Across The Margin’s Top 50 Albums of 2025

Presenting, Across The Margin’s Top 50 Albums of 2025…

Once again, we are thrilled to share with you, our readers whom we are forever grateful for, the music that ruled our world this year. As is always the case when we annually celebrate our Top 50 Albums at Across the Margin, what we are proud to present here is simply the albums we are most thankful for in any given year (not particularly “the best”). Those which received the greatest play, moved us with the deepest emotion, and settled most soundly in our souls. So, without further delay — and as we say each year — let’s step in and drop the needle…

The Spotify Playlist (best enjoyed on shuffle!)

50. U.S Girls — Scratch It

U.S. Girls is an experimental indie pop rock project consisting solely of Meg Remy, a woman, according to Artforum, who “clearly spends a lot of time in her apartment with the shades drawn, wired together a bunch of drum machines, effects pedals, a mixer, and a Walkman, and unleashed a set of seriously damaged tracks that evoked particularly blunted Lee “Scratch” Perry remixes of Cambodian Rocks covers of Western pop tunes.” For Meg’s latest album, Scratch It, she employed Nashville-based friend  and guitarist Dillon Watson (D. Watusi, Savoy Motel, Jack Name), Jack Lawrence (The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs, Loretta Lynn) on bass, Domo Donoho on drums, and both Jo Schornikow and Tina Norwood on keys, as well as harmonica legend Charlie McCoy (Elvis, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison) and what resulted is a pulsating work of buoyant must-hear pop.

Essential Tracks: “Bookends,” “Like James Said,” “No Fruit.”

49. redveil — sankofa

Hailing from the DMV (Prince George’s County, Maryland), Marcus Mroton — aka redveil — has been touted as the next great rapper to come out of the region, and his fourth self-produced album, sankofa, is the realization of that hope. On sankofa, redveil gets personal and the vulnerable storytelling paired with emphatically soulful, layered production fashion it as one of the best jazz-rap albums we have heard all year.

Essential Tracks: “or so i,” “buzzerbeater / black christmas,” “glimpse of you.”

48. 48. Neggy Gemmy – She Comes From Nowhere

The fourth album from singer, songwriter, and producer Neggy Gemmy is arguably her best work yet, generating a palette of well-blended dream-pop, trip-hop, psych-pop, shoegaze, and ’90s club/dance flavors. The title track, which serves as an early interlude of sorts, is a worthy representative of the album’s theme, a smoky vignette that elicits vibes from Les Baxter’s exotica motif and delicately balances reverb and space. The other tracks bring forth sparkly undertows, burnished dance pulses, psychedelic gloss, misty vocals, and subdued beats coupled with bouncing grooves. Gemmy weaves them together into a hypnotizing ensemble, creating an album that represents the best soundscapes of what longtime fans of the 100% Electronica label have come to love. 

Essential Tracks: “She Comes From Nowhere,” “Mysterious Girl,” “Polly Pocket.”

47. SML — How You Been

SML is the quintet / supergroup of bassist Anna Butterss, synthesist Jeremiah Chiu, saxophonist Josh Johnson, percussionist Booker Stardrum, and guitarist Gregory Uhlmann. On their second album, How You Been, an intoxicating, newfangled blend of jazz, EDM, and funk is weaved together through complex arrangements and nimble improvisation. The album, like its predecessor, was fascinatingly brought to life through re-arrangement and post-production of live recordings from their must-see live performances.

Essential Tracks: “Chicago Four,” “Taking out the Trash,” “Brood Board SHROOM.”

46. MRKT — Ring Round with the Yellow Page

MRKT, hailing from Detroit, Michigan, are a trio consisting of drummer Ben Van Camp, keyboardists Nolan Tillis, and trumpeter Ben Green. This electric act is one of the most exciting bands we came upon in ‘25, and their brand of jazz-infused rock is novel, pulsating, and experimentally delicious. Harnessing their power from local influences in Detroit’s thriving electronic music scene, MRKT is unabashed synth rocky bliss mated immaculately with powerhouse drumming.

Essential Tracks: “Ring Round with the Yellow Page,” “Monotropa,” “The Wheel,” 

45. Tunde Adebimpe — Thee Black Boltz

Tunde Adebimpe is most known as the bombastic co-founder, co-vocalist and principal songwriter for TV On The Radio, and this year the prolific artist (also an actor, illustrator, and animator) released his first solo album entitled Thee Black Boltz. Tunde initially conceived of the album in 2019 while TV On The Radio was on a break, and the following Covid-riddled years gave him the time to work on it. Making this album, he says, was his way of processing everything. “It was my way of building a rock or a platform for myself in the middle of this fucking ocean,” Tunde states in explanation of an album fueled by relatable frustration and the sweet relief of finding a way to get all the exasperation out through art.

