From the return of pop’s reigning kook to a sprawling love letter to Puerto Rico, here are our favorite records of the year.

The 10 best albums of 2025

From the return of pop's reigning kook to a sprawling love letter to Puerto Rico, here are our favorite records of the year.

By Jason Lamphier,

Jason Lamphier is a senior editor at who covers news and music. Before joining EW, he was an editor at The New York Observer, Out, and Interview.

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Allaire Nuss

Allaire Nuss has been an associate editor at ** since 2022, where she oversees evergreen content and contributes to the music section.

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Wesley Stenzel,

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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and Alamin Yohannes

Alamin Yohannes

Alamin Yohannes is ’s social media director. He has been working at the publication since 2018. His work has appeared on NBC News and Inverse in addition to .

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December 5, 2025 7:30 p.m. ET

(L-R): Geese's Cameron Winter; Perfume Genius; Rosalía; Bad Bunny; FKA Twigs. Credit:

With 2025 nearly behind us, it's time to… forget most of it ever happened? But at least some good came out of these past 12 months — namely, the stuff that emanated nonstop from our speakers and earbuds. In addition to the long-awaited return of Mother Monster (finally making pop again!), we saw brilliant pivots from some of music's greatest poets and visionaries, plus a smattering of new voices who refuse to be defined. It all offered a much-needed escape from the headlines (excluding EW's) and a galvanizing soundtrack for those occasional highs that kept us pressing on.

Here, **'s top 10 albums of the year.

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The 10 best albums of 2025

10. Djo, The Crux

Djo, 'The Crux'.

After years spent demolishing demogorgons with a nailed baseball bat, *Stranger Things*' Joe Keery (a.k.a. Djo) reintroduced himself to the world as the next indie-rock darling with his vulnerable, varied third full-length, *The Crux.* A nostalgia-drenched exploration of love and grief following the end of a relationship, the 12-track album sees Keery marrying his conflicting emotions with a medley of different genres, setting his sorrows to the tune of dreamy '80s pop on "Delete Ya," recreating late-night loneliness through Fleetwood Mac–esque fingerpicking guitar on "Potion," and expressing his devotion to his family, both lyrically and through a soaring orchestral arrangement, on "Golden Line." The shoulder-shimmying doo-woppers of the 1960s weren't lying when they sang that breaking up is hard to do, but Keery manages to make it through to the other side with his heart still intact — and his music sounding better than ever. *—Emlyn Travis*

9. Sudan Archives, The BPM

Sudan Archives, 'The BPM'.

‎ Stones Throw Records

On her thrilling third LP, singer and violinist Brittney Parks saws through her psyche and follows her id to the dancefloor. Her mind is messy and unrelenting, full of sharp left turns and endless detours, as she and her cybernetic alter ego-cum-savior, Gadget Girl, crisscross eras and genres in an attempt to transmute the wreckage of heartache into a superhuman armor. Standout "A Bug's Life" finds the concept album's heroine forging fearlessly ahead, shattering her rearview mirror with sampled house-diva yelps that evoke the Black Box classic "Ride on Time," while the chakra-shaking bass of "She's Got Pain" abruptly surrenders to a frisky interlude from Chicago string quartet D-Composed, resulting in the best use of Irish folk on a pop record since Kate Bush's "Jig of Life." But this polymath is still down to party. "Put it in my mouth," Parks chants on "Ms. Pac Man," a blippy, raunchy hip-hop banger in which she also threatens to "eat these bitches too," punctuating her flex with the crunch of a potato chip. You exit *The BPM* feeling charged, a little exhausted, and a bit more enlightened, like you've just left the wildest, sweatiest club in town — or a very good therapy session. *—Jason Lamphier*

8. Olivia Dean, The Art of Loving

Olivia Dean, 'The Art of Loving'.

Fans of her tender 2023 debut, *Messy,* knew Olivia Dean had the talent, but this year the young British neo-soul singer became a full-fledged global force. Her shuffling U.K. No. 1 hit, “Man I Need,” in which she demands that her love interest step up and give her what she deserves (compliments! bossa nova all night!), became one of 2025's defining singles, but she shines throughout her sophomore album,* *its minimalist production allowing her velvety voice to take center stage. "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" drifts on a breezy, Burt Bacharach-y melody; "Nice to Each Other" charms with a chugging beat and steel guitar; and the rhythmic refrain of "ba-ba-ba-baby steps" in "Baby Steps" is as addictive as it is simple. A triumphant study in restraint, *The Art of Loving* has a soft touch, but still hits hard. *—Alamin Yohannes*

7. Alex G, Headlights

Alex G, 'Headlights'.

