking Darkness
91) Kuru - Stay True Forever
90) Discontent - Processing Upheaval
89) Cash Only Tony's/Autumn Sonata - Split
88) Asphyxiated - Reborn in Evil
87) Yorck Street - My Small Piano
86) Audrey Hobert - Who's the Clown?
85) Betty Hammerschlag - Forever Young
84) Debit - Desaceleradas
83) DJ Python - I was put on this earth
82) Nate Sib - for us
81) Hooky, Winter - Water Season
80) Mila Culpa - Face Off
79) Dazy - Bad Penny
78) Voyeur - The Burden of Desire
77) forever ☆ - Second Gen Dream
76) Deer Park - Terra Infirma
75) Alien Boy - You Wanna Fade?
74) Lil Fitted Cap, Smokedope2016 - Slow Down
73) James K - Friend
72) The Virgos - Lord Have Mercy
71) Killing Me Softly - To Forever Fall Through God's Safety Net
70) Club Night - Joy Coming Down
69) Voice Actor, Squu - Lust 1
68) Kathryn Mohr - Waiting Room
67) High. - Come Back Down
66) Bugcatcher - Big Field
65) Cootie Catcher - shy at first
64) Cortisa Star - E.M.O.
63) Erode - Devout
62) Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force - Khadim
61) Deafheaven - Lonely People With Power
60) Golden Apples - Shooting Star
59) Winter - Adult Romantix
58) Kitchen - Blue heeler in ugly snowlight, grey on gray on gray on white.
57) 2hollis - Star
56) Glitterer - erer
55) Horsegirl - Phonetics On and On
54) Lunchbox - L.B. Cooper
53) Withpaperwings - Six Thousand Days
52) Glixen - Quiet Pleasures
51) Worldpeace DMT, Rowan Please - The Velvet Underground With Rowan
50) Madman - The Demo
49) Horse Vision - Another Life
48) Various Artists - Satellite
47) Savage Primal Impulse - Demo 2025
46) Los Thuthanaka - Los Thuthanaka
45) Bulls Shitt - Bulls Shitt
44) Unmoved - Demonstration
43) Ghost Mountain - October Country
42) Youth Lagoon - Rarely Do I Dream
41) Sword II - Electric Hour
40) The Hellp - Riviera
39) Djrum - Under Tangled Silence
38) Bassvictim - Forever
37) Never Again - 100% New Jersey Hardcore
36) Forty Winks - Love Is a Dog From Hell
35) ear - The Most Dear and the Future
34) Azshara - Ashen Skies
33) Addison Rae - Addison
32) Che - Rest in Bass
31) Sin Against Sin - Demo
30) Wednesday - Bleeds
29) Shlohmo - Repulsor
28) Hotline TNT - Raspberry Moon
27) Combust - Belly of the Beast
26) Bleary Eyed - Easy
25) Oklou - Plague Dogs
24) Raisa K - Affectionately
23) Mongrel - Baptized in the Gutter
22) Friendship - Caveman Wakes Up
21) Sudan Archives - The BPM
20) Told Not to Worry - Hands in the Air
19) Big Thief - Double Infinity
18) Balmora - Prologue
17) Billy Woods - Golliwog
16) Charbel Haber, Nicolaas Jaar, Sary Moussa - Crashing waves dance to the rhythm set by the broadcast journalist revealing the tragedies of the day
15) Alex G - Headlights
14) Scarab - Burn After Listening
13) They Are Gutting a Body of Water - LOTTO
12) Nyxy Nyx - cult classics, vol. 1
11) Cameron Winter - Heavy Metal
10) Aunt Katrina - This Heat Is Slowly Killing Me
9) Water From Your Eyes - It's a Beautiful Place
8) Coma Cinema - Grand Delusion
7) Playboi Carti - MUSIC
6) C4 - Payback's a Bitch
5) Ninajirachi - I Love My Computer
4) Greet Death - Die In Love
3) Geese - Getting Killed
2) Jane Remover - Revengeseekerz
1) Total Wife - come back down
A bunch of songs from 2025 that I loved, unranked
ear - "fetish"
Cusp - "Follow Along"
Sword II - "Even If It's Just a Dream"
They Are Gutting a Body of Water - "american food"
Bassvictim - "Forever Salty"
Loe Shimmy - "Tubi Movie"
Worldpeace DMT, Rowan Please - "Love Yourself"
fakemink - "Easter Pink"
smokedope2016 - "In Da Party"
Midwife - "Signs"
Balmora - "Blighted to Pine"
This House Is Creaking - "Talk to Me"
2hollis, nate sib - "afraid"
Sorry - "Echoes"
Fine - "Run"
Mel V - "Jimmy Choose"
Pluto - "WHIM WHAMIEE"
The Hives - "Enough Is Enough"
Alex G - "Afterlife"
The Femcels - "He Needs Me"