Essential Tracks: “Magnetic,” “God Knows,” “Somebody New.”

44. Geese — Getting Killed

As the whole world found themselves simultaneously Geese-pilled, we found quickly that we were not immune to the phenomenon. In a year where Cameron Winter played an ultra-hyped Carnegie Hall show (filmed by Paul Thomas Anderson AND Benny Safdie!), Geese’s star rose triumphantly as the band ripped through concert hall after concert hall amid their game-change tour in support of the album. Produced with Kenny Beats, there is a jarring tenderness found throughout Getting Killed, and a fiery seasoned intensity that feels well beyond the young band’s years. We are most assuredly not alone in being already eager to hear what Geese has in store for the follow up to their breakout album.

Essential Tracks: “Taxes,” “100 Horses,” “Au Pays du Cocaine.”

43. Sault — 10

Following their surprise Christmas 2024 drop, Acts of Faith, the prolific soul, R & B, funk, and gospel project known as Sault released their twelfth album on Easter of this year. As accessible and danceable an album as they have released, 10 is an empowering and inspiring album where Cleo Sol’s voice pierces the soulful beats with grace and deep affectivity. Sault is an act that persists as cryptic and surprising at every turn, but they are also the gift that keeps giving, 12 albums with 10 and running.

Essential Tracks: “T.H.,” “I.LT.S.,” “S.O.T.H.”

42. Hatchie – Liquorice

Aussie singer-songwriter Hatchie has come back out of the studio with an album that exhibits her best dream-pop sensibilities. This latest outing is a bit of return to form for her, with guitar-driven tracks, emotionally-rich lyrics, and wistful atmospheric textures. Although Liquorice takes fewer risks than her previous two albums, with less sonic experimentation and emphasis on songs’ hooks, Hatchie has demonstrated to her fans a maturation with these 11 new songs, leaning into an overall evocation of mood and feeling, as well as lyrics that exude sentimental vulnerability.

Essential Tracks: “Lose It Again,” “Part That Bleeds,” “Stuck,” “Sage.”

41. Freckle — Freckle

Prolific garage rocker Ty Segall (surprise, surprise!) has a new band, this one a duo with Color Green guitarist and singer Corey Madden called simply, Freckle. The exciting, eclectic duo, shimmering with intoxicating Bowie-esque vibes, alerts potential listeners that, “When a Freckle pops up, that’s when you know that the sun has gotten through. Don’t let ‘em tell you it’s skin damage — more like the sign of time well spent, as always, in the light. Freckle the band’s like that. Freckle is, then, a Californian, the hive mind of Corey Madden and Ty Segall. This LP reminds all of us that when the clouds are out you can still get sunburned.”

Essential Tracks: “Paranoid,” “I Don’t Know What I Need,” “Who’s Sitting on the Moon,” “Taraval.”

40. Mac Miller — Ballonerism

In 2024, the late Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller recorded a suite of psychedelic, introspective songs that the gifted artist decided to set aside to release another day in favor of his major-label debut, 2015’s GO:OD AM. These songs, birthed as a series of jam sessions with bassist Thundercat and Taylor Graves on keyboards, display a young savant struggling to come to terms with mortality, addiction, and his place in the world, and for fans of Mac these introspective tracks provide a missing link of sorts connecting his earlier psychedelic hip-hop days with the smooth, jazz and soul inspired, singer-songwriter output of his final projects. The antithesis of your usual posthumous release, Ballonerism boasts no added features and remains meticulously true to Mac’s vision for the album highlighting the level of care, and love, provided by Mac Miller’s estate.

Essential Tracks: “5 Dollar Pony Rides,” “Funny Pages,” “Stoned,” “Rick’s Piano.”

39. Tyler The Creator — Don’t Tap The Glass

In a follow up to 2024’s brilliant album Chromakopia, famed rapper (and one of the stars of Marty Supreme) bailed on his usual norm of crafting a sophisticated character-driven concept album in favor of just having a good time. Sharing a batch of tracks he crafted while on the road, his goal was to breathe some joy into the world with a slew of funky, danceable songs, a goal fully achieved on each track of his ninth studio album. Producing the album himself, Tyler enlisted assists from Pharrell Williams (under both his name and his alter ego, Sk8brd), Madison McFerrin, and Yebba, yet this is Tyler’s show through and through, a party at every turn in the fashion of Tyler’s subversive, satirical, and upbeat nature.

Essential Tracks: “Ring Ring Ring,” “Sugar on my Tongue,” “Stop Playing with Me,” “Don’t Tap That Glass / Tweakin’.”

