PopMatters' 70 Best Albums of 2025 So Far

The 70 best albums of 2025 offer sublime music as major artists return with new work and brilliant new sounds bubble up from the underground and worldwide.

Published: June 26, 2025 11:00 Source

# 1

Arcadia by Alison Krauss & Union Station

Album • Mar 28 / 2025 Progressive Bluegrass

# 2

Can't Lose My (Soul) by Annie and the Caldwells

Album • Mar 21 / 2025

# 3

Horror by Bartees Strange

Album • Feb 14 / 2025 Indie Rock Pop Rock

# 4

Gut by Baths

Album • Feb 21 / 2025 Indietronica Indie Rock Glitch Pop

# 5

LOWER by Benjamin Booker

Album • Jan 24 / 2025 Art Rock Singer-Songwriter

# 6

HausLive 4 by Bill Orcutt Guitar Quartet

Album • Apr 29 / 2025

# 7

GOLLIWOG by billy woods

Album • May 09 / 2025 Experimental Hip Hop Abstract Hip Hop Conscious Hip Hop East Coast Hip Hop

# 8

Here We Go Crazy by Bob Mould

Album • Mar 07 / 2025 Alternative Rock

# 9

SABLE, fABLE by Bon Iver

Album • Apr 11 / 2025 Pop Soul Art Pop

# 10

The Purple Bird by Bonnie "Prince" Billy

Album • Jan 31 / 2025 Alt-Country Contemporary Folk Contemporary Country

# 11

Death & Love, Pt. 1 by Circa Waves

Album • Feb 07 / 2025 Indie Rock

# 12

Halo On The Inside by Circuit des Yeux

Album • Mar 14 / 2025 Post-Industrial Darkwave Art Pop

# 13

Rift by Clara Mann

Album • Mar 07 / 2025 Contemporary Folk

# 14

Light for the Midnight by Cold Specks

Album • Apr 09 / 2025

# 15

Losin' by Colin Miller

Album • Apr 25 / 2025 Alt-Country Singer-Songwriter

# 16

Lust for Life, Or: 'How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story' by Courting

Album • Mar 14 / 2025 Post-Punk Revival Indie Rock

# 18

Raw Muscular Power by Death By Unga Bunga

Album • Feb 07 / 2025 Garage Rock Power Pop

# 19

Yarın Yoksa by Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek

Album • Mar 14 / 2025 Psychedelic Rock Psychedelic Folk Anatolian Rock

# 20

Music Can Hear Us by DJ Koze

Album • Apr 04 / 2025 Electronic Dance Music

# 21

In Between by Elana Sasson

Album • Apr 18 / 2025

# 22

EUSEXUA by FKA twigs

Album • Jan 24 / 2025 Electronic Dance Music Art Pop

# 23

A.O.E.I.U. (An Ordinary Exercise In Unity) by Florence Adooni

Album • Feb 28 / 2025 Highlife

# 24

Everything Must Go by Goose

Album • Apr 25 / 2025 Indie Rock Jam Band Pop Rock

# 25

Dracones by Hüma Utku

Album • Apr 04 / 2025

# 26

Glutton For Punishment by Heartworms

Album • Feb 07 / 2025 Darkwave Gothic Rock Post-Punk

# 27

Bees In The Bonnet by Hedvig Mollestad Trio

Album • May 09 / 2025 Jazz-Rock Stoner Rock

# 28

Phonetics On and On by Horsegirl

Album • Feb 14 / 2025 Indie Rock Indie Pop C86

# 29

Wild and Clear and Blue by I'm With Her

Album • May 09 / 2025

# 30

Tết 41 by JakoJako

Album • Apr 25 / 2025

# 31

Foxes in the Snow by Jason Isbell

Album • Mar 07 / 2025 Americana Singer-Songwriter Contemporary Folk

# 33

Middle by Jesse Welles

Album • Feb 21 / 2025 Folk Rock

# 35

Ekoya by Jupiter & Okwess

Album • Jan 31 / 2025

# 36

Kiniata by Kin'Gongolo Kiniata

Album • Apr 04 / 2025

# 37

WITNESS by Kronos Quartet + Mary Kouyoumdjian

Album • Mar 14 / 2025

# 38

Forever by Lilly Hiatt

Album • Jan 31 / 2025 Alternative Rock Americana

# 39

Tears of Injustice by Mdou Moctar

Album • Feb 28 / 2025 Tishoumaren

# 40

Harsh & Exciting by Moonrisers

Album • May 30 / 2025

# 41

Flowers For The Living by Mourning [A] BLKstar

Album • May 16 / 2025

# 42

You Are Always On My Mind by OHYUNG

Album • Mar 28 / 2025

# 43

Dance Therapy by Ora the Molecule

Album • Mar 21 / 2025 Nu-Disco Space Disco Synthpop

# 44

Another Place by Pachyman

Album • May 23 / 2025 Dub

# 45

Flickering Resonance by Pelican

Album • May 16 / 2025 Post-Metal

# 46

SOL by Raúl Monsalve y los Forajidos

Album • Mar 21 / 2025

# 47

End of the Middle by Richard Dawson

Album • Feb 14 / 2025 Singer-Songwriter Progressive Folk

# 48

Junior by Rodeo Boys

Album • Apr 25 / 2025

# 49

People Watching by Sam Fender

Album • Feb 21 / 2025 Heartland Rock

# 50

Ylh Byebye by Sami Galbi

Album • May 02 / 2025

# 51

Blood On the Silver Screen by SASAMI

Album • Mar 07 / 2025 Pop Rock

# 52

A Complicated Woman by Self Esteem

Album • Apr 25 / 2025 Alt-Pop

# 54

If It All Works Out by Sir Woman

Album • Feb 21 / 2025