"What makes our Album of the Year so special is that their vision is entirely their own. In the seven years since we first got behind them, they’ve never wavered from that authentic path... For that, our Rough Trade community has thanked them again and again. In 2025, it earns them the crown."
Our Albums of the Year list of 100 titles captures months of listening, of favourite moments, of music that now belongs to the Rough Trade story as much as it belongs to yours.
As 2025 draws to a close, we hold onto what music has given us this year: grounding when things feel unsteady, energy when we’ve been tired, joy when we’ve needed reminding. Music endures, even in challenging times. In 2026, Rough Trade turns 50. A milestone that invites reflection, but also a chance to celebrate the record store, what it means today, and how it will continue to evolve as a vital force in our culture.
Explore our favourite albums of 2025, including some very special Rough Trade Exclusive editions on vinyl.
Album of the Year
Viagra Boys - viagr aboys
viagr aboys is a lot to process. In a good way. A fever dream of fictitious storytelling satirising the far-right, AI and art itself, penning some of their most absurd and quotable lyrics yet (‘I am a man that's made of meat and you're on the internet looking at feet’). The Swedish punk rock losers are far from finished with establishing their larger than life characters and DIY ethos - the whole album campaign driven by the skits and silliness of their self-led label Shrimptech Enterprises. Of course, it’s not just personality that carries the band forward, the production on this fourth studio album is polished - pairing free jazz instrumentals with plenty of scuzzy textures and the perfect dance-punk grooves they have come to be known for.
Georgia, Head Office
"What makes Viagra Boys so special is that their vision is entirely their own. In the seven years since we first got behind them, they’ve never wavered from that authentic path, owning it with a commitment to their music and their fanbase that feels rare and vital. For that, our Rough Trade community has thanked them again and again. In 2025, it earns them the crown."
Rough Trade
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive viagr aboys tri-colour LP, Rough Trade Exclusive Shrimp Sessions IV LP + Rough Trade Exclusive t-shirt.
Oklou - Choke Enough
French musician Oklou’s first studio album is a teeming terrarium of polyphony. Despite a debt to classic EDM, drums take a backseat here, overrun by thriving swells of mellow synth. Oklou’s lullaby-like melodies beam in like radio waves and life itself is on her mind; throughout the album, she seems to be asking exactly what it means to feel, with ruminations on power (obvious) and the digital world (thank you for recording). The songwriting nous on display stops the whole thing from disappearing up a flight of arpeggiators.
Huw, Warehouse
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive Choke Enough clear LP + Rough Trade Exclusive Choke Enough Expansion Pack dark green full-length remix
Pulp - More
Pulp’s More has endured as one of 2025’s defining records, a solid reminder of just how excellent this band always was and a triumphant step into a new era. Tracks are warm, anthemic and can we take a moment to applaud those gorgeous string arrangements? After 25 years, it honours their long-time devotees while opening the door to a brand new audience. The comeback album of the year? Their Worthy Farm set back in June which was congregational, emotional and adored from field to sofa, pretty much said it all.
Emily, Rough Trade Office
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive live 12" featuring cover tracks
Cameron Winter - Heavy Metal
It’s only when you step aside that truth is revealed, and while the Geese frontman could genuinely be Bugs Bunny in a human suit, even Looney Toons characters stick to the script. Heavy Metal is as deeply disarming as it is laugh out loud joyful but if you’re looking for the structure, textures and polish of modern music or just want to be part of something cool then you’re fucked. You WILL lose a part of yourself in this album - but will it be safe in the hands of a crooning sensation wielding a carrot and a gun?
Tilah, Warehouse
Geese - Getting Killed
In 2025, there is a noticeable appetite for rock and roll to be as strange and surprising as possible - a collision of influences which still draw from classic genre hallmarks but is unreservedly its own thing. Geese’s Getting Killed is exactly that. Blazing opener Trinidad sounds as if its plucked from an explosive arthouse thriller or soon to be a cult classic TV show theme tune, the layered percussion of Long Island City Here I Come builds into frantic crescendo like a much more delirious LCD Soundsystem number and Cameron Winter’s mystical vocal range takes charge on 100 Horses, a thrilling concoction of junkyard blues and Tom Waits-esque theatricality. Following his swelling and surreal solo debut Heavy Metal, Winter sits at the helm of some of today’s most unique and cinematic indie rock, with Geese continuing to live up to every single bit of hype you’ve heard about them.