38. Wednesday — Bleeds

It’s awe-inspiring how Asheville, North Carolina’s Wednesday effortlessly marries alt-country, indie rock, and shoegaze into a beautiful tapestry of sonic bliss. It is safe to say that their latest album, Bleeds, is their crowning achievement which is saying a lot as 2023’s Rat Saw God was a triumph, but it is an album that displays all they are capable of sonically and lyrically. Rife with vivid and moving imagery and cunning wit, Karly Hartzmann’s knack for lyrical storytelling is demanding of being hailed with the great modern songwriters of today.

Essential Tracks: “Elderberry Wine,” “Townies,” “Wound Up Here (By Holding On).”

37. Matt Berry — Heard Noises

Heard Noises is the eleventh studio album by English musician (and brilliant comedic actor) Matt Berry. The funky, theatrical offering is an event, highlighted by the fact its guests include (hold onto your hat), Pokerface’s Natasha Lyonne, The Shins / Fruit Bats’ Eric D. Johnson, bassist and lap-steel guitarist Phil Scraggs, vocalist Rosie McDermott, and the S. Club 60s Choir (featuring Matt’s mom). The album’s brilliant psychedelic pop grooves bare Matt’s soul through and through, as almost every instrument on Heard Noises is played by him, including guitars, bass, a variety of keyboards (acoustic and Wurlitzer pianos), synthesizers and organs (including Moogs, Vox, Farfisa, Gibson, Eminent organs) and Mellotron.

Essential Tracks: “Why On Fire?,” “I Gotta Limit,” “Wedding Photo Stranger.”

36. Mass Appeal — Legend Has It

We are taking the liberty to utilize this slot to pay tribute to Mass Appeal’s Legend Has It series. Hyped as “7 New Albums. 7 Iconoclast.” — the series features album releases from hip-hop legends Nas (with DJ Premier), Mobb Deep, Ghostface Killer, Slick Rick, Big L, and Raekwon. Putting to bed any idea that there is an age limit in rap, these seven boom-bap packed albums prove that “hip-hop icons are truly timeless.”

Essential Tracks: “GiT Ready,” “A Quick 16 fro Mama,” “EN EFF,” “Love Me Anymore,” “The Trial,” “Bear Hill,” “Forever,” “Look at Me.”

35. Moses Yoofee Trio — MYT

The German jazz jazz group, Moses Yoofee Trio, released their debut full length album this year, an enthralling work of art that is pulsating with life. Recorded over ten days in April of 2024 at Glaswald Studios in Germany, MYT finds the trio channeling soundscapes outside of the confines of traditional jazz. Enlivened by the spirit of R & B, hip-hop, and soul, MYT is repeatedly explosive, propelled by lightning-speed drum breaks and soulful enchanting melodies.

Essential Tracks: “Bond,” “Deep,” “Green Light.”

34. Car Seat Headrest –– The Scholars

After five years of relative quiet, indie phenomenon Car Seat Headrest return with The Scholars, a narrative-heavy concept album set at the fictional Parnassus University. Blending CSH’s characteristic lo-fi sound with the grandeur of more progressive, and theatrical rock elements like The Who’s Tommy and David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, The Scholars is an ambitious rock opera, filled with rich character development and lyrical worldbuilding. Told through a Canterbury Tales–inspired portrait of a mythical university’s inhabitants, the album explores identity, spirituality, grief and hope, all connected by a persistent undercurrent of beautifully rendered angst. Highlights include the narrative-driven power pop of “Devereaux,” the jazz- and funk-tinged opener “CCF,” which suggests a possible future path for the band, and “The Catastrophe (Good Luck With That),” whose bright tempo conceals a deeper sadness.

Essential Tracks: “CFF,” “Gethsemane,” “The Catastrophe.”

33. Şatellites — Aylar

Şatellites are a groove-centric band out of Tel Aviv, Israel who describe their sound as “retro-fresh psych à la Turk, a musical “laboratory” lost somewhere between the mysterious alleys of 70’s Istanbul and the scorching sun and crystal blue sea of Jaffa-Tel Aviv, 2020.” Aylar (Turkish for “moons” or “months”) is the sophomore album from the dynamic collective ripe with dynamic arrangements and extended, enlivening compositions. Heavily influenced by the wave of psychedelic rock and traditional folk music that swept across Turkey in the 60s and 70s, Aylar is an album meticulously designed to get you moving.

Essential Tracks: “Midnight Sweat,” “Tisladi Mehmet Emmi,” “Yok Yok, “Hot Jazz.”

