Kai's top 25 albums of 2025

Following some iconic songs that defined 2024, such as Sabrina Carpenter's 'Espresso' and Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us' - it feels like 2025 kind of missed that. But, in the absence of unforgettable global mega hits, new albums have certainly taken the reins instead and defined an unforgettable year of music.

From Mercury Prize winning masterpiece, Sam Fender’s People Watching, to Tiny Desk stage-divers Turnstile completely redefining the idea of genre, join me as I take a look into my favourite albums of this year, including an important track to look out for from each artist. Brace yourselves, it's a long one. Let's get into it...

25. NewDad – Altar

Irish trio NewDad are still fresh off the back of releasing their debut album Madra – and present us with Altar less than two years later. Lead guitarist/singer Julie Dawson drenches us in her homesickness and can often appear regretful of leaving her home to pursue a music career in London. Here, it appears that Galway is the altar at which she worships, and the same sacrifice that has led the band to well-deserved commercial success so far. I feel like it may only be up from here, too.

Label: Fair Youth

Release: 19th September

Track to listen to: Everything I wanted

24. Justin Bieber – SWAG

Achingly close to SWAG’s release, Bieber was caught in a widely documented clash with paparazzi. There’s not much new with this – Bieber has documented his difficulties with entering adulthood surrounded by cameras and the fame associated with international pop stardom, very apparent in 2021’s ‘Lonely’, which appeared on his album Justice. An important thing to note here is how difficult it is for someone of Bieber’s background in catchy pop to enter a soulful, R&B record and be taken seriously. Well, guess what? He’s done it with absolute class, featuring a wide array of features from underground artists, tied in beautifully with recordings praising his final product and mannerisms for its courage and justice to a historically Black music genre.

Label: Def Jam

Release: 11th July

Track to listen to: ALL I CAN TAKE (followed by the rest of the album, thank me later)

23. PinkPantheress – Fancy That

You’ll be so hooked on one of pop's current underrated mega-stars that you might miss some iconic samples from the likes of Underworld, Basement Jaxx and Panic! At the Disco. This is nothing short of an expected masterclass from PinkPantheress following her releases in recent years. The album includes one of 2025’s most recognisable pop songs in ‘Illegal’, which has done the rounds on every social media platform going, and with good cause.

Label: Warner Records

Release: 9th May

Track to listen to: Romeo

22. Hayley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party

Williams led a fan-first approach in the lead up to officially releasing her third solo album Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party, writing off a formal track listing and encouraging fans to feel their own way through the anguish, anger and tranquility that this album brings, depending on what they need or are craving most at the time of listening. It's certainly a unique way to approach the construction of an album and the journey is as apparent as possible on vulnerable, visceral tracks such as 'Kill Me' and 'Negative Self Talk'. All this considered, it's important to realise that there is never a lack of hope on this record. Glimpses of self-love remind us of early Paramore tracks and cement Williams' status as an all-time pop-punk, alt-rock icon.

Label: Post Atlantic

Release: 7th November

Track to listen to: Love Me Different

21. FKA Twigs – EUSEXUA Afterglow

Originally planned as a deluxe version of EUSEXUA, EUSEXUA Afterglow quickly turned into it's own beast entirely. There are probably a million ways I could try and describe this album but I'm not sure any of them would do it justice. In an interview with The Standard, Twigs described the record as 'that moment of nothingness just before a big surge of inspiration or creativity or passion. I describe it as a moment before an orgasm'. It was going to be difficult to top EUSEXUA, especially after its Mercury Prize nomination, but the sonic soundscapes on this album elevated far beyond EUSEXUA's release. There's an overwhelming sense of something otherworldly here, something alien, but it panders so well to a dream-pop cliché – whilst being completely different to anything you might have ever heard before. I could continue trying to describe this album but it's simply not possible for me to do it justice.

