I listen to metric tons of music every year. These were my favorite 2025 releases, generally in order with #1 at the end. But on any given day, an album might flip up or down a couple notches.
Oh, and just to give away the punch line: My favorite album of the year was NOT Golliwog. All due respect but I just do not understand all the hype around Billy Woods. I guess my tastes are too low brow?
THE TOP 50 ALBUMS OF 2025
50. Everything Must Go by Goose (jam rock). Startingly, surprisingly great.
49. Criminally Attached by Boldy James and Nicholas Craven (East Coast grime). I’ve lost count of the number of albums Boldy James dropped this year. I think it’s over a half-dozen. When you put out that much stuff in a short period, it’s not all gonna land. Boldy is capable of greatness, but the current state of music rewards quantity over quality, so we end up with a bunch of forgettable albums and a couple really good ones. If You Want More 2025 Boldy…Token of Appreciation by Boldy James and Chuck Strangers was his second best 2025 release.
You Know Who Else Put Out Too Much Content This Year? Lefty Gunplay. Riding on the fame he got from appearing on Kendrick Llamar’s hit single “TV Off,” Lefty issued dozens of singles, several EPs, and a few mixtapes/albums. All of them have good songs, but also all of them have lots of filler. Lefty is definitely a breakout artist of 2025 worth knowing about, but burying us in every bar he’s ever spit has really watered down the effect of his debut.
48. Now Would Be a Good Time by Folk Bitch Trio (folk). Quite a debut. Frankly, I’m kinda shocked it didn’t become hugely popular.
47. Desired Crowns by Che Noir and 7XVethegenius (Buffalo Grime). Neither 7XVe nor Che Noir’s solo outputs this year were memorable, but this blazing hot, powerful two-person album proves the the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The album never lets go, and has only one feature–by the rapper Reason, who puts in some solid guest work here.
46. Send a Prayer My Way by Julien Baker and TORRES (country). This is a deceptive album that seems to be wispy and thin, but the instrumentation and the subtle vocals mask brilliant depth. I missed it on first listen, until someone I trust insisted that I give it another try. I’m grateful I did.
45. Sharon Van Etten And The Attachment Theory by Sharon by Sharon Van Etten (indie). Van Etten consistently releases high-quality singer/songwriter indie rock. This album is no exception.
44. Drive to Goldenhammer by Divorce (rock). Catchy. Hooky. Power quatro out of Britain.
43. Homer Loan 2 by Verb T (UK rap). Verb T has yet to hit the heights he reached with Morning Process or The Man with Froggy Eyes, but “Homer Loan 2” is the closest he’s come in a long time.
42. Step Brothers 4 Life by Don Trip and Starlito (trap). Don Trip is one of the wittiest, most insightful, and smartest rappers out there. He can drop hard street bars. He can be tender towards his kids. He can be raunchy (but always about his wife). He can boast rap and mourn the dead. Trip is vastly underrated. And whenever he collaborates with Starlito, he seems to be at his best. Trip tends to release many tapes per year. To catch up on the last few years, check out his “best of” titled Gladiator. You can thank me later. See also: Forgiveness is God’s Job, Don Trip’s 2025 solo album.
41. Competition is for Losers by Rizzle Kicks (pop rap). It’s been a long time since we got a Rizzle Kicks album. Worth the wait. Name another rap album that has “Goody Goody Gumdrops” as a chorus?
40. The Party is Over (recovered) by Morgan Wade (country). Morgan Wade is underrated and undervalued. Everything she does is imbued with stadium-level angst and pain and beauty. On “Hardwood Floor,” for example, she sings of the pain of not having a child when all her friends seem to be married with kids, and the loneliness of the chorus echoes like little feet on a hardwood floor. This one is sadder than her prior albums, but still great and rewarding on re-listens.
39. For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women) by Japanese Breakfast (dreampop). Michelle Zauner continues to make wonderfully simple, sexy music without being crass. Unlike her last album, which bordered on pop, this one returns to her rooms of gothic melancholy. Great stuff–even the track with Jeff Bridges.
38. Alfredo 2 by Freddie Gibbs and Madlib (Midwest hip hop). Saying Alfredo 2 is not as good as the first one is not quite the same as saying John Wick 2 wasn’t as good as the first one–but it’s close. Alfredo took more risks and Gibbs was younger and less experienced then. He’s more polished now, and less hungry, but he’s still one of the best in the game.
37. Doin’ Fine by Josiah Flores (traditional country). Just beautiful, straightforward songwriting.
36. Let God Sort ‘Em Out by Clipse (east coast gangsta rap). Pusha T and Malice are two of my all-time favorite rappers, but this reunion album was just under the wire for my top 25 list. It’s got wit and style, which is what Clipse are known for, but it’s also just a little…I dunno…Underwhelming. Still, “just OK” for Pusha and Malice is excellent for nearly everyone else.