32. Little Simz — Lotus

Little Simz’s sixth studio album features assists  rom Obongjayar, Moonchild Sanelly, Lydia Kitto, Moses Sumney, Miraa May, Yukimi Nagano, Wretch 32, Cashh, Michael Kiwanuka, Yussef Dayes, and Sampha. If this crew of savants isn’t enough to wet your whistle, Lotus — the only plant that blooms in muddyy waters as Simz wonderfully points out — is an album that finds the gifted artist in a transitory period that is felt on the introspective album in a reflective way. Simz continues to grow and heighten her abilities with each album, and Lotus is the testimony to this constant evolution.

Essential Tracks: “Free,” “Lion,” “Flood.”

31. Perfume Genius – Glory

Perfume Genius returns with Glory, an album that feels both quietly devastating and gently affirming, and a record that finds beauty not in grand gestures but in its emotional precision. Featuring strong contributions from his partner Alan Wyffels and producer Blake Mills, and a guest appearance by Aldous Harding, Glory has received near-universal acclaim. The album succeeds because of its scaling intimacy. Each song is allowed to bloom slowly, strengthening through patience and emotional force rather than any driving urgency. After repeated listens, Glory’s resilience and power is revealed. With this seventh album, Perfume Genius continues to refine his gift, singing on the track “Clean Heart” that he’s “Holding every note until it breaks.” There is a striking tenderness to this thought and Glory unfolds as a deeply human experience, balancing fragile confidence with lived-in truths that rise and fall like quiet waves on a distant shore.  

Essential Tracks: “It’s A Mirror,” “Clean Heart,” “Left For Tomorrow.”

30. Jenna Nichols — The Commuter

Singer-songwriter Jenna Nichols/s music swiftly reveals a restless muse and a theme that would be a constant for Nicholls: a love of vintage music — anything from classic music films like “Singin’ in the Rain” to Bessie Smith. Her latest album, The Commuter, displays Jenna’s melodic and lyrical gifts in full flower. It’s a cinematic trip that takes the listener to 1930’s Parisian cafés, New Orleans juke joints, and beyond. It is an album that communicates the excitement of venturing forth and the reassurance of returning home to an abiding love.

Essential Tracks: “You Me and The Moon,” “Tie a String,” “When a Good Love Goes Away.”

29. James Brandon Lewis Trio — Apple Cores

New York based tenor saxophonist and composer James Brandon Lewis released his sixteenth studio album this year entitled Apple Cores. The record finds James playing with long-time collaborators Chad Taylor (drums) and Josh Werner (electric bass and guitar) on a release that pays tribute to famed jazz musician Don Cherry, with excellent track titles like “Remember Brooklyn & Moki” and “Five Spots To Caravan” directly referencing the trumpeter’s life and work. Each track is an adventure on its own, and thus Apple Cores has the ability to ease your soul with the cathartic or ignite your spirit with the more fervid numbers. Admittedly, with how illustrious that the genre persists at, we should have more pure Jazz albums on the countdown, but we are thrilled to shine a light on James’s work here, one of the better saxophone albums we have heard in years.

Essential Tracks: “Prince Eugene,” “Five Spots to Caravan,” “Remembering Brooklyn & Moki.”

28. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist — Alfredo 2

The teaming of Gary, IN rapper Freddie Gibbs with esteemed producer The Alchemist is a monster pairing. In 2020 they dropped an instant classic called Alfredo and this year they brought to life its sequel and — dare we say it — it might be better than the first. With features from Larry June, Anderson Paak., and JID, and exceptional production from the always unflappable Alchemist, Freddie Gibbs continues to prove that he is a Tier 1 rapper, as good as anyone doing it.

Essential Tracks: “Ensalada,” “Gas Station Sushi,” “Gold Feet.”

27. Charlie Kaplan — A Hat Upon The Bed

We have touted singer-songwriter Charlie Kaplan’s work on a previous countdown (2020’s Sunday — treat yourself!) and are thrilled to report he is back with another gem entitled A Hat Upon The Bed. Drawing on the flood of love and pain that arrived during his “fatherless decade” — spanning the loss of his father in 2013 and the birth of his son in 2025 — A Hat Upon The Bed pairs the strongest writing of Kaplan’s career with music that matches its untameable ambition and empathy.

Essential Tracks: “A Hat Upon The Bed,” “Transmission,” “Heaven.”

26. Matt Berninger — Get Sunk

The National’s commanding frontman Matt Berninger released his second solo album this past May, produced by his longtime collaborator Sean O’Brien who also co-wrote most of its songs. Get Sunk is hailed as “an ode to the infinite. The others that make us who we are; the possibilities our paths can take and the abyss of both misery and bliss,” and is just more brilliant and impassioned lyricism from someone who can plainly be called one of the best songwriters of the past quarter-century.

