BEST OF

2025

The 20 Best Albums of 2025

Featuring Blood Orange, FKA twigs, GIVĒON, and more.

2025 has wrapped up, ushering in another year full of new experiences and more importantly, new music. But before moving on–to the next release, the next single, the next sound–it’s important to take a look back on the albums that defined 2025.

The list below is just a snapshot of the music that released last year. The tip of the iceberg. Some things are bound to fall through the cracks. Regardless, the rationale for deciding on the following albums came down to a few factors: impact, creativity, boldness, storytelling, uniqueness and above all, enjoyment. With these aspects in mind, let’s take a look at some of the best albums 2025 had to offer:

By Graham Rogers

Jan. 20, 2026

20. The Knocks, Dragonette – Revelation

Jun. 6, 2025

A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be.

18. Tyler, The Creator – DON’T TAP THE GLASS

Jul. 21, 2025

Created while on tour, DON’T TAP THE GLASS is a high-energy, danceable, and above all fun album. Coming off the back of CHROMAKOPIA, a much more introspective, emotional project, DON’T TAP THE GLASS brings Tyler back to a (relatively) simpler space. Not to say simpler is worse, rather the opposite; while I loved CHROMAKOPIA for its complexities, returning to a sound and theme based on pure enjoyment of music through a surprise album was a necessary next step for Tyler. Hearing him discuss the emotional process of creating CHROMAKOPIA, it’s not shocking that he decided to go the route he did with the release this project. The outcome of this pivot speaks–or rather sings–for itself, with songs like “Sugar On My Tongue” and “Ring Ring Ring” bringing the emotive and galvanizing beats Tyler promised before release. Despite its short runtime, DON’T TAP THE GLASS fills out its track list with song after song of earworms. When it’s clear an artist is having fun creating their music, it becomes almost impossible to not join in that fun; just as Tyler said, this project was made to give people a method of letting out pent-up energy, without fear of embarrassment or shame. In this regard, it succeeds in spades; Tyler manages to continually reinvent himself and surprise his audience, creating a spectacle that’s nearly impossible to ignore.

17. Bon Iver – SABLE, fABLE

Apr. 11, 2025

A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be.

16. Gelli Haha – Switcheroo

Jun. 27, 2025

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15. Mac Miller – Balloonerism

Jan. 17, 2025

A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be.

14. Blood Orange – Essex Honey

Aug. 29, 2025

A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be.

13. FKA twigs – EUSEXUA

Jan. 24, 2025

A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be.

9. Nourished By Time – The Passionate Ones

Aug. 22, 2025

A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be.

8. PinkPantheress – Fancy That

May 9, 2025

A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be.

10. Black Country, New Road – Forever Howlong

Apr. 4, 2025

A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be.

5. Ninajirachi – I Love My Computer

Aug. 8, 2025

This year saw a host of debut projects drop, with some already appearing on this list but I Love My Computer is without a doubt the strongest debut studio album I listened to in 2025. Having only released a few EPs prior to this album, Ninajirachi has started her album career on an extremely strong note. Constructed with a distinct 2000’s era electronic sound and alongside her greatest collaborator, I Love My Computer tells a story of self-discovery through a frutiger aero-tinted lens. Her computer–who is “featured” on points of the album through static noise–was the impetus for the musical journey Ninajirachi experienced. This album tells the story of that journey, highlighting the nostalgic simplicity of technology at the beginning of the millennium as well as the dangers that came from the wild west of the early internet. Looking past the amazing production and contagious melodies, Ninajirachi crafted an album that at its core has soul, despite the fact that her computer lacks one. She feels strongly about her computer, which is made clear on songs like “F*ck My Computer” and “Infohazard”; these songs display the conflicting relationship she has with technology, while containing some of the best electronic and hyperpop inspired music I’ve heard in recent memory. This album stayed in heavy rotation since its release, and she now has an audience eager to see what she cooks up next with FL studio (and her trusty computer) in the future.

3. Clipse, Pusha T, Malice – Let God Sort Em Out

Jul. 11, 2025

A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be.

4. Viagra Boys – viagr aboys

Apr. 25, 2025

Of all the words you could use to describe viagr aboys–vulgar, surreal, comedic, even tranquil–boring would not be one of them. Out of the gate, Viagra Boys engage you with absurd lyrics about mortality, marking the introduction of a main thread present throughout the album; the theme of mortality is ever-present, provoking the listener to engage with the concept of death inspired by the anomie derived from modern society. Keep in mind, of course, that the band eliciting these feelings is incongruously named Viagra Boys. But it's that contrast that makes this album so special. In both the energetic songs like “Man Made of Meat” and the calmer respite of “Medicine for Horses,” they manage to arouse the listener with heavier contemplations than you may have expected going in; viagr aboys is, in many ways, a trojan horse. They delivered an album dripping in attitude and satire that still hits the emotional beats you’d hope it would, a feat many would struggle to pull off–with viagr aboys, it comes across effortlessly. After finishing this album you might feel like washing your hands clean of the grime it left behind–but you’ll come back to it, if not for the catchy choruses and addicting riffs, but for the rare glimpses of genuine beauty hidden under the veil of grungy absurdity.

2. Djo – The Crux (& The Crux Deluxe)

Apr. 4, 2025

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1. Joey Valence & Brae – HYPERYOUTH

Aug. 15, 2025

This list was compiled, written and edited by Graham Rogers.

Jan. 20, 2026

A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be.

6. GIVĒON – BELOVED

Jul. 11, 2025

A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be. A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The Reset Retreat in the Yucca Valley is designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and return to yourself—through guided experiences, restorative space, and time to simply be.

12. JID – God Does Like Ugly

Aug. 8, 2025

Following an album as acclaimed as JID’s previous record, The Forever Story, would be a difficult task for nearly anyone–nearly. While admittedly its arguable if JID managed to surpass that herculean bar, he got about as close as you could hope for; God Does Like Ugly dives headfirst into themes surrounding faith, systemic inequality, identity and personal growth all dressed up in impressive lyricism and crisp production. Ranging in content from a song about Atlanta’s roller-skating culture on “Sk8 (with Ciara & EARTHGANG),” to the introspective and moody “K-Word (with Pastor Troy)” tackling themes of accountability and spirituality, God Does Like Ugly is a ride in the true sense of the word. Rooted in complexity and contrast, the project slowly pushes the listener to accept their flaws, and understand that imperfection is an unavoidable aspect of beauty. JID (or more accurately, his late grandmother who originally offered the idea) chose to title the album after an inversion of the southern phrase “God don’t like ugly,” choosing to confront the spiritual struggles that paved the way to his self-acceptance. Regardless of if this album surpasses his previous heights, it still stands quite tall on its own. Filled with catchy hooks and memorable bars, God Does Like Ugly cements JID’s legacy as one of the most exciting, impressive and introspective MC’s in the game.

7. Wet Leg – moisturizer

Jul. 11, 2025

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11. McKinley Dixon – Magic, Alive!

Jun. 6, 2025

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19. Daniel Caesar – Son Of Spergy

Oct. 24, 2025

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