The 10 best albums of 2025

It’s been a quietly great year of music. I haven’t found the elusive 10/10 decade-defining album this year, but I have found a host of quality and exciting projects that each brought something special and compelling. 

These releases are in no particular order. Each is excellent in its own right, and although I found this list to lean more toward R&B and alternative projects, something for every kind of listener can be found below. 

Honorable mentions include “Essex Honey” by Blood Orange, “MUSIC” by Playboi Carti, “Blush” by Kevin Abstract and “noise (meaning)” by Monte Booker. 

‘Getting Killed’

Geese
Geese may be the year-end darling of music publications, but fear not the industry plant allegations (which are usually ridiculous); they are for real. “Getting Killed” is as fresh as can be, filled with simultaneously pretty chords, wallowing vocals, nuanced rhythm and hard rocking. 

“Cobra” is a magical anthem that lends itself to repeated back-to-back listens, “Au Pays du Cocaine” is dreadful and gorgeous and sprawling, and “Taxes” spins a 2000s coming-of-age sound into a new feeling. 

Cameron Winter is a unique vocalist and songwriter, and once his style clicks, it’s hard to find a song of his you don’t like — including on his 2024 December solo project “Heavy Metal,” which would certainly be on this list if released a month later. There’s a lot of variety on “Getting Killed,” and any rock fan should be on the lookout for this young band in the future. 

‘Son Of Spergy’

Daniel Caesar
One of the most talented R&B artists of this generation returns after a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, and though 2023’s “NEVER ENOUGH” was hard to stand against, “Son Of Spergy” delivers. As ever, Daniel Caesar’s soundscapes are fresh, his writing is distinct and his melodies are suave and pretty. 

This project finds him closer to a singer-songwriter aesthetic than ever before, as folky inspirations mix with R&B roots. “Root of all Evil” is serene and thoughtful, “Call On Me” boasts an earworm lead riff, and the arpeggiated lead of “Baby Blue” is trancelike and golden. 

This album finds Caesar among his most contemplative and laid-back instrumentally, and this defining quiet leaves a compelling breath to be had among the arrangements. “Son Of Spergy” is not at the heights of a “Freudian,” but it is a statement that Daniel Caesar cannot, and will not, take a bad musical turn. 

‘From the Private Collection of Saba and No I.D.‘ by Saba and No I.D.

Much like Daniel Caesar, Saba is an artist of consistent reinvention and evolution who consistently impresses in each endeavor he undertakes. 

“The Private Collection” is a 41-minute testimony of Chicago’s best hip-hop, featuring jazzy chords and horns that spill across crisp percussion and flows. There are high-energy cuts as well as laid-back and melodic ones, and each still feels connected and consistent on this cohesive body of work. 

There isn’t a misstep on the project, but highlights include the larger-than-life closing track “a FEW songs,” the smooth and slice-of-life “Crash” and the melodic and layered “head.rap.” If you’re looking to discover some excellent hip-hop, Saba is as good a place as any to start, and “From the Private Collection of Saba and No I.D.” is as versatile and rewarding a rap album that’s been released this year. 

‘Fancy That’

PinkPantheress
Already featured in our best music of May list, PinkPantheress’ 2025 album has stood above the rest of the year’s releases as well. However, it’s only 20 minutes, “Fancy That” leaves a distinct impression. 

“Tonight” is the perfect song to hear on a night out. “Girl Like Me” is thumping and grand simultaneously, and “Stateside” has now been remixed into yet another hit for the rising star. “Fancy That” is defined by its brevity, and it’s just a taste of what PinkPantheress is capable of. 

It’s modular and mobile, quick and bright, and catchy at every turn. Its tracks are a blend of pop and R&B veins blended into a boiler room, a lane that PinkPantheress has helped trailblaze in the mainstream. Her trademark mix of cutesy vocals with this boiler-room backing is a needed sound in pop music, and if you’re looking to have some fun, “Fancy That” is a great place to start. 

‘Virgin’

Lorde
Lorde’s return to the spotlight was as memorable and special as dreamed by fans, who had been waiting for a new release since 2021. “Virgin” is a stark and minimalist project, at times, leaving the most room for the space around the emotions Lorde is unraveling. 

This album, despite its June release, is as wintry as they come, an electronic harmonic take on a singer-songwriter record that is of the times, but still separate from them. Singles “What Was That” and “Man Of The Year” are standouts, featuring guttural vocals and chords that are quite emotionally sharp. 