Georgia, Rough Trade Office
Turnstile - NEVER ENOUGH
The perfect pairing piece to Turnstile’s 2021 album, GLOW ON. NEVER ENOUGH keeps the hype train going for the five-piece Baltimore hardcore band, transcending them into new heights no one could ever have imagined. Just like their previous album, NEVER ENOUGH continues to invent and pave the way for a new genre of music. Turnstile stick to their hardcore roots whilst mixing in more dreamy ingredients that include synths and horns on tracks like DREAMING and LIGHT DESIGN. Hopefully, we don’t have to wait as long for the next album!
Adam, Warehouse
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive neon green LP
Black Country, New Road - Forever Howlong
When this record was announced, I instantly fell in love with the album artwork and was really hoping that the music would live up to it. It did and then some! The talent in this band is ridiculous! The songs are so intricate, charming and unique that you can’t help but love them. I was lucky enough to see them play twice this year and was so impressed by their ability to recreate these songs live. The band has navigated the change in line-up so well, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Annabel, Rough Trade Nottingham
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive Forever Howlong Demos: Live at the Cornish Bank LP
Samia - Bloodless
Samia is one my favourite lyricists in the game right now, and on Bloodless she deftly touches on themes of lack of identity, self-destruction, and sexual vulnerability in a way that still leaves you keen to hear more. The glitchy, disorienting production that bridges each track and the analogue found-footage-esque album cover gives the record a delicate and uneasy feel - despite this darkness throughout, my standout track is North Poles, a painful love song where Samia sings “When you see yourself in someone, how can you look at them?” Bloodless is an undeniably feminist album made in an increasingly threatening time for women and their autonomy, but as a record about carving out your identity in the face of the ones you love and hate the most, it’s a solidly resounding piece of art for all.
Connor, Rough Trade Bristol
Jason Isbell - Foxes In The Snow
Foxes In The Snow feels like walking through Jason Isbell's attic; there are photographs, old bottles of whiskey, trinkets, memories and more. Featuring simply an acoustic guitar and Jason's vocals, this album is his barest yet, and it goes straight to the bone. Opening with Bury Me, a potential ode to his former self perhaps, and continues down this road, closing one chapter of his life and walking towards another. It is no secret that many troubles wove themselves around Jason's life over the years, and Foxes In The Snow sees these troubles slowly being shed song by song.
Locks, Rough Trade East
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive Jason Isbell: Live in Dublin LP
caroline - caroline 2
Rough Trade Records
Three years on from their debut, caroline have once again surpassed expectations. A band who draws from so many inspirations, still finds a way to sound so unique. So much care and thought has been put into this record and it shows. Every note, every patient build and every wall of noise are expertly chosen. Listening to caroline 2, I found it to be all-encompassing and would easily get lost in lush swells and powerful crescendos. caroline are firing on all cylinders here and this album is definitely one to listen to! If you already have, then it's a sign to listen again.
Jacob, Rough Trade Liverpool
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive not everything needs to even out 12”
READ NOW: In Conversation with caroline
Hayley Williams - Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
When this album dropped by complete surprise, it blew my little head clean off. This album marks a new chapter for Hayley Williams. After 20 years bound by a record contract, this is her first independent release - entirely under her control (and you can tell). This album is an unfiltered exploration of her inner and outer world: confronting her own ego, and navigating the complexities of relationships (platonic and romantic), with a smattering of politics. Standout tracks for me are Whim, Love Me Different, Hard, and Parachute. 10/10, an absolute must-listen album.
Emily, Rough Trade Liverpool
Saint Etienne - International
Saint Etienne release their triumphant and final album in a very storied career. International is structured almost like an alternate Greatest Hits with a twist, playing to their many strengths - with some unobtrusive and complimentary guest spots along the way. Razor-sharp sparkly pop song craft is married to their inimitable lyrical combination of arch and poignant. The twist is in the production, which owes much to the sounds and textures of early 80s pop (undoubtedly a formative era for the band members), making this a sonically unique album in their oeuvre despite the self-referential mood. A bittersweet, beautiful goodbye.
Jono, Rough Trade Nottingham
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive signed + handstamped white label orange LP
Bon Iver - SABLE, fABLE
Justin’s had a break, and he’s back with a wallop. It’s a two part affair, commencing with the bare boned, stone cold direct SABLE EP, which melts away to the ascending fABLE LP. It’s audibly akin to you sitting on a park bench at the edge of an abyss and having a long hard think about life. You nod quietly to yourself, stand up, turn around, stroll back into town via the good times and chance upon a roadside diner. You enter and order a slice of cherry pie, sit back and sip on some damn fine coffee. You nod quietly to yourself. Life affirmed.
