Top 20 Music Albums of 2025
by 
ForegroundNoise 
We may be two weeks into January, but back by unpopular demand here are my top 20 Albums of 2025! Did this feel like a weak year for music to you? It did to me...
That said breaking the format for my favourite Short Releases a little, I couldn't decide the two excellent EPs released by The Orchestra (For Now) for my No 1. I've been excited by this band for a while now, and this year they really proved that they're more than just a BCNR aftershock.
A special shoutout also goes out to my girlfriend's amazing band Champion Trees, who also released an album this year. I figured if I put them in the list I'd be accused of bias, so don't just take my word for it, if you're a fan of The Microphones, Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen, go check them out!
Top 5 Short Releases of 2025
1. The Orchestra (For Now) - Plan 75 (n/a, 22:35) & Plan 76 (n/a, 24:41) [GB]
art rock • progressive rock • post-rock - 8/10 & 8/10
2. Maruja - Tír na nÓg (Music for Nations, 22:27) [GB]
post-rock • jazz-rock - 7.5/10
3. Earl Sweatshirt - Live Laugh Love (Tan Cressida, 24:01) [US]
abstract hip hop - 7/10
4. Cóclea / Canut de Bon Cóclea / Canut de Bon (n/a, 29:58) [CL]
noise rock • post-hardcore • screamo - 7/10
5. Juana Aguirre - Anónimo (n/a, 28:25) [AR]
folktronica - 6.5/10
- Chart updated: 41 hours ago
- (Created: 01/22/2025 09:09).
- Chart size: 20 albums.
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slacker rock • emo • noise pop
(Topshelf, 76:22)
7.5/10
"When you're lying I can tell
Oh, your tell is beautiful
Cause you speak in cursive
And it cuts like knives
I don't know what’s on your mind
Cause I'm not supposed to ask
When you get so quiet
I prefer the lies"
6 years after the mysterious Swedish artist Sputnik released their Bandcamp cult classic Come In, the hype for the follow-up was massive. I loved that album, but suspected with so much time passing, that the lightning in a bottle quality of that record would be gone. Not only did its follow up recapture that bedroom indie magic, but even in increasing size and scope it was somehow even better. My album of the year 2025.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 04/16/2025]
slacker rock • emo • noise pop
(Topshelf, 76:22)
7.5/10
"When you're lying I can tell
Oh, your tell is beautiful
Cause you speak in cursive
And it cuts like knives
I don't know what’s on your mind
Cause I'm not supposed to ask
When you get so quiet
I prefer the lies"
6 years after the mysterious Swedish artist Sputnik released their Bandcamp cult classic Come In, the hype for the follow-up was massive. I loved that album, but suspected with so much time passing, that the lightning in a bottle quality of that record would be gone. Not only did its follow up recapture that bedroom indie magic, but even in increasing size and scope it was somehow even better. My album of the year 2025.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 04/16/2025]
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ambient • sound collage
(World of Echo, 39:49)
7.5/10
I nearly didn't bother with Christian Schoppik's latest -- despite finding his 2022 debut incredibly arresting, his albums since felt like diminishing returns on the sample-based sound collage formula. Formulaic is the last way you'd describe this project, so many beautifully sculpted moments make it easily his best work so far. In a year full of great ambient music, this was my favourite.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 11/06/2025]
ambient • sound collage
(World of Echo, 39:49)
7.5/10
I nearly didn't bother with Christian Schoppik's latest -- despite finding his 2022 debut incredibly arresting, his albums since felt like diminishing returns on the sample-based sound collage formula. Formulaic is the last way you'd describe this project, so many beautifully sculpted moments make it easily his best work so far. In a year full of great ambient music, this was my favourite.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 11/06/2025]
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dance-punk • industrial rock
(True Panther, 40:43)
7.5/10
"When I was five, I remember clearly
My want to have a Cinderella birthday party
And when the moment came and I changed my mind
I was quiet, alone, and devastated"
As much as I enjoyed Model/Actriz's debut in 2023, I still felt that there was a bluntness to their sound, where at its most predictable it was in danger of being reduced to "Xiu Xiu but dancier". Pirouette has really seen them come into their own -- there's a real sense of dynamism that was missing before.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 09/08/2025]
dance-punk • industrial rock
(True Panther, 40:43)
7.5/10
"When I was five, I remember clearly
My want to have a Cinderella birthday party
And when the moment came and I changed my mind
I was quiet, alone, and devastated"
As much as I enjoyed Model/Actriz's debut in 2023, I still felt that there was a bluntness to their sound, where at its most predictable it was in danger of being reduced to "Xiu Xiu but dancier". Pirouette has really seen them come into their own -- there's a real sense of dynamism that was missing before.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 09/08/2025]