Essential Tracks: “Bonnet of Pins,” “Inland Ocean,” “No Love,” “Nowhere Special.”

25. Bonnie Prince Billy — The Purple Bird

Released at the tail end of a tough January for many who value diversity, equality, tolerance, love and the like, Bonnie Prince Billy’s (Will Oldham) The Purple Bird serves as a pacifying soundtrack to the troubles of 2025. A Nashville inspired country album to its core, and produced by David “Ferg” Ferguson (Johnny Cash, Sturgill Simpson, John Prine, etc.), The Purple Bird (named after a drawing Ferg made as a child) speaks to what is so important in trying times: loving each other and community. As on the closing track, “Our Home” when Oldham hails: “Winter & spring & summer & fall / Answer the door when your friends come to call / There’s not that much to it, no real work at all / Leggo my ego and embrace my id / That’s how we make it our home.”

Essential Tracks: “Turned To Dust (Rolling On),” “London May,” “Downstream,”

24. Cory Hanson — I Love People

I Love People is the fourth studio album by American psych-rock singer-songwriter Cory Hanson. This amiable offer is a more gentle affair than Hanson fans are used to, which fashions I Love People as the Wand frontman’s most lovely and heartfelt offering, exhibiting an astonishing versatility of range.

Essential Tracks: “Bird on a Swing,” “Lou Reed,” “Joker.”

23. Hand Habits — Blue Reminder

Hand Habits is the musical moniker of Meg Duffy, a prolific artists who was a longtime member of Kevin Morby’s live band, is a current member of Perfume Genius’s band, and has played as a studio musician on records by the War on Drugs, Weyes Blood, and William Tyler. Meg’s fifth album, Blue Reminder, is one of the most vulnerable and thus courageous albums released all year. On it, Meg delves into insecurities and reveleries in love and life that cut to the core, all atop enlivening soundscapes that pull you deep into Meg’s warm and fascinating embrace.

Essential Tracks: “More Today,” “Wheel of Change,” “Dead Rat.”

22. Sharon Van Etten — Sharon Van Ettan & The Attachment Theory

Rock goddess Sharon Van Etten’s seventh studio album finds her writing and recording in total collaboration with her band for the first time. This new approach clearly had a profound effect on the what was birthed in the studio and with production by Marta Salogni (Bjork, Bon Iver, Animal Collective, Mica Levi), Sharon’s latest has an extra bop courtesy of synth and electronics that take her already riveting music to new heights.

Essential Tracks: “Afterlife,” “Idiot Box,” “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like).”

21. Hannah Cohen — Earth Star Mountain

Hannah Cohen’s fourth full-length album was birthed in the Catskill Mountains between 2020 and 2024, a period of time of shelter, reflection, and oftimes creative rebirth — and this is certainly the case here. Earth Star Mountain features contributions from Sufjan Stevens, Clairo, Sean Mullins, Liam Kazar, and Oliver Hill and is rife with gorgeous melodies, introspective poetic lyricism, and the sort of soundscapes that make everyday feel like the height of summer.

Essential Tracks: “Summer Sweat,” “Mountain,” “Earthstar.”

20. Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse — New Threats From The Soul

Ryan Davis is rapidly becoming one of our favorite songwriters on the planet. Since parting with his former band State Champion in 2018, Davis’ lyricism and creative exploration continues to soar. On his second solo studio album, New Threats From The Soul, Ryan can be found overflowing with emboldened poetic bounties, varied melodic turns, and fiery soul we just cannot get enough of. 

Essential Tracks: “The Simple Joy,” “Mutilation Falls,” “New Threats From The Soul.”

19. Big Thief – Double Infinity

On Double Infinity, Big Thief emerge as a trio, following the departure of founding bassist Max Oleartchik for interpersonal reasons. Where such a shift might signal the closing of a chapter for many bands, here it feels more like the opening of a new one. Rather than diminishing their connection, the change seems to have clarified it, allowing Big Thief’s steadfast gift for turning the personal into something communal to deepen. It’s rare to witness a loss of cohesion give way to such growth, yet Double Infinity does just that, unfolding as music that feels profoundly lived-in. It’s a place shaped by pure feeling, ultimately leaning into the one constant that remains: love. “Grandmother,” featuring Laraaji (the American multi-instrumentalist known for piano, zither, and mbira) is a fine example of that constant. Hauntingly beautiful, the song explores generational love, transformation, and finding solace through connection. Laraaji’s soaring vocals drifting behind Adrianne Lenker’s repeated chorus of “Gonna turn it all into rock and roll” is a zenith point on the album, combining with the drums and guitar to transcend this earthly plane for other realms. It’s a deeply moving track, on an album of lasting weight. 