There's a tiny mythology within Alex G’s work if you listen closely. Recurring characters and autofiction often translate his private experiences, which are increasingly, refreshingly mundane on *Headlights*. In "Beam Me Up" an aging football player (perhaps the athlete from 2014's *DSU*) muses that "life will pass you by," while in "Real Thing" a singer hopes he can "make it through to April on whatever's left of all this label cash." It's a sobering perspective from a DIY Bandcamp artist–turned–veteran indie darling, who did indeed make his major-label debut this year with his 10th LP. Deploying harsh guitars, tense strings, and jangly synths to ponder the weight of his mounting responsibilities, the 32-year musician has crafted a twinkling, more polished, more mature folk-rock record that still bears the scratchy lo-fi sensibilities of his early days. The Alex G of the present seems to be the guy, real or fictional, in the album's closing track, "Logan Hotel": a shaggy-haired Peter Pan perched at the piano with his friends at the bar, starting to accept that it's time to grow up. —*Allaire Nuss***

6. Geese, Getting Killed

Geese perform on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'.

Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty

The first truly great rock album for the Anxious Generation came this year courtesy of Geese, a ragtag group of twentysomething Brooklyn neo-no-wavers led by elusive frontman Cameron Winter. Their violent, volatile brand of guitar music has an undeniable swagger, so much so that you feel a perverse pleasure hearing Winter yelp "there's a bomb in my caaaarrrr!" as a trombone implodes on *Getting Killed*'s opening track, "Trinidad" — like getting a swift kick in the teeth and smiling as blood dribbles down your chin. The hooks are few and far between, though excellent on the rollicking singles "Taxes" and "100 Horses." Instead, the band unravels odd, turbulent song structures like tangles of yarn set ablaze. The whole affair is steeped in ambivalent religious imagery and anchored by Winter's elastic bellow, his voice careening from a honey-sweet Elvis-like drawl to commanding, animalistic shrieks reminiscent of Jim Morrison. It's enough to make you believe you've seen the light, harsh and blinding as it may be. —*Allaire Nuss***

5. Lady Gaga, Mayhem

Lady Gaga, 'Mayhem'.

After experimenting with stripped-back Americana on *Joanne* and cyberpunk dance music on *Chromatica*, Lady Gaga triumphantly emerged from the quickly** **forgotten shadow of *Joker: Folie à Deux* with *Mayhem*, her most eclectic album to date. Across 14 intensely energetic tracks, our preeminent gonzo pop princess delivers her take on Prince- and Bowie-inspired funk ("Killah"), industrial grunge (“Perfect Celebrity"), retro glam rock ("Vanish Into You"), flirty Halloween party bops ("Zombieboy," "The Beast"), moonstruck** **soft rock ("Die With a Smile"), and the best Taylor Swift song not written by Taylor Swift ("How Bad Do U Want Me"). Meanwhile, the album's opening trifecta** **— "Disease," "Abracadabra," and "Garden of Eden" — finds Gaga revisiting the Gothic theatricality and hyper-catchy, stuttering choruses of her earliest hits. The result is both a return to form and a breath of fresh air from one of the most reliable voices in the biz.** ***—Wesley Stenzel*

4. Perfume Genius, Glory

Perfume Genius, 'Glory'.

Matador Records

Over the past 15 years, Mike Hadreas' discography has evolved from sparse, lo-fi piano ballads to baroque-pop mosaics and back, and on his seventh LP as Perfume Genius, he is once again a conduit for the sublime. Though stylistically elastic, *Glory* remains thematically consistent as Hadreas, a vocal contortionist, tightens his breathy bellows into a whimpering falsetto as he sings about being hopelessly tangled in his past traumas ("I still run and hide when a man's at the door"). His output has always felt uncannily intimate, like secrets shared in confidence, but this album* *is his most collaborative. Along with longtime producer Blake Mills and his co-writer and romantic partner, Alan Wyffels, Hadreas brings New Zealand folk artist Aldous Harding into the fold for the standout single "No Front Teeth," which teeters between quaint Americana and rapturous rock. The entire record is a high-wire balancing act, but it never buckles under the weight of its beautiful contradictions. —*Allaire Nuss*

3. FKA Twigs, Eusexua

FKA Twigs, 'Eusexua'.