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drone • ambient
(Parkwuud, 91:56)
7/10
"My mum comes down and says 'birds are watching'
I look around our home is burning
Another gone
Another dying"
I've been following Klein for a few years now and found her an intriguing artist, whose irreverant take on ambient has left me cold at times. I think though, that this is her best album so far. Even in running over 90 minutes, the increased attention to detail in her production leaves so much to be hypnotised by -- if Stars of the Lid soundtracked London's downpour.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 10/07/2025]
drone • ambient
(Parkwuud, 91:56)
7/10
"My mum comes down and says 'birds are watching'
I look around our home is burning
Another gone
Another dying"
I've been following Klein for a few years now and found her an intriguing artist, whose irreverant take on ambient has left me cold at times. I think though, that this is her best album so far. Even in running over 90 minutes, the increased attention to detail in her production leaves so much to be hypnotised by -- if Stars of the Lid soundtracked London's downpour.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 10/07/2025]
5. (=)
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holy minimalism
(Nonesuch, 31:40)
7/10
"Va [And behold]
Heenay, sulahm [A ladder set up]
Mutzav artzah [On the earth]
Va rosho mahgeeah [And its top]
Ha shamymah" [Reached heaven]
Speaking of Steve Reich -- in a sense, every Reich piece since '78 lives in the shadow of Music for 18 Musicians, and these two are undeniably in that lineage. But for me, this is the most visceral his music has sounded in decades. Given the man is turning 90 this year, he'd be forgiven for phoning it in, and yet here he is still capable of writing music with so much urgency.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 04/11/2025]
holy minimalism
(Nonesuch, 31:40)
7/10
"Va [And behold]
Heenay, sulahm [A ladder set up]
Mutzav artzah [On the earth]
Va rosho mahgeeah [And its top]
Ha shamymah" [Reached heaven]
Speaking of Steve Reich -- in a sense, every Reich piece since '78 lives in the shadow of Music for 18 Musicians, and these two are undeniably in that lineage. But for me, this is the most visceral his music has sounded in decades. Given the man is turning 90 this year, he'd be forgiven for phoning it in, and yet here he is still capable of writing music with so much urgency.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 04/11/2025]
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free folk • avant-folk
(Glitterbeat, 74:19)
7/10
The fact that Širom are Slovenian runs the risk of dismissing them offhand as a "good band from Slovenia" rather than just good. I once read somebody compare Steve Reich's gradually cascading music to the "frog in boiling water" analogy, where small elements are gradually added until you are transported to an entirely new place without realising -- Širom transposes this method onto long winding songs that use dozens of traditional instruments to create truly otherworldy folk music.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 10/18/2025]
free folk • avant-folk
(Glitterbeat, 74:19)
7/10
The fact that Širom are Slovenian runs the risk of dismissing them offhand as a "good band from Slovenia" rather than just good. I once read somebody compare Steve Reich's gradually cascading music to the "frog in boiling water" analogy, where small elements are gradually added until you are transported to an entirely new place without realising -- Širom transposes this method onto long winding songs that use dozens of traditional instruments to create truly otherworldy folk music.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 10/18/2025]
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post-rock • experimental rock • noise rock
(n/a, 58:38)
7/10
Often compared to Godspeed You! Black Emperor, like their Canadian counterpart's album from last year, Ciśnienie also leave lyrics absent from their political outrage, choosing to instead express themselves on an elemental, physical level. Their best album yet.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 10/22/2025]
post-rock • experimental rock • noise rock
(n/a, 58:38)
7/10
Often compared to Godspeed You! Black Emperor, like their Canadian counterpart's album from last year, Ciśnienie also leave lyrics absent from their political outrage, choosing to instead express themselves on an elemental, physical level. Their best album yet.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 10/22/2025]
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art rock • post-rock • indie rock
(Registro Móvil, 73:48)
7/10
"En mis sueños [In my dreams]
Tú eres una [You are a]
Liebre blanca [White hare]
Que huye a propósito [That flees with purpose]
Es el peso [It is the weight]
De mi propio cuerpo [Of my own body]
El que me impide [That prevents me]
Seguirte, el paso y el ritmo [From following, the beat and rhythmn]
De mi corazón" [Of my heart]
Candelabro's second album carves out a niche from their competitors with this ambitous sprawl of indie, prog and cueca. As expected from its existential title, "Desire, Flesh and Will" runs a diagnositic on Chilean national identity alongside a (un)healthy spoonful of Catholic malaise.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 12/23/2025]
