February 9, 2026

What can be said about a year like 2025? It was certainly unique, that’s for sure, and that uniqueness spread to a lot of the media that released. In 2024, I ended up feeling generally negative towards a lot of media released because it felt like a most major companies and brands wanted to go for their safest options possible. Fortunately, 2025 went in a different direction for the most part, and while the highs maybe weren’t always as high, a lot of projects escaped the samey slop that seemed to be the new norm.

This was the case for the albums I listened to last year, as there were a lot of great, unique projects to listen to, even if it didn’t have the same volume or star power for me as 2024. But, regardless, there were some great albums that I’m excited to discuss!

So, let’s get into it! In no particular order, here are my favorite albums from 2025.

Anyway – Anamanaguchi

Are you a fan of American Football and their classic 1999 self-titled LP? Because clearly, the members of chiptune’s premiere group Anamaguchi are! Using the iconic American Football house as their writing spot, album cover, and loose concept, the group focused their sound into a concise, focused alternative LP.

Despite the gesturing towards American Football, though, Anyway feels like it draws more inspiration from other alternative greats like The Cure or Nirvana. Either way, though, this is their best non-soundtrack, non-collaborative album to date! The first half of the album starts a little wandering for me, but it locks in hard starting with “Saphire.” From there on out, the rest of the album is full of energy, unique, and heartfelt. Though the first half can be slightly generic, tracks like “Fall Away” and lead single “Darcie” are super memorable.

This was one of my most anticipated albums, and I’m happy to report that it doesn’t let down. I’m excited to hear more from them this year with the soundtrack for Scott Pilgrim EX!

Favorite songs: “Fall Away” and “Really Like To”

More – Wallows

In the grand scheme of Wallows’ discography, More isn’t that surprising. Coming after 2025’s wonderful Model, More comes across as, well, more of the same. However, the marketing and title aren’t trying to cover anything; this EP simply delivers more solid tracks that sound straight from the Model recording sessions.

The biggest critique you can levy at More is that it isn’t taking any risks. It’s filled with Wallows-isms, has a familiar structure, and keeps up the status quo that they’ve held since early 2024. But taken for what it is, I think there’s a lot to love! “Coffin Change” is as fun as any of their hits, “Your New Favorite Song” feels right at home with the other Wallows slow jams, and the two versions of “Deep Dive” give me big Remote vibes.

Somewhat inexplicably, Wallows was my most streamed artist of 2025, which I was initially surprised to hear but it made sense the more I thought about it. More is easy to listen to and some of these tracks were playing frequently throughout the year. Despite it being a little risk-averse, it’s still a quality EP with tracks that, in traditional Wallows fashion, sound wonderful live.

Favorite song: “Coffin Change”

Headlights – Alex G.

I started listening to Alex G. in earnest last year, and his newest album was one of the reasons for that. In a similar spirit to More, Headlights feels somewhat like more of the same from indie darling Alex G. However, that comparison detracts from the maturity on display here, both in lyricism and production. This album marks Alex G.’s first major-label breakthrough, and though its arguable how much that matters these days, if nothing else, you can hear a higher budget and cleaner production than all his previous work.

There’s a lot of charm to the indie angst of albums like Beach Music or God Save the Animals, but the production and songwriting on Headlights are folkier than ever in a really enjoyable way. The folky instrumentation mixed with Alex’s unique, dense storytelling makes this such a great listen. It may be a departure from some of his indie-rooted hits, but his writing is as polished as ever!

Favorite songs: “June Guitar” and “Afterlife”

Fancy That – PinkPantheress

Speaking of indie artists taking a big step in their career, PinkPantheress has a huge hit on her hands with Fancy That. This EP/mixtape feels like an homage to early internet culture while pushing forward this niche of pop to a wider audience. Truthfully, of all the albums on this list, Fancy That is the one I have the least “expertise” in, simply because it isn’t in a genre that I’m routinely listening to.

However, I have been simply captivated by the songs and style in this album cycle, which has only been bolstered by the even better Fancy Some More? deluxe version. You’ve undoubtedly heard at least one of these tracks if you were on the internet in 2025, but regardless, please do yourself the favor of giving this mixtape a chance. And, if you enjoy, do yourself another favor by listening to her excellent Tiny Desk performance!

Favorite songs: “Girl Like Me” and “Stateside” (any version!)

Tron: Ares – Nine Inch Nails

Say what you will about Tron: Ares (trust me, there’s a lot to say, mostly negative). If there’s one aspect of this movie that deserves some flowers, it’s the genuinely incredible soundtrack/score from Nine Inch Nails. After nearly a decade of nothing but scores, instrumentals, and ambience, Trent Reznor came back for the first substantial Nine Inch Nails release with some of the best music to come from movies in 2025.

I truly have no complaints about the direction Reznor and his songwriting partner Atticus Ross have gone in recent years. However, as a huge Nine Inch Nails guy, I couldn’t help but feel excited when it was announced that the newest Tron project was getting an official NIN halo release. It’s hard when you have to live up to one of the greatest soundtracks of all time with Daft Punk’s Tron: Legacy, but if there’s any electronic group that could match their effort, it would be Nine Inch Nails. And match it they did, maybe even surpassing it in some ways.