Label: Young

Release: 14th November

Track to listen to: Sushi

20. Japanese Breakfast – For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)

As the literary whimsy of the title suggests, every lyric sung on this album could be mistaken as a beautiful brushstroke on a classical piece of Renaissance art. Michelle Zauner's songwriting feels propelled by a melodic sense of storytelling, it is as complex as it is delicate. Long reverbs, guitars and orchestral elements carry forth a reflection on fame and the personal struggle experienced by Zauner following the band's success since its inauguration and the reaction to her New York Times best-selling memoir Crying in H-Mart. This album feels like it's serving as a healing vessel for Zauner and offers what feels like an intimate look on modern womanhood.

Label: Dead Oceans

Release: 21st March

Track to listen to: Mega Circuit

19. Bon Iver – SABLE, fABLE

Justin Vernon’s fifth album as Bon Iver's frontman feels like a notable shift from previous works. It takes us from the lonesome atmosphere of For Emma, Forever Ago all the way back in 2008, through the evocative pop of their eponymous album in 2011. Beautiful abstractions followed with 22, A Million and i,i in 2016 and 2019 respectively. 'S P E Y S I D E' feels like the lead song on this album and brings heart wrenching, trailing, falsetto lyrics such as 'What is wrong with me?'. This album is simultaneously so Justin Vernon, yet so different to anything Bon Iver have released in the past.

Label: Jagjaguwar

Release: 11th April

Track to listen to: Everything Is Peaceful Love

18. Rosalía – Lux

Now, you may have to forgive me for not completely understanding a lot of this album, but let's be fair to little old Kai. Spanish-Catalonian star Rosalía sings in a whopping 13 different languages at separate points on this record, including Japanese, Arabic, Latin and Portuguese. From humble, google-translated beginnings in the album's early days up to working closely with over a dozen professional translators to make sure every word felt authentic once correctly translated. You may think that this album requires a lot from the listener, but if you're not averse to listening to a lot of words and not necessarily understanding all of them, then this album will reward you many, many times over. It's an unbelievably enjoyable listen, and is only made more impressive to learn about how deeply complex the lyricism is.

Label: Columbia Records

Release: 7th November

Track to listen to: Divinize

17. Geese – Getting Killed

The third album from NYC-based indie rockers Geese brings what feels like, another unexpected shift in their sound. Frontman Cameron Winter is absolutely not playing by the rules when it comes to noise. After 2021's acclaimed debut album Projector and the thrashing, country-tinted 3D Country in 2023, the ever-increasing cult fanbase may have been left wondering what they could expect with a new record. Winter wasn't working behind the scenes here: he released solo album Heavy Metal last year, giving insight into his personal stream of consciousness which was paving the way for what might be coming from a new Geese album. There's a lot going on in this album, but it never for a second feels like Geese are losing focus with their end goal (whatever that may be). I would highly recommend not just watching this space, but also keeping a very keen eye on both Winter's solo work or the next thing to come out of Geese, it very well might blow your mind.

Label: Partisan Records

Release 26th September

Track to listen to: Cobra

16. Del Water Gap – Chasing the Chimera

Samuel Holden Jaffe's newest album as Del Water Gap follows on from 2023's I Miss You + I Haven't Even Left Yet, and brings a wonderfully received, heartfelt solo pop record. From the album's title, meaning to pursue an unrealistic or unattainable dream, it makes you wonder exactly what it is that Jaffe is looking for. This record does not serve to give us an answer, quite the opposite, actually. It folds us deeper into the mystery, and might leave you with more questions than you started with. This mystique, however, only adds to the charm that Jaffe has always had, but builds upon with this album. It includes an impressive array of jazz, soul and mid-tempo indie pop and listening to this new work of his leaves a positive feeling of respect to his contribution to this genre as a solo artist. I can't help but compare him to the likes of Conan Gray and Harry Styles.