Essential Tracks: “Words,” “Grandmother,” “Incomprehensible,” Los Angeles,” All Night, All Day.”

18. Tame Impala — Deadbeat

Maybe it was inevitable that upon a first listen Tame Impala’s new album would be divisive among critics and longtime fans. Deadbeat is definitely a departure from Kevin Parker’s earlier work, both stylistically and systemically, and not everyone was on board with what many see as his evolution as a musician. Be that as it may, the album is worthy of praise for boldly heading into a new creative direction. Parker’s risk taking and emotional honesty in his lyricism have never been laid more bare, and he’s to be commended for following the path his artistic expression has led him down, even as it so overtly deviates from the psychedelic rock and psych-pop, characterized by fuzzy guitars and organic percussion, that were so prominent on Tame Impala’s previous albums. Deadbeat is an open tribute to the bush doof scene of the broader Western Australian electronic music underground. Rooted in the tradition of the free-form, all-night gatherings in rural areas of Western Australia, where Parker grew up, this stripped-down, rhythm-focused album features loop-driven patterns, hypnotic repetition, and trance-influenced beats that are particular to that region’s rave scene. This is a stylistic choice of Parker’s rather than a thematic one, where his homage to his own personal musical journey makes Deadbeat more of a collective dance party experience than a one-on-one communion between musician and listener. 

Essential Tracks: “Not My World,” “Ethereal Connection,” “End of Summer.”

17. Snowcaps — Snowcaps

As a Halloween treat, the band of twin sisters Katie & Allison Crutchfield who call themselves Snowcaps released their first album together and in a word it’s glorious. Backed by two other heavy hitters in MJ Lenderman and Brad Cook, Snowcaps is an album massed with country-rock hits. Reportedly there is nothing planned with the Crutchfield’s sisters supergroup yurt we are already dreaming of more Snocaps’ glory in the days ahead.

Essential Tracks: “Wasteland,” “Coast,” “Heathcliff.”

16. DARKSIDE — Nothing

The third album from DARKSIDE, Nothing, an album overfloweth with “nine transmissions of negative space, telepathic seance, and spectral improvisation.” With this album comes the arrival of a new full time band member in longtime friend and collaborator, drummer, and instrument designer Tlacael Esparza. The new addition to the musical wonders that are Nicolás Jaar and Dave Harrington adds even more texture to DARKSIDE’s always complex and driving sonics manifesting Nothing is as an album that radiates with a fierce energy that is melodically rich.

Essential Tracks: “S.N.C.,” “Graucha Max,” “Hell suite Pt. II.”

15. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard — Phantom Island

Proving to other artists that leaving Spotify has its perks beyond a clear conscience, Australia’s favorite pack of psych rockers latest album, Phantom Island, was Bandcamp’s best selling album of 2025. Persistently mixing it up when it comes to their prolific album release, the psych rock gods took a turn towards the orchestral for their twenty-seventh studio album. Phantom Island was recorded with composer Chad Kelly and the L.A. Philharmonic, and while this leads to gorgeous, lush, layered soundscapes, King Gizzard’s blend of blues, rock, and heavy psychedelia emphatically carries on.

Essential Tracks: “Phantom Island,” “Spacesick,” “Grow Wings and Fly.”

14. Tortoise — Touch

The first new music from Chicago post-rock legends Tortoise in nine years was welcome not only in its arrival (we’ve been eagerly waiting!), but in its grandeur. The dream team of multi-instrumentalist that are band members Dan Bitney, John Herndon, Douglas McCombs, John McEntire, and Jeff Parker crafted this album for the first time working apart due to the callings of life, and this is wild to comprehend considered the utter cohesiveness of Touch. While Tortoise always excels with their balance of carefully crafted delicate moments with ferocity, there is an intensity and purpose throughout Torch that captures the seasoned grouping of veterans somehow finding a way to tap into something new, and electric.

Essential Tracks: “Vexations,” “Oganesson,” “Layered Presence.”

13. Daughter of Swords — Alex

Daughter of Swords is the solo project of North Carolina singer-songwriter Alex Sauser-Monnig (they/she) and their sophomore album, Alex, is the sort of dream indie pop we crave. Brought to life with a team of Sauser-Monnig’s longtime friends and collaborators including Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso, Mountain Man, The A’s), Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak, Flock of Dimes), Nick Sanborn (Sylvan Esso, Made of Oak), TJ Maiani (Weyes Blood, Neneh Cherry), and Caleb Wright (Hippo Campus, Samia), Alex has songs that will make you groove, others that will move your soul, and all that display an artist truly coming triumphantly into their own.

Essential Tracks: “Dance,” “Willow,” “Strange,” “Money Hits.”

