My Top Ten Album Releases of 2025

2025 has been an excellent year for music, both with debuts from new artists and returns from much-loved ones. As I've done muy monthly album revews, I decided to pick the best of the best, my favorites I've listened to from this year and shine a little more light and love on them.

Honorable Mentions

I have a few albums that aren't making top ten, but I do feel like they're worth mentioning here without any long, drawn-out explanation. Those albums are:

  • I Barely Know Her by sombr
  • Only Making It Worse by Sarah Julia
  • Virgin by Lorde
  • DREAMSICLE by Maren Morris
  • Everybody Scream by Florence + the Machine
  • Dog Eared by Billie Marten
  • cozy you (and other nice songs) by aron!
  • Sincerely, by Kali Uchis
  • Equus Callabus by Men I Trust

And I have a couple of true honorable mentions- albums that would technically make my top ten if it weren't for factors making me consider them ineligible.

  • Panda by Ley Soul is one of my favorite listens of the year, but because it is an extended play I'm not going to be including it in my top ten.
  • The Best of the Other Sides by Kate Bush is not only a compilation album, but also a rerelease of The Other Sides compilation album from back in 2018, therefore I do not consider it eligible for my top ten.

Now, onto the top ten!

In Tenth Place:

Equus Asinus by Men I Trust

Released on March 19th, 2025

Men I Trust is a bit of a comfort band for me, as I've been following lead singer Emma Bernache's career since she was making solo music. The band released two albums this year, Equuus Asinus and Equus Callabus, and while I love the latter, I found myself connecting with the former more. Equus Asinus maintains a more somber, wintery feel while that latter album has a springlike, hopeful sound. It's very hard to choose between the two albums as I love both equally, but I picked this one for the sake of the top ten.

Favorite Tracks: The Landkeeper, Burrow, I Don't Like Music

In Ninth Place:

Frenchie by Frenchie

Released on March 28th, 2025

Former member of bad The Naked Eye, French singer-songwriter Frenchie has released her debut self-titled solo album. An enchanting blend of jazz and soul, this album found me at such a perfect time. A soothing, comforting album with excellent lyricism and soft feminine vocals, the standout being the lead single and opening track Can I Lean on You? that sets the tone for the album as a whole. 

Favorite Tracks: Can I Lean on You? Werewolf, Distance, Searching

In Eighth Place:

That's Showbiz, Baby! by JADE

Released on September 12th, 2025

Former Little Mix member Jade Thirlwall shocked the pop world with her much-anticipated solo debut. JADE brings a uniqueness to pop music, one that is present on tracks like Angel of My Dreams and Midnight Cowboy. She embraces a Charli XCX and Addison Rae-like persona for songs like IT Girl, and plays around with nostalgic sounds on tracks like the disco pop hit Fantasy and Kylie Minogue-inspired Unconditional. This album is banger after banger, and truly displays that JADE understands the demands  and expectations of the pop world and can meet them with ease.

Favorite Tracks: Unconditional, Midnight Cowboy, IT Girl, Angel of My Dreams, Fantasy

In Seventh Place:

The Art of Loving by Olivia Dean

Released on September 26th, 2025

I believe I have Olivia Dean to thank for bringing one of my favorite genres, easy listening, back into the public eye. Olivia has grown into a worldwide star with this album and for a very good reason. With nostalgic, soulful songs like Lady Lady and So Easy (To Fall In Love), jazz-inspired beats like Let Alone the One you Love and A Couple Minutes, and solid pop hits with Man I Need and Nice to Each Other- the latter of which reminds me so much of Hannah Coen's Mountain and Fleetwood Mac's Rhiannon- Olivia Dean has crafted a stellar album and I'm looking forward to seeing where she takes her career next.

Favorite Tracks: So Easy (To Fall In Love), Nice To Each Other, Lady Lady, A Couple Minutes, Baby Steps

In Sixth Place:

A Matter of Time by Laufey

Released on August 22nd, 2025

Laufey has treated the world with more beautiful jazz music this year! Where her previous two albums follow a strict set of modern jazz and covers of jazz standards, Laufey has grown to embrace new genres with this album, particularly pop and folk styles while intertwining them with her trademark jazz sound. In particular, the songs Castle In Hollywood, A Cautionary Tale, and Clean Air are sounds I've never heard from Laufey before. Lover Girl is the spiritual successor to From the Start, and Clockwork, Forget-Me-Not, and Mr. Eclectic are full of that jazz sound I've come to expect and love from her.

Favorite Tracks: Forget-Me-Not, Mr. Eclectic, Carousel, Clockwork, Cuckoo Ballet

In Fifth Place:

The Life of a Showgirl by Taylor Swift

Released on October 3rd, 2025

The problem with not putting out any pre-release singles is that the listener doesn't know what sound to expect. It gives them time to ruminate and theorize on what the songs my sound like, look like, feel like. It also gives them room to be disappointed when those self-set expectations are not met. Is Elizabeth Taylor going to be a sad piano ballad about fame? Is Opalite going to be a pop-rock love anthem akin to Style? Is Actually Romantic going to be a sweet love song? Is The Life of a Showgirl (feat. Sabrina Carpenter) going to be a jazzy, classy, cinematic, big brass band produced duet to emulate the showgirl times of the Roaring '20s?