"I'm obsessed with alternative cultures and subcultures," FKA Twigs told guest host RuPaul on an episode of *Jimmy Kimmel Live* last year, describing how she found herself in the thrall of Prague's underground techno scene while filming her movie *The Crow *there. The British singer, producer, dancer, and actress has always operated from the periphery, eschewing straight-up bangers for steely, alien mood pieces; what her songs lack in top 40 appeal they more than make up for in vision. But her third studio album strikes the perfect balance between accessibility and experimentation, with Twigs slipping snugly into whatever genre she tries on before bending it to her will. That includes, yes, techno but also house, drum and bass, industrial, trip-hop, new age, *Ray of Light*–era electronica, and, with the early single "Perfect Stranger," sleek, low-frills pop. *Eusexua*'s power lies in its interplay of the cerebral and the seductive, of dominance and submission, of tension and release. It was enough to finally push Twigs from the outer limits to the dead center. *—Jason Lamphier*

2. Bad Bunny,* Debí Tirar Más Fotos*

Bad Bunny, 'Debí Tirar Más Fotos'.

Rimas Entertainment

Bad Bunny may be a global superstar, but he's never forgotten where he came from. After years of being swept up in the limelight, the three-time Grammy winner returned to Puerto Rico and allowed his roots the space to bloom in vivid color for his genre-defying sixth album, *Debí Tirar Más Fotos* ("I should have taken more photos"). Recorded entirely on the island, the 17-track reggaeton and Latin pop master class not only serves as his love letter to his homeland, but also captures the 31-year-old singer deftly blending his modern stylings with music near and dear to its cultural identity, including plena ("Debí Tirar Más Fotos"), salsa ("Baile Inolvidable"), and jíbaro ("Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii"). A joyous opus binding an artist to his heritage, *Debí Tirar Más Fotos* will only feel more meaningful — for him and his listeners — as time goes on. Not unlike a photograph. *—Emlyn Travis*

1. Rosalía, Lux

Rosalía, 'Lux'.

On "Cover Me," an evocative track off her trailblazing 1995 album, *Post,* Björk announced that she was going hunting for mysteries, vowing to "prove the impossible really exists." She arguably never returned, delving deeper and deeper into her provocative avant-pop excursions, confounding and illuminating us all along the way. Björk shows up on her spiritual descendant Rosalía’s fourth LP, *Lux,* a staggeringly ambitious work that, like *Post, *detonated the limitations of genre to deliver some of the most compelling, colossal music of the year. In the record’s lead single, the operatic and opulent "Berghain," the Spanish phenom contends with fear, rage, and a fervent desire that threatens to consume her, while Björk hovers above the proceedings like a celestial soothsayer to declare that only "divine intervention" can save her. The Icelandic icon is one of many holy figures who guide Rosalía in her own journey into the unknown; each song on* Lux* was inspired by a different female saint, and it features contributions from composer Caroline Shaw, fado singer Carminho, flamenco artist Estrella Morente, and French actress-chanteuse Charlotte Gainsbourg as well as a brilliant unexpected cameo from Patti Smith. Backed by choirs and the London Symphony Orchestra, the classically trained vocal powerhouse details her quest in more than a dozen languages, seeking answers to questions about faith, devotion, lust, and love — and the meaning of life itself — over the course of four movements and 18 tracks. In an era of quick hits and instant gratification, that may sound like a tough sell, but *Lux* is more than worth your time. Maybe the impossible does exist. Or at least the impossibly beautiful. It's all right here. *—Jason Lamphier*

Honorable Mentions

Bon Iver, Sable, Fable

Bon Iver, 'Sable, Fable'.