12. Florist — Jellywish

With Jellywish, the fifth studio album from Brookly-based rock outfit Florist, songwriter Emily Sprague and Co. deliver one of the most blissed out works of pop rock we have ever heard. Tugging at our heartstrings at every turn, on Jellywish the little things in life — that glance from your love, the sun hiding behind a cloud, white rice and sweet potatoes — are poetically celebrated with a delicate grace that soothes the soul. There is a beautiful sense of wonder that permeates through the entirety of Jellywish that we very much recommend you get your ears on.

Essential Tracks: “Have Heaven,” “All The Same Light,” “This Was a Gift.”

11. Blood Orange — Essex Honey

Blood Orange’s (Devonté Hynes) latest, Essex Honey, is a deep work of art. Within it, Hynes reckons with the recent passing of his mother and the loneliness that comes with loss. But fear not, Essex Honey is far from a somber enterprise as the English singer- songwriter invites listeners into his hometown in a personal album rife with nostalgia and overflowing with varied, lush, and enchanting soundscapes. It features contributions from Lorde, Caroline Polachek, Daniel Caesar, Mustafa the Poet, Brendan Yates of Turnstile, Ben Watt of Everything But The Girl, Naomi Scott, Amandla Stenberg and Zadie Smith.

Essential Tracks: “Mind Loaded,” “The Field.” “Vivid Light.”

10. Saba — From The Private Collection of Saba and No ID

For the follow up to Saba’s three independently-released, thematically-profound albums — Bucket List Project, Care For Me, a Few Good Things — the Chicago rapper decided to take a step that many might think is in the reverse direction, and work on a mixtape. That concept, however, was broadened to new heights through his teaming with legendary producer and fellow Chicagoan, NoID. A mixtape metamorphosed into an album, From The Private Collection of Saba and No ID, that Saba saw as a chance to highlight all he was excels at. Describing the collection as a “tasting menu” of songs, he explains that in “an album like this, I get to showcase my bag in a lot of ways, all these styles that I feel capable of.” An extraordinary example of what  prolific talents from different generations can accomplish together, what the, From The Private Collection is an album that highlights NoID’s otherworldly production wherein Saba suavely waxes poetic about his musically-driven familiar roots, his influences, and the woes and ways of the world.

Essential Tracks: “Every Painting Has a Price,” “Acts 1.5,” “head.rap,” “Woes of the World.”

9. Turnstile — Never Enough

One of the most exciting stories in rock this year was Turnstile’s ascension to a must-see act destroying stage after stage, and even a tiny desk. Their fourth album, and first without founding member Brady Ebert following his 2022 departure and their first to feature guitarist Meg Mills, is a top to button, feel-good rocker — not a skip in sight. A fun fact about Never Enough is that it received five Grammy nods and Baltimore, Maryland based Turnstile became the first band to be nominated in the Rock, Alternative, and Metal categories in the same year — deservedly so.

Essential Tracks: “Never Enough,” “I CARE,” “BIRDS,” “SLOWDIVE.”

8. Alex G — Headlights

Alexander Giannascoli, who performs under the stage name Alex G, released his tenth album this year and it’s a stunner. Marking his major-label debut, Headlights was co-produced by Alex G and Unknown Mortal Orchestra bass guitarist Jacob Portrait. Headlights is a gorgeous album, brimming with the sort of charming songs and seductive lyricism that has Made Alex G beloved cult-like hero to so many. 

Essential Tracks: “Afterlife,” “Oranges,” “June Guitar.”

7. CMAT — EURO-COUNTRY

EURO-COUNTRY is the third studio album by the Irish musician CMAT (born Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson). A truly unique and vivacious spirit, CMAT personally describes her novel sound as “Euro-Country,” and the country in question here is her home country of Ireland. On top of that the “Euro” in this case is a nod to Ireland becoming one of the first countries to adopt the Euro, one of the original members of the eurozone, and in discussion of these facts CMAT speaks to how the big bad beast of Capitalism is truly a driving force of isolation, globally and personally. Beyond this exposition, EURO_COUNTRY is a rocking work of pop joy.

Essential Tracks: “EURO-COUNTRY,” “Take a Sexy Picture of Me,” “Running / Planning.”