Label: Mom + Pop Music

Release: 7th November

Track to listen to: Small Town Joan of Arc

15. Royel Otis - hickey

Sydney indie pop duo Royel Otis continue to build on massive pop culture outbreaks they've had in recent years with covers of Sophie Ellis-Bextor's 'Murder on the Dancefloor' and The Cranberries' 'Linger' - for Triple J and SiriusXM radio respectively. All eyes were well and truly directed towards Royel Otis when hickey was announced and, oh boy, they did not disappoint. There's an air of something incredibly professional about this record, not that I'd expect any less from these two, but it's something I'd expect from a much more experienced artist. The album is very tightly knit, not a single song over 4 minutes in length and every piece of music feels very raw, yet very melodic. The lyricism is simple, but holds it's beauty in relatability – listening to this album made me feel like a teenager again, falling in love for the first time.

Label: Ourness/Capitol

Release: 22nd August

Track to listen to: say something

14. Bradley Simpson – The Panic Years

Over ten years since forming The Vamps with James Brittain-McVey, where he sang lead vocals and played guitar, Simpson released his debut solo album The Panic Years in early 2025. Every single song on this album feels incredibly personal, a first-hand look into Simpson's past, present and future relationships. All of this emotional turmoil, anxiety and hope is coupled perfectly with pop/rock guitar riffs and catchy, melodic hooks. Simpson has said in interviews that the record's title is a reference to how he, and many other people, struggle to find direction and purpose through their twenties. It's an all too relatable feeling, but is beautifully delivered in Simpson's first solo album. He has made his point very clear though – the band isn't breaking up. Simpson has been happy working with The Vamps for the past 12 years, but needed time to express his emotions and vulnerability, an important part of any solo record like this one.

Label: Insanity Records

Release: 28th February

Track to listen to: Holy Grail

13. Joy Crookes – Juniper

Crookes set her standards incredibly high for me following 2021's Skin, and it's safe to say that she didn't disappoint in the slightest. Juniper gives us soul, sophisticated jazz sections and gorgeous, lyrical honesty. The socially aware lyrics that led her to a Mercury Prize nomination in 2021 remain steadfast here, and laid-back, sultry soul is complimented by features from British grime and garage icon Kano and West-Coast hip-hop great Vince Staples. This album definitely builds sonically on previous works by Crookes, but it's her personal search for identity and further self-discovery that is highlighted most on this record. This album feels like a window into the growth and evolution of a person throughout the record, it would be surely impossible to predict what Crookes' music might sound like in another 4 years, and if anything that makes it so much more exciting.

Label: Sony – Insanity – Speakerbox

Release: 19th September, Deluxe 31st October

Track to listen to: Perfect Crime

12. Inhaler – Open Wide

Inhaler continue to improve on their own sound, which is impressive in itself considering the quality of their first two albums. Despite consistently fantastic vocal performances, this album feels very guitar-centred, and is welcomed with arms out open wide (hah). The bass riffs in particular on this album drew me in to every single track. Robert Keating has, in my opinion, single handedly pulled Inhaler up to the next level of their career with his bass guitar performances on this record.

Label: Polydor

Release: 7th February

Track to listen to: A Question of You

11. Sam Gellaitry – ANYWHERE HERE IS PERFECT

Sam Gellaitry has been a surprising love of mine since I first discovered him, commanding a genre of music that isn't usually my cup of tea. His beginnings as a self-taught electronic music producer are nothing short of inspiring. He also provides all of his own vocals on his album tracks, aside from features from the likes of Toro y Moi on this most recent record, and having previously worked with the earlier mentioned PinkPantheress on track 'Picture In My Mind'. ANYWHERE HERE IS PERFECT is Gellaitry's first full-length studio album, building a cult fanbase through EP, mixtape and single releases since his first in 2015. To say I was excited for this release would be an astronomical understatement and it didn't disappoint at all, the final album to just miss out of my top 10 albums of the year. Some tracks flow so wonderfully into one another and the atmosphere is consistently immersive.