art rock • post-rock • indie rock
(Registro Móvil, 73:48)
7/10
"En mis sueños [In my dreams]
Tú eres una [You are a]
Liebre blanca [White hare]
Que huye a propósito [That flees with purpose]
Es el peso [It is the weight]
De mi propio cuerpo [Of my own body]
El que me impide [That prevents me]
Seguirte, el paso y el ritmo [From following, the beat and rhythmn]
De mi corazón" [Of my heart]
Candelabro's second album carves out a niche from their competitors with this ambitous sprawl of indie, prog and cueca. As expected from its existential title, "Desire, Flesh and Will" runs a diagnositic on Chilean national identity alongside a (un)healthy spoonful of Catholic malaise.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 12/23/2025]
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abstract hip hop • experimental hip hop • conscious hip hop
(Backwoodz, 52:40)
7/10
"Amputation how you survive
Can't get away if you don't leave something behind
Trapped a housefly in an upside-down pint glass and waited for it to die
It's still alive
Staring out compound eyes"
billy woods has been on a startlingly consistent run since 2019, putting out records of a high watermark year after year after year. Despite being my favourite rapper of the decade, I still feel like his masterpiece album sits just out of reach. But this one is the closest he has come to so far, and "Lead Paint Test" just might be the song of his career.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 10/07/2025]
abstract hip hop • experimental hip hop • conscious hip hop
(Backwoodz, 52:40)
7/10
"Amputation how you survive
Can't get away if you don't leave something behind
Trapped a housefly in an upside-down pint glass and waited for it to die
It's still alive
Staring out compound eyes"
billy woods has been on a startlingly consistent run since 2019, putting out records of a high watermark year after year after year. Despite being my favourite rapper of the decade, I still feel like his masterpiece album sits just out of reach. But this one is the closest he has come to so far, and "Lead Paint Test" just might be the song of his career.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 10/07/2025]
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____________________________________________________________________________
dance-pop • alternative R&B
(Stones Throw, 52:46)
7/10
"He put his hands all around my waist
And now we do acrobatic dance
I said I like it, I want some more
But now I've lost all of my control
He said, 'I'm just here to watch your back'
Don't fight with it, this is not a threat"
Britt Parks returns with another head-turning dance pop album, with an even more futuristic tilt than her previous project Natural Brown Prom Queen. It doesn't quite hit the heights of that record for me, but I love her blend of house and Jersey club with her more eccentric classical influences.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 12/30/2025]
dance-pop • alternative R&B
(Stones Throw, 52:46)
7/10
"He put his hands all around my waist
And now we do acrobatic dance
I said I like it, I want some more
But now I've lost all of my control
He said, 'I'm just here to watch your back'
Don't fight with it, this is not a threat"
Britt Parks returns with another head-turning dance pop album, with an even more futuristic tilt than her previous project Natural Brown Prom Queen. It doesn't quite hit the heights of that record for me, but I love her blend of house and Jersey club with her more eccentric classical influences.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 12/30/2025]
Total albums: 20. Page 1 of 2
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Top 20 Music Albums of 2025 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Model/Actriz | 1 | 5% | |
| Car Seat Headrest | 1 | 5% | |
| Klein | 1 | 5% | |
| Big Thief | 1 | 5% | |
| New York Philharmonic / Colin Currie Group / Synergy Vocals / Jaap Van Zweden | 1 | 5% | |
| Richard Dawson | 1 | 5% | |
| Širom | 1 | 5% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
8 | 40% | |
| |
5 | 25% | |
 |
2 | 10% | |
 |
1 | 5% | |
 |
1 | 5% | |
 |
1 | 5% | |
 |
1 | 5% | |
| Show all | |||
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Other year charts by ForegroundNoise
(from the 2020s) ForegroundNoise has shared 74 more 2025 year charts with the community. Browse them all here.| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 20 Music Albums of 2025 | ForegroundNoise | 2025 year chart | 2026 | |
| Top 20 Music Albums of 2024 | ForegroundNoise | 2024 year chart | 2025 | |
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A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
| Best Artists of the 2020s | |
|---|---|
| 1. Black Country, New Road | |
| 2. The Strokes | |
| 3. Charli XCX | |
| 4. Little Simz | |
| 5. Fontaines D.C. | |
| 6. Kendrick Lamar | |
| 7. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard | |
| 8. Big Thief | |
| 9. The Smile | |
| 10. Taylor Swift | |
| 11. Magdalena Bay | |
| 12. Fiona Apple | |
| 13. Phoebe Bridgers | |
| 14. Black Midi | |
| 15. Lana Del Rey | |
| 16. Sufjan Stevens | |
| 17. The Weeknd | |
| 18. Jessie Ware | |
| 19. Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra | |
| 20. Tyler, The Creator |