This is a really interesting album to discuss, because some of it feels right at home amongst Ross and Reznor’s scores, while other tracks have the edge of NIN’s 2000s output. Ultimately, I think the best praise I can give this album is that it saves Tron: Ares from being completely and utterly lost to time by giving the movie an edge that it really needed. NIN’s sound is electronic, but in a much grungier, darker way than any of Daft Punk’s songs, which fits the tone that Ares is going for. “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” is the most true to form that Nine Inch Nails has been in years and and has the emotion to stand completely on its own removed from the context of the movie or the album as a whole. But it has great, smaller moments too, like “100% Expendable,” which sounds drenched in despair and fear in a way that captures what the movie wants to go for better than the direction or performances do.

Though it is ultimately sort of gimmicky in ways (I mean, the only reason it is called a NIN album instead of a Reznor and Ross score is for the marketing), I’d still count this as a huge success that stands as an artistic project worth listening to, regardless in your interest in Tron as a franchise

Favorite songs: “Init,” “As Alive As You Need Me To Be,” and “Who Wants To Live Forever?”

Invisible Science – Mediavolo

Unvisible Science hits on certain emotions that none of the other albums on this list managed to capture. It’s soulful, and speaks to a certain modern sense of ennui in a really authentic way. Though electronic indie albums may be a dime a dozen these days, the lyrics and song writing is generally steps above your average middling release.

I truly love the entire album, but I’d be disingenuous if I didn’t note that the middle track, “Ghost Life,” does a lot of heavy lifting for why I love this album so much. While other tracks feel deep and earnest, this track captures a lot of the anxiety I was feeling last year and mixes it with an optimistic note that really speaks to me. Other tracks on here may be technically more impressive or noteworthy, like the nearly unnerving “Horse” or dense single “Friend And Foe,” but “Ghost Life” is something special.

Favorite song: “Ghost Life”

Honorable Mentions and Top Two

There was a lot of music released in 2025 that I didn’t cover here, especially a lot of singles or albums that are beloved that I feel more mixed on. I do want to give a quick shoutout to the new Gorillaz singles released for The Mountain that releases very soon, as those were some of my favorite songs of 2025 but won’t be on this list proper for obvious reasons.

The albums I mentioned so far are fairly interchangeable in terms of how much I enjoyed them, but the next two albums are notably my favorites. Like I mentioned in the introduction, 2025 was really a year with high-highs and low-lows, and through those peaks and valleys, these two albums gave me a lot of comfort and catharsis. So, without further ado, let me gush about my favorite albums of the year!

Luminescent Creatures – Ichiko Aoba

Ichiko Aoba’s Luminescent Creatures is a beautiful, entrancing listen. Focusing on her appreciation of nature and merging her dreamlike lyrics with folk, classical songwriting has created a nearly indescribable soundscape. Tracks fluctuate between instrumentals to poetic songs with comforting vocals.

Pausing 2025’s stressful days to listen to this album brought me a lot of peace, but that isn’t to say that this is on par with some forgettable, easy-listening albums. It’s vivid and visual, regardless of your fluency in Japanese. The production is rich with details and flourishes that become more noticeable upon repeat listens. And the variety of track lengths and styles make each piece distinct without abandoning the core identity of the album.

Luckily, it seems I’m not alone in showering this album with praise, as it managed to receive a great critical response. Though it isn’t necessarily for everyone, it’s not trying to alienate anyone. It has a very clear vision and it earnestly captures a specific aesthetic. It’s peaceful, but captured my attention with each listen.

Favorite songs: “COLORATURA,” “tower,” and “Luciférine”

Evangelic Girl is a Gun – yeule

Almost as a perfect contrast to the natural, peaceful instrumentation of Luminescent Creatures, yeule’s Evangelic Girl is a Gun is a bold, harsh electronic album that aims to critique the hellhole that is modern, hyper-digital life. I have been fairly vocal in my anxieties about the direction some things are going, and this album captures a lot of those feelings well. This is an incredibly cathartic listen.

It’s interesting, as in some ways, this is yuele’s most accessible album to date, which seemed to turn away some fans of their earlier, hardcore electronic albums. However, the way yeule mixes the glitchy sounds of their earlier work into a more crowd-friendly pop album works super well for me. It’s raw and has a lot of strong emotions that are wrapped up in a lot of modern angst.

I can’t overstate how much I enjoyed this album. The singles are great, the album as a whole is wonderful, and the aesthetic is really something special. It’s my favorite from 2025.

Favorite songs: “Eko” and “What3vr”

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Thanks for checking out this post! Stay tuned for more favorites lists from 2025. In the meantime, if you want to hear more of my thoughts on some iconic pop culture, consider giving Monkey D. Luffy vs. the World, the podcast I co-host, a listen! We’re covering One Piece, Hunter x Hunter, the works of Suda51, and more to come. If any of that interests you, please check it out!