Label: Major Recordings/Warner Records

Release: 7th November

Track to listen to: ON&ON

10. LANY – Soft

To stay soft in such a difficult world is the truest testament of strength there can be, and this feels like the thesis behind LANY's newest record, which is an absolute pop masterclass. In 2024, LANY frontman Paul Jason Klein was hit by a car while riding his Vespa home from the gym, left for dead in the street. He, interestingly, said that this was the best thing that's ever happened to him. This incident was a pivotal moment for Klein and the album is a testament to perseverance through adversity – the sort of clarity that can only come from being so close to losing everything. The record offers a new perspective into the tenderness and fragility of life, it's an outpouring of love (which is something we've become accustomed to from everything LANY have ever released). At its core, this album speaks from Klein's personal experience on what it actually means to be soft, and how that can benefit a person in their life, their career, their past and their loves, be it the love of another person or the love for one's self.

Label: Sunset Garden/VMG

Release: 10th October

Track to listen to: Act My Age

9. Kid Cudi – Free

Kid Cudi has an incredibly diverse music portfolio, and as a long time listener, I think Free was maybe the most I could have ever wanted from one of his albums. Previously touching on self-love in hip-hop inspired ballad 'Lovin' Me' (my all time favourite song of Kudi's) from album Man On The Moon III: The Chosen with Phoebe Bridgers, this new record embodies everything I loved about that song – and turns it into an entire album. There's an exposed positivity and optimism that is prevalent throughout this album from start to finish, Kudi seems happy on this record and that makes me happy. I'm a simple man. 'Truman Show' is a gem in particular, the vocals and lyrics are a force to be reckoned with on this song and feel, vocally, like Kudi at his greatest. I also ADORE the album artwork and I'm not sure why I like it so much, but it's beautiful.

Label: Wicked Awesome/Republic

Release: 22nd August

Track to listen to: Neverland

8. Biffy Clyro – Futique

Biffy Clyro's, quite frankly, impressive, discography precedes them with this newest album. A healthy balance involving expectation and excitement absolutely gripped me in the months before this album was released. Legendary alt-rock status is cemented with Futique and has them firmly cemented as one of the greatest Scottish bands of all time, especially as they continue to make records of this calibre 30 years since their inception. Maybe it's just me, but hearing that strong Scottish twang on songs like 'True Believer' will tickle a special place in my brain that only this band (and maybe Frightened Rabbit) have ever tickled in just the right way. We can continue to scream 'MON THE BIFF! for many more years to come.

Label: Warner Records/14th Floor

Release: 19th September

Track to listen to: True Believer

7. Dave – The Boy Who Played the Harp

It's been over 4 years since Dave released his last album, and his newest album, The Boy Who Played The Harp, brings a lyrically impeccable record which is exactly what we've come to expect from him. Off the back of Psychodrama and We're All Alone In This Together, one of south London's finest rappers brings back the qualities that have made him so respected. An introspective and emotionally open piece of work, this is Dave at his finest. In the title and throughout the record, Dave touches on the biblical association with his namesake, King David, who played the harp to soothe anguished spirits. James Blake returns yet again to produce and feature on several of the album's tracks, his touch giving a spectral, unearthly feeling. The album just seems to lack a standout banger that was present in Psychodrama's 'Location' and We're All Alone In This Together's 'Clash'. Both of these songs featured massive artists and, although this new album has similar tracks with features from Tims and Jim Legxacy, they just seem to lack the punch of earlier tracks. If that's the only bad thing I can say about the album, then seventh is still a worthwhile spot in my top 10 for this year.