In the opening lines of last year's *Sable*, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon stares into the mirror and sees an anxious stranger trapped in a prison of his own making. But that EP, which also serves as the prelude on his fifth full-length, was a red herring. Over the nine tracks that follow, Vernon — a lonesome troubadour who launched his career with an album he recorded in a secluded Wisconsin cabin in the dead of winter — sheds his pensive sadness. Backed by pedal steel, lapping beats, and gospel-style vocals, he turns his gaze outward with gratitude and childlike wonder ("Damn, if I'm not climbing up a tree right now," he declares in the exultant "Everything Is Peaceful Love"). He's hopeful, elated, even a little horny ("Get your fine ass on the road," he commands in the Danielle Haim collab "I'll Be There"). On *Sable, Fable, *the winter frost has melted. Vernon is ready to face the world and, more important, face himself. *—Jason Lamphier***

Destroyer, Dan’s Boogie

Destroyer, 'Dan's Boogie'.

Destroyer Music Limited

Three decades into his career, Destroyer's Dan Bejar remains a reliable purveyor of dense, dazzling compositions. The band's 14th LP, produced by bassist John Collins, clocks in at just 36 minutes but feels sprawling. An onslaught of orchestration fuels the title track, while others ("Bologna," "Cataract Time") are languid and layered. Bejar's smoky alto is our anchor, sounding like an omniscient ghost serenading us in a liminal space. His honest, often sardonic observations ("women fill out and men crumble inwards") echo through a thick cloud of dizzying pianos, jazz horns, and glistening synths. Maximalist and mesmerizing, the record unfolds like live commentary for a bustling metropolis — *ah, look at all the lonely people!* It makes a compelling case for stopping to breathe in the urban smog. It may smell like s---, but at least you're living in the moment. *—Allaire Nuss***

Haim, I Quit

Haim, 'I Quit'.

Columbia Records

Though it registers as a breakup record, the breezy fourth LP from Los Angeles' foremost sister act embraces the entire emotional spectrum of messy modern romance, channeling frustration ("Relationships"), desire ("All Over Me"), heartache ("Try to Feel My Pain"), and unabashed sentimentality ("Million Years") into near-impeccable pop-rock tunes. *I Quit *doubles down on the summery sounds that populate Haim's best work, drawing focus to their live drums, slick guitar riffs, bouncy basslines, and fuzzy synths. But the rich, sunny production, from former Vampire Weekend multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij and lead vocalist Danielle Haim, continually modulates over the course of a track, leaving many songs** **with strikingly different arrangements than they started with. Plus, it's lovely to hear the trio’s other siblings take the wheel, with Alana shining on** **the album's bubbliest song ("Spinning") and Este driving home its most melancholy ("Cry"). *—Wesley Stenzel***

Turnstile, Never Enough

Turnstile, 'Never Enough'.

Roadrunner Records

Turnstile is your favorite band's favorite band. A well-kept Baltimore secret for far too long, the hardcore heavyweights made massive waves with 2021's *Glow On, *propelling them beyond the purview of die-hard insiders and introducing them to the rock-starved masses. Anticipation was sky-high for their next outing, and *Never Enough* delivers seismic goods. Like its predecessor, the album is a genre-bending odyssey, skating through house music ("Look Out for Me"), bubblegum for bruisers ("I Care"), ceremonial woodwinds ("Sunshower"), disco ("Seein' Stars"), and, of course, furious, breakneck guitar riffs. These are kinetic and kaleidoscopic songs seamlessly woven together like a tapestry that keeps changing color.* Never Enough* never feels bloated or overly ambitious; in this fable, Icarus flies away. —*Allaire Nuss*

Kali Uchis, Sincerely

Kali Uchis, 'Sincerely'.

Capitol Records

What a f---ed-up time to be alive. Kali Uchis' solution? Close the curtains, pour the Cab, draw the bath, and spend the next hour basking in impossibly sexy, sophisticated slow jams that conjure Motown, doo-wop, golden-age R&B, and the soundtrack to some private striptease. The Columbian American artist has said her fifth album is about "finding beauty in the pain and taking the good" — it is dedicated to her late mother and inspired by the birth of her son — and it is best appreciated as a whole. This is a record to get lost in. That's never more apparent than on the highlight "Lose My Cool," which switches tempos halfway through to luxuriate in lush, spine-tingling harmonies that call to mind Ultravox's '80s classic "Vienna." Surrender to *Sincerely*’s charms and you'll swear you've brushed shoulders with a place high above the earthly chaos. *—Jason Lamphier*

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