A mix of longtime favourites and newly-discovered artists made 2025 a great year for music. Here are some highlights.
- Brothertiger came in hot after collaborating with Hotel Pools, releasing a dreamy synthwave escape.
- Men I Trust released two back-to-back albums, the latter hinting to a Fleetwood Mac sound.
- Listening to AAA by HYUKOH and Sunset Rollercoaster put me on the radar of this Taiwanese 5-piece.
- Soccer Mommy has outdone herself again, and stripped was the cherry on top.
- TEED was a latecomer, releasing another great addition to their discography in December.
These rankings ebb & flow across the year, so this is a rough generalization of order.
- Hotel Pools & Brothertiger - Paradigms — chillwave
- Men I Trust - Equus Caballus — dream pop
- Sunset Rollercoaster (落日飛車) - QUIT QUIETLY — alternative rock
- Cautious Clay - The Hours: Night — r&b
- Delights - If Heaven Looks A Little Like This — pop rock
- Soccer Mommy - Evergreen + (stripped) — indie rock
- Post Animal - Iron — psychedelic rock
- The Midnight - Syndicate (& Instrumentals) — synthwave
- Hibou - It Seems To Me — electropop
- Wisp - If Not Winter — shoegaze
- Spacey Jane - If That Makes Sense — pop rock
- Far Caspian - Autofiction — dream pop
- Maribou State - Hallucinating Love — psychedelic electronic
- Deafheaven - Lonely People With Power — post metal
- Sleep Token - Even In Arcadia — progressive metal
- SG Lewis - Anemoia — dance electronic
- TEED - Always With Me — experimental house
- Flipturn - Burnout Days — indie rock
- Liu Jiazhuo (刘嘉卓) - Soliloquy (独白) — instrumental guitar
- Dream Theater - Parasomnia — progressive metal
- Ocean Alley - Love Balloon — surf rock
- Oklou - choke enough — hyper pop
- Runnner - a welcome kind of weakness — rock pop
- The Beths - Straight Line Was A Lie — alternative rock
- GoGo Penguin - Necessary Fictions — contemporary jazz
- Satin Jackets - Cruise Control — nu disco
- Bon Iver - SABLE, fABLE — folk pop
- Blood Orange - Essex Honey — art pop
- Skegss - TOP HEAVY — surf rock
- Summer Fades Away (时过夏末) - Endless (未完) — post rock
Credits: Topsters 3 for the album chart