Label: Neighbourhood Recordings

Release: 23rd October

Song to listen to: Chapter 16 (feat. Kano)

6. Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving

Olivia Dean seems to have exploded in popularity over the past year, and her new record demonstrates the reason why. It's close to flawless in its funky blend of soul, indie and pop. Really, you'd be hard-pressed to find a singer of this calibre in today's music landscape, and her popularity has already manifested itself ahead of next year's headline tour, featuring four sold-out shows at the O2 Arena in London. This was Dean's first number-one album and the highest debut for a British female artist since Adele's 30 in 2021. Given Adele's history with record-breaking music, this is an exciting look into what might still be to come from Olivia Dean in the future. But for now, I'm more than happy to sit back and repeat The Art of Loving again and again and again (I may have a problem).

Label: Capitol/Polydor

Release: 26th September

Track to listen to: So Easy (To Fall In Love)

5. Turnstile – Never Enough

Turnstile's spirit of experimentation is fully alive in this most recent album, blurring their hardcore ethos with some incredible pop influence. The album gives us some fantastic features, including backing vocals on 'SEEIN' STARS' from the aforementioned Hayley Williams and Blood Orange's Dev Hynes. However, when it comes to vocals on this record, all of the credit goes to frontman Brendan Yates. His ability to retain his hardcore beginnings with gritty, remarkable yells couple so nicely with his tonally exceptional singing. It's genuinely such a pleasure to listen to this album, no matter what your favourite genre of music might be. My head was banging through every song but my ears always found themselves hanging on every word Yates sang. If you've not had a chance to watch their performance on NPR's Tiny Desk Youtube channel then make sure you do. It might be the only time you'll ever see a stage dive in a tiny office, and was an exceptional acoustic performance on top of this.

Label: Roadrunner

Release: 6th June

Track to listen to: I CARE

4. Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out

Over 15 years since the last Clipse album was released, hip-hop stalwart Pusha T and his brother Malice team up once again for Let God Sort Em Out. Pusha T's career is drenched in excellence, in between releasing his own albums, he has multiple features on records by some of the world's biggest artists, including Kanye West, Logic, Calvin Harris and Gorillaz, to name but a few. There's a phrase which echoes throughout the songs on this album - 'This is culturally inappropriate'. Said by a member of the production team during the recording of this album in the studio, it was nothing more than an exclamation of 'this is too good, it's got to be illegal', and I really can't disagree. Out of all of the albums I've listened to this year, I couldn't help but keep listening to this one over and over. It has some great recurring features from the legend that is Pharrell Williams (who also produced the record), as well as other global sensations like John Legend and Kendrick Lamar. After over 30 years into his career, Pusha T still sounds as beautifully sarcastic and villainous as ever, and Malice's rhyming patterns are nothing short of poetry on tracks such as 'So Far Ahead'. His verse on this track executes a rhyme scheme masterclass and wonderfully includes a triple entendre on the lines:

'No mistaking me for the reverend

Ushering the money, my confession'

Malice has said that he is not the overly pious person that he is often mistaken for, but he still loves God and can appreciate a large sum of cash. A church usher is someone who collects weekly cash offerings from the congregation. The THIRD layer of this incredible lyricism is a reference to R&B icon Usher, and his most popular 2004 album Confessions.

Label: This album was self-published

Release: 11th July

Track to listen to: By The Grace Of God

3. Oklou – choke enough

Classically trained French musician turned electronic club kid Oklou gets round to releasing her debut album, and for me this ticked every ambient pop box out there. I was silly enough to only discover this new record in late October, and from listening to Oklou's earlier releases, this has definitely topped them all. Every part of me came back to this album again and again after I first listened to it, in two different ways. To sit and listen to this album, giving it all of my attention and picking up on every note, vocal and detail that it has to offer is a fab experience, but it's equally matched in its ability to be ambient background music. Part of me hates to rate an album so highly based on its background listening value, but trust me that it's nothing less than an exceptional compliment.

Every part of this album feels so delicately placed. So much so that I'm genuinely struggling to find the words to do it justice. Think of a person masterfully crafting models or intricate jewellery using a pair of tweezers. That's my weird way of describing choke enough, an album I think I could wholeheartedly recommend to anyone, regardless of their typical music taste and genre. This is about as close as you can get to a physical work of art, ingested purely though the ears.