Lorde’s songwriting feels so open and vulnerable, and so “Virgin” is easy to connect to initially, and only grows better as the music clicks into place. It’s an album to lie down and listen to close-eyed, to walk on the beach at night to, to cry to. And in doing so, you’re transported to this cold and “Clearblue” world, a world that’s absolutely worth at least one visit. 

‘Vanisher, Horizon Scraper’

Quadeca
“Vanisher, Horizon Scraper” is as unique an album as you may find on these lists, and though it is a strange ambient folktronica experience that may not be for everyone, it’s a piece of art worth your time. 

Quadeca has created a true immersive world that feels closer to a movie score than a traditional album, blending all kinds of sounds to create something singular. Sure, it does not lend itself to much casual replay. Opener “NO QUESTIONS ASKED” is eerie and mostly instrumental. Still, its pace and harmonies are so immersive that it’s a compelling six minutes, and is a perfect gateway into the album. 

Singles “GODSTAINED” and “FORGONE,” however, are more traditional tracks and are absolutely beautiful, no notes, song of the year contenders. If nothing else, give each a listen. “Vanisher, Horizon Scraper” is a strange and eerie project, but it is also home to unforgettable beauty. It’s a step away from most contemporary music, and worth expanding one’s palate to. 

‘Baby’

Dijon
Dijon’s music is raw and guttural as it comes, and though his latest is removed from the emotional terror of 2021’s “Absolutely,” his return on this sophomore album is a colorful and special take on his sound. 

“Baby” is at times sentimental and at times chaotic, best shown on the first two tracks, the titular “Baby!” and its follow-up, aptly named “Another Baby!” Dijon shows himself to be a talented composer of intricate sounds and thumping, mobile basslines on tracks like “HIGHER!” and “Yamaha.” 

“Baby” is dramatic and everywhere and full of energy, soul and pure creativity from one of the most fun voices in music today. Dijon is an artist’s artist, and his blend of soul, rock, funk and R&B is about as unique a take on these building blocks as there is. 

‘Sincerely‘

Kali Uchis
Another project featured among the apparently excellent month of May releases, Kali Uchis’ latest is serene modern R&B perfection. Its songs swell together in a 50-minute meditation of smooth, warm and tender tunes. “Sincerely” is not a full step away from her previous releases, with similar aesthetics and themes; it is a studied evolution of this can’t-go-wrong sound. 

“All I Can Say” is classically romantic and sweet, “Sugar! Honey! Love” dips into grandiose and huge arrangements and “Lose My Cool” is the perfect canvas for the hallmark Uchis reverb-soaked guitars and heavenly vocals.

A healthy medium of produced, detailed modern R&B and freeing classic soul, “Sincerely,” is an easy listen that is still marked with authenticity and quality. This album doesn’t take particularly big swings, but it doesn’t need to. Good R&B music doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel at all, and this understanding seems to be a core tenet of this latest from Kali Uchis. 

‘To Dry a Tear’

Khamari
Khamari may be the future face of alternative R&B, and this album and his last, “A Brief Nirvana,” are some of the definitive projects of the genre’s identity in the 2020s. His melodies are sweet, his voice stands out as tender, and his writing is personal and at times visceral.

“To Dry a Tear” is smooth and groovy, particularly on its more R&B cuts, like “I Love Lucy” and “Acres,” making it perfect anthems for cruising around the sunny Valley. But its highest highs are closer to singer-songwriter tracks, with “Head in a Jar” and its syrupy vocals and chords being among the best songs of the year, if not the best. 

It’s an easy listen front to back, simultaneously cool and thoughtful, and makes clear that Khamari will not be a one- or two-album wonder. 

‘DON’T TAP THE GLASS’

Tyler, The Creator
Though not a defining album in the excellent body of work of the historic artist, “DON’T TAP THE GLASS” is a fun and easy sidestep for Tyler, The Creator, full of soulful hits and memorable melodies. It was a perfect summer album, and it still holds up now. 

“Sucka Free” is perhaps the best on the album, with an addicting hook and swing that can’t be put down once listened. “Don’t You Worry Baby” and “I’ll Take Care of You” balance sample-like vocal loops with some house-inspired production, coming together for a moving experience. 

Tyler is at a place in his career where he can have fun as he balances other endeavors, like a role in the recently released “Marty Supreme,” and “DON’T TAP THE GLASS” is a testament to how easy it is for him to make great music. It isn’t the heights of an “IGOR” or “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST,” but it’s can’t-go-wrong music that’s fun no matter the circumstance.