It's the end of the year. 2025 was a pretty terrible year, but just like the previous time we had a fascist sworn into office, all the frustration led to some really great music. Here's my favorites.

10. Weatherday - Hornet Disaster

A title that truly foretold my Silksong playthrough. Weatherday soundtracked my spring with a really stunning emo sophomore record that somehow manages to earn its 76-minute runtime. I feel like it drags a little in the middle, but overall it's a really satisfying journey with some amazing tracks that stand well above their debut.

Favorite tracks: Radar Ballet, Green Tea Seaweed Sea, Ripped Apart By Hands

9. Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - Carpe Diem, Moonman

An old favorite of mine returned with a bang this year. I've been a huge fan of the Crumpets since I got into psych rock in early 2020, and I've felt like they've been in a meandering period in their career for a while. With Carpe Diem, Moonman, they really brought back the psychedelic vibes of their early stuff, managing to make their most atmospheric record since the High Visceral days.

Favorite tracks: Qwik Maff, As the Hummingbird Hovers, Out the Universe Pours

8. The Beths - Straight Line Was A Lie

New Zealand indie pop act The Beths put out a really great record that changed up their sound a bit. I'm a big fan of the more laid-back vibes here, and the emotional lyrics helped me cope with a really tough time in my life. Great artistry and absolutely their most consistent record yet.

Favorite tracks: Straight Line Was a Lie, Mosquitoes, Mother Pray for Me

7. Jerkcurb - Night Fishing On A Calm Lake

Speaking of laid-back - I discovered Jerkcurb last month with the release of his second record, and suffice to say it blew me away. I haven't had time to really digest the lyrics here yet, but the sound is something really special. A hauntingly atmospheric album that really sticks with you - reminds me of Outer Wilds in a way.

Favorite tracks: Loss Dub, Too Much Intelligence, Help You

6. Hayley Williams - Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party

I can't say I've listened to a lot of Hayley's solo work or even much Paramore, but she managed to put out a really good album with a bunch of super catchy & emotional songs. Definitely takes the cake for "most confusing album rollout of 2025" but it's absolutely worth a listen. It's a bit all over the place but in a good way, like a scrapbook, and has several gems on it.

Favorite tracks: Mirtazipine, Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party, True Believer

5. Christopher Larkin - Hollow Knight: Silksong OST

Yes, video game soundtracks count. My most anticipated game of all time released this year, and just like the last game, it's got one of the best OSTs ever, courtesy of composer Christopher Larkin. You can really tell that Larkin's larger budget allowed him to go way bigger than the first game's sampled chamber arrangements, and it's led to a stunningly emotional companion to a dark and beautiful game.

Favorite tracks: Choral Chambers, Lost Verdania, Last Dive

4. Magdalena Bay - Nice Day

I'm counting this as an album even though it's a box set of 8 singles, because it's a single package that's the length of a small album. Magdalena Bay followed up last year's near-flawless Imaginal Disk with a collection of tracks that might be better than Imaginal Disk. A few of the songs on here are some of the best pop songs I've ever heard, channeling some M83 vibes into their usual sugary sound. It's not very cohesive, owing to it being a box set, but even that can't suppress the sheer strength of the music here.

Favorite tracks: Star Eyes, Human Happens, Nice Day

3. Ninajirachi - I Love My Computer

Aussie producer Ninajirachi's debut is wildly colorful, cluttered, and filled to the brim with early Gen Z nostalgia. This album is fun, deep, and takes me back to my childhood in a way few albums have. It's early 2010s EDM as you remember it through the rose-tinted glasses - just sublime electronic perfection the whole way through.

Favorite tracks: iPod Touch, Fuck My Computer, Infohazard

2. Quadeca - Vanisher, Horizon Scraper

Quadeca continues his wild upward trajectory with an album somehow better than the last. Vanisher is another concept album, this time about a sailor, acting as a metaphor for death and futility. I could write about this one for hours, it's super emotional and takes his folktronica sound to new heights with an album I'll be thinking about for a long time. Definitely watch the companion film too.

Favorite tracks: Ruin My Life, Monday, Casper

Honorable Mentions

There's a few records this year that were great but didn't quite make the top 10. Here's some rapid-fire reviews of them.

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - Pogo Rodeo : PPC's other record this year isn't as strong as Moonman, but brings a really interesting, washed-out sound to the table. That Beatles interpolation slaps. Nintendo - Mario Kart World OST : Nintendo somehow one-upped Mario Kart 8's soundtrack with a mind-bogglingly enormous set of music that reimagines hundreds of songs from across the Mario series in glorious jazz fusion. Maruja - Pain to Power : Maruja's debut combines the classic sound of the Windmill Scene with social commentary sorta reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine. Great stuff and really powerful in today's heated political climate. Viagra Boys - Viagr Aboys : Viagra Boys follow up 2022's modern classic Cave World with another hearty dose of societal satire. This one didn't hit quite as hard as Cave World for me but has a lot of great songs on it and tons of fun ideas. Panchiko - Ginkgo : Panchiko's second studio album finally dips mostly into new territory (after their debut had lots of finished versions of old demos) and they knocked it out of the park. Beautiful, spacey songs are all over this thing. Great stuff if you love the sound of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.

1. acloudyskye - This Won't Be The Last Time

At the beginning of the year, I'd never heard of acloudyskye. This album randomly dropped into my YouTube feed on a Thursday night and blew my mind. I've since discovered he has a few other albums I'd consider masterpieces, but this was the first one I've heard and I've continued spinning it regularly throughout the year.

Last year's There Must Be Something Here was very apocalyptic and somber. From the moment the guitars kick in in "Shoots," you know you're in for a much sunnier and brighter record. This thing is super full of energy the whole way through, and the way that energy transforms throughout is extremely satisfying, as the sun sets and we end on a bit more of a bittersweet note. This album feels like running through an empty field on a summer day, and it's brought me a great deal of joy in a decidedly sad year. I don't think I could say any other record is my AOTY.

Pains me how underrated this is. Strong recommend.

Favorite tracks: Shoots, Spill, Home