Swedish rapper Bladee is featured on the track 'take me by the hand' - where the cloud rap juggernaut delivers some exceptionally poetic verses. A deluxe version was released towards the back end of the year, and includes a feature from Mercury Prize nominated FKA Twigs.

Label: True Panther Sounds

Release: 7th February (Deluxe 30th October)

Track to listen to: choke enough

2. Sam Fender – People Watching

You'll have heard me talk about the Mercury Prize quite a lot throughout this article, but everything it stands for is why I love that the award even exists, and what I love about music. Irrespective of popularity, it looks at lyricism, musical merit and the feelings that an album puts forward, decided on by professionals from across the music industry. All of these factors considered, it's why I was so ecstatic that Sam Fender won the award this year with his newest record People Watching. This album is an introspective look into growing up in a working class family and sees Fender, now in a position of fame and success, looking at his family and friends through the lens of someone who suddenly found themselves in a world he might never have seen himself being a part of. We've seen this awareness of working class life with Fender before, on both of his previous album releases; the difference here is how he views it as an even more successful artist.

Reflective and vulnerable, this is Fender in a new position but still at his very best. The title itself speaks volumes about the album – he sings about the people he meets and knows, the family and friends who made him into the person that he is today. Each track feels deliberately sensitive, like a man who still thinks carefully about each step he takes, perhaps carried with a smidge of guilt, thinking very hard about the person he is becoming and how best to do himself justice.

A special track for me is 'Arm's Length'. Fender has always written as though he's bleeding onto the page, songs about ordinary people, quiet pain and the personal battles that don't make the headlines. This is no different, it's about the instinct to love someone, but always being afraid to allow them to get too close. The song is quieter than some of Fender's biggest anthems but, somehow, it says more. It's not about pushing someone away, it's about letting them so close that you're scared that they'll stay. Said in so few words, maybe I overthought it a little too much, but this whole album is a masterpiece and will reward anyone who sits down and gives it their full attention from start to finish.

Label: Polydor Records

Release: 21st February

Track to listen to: Arm's Length

1. Loyle Carner – hopefully !

You may notice a recurring theme with some of my favourite albums this year and this one is no different to the others. Since his first releases over 10 years ago, Benjamin Coyle-Larner has never been a stranger to putting forth his own feelings and struggles through his music. Again, there's rarely an absence of hope, but this newest record seems to take the reins in a slightly different way. It feels like a culmination of hard work, loves found, loves lost and the anxiety that comes from success through art. But all of this is elevated and levelled out through one thing – fatherhood. Having become a dad in 2020, Carner's partner gave birth to their second child in late 2024. He pulls genuine concerns about fatherhood through the song 'about time' evident from the lyrics 'They say my son needs a father, not a rapper. Can I give him what he's after?' and also features recordings from a conversation between Carner and his first-born, which tugs at my heartstrings every time I hear it.

A highlighted track for me is the album's title song, which includes a posthumous feature from Benjamin Zephaniah, a personal hero of mine and one of Carner's mentors and inspirations. The feature is a recording from a documentary, which was Zephaniah's first TV appearance back in 1983, called Pen Rhythm Poet. The documentary followed the fallout from the Brixton Riots in London, 1981, which was a highly charged series of clashes between mainly Black youths and the Metropolitan police.

I was lucky enough to (finally) see Loyle Carner live in November, and his demeanour and performance during his live show was exactly what I'd come to expect from him. Brimming with passion, love, equality and optimism – all of which are common themes in his new album.

Label: Island EMI

Release: 20th June

Track to listen to: hopefully

And there's the list! My personal favourite albums of the year – quite a varied bunch I know. Some brand new artists and loves for me, hopefully you find something new to listen to and love from this in the same way I did.

Many thanks to Emma Leask for editing this article.