6. Melody’s Echo Chamber — Unclouded

We love Melody Protchet. We love the two albums and one compilation of rarities she’s put out since her debut album back in 2012. However, there’s something about that self-titled premiere, produced by Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, that will always hold a special place in our hearts. Her latest album, Unclouded, seems to have recaptured some of that magic that has fostered such devotion from longtime fans. Protchet’s dreamy, airy voice, bathed in reverb, is everpresent as always, as are the psychedelic textures, hazy synths, and melancholic melodies that are her trademark. Perhaps what gives the album its distinctive edge and sets it apart from previous entries in her catalog is its unique blend of collaborators. Unclouded is co-produced and co-written by Sven Wunder, who mixes arrangements; Josefin Runsteen, who provides harmonious strings; Daniel Ögen and Love Orsen, providing guitar and bass respectively; Malcolm Catto, who adds drums and percussion and is widely recognized for his collaborations with both DJ Shadow and Madlib; and Reine Fiske, who provides additional guitar parts throughout. Leon Michels helps to shape the track “Daisy,” which features El Michels Affair, and Jens Jungkurth mixes the final product, giving the album its sonic cohesion. The songs are multi-layered but succinct, strung together with great care to craft an ethereal soundscape redolent of the atmospherics that made fans fall in love with Melody way back at the beginning. 

Essential Tracks: “In the Stars,” “Eyes Closed,” “Into Shadows.”

5. Haley Heynderickx, Max García Conover — What of Our Nature

Haley Heynderickx and Max Garcia Conover return with another set of gorgeous Folk songs this time inspired by the life and music of Woody Guthrie. In their second collaboration together the duo dug into their own stories to expound upon generation identity, colonialism, and commercialism. García Conover, half-Puerto Rican, and Heynderickx, half-Filipina, delved deeply into America’s oft-troubling relationship with immigrants in what amounts to a cutting, yet beautifully stunning neo-protest album.

Essential Tracks: “Boars,” “Fluorescent Light,” “Song for Alicia,” “to each their dot.”

4. ROSALÍA — LUX

What ROSALÍA bequeath the world with this year wasn’t so much an album, but an experience. LUX is Rosalia’s fourth studio album which was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra under the conduction of Daníel Bjarnason, with Rosalía as its executive producer. LUX is a concept album of sorts, with its tracks inspired by the lives of various female saints, including Hildegard of Bingen, Rabia Al-Adawiya, and Miriam, and in it she wrestles with her spirituality and relationship to God as well as her personal relationships. LUX is a captivating work of art with some of the most beautiful vocalizing and production you will come upon all year.

Essential Tracks: “Berghain,” “La Perla,” “Reliquia.”

3. Bon Iver — SABLE, fABLE

The ethereal melancholy that has defined much of Bon Iver’s (Justin Vernon) work has brightened, and the result is utterly blissful. In an interview with The New York Times Justin explained that the album was “inspired by real feelings — becoming happier, becoming healthier, feeling more confident, feeling more bold.” And thus, SABLE, fABLE, commences with three songs released last year as the “Sable” EP, and then the album turns toward newly released work that is beautiful, inspiring, and possibly Bon Iver’s most accessible works to date. The Jim-E Stack produced album (their first collaboration), featuring appearances by Danielle Haim, Mk.gee and Dijon, is entirely welcome luminance amid dark and trying times in America.

Essential Tracks: “Everything is Peaceful Love,” “If Only I Could Wait,” “There’s a Rhythm.”

2. Jesse Welles — Devil’s Den

Singer-songwriter Jesse Welles’ fifth album speaks directly and poignantly to America’s current moment. In a series of affecting protest songs, Welles tackles the unconscionable actions of ICE, the Christian fallacy of “God’s Plan,” the erosion of the human (and in particular American) spirit — and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Jesse Welles’ inventive brand of storytelling is awe-inspiring, and his witty yet thoughtful perspective on human nature and the ways of the world is something we just can not get enough of.

Essential Tracks: “In the Morning,” “Malaise,” “Don’t Go Giving Up,”

1. Clipse — Let God Sort Em Out

As an example of the utter brilliance of Clipse’s latest album, Let God Sort Em Out, we would like to point you directly to the track “The Birds Don’t Sing” — a song we would bet all we have wins the Grammy for the 2026 Grammy for Best Rap Song. In their most personal offering to date, Clipse (brothers: Gene Thornton Jr, aka Malice, and Terrence Thornton, aka Pusha T) face, head-on, the loss of both their parents in a short span of time. The song features contributions from John Legend (on the hook) and Stevie Wonder on the keys, and is easily one of the deepest hip-hop songs ever birthed. Beyond “The Birds Don’t Sing,” Let God Sort Em Out is stacked, with all songs produced by their longtime friend and producer Pharrel Williams. After sixteen years between releases, Clipse returned without a speck of dust on them. In fact, they sound more inspired than ever, breathing life into an album overflowing with inconceivable wordplay, intoxicating production, and two of the most gifted emcees in rap sounding back in their prime.

Essential Tracks: “The Birds Don’t Sing,” “F.I.C.O.,” “Chains & Whips,” “P.O.V.,” “Ace Trumpets.”