These were all thoughts I had in the lead up to the release of The Life of a Showgirl. I had tried to clear my mind of any preset notions of any track, but it was no use. Where I loved The Fate of Ophelia, Elizabeth Taylor, and Opalite right off the bat, I didn't love Eldest Daughter, Actually Romantic, Honey, and The Life of a Showgirl because they didn't sound like what I thought they would.

I've had time to grow past it now, but I cannot say that this is her best work. It is good work, but it comes with the knowledge that she can do better and has done better. It manages to make the top ten cut, though, because despite the lows being very low on this album, the highs are extremely high. She has some of the best and some of the worst songs of her career present, which makes it a sort of middleground. It is neither good, neither bad, but it is a Taylor Swift album, nonetheless.

Favorite Tracks: The Fate of Ophelia, Elizabeth Taylor, Father Figure, Wi$h Li$t, Opalite

In Fourth Place:

Songs From a Thousand Frames of Mind by Kate Bollinger

Released on October 3rd, 2025

Kate Bolliger took me by surprise with her debut album, Songs From A Thousand Frames of Mind. With indie pop that's reminiscent of the 60's sunshine pop and psychedelia that reminds me much of Margo Guryan, this album truly makes me feel like I'm floating on a cloud. A very light, air set of songs that give me such a happy feeling. Kate's dynamic vocals truly tie this album together, and I love it more and more each time I listen to it.

Favorite Tracks: I See It Now, Postcards From A Cloud, All This Time, Sweet Devil, Any Day Now

In Third Place:

Earthstar Mountain by Hannah Cohen

Released on March 28th, 2025

I found Earthstar Mountain through another artist I like, Clairo, who provided some backing vocals and flute on a number of tracks. It's a very summery album, with Hannah Cohen's vocals giving the album a light and happy feeling.

Dusty and Earthstar have similar production, making them feel like sister songs to me, and feel like a burst of summer sunshine and warmth in my ears. Mountain is a soothing song that reminds me of Olivia Dean's Nice to Each Other and Fleetwood Mac's Rhiannon. My personal favorite of the album is the closer, Dog Years, which has that same happy sound throughout the album but with a hint of bittersweet ending. It's a gorgeous work, and I've had it on repeat since it was released earlier this year.

Favorite Tracks: Dog Years, Mountain, Dusty, Earthstar, Una Spaggia

In Second Place:

Man's Best Friend by Sabrina Carpenter

Released on August 29th, 2025

Sabrina Carpenter has taken the world by storm this year! First with the deluxe version of her album Short n' Sweet, then putting out her newest one, Man's Best Friend. She's also had the iconic Short n' Sweet Tour, a collaborative song with Taylor Swift on The Life of a Showgirl, countless television appearances, and a delicious perfume line (which I even got for Christmas). She is truly the Artist of the Year, and she doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

Man's Best Friend is, simply put, a grower. Carpenter's dry humor and frequent innuendos make this album so witty and charming, along with the nostalgic, eclectic production and her gorgeous singing vocals. Manchild is a stellar country-pop lead single that I believe has a high chance to win a Grammy or two. Tears was such a good choice for a second single, very tongue-in-cheek innuendo humor with a glamourous disco instrumentation. My top favorites off the album, Sugar Talking and Never Getting Laid have such a nice 70s soul sound to them. And the career highlight that is Goodbye is a testament to how ABBA has influenced Sabrina's musical style.

It's an amazing feat to release albums so shortly after one another, but to make it this good is insane. If she didn't already do it with Espresso, Sabrina Carpenter has officially solidified herself in the pop legacy and is here to stay.

Favorite Tracks: Manchild, Tears, Sugar Talking, Never Getting Laid, When Did You Get Hot? Don't Worry I'll Make You Worry, House Tour, Goodbye

In First Place:

Melt by Not For Radio

Released on October 10th, 2025

Earlier this year, lead singer María Zardoya of The Marías split off from the band to create her own side project entitled Not For Radio. Her first album, Melt, is a concept album based around finding and losing your "swan" (as in your mate for life) in the wintertime. It's aptly named, as I felt myself melting into each track as I listened.

The album features beautiful and ethereal production not too far off from The Marías original sound, with María's soft and airy vocals complementing the instrumentation nicely. The track listing is seamless, with each track ending pulling you into the next with ease. It's a calm, cozy, undemanding rainy-day listen, and that is why I say Melt is easily my Album of the Year.

Favorite Tracks: Slip, Vueltas, Puddles, Water On Your Nose, My Turn, Moment, Not the Only One, Magnet

And there you have it, my top ten albums of 2025! I hope you found something you're interested in listening to, or if you have a favorite already, share it below! Thank you for reading, and I'm looking forward to another great year in music for 2026!

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