Jamie, Head Office
CMAT - Euro-Country
The C in CMAT stands for Celtic Tiger Baby. Those who dive into CMAT’s new album looking for her unique brand of self-deprecating wit and charm, steeped in a rich appreciation for the pop, country, and Americana music that has always inspired her, will not be disappointed. Yet they will immediately find something far more pertinent, not just to Ciara as an artist, but to the whole generation we’ve grown up alongside. More so than any of her work before, Ciara brings to the forefront the idea that for better or for worse, we are moulded by our environments, and it’s our decision how we choose to operate within it and what we make from it. To that end, the real power of this record is such that these themes and reflections are embedded in a glamorously produced track list of some of her most vibrant (and social media-conquering) melodies to date. Songwriters, architects, and engineers alike should all take note of how to build a bridge just by listening to this album. For CMAT on Euro-Country, a star is not born; a star has evolved.
EXCLUSIVE: Limited Edition Euro-Country pink in clear yolk LP
Adam, Rough Trade East
The Lemonheads - Love Chant
A new Lemonheads album in 2025 is like catching up with an old friend from the nineties who just forgot to stop partying when everyone else did. But in this case, that’s a good thing. This album made me smile and feel a little warm inside, with its trademark jangly guitars, simple but so ‘Lemonheadsey’ melodies under Evan Dando’s familiar sweet and weary - now a little more ragged - vocals. It’s not trying to reinvent anything but if you were a fan back then, give this one a chance, and ‘Come on Feel The Lemonheads’ all over again!
Nina, Rough Trade Berlin
EXCLUSIVE: Limited Edition Love Chant picture disc + Rough Trade Exclusive 2 Weeks In Australia 2 live LP
Lambrini Girls - Who Let The Dogs Out
January 2025 started with a bang when this no-skips masterpiece was released. This album goes on a thorough emotional journey touching unabashedly on topics that are usually tippy-toed around like eating disorders, gentrification, rape culture, and moving through the world as an adult with autism. The songs deliver the point straight across with humor and powerful melodies, leaving us with an undeniable desire for more. Cuntology 101 closes the album as a love letter to doing whatever the fuck one wants to do, with grace and tons of joy. Viva Lambrini Girls!
Karin, Rough Trade NYC
HotWax - Hot Shock
As an Englishman in New York, Hot Shock feels like a jet-lagged dispatch from a UK on edge - exporting chaos, candour and bite at a moment when Britain and America alike wrestle with fractured identities. Snarling punk guitars and heavy grooves channel the restless urgency of protest, a soundtrack to streets alive with dissent. This is a record that spits in the face of cynicism, finding joy in sheer noise and defiance. Even in a brittle world, HotWax prove music still crosses borders louder than politics.
Stephen, Rough Trade NYC
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive Live at Rough Trade LP
Saya Gray - Saya
On my first listen to Saya, I was immediately obsessed. The album’s abstract, choppy production draws you in and perfectly supports her catchy, pop-infused vocal melodies. Saya Gray’s ability to pair unexpected soundscapes (who knew pedal steel and drum machines make a great mix!) with tongue-in-cheek lyrics adds another layer of unpredictable charm and keeps you coming back for more. Saya Gray is one of my favourite discoveries of this year and I can’t wait to hear more from her in the future!
Robyn, Rough Trade Liverpool
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive LP of unreleased demos and new tracks
Hotline TNT - Raspberry Moon
I've been a big fan of Hotline TNT since Cartwheel in 2023 and their follow up release does not disappoint. Whilst still being firmly situated in their DIY noise-pop meets fuzzy shoegaze roots, Raspberry Moon, their first album written together by the whole band, brings about a fresh mesh of different styles, genres and lyrical themes, seamlessly switching from the dense and distorted instrumentals on tracks like Transition Lens to the pop-rock anthemic chorus on Julia's War which you can't help but sing along to. Loud, lush, dreamy, and somehow nostalgic, it's definitely one of my highlights of 2025.
Alice, Rough Trade Liverpool
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive Raspberry Moon acai green tea LP with alternate sleeve
Say She She - Cut and Rewind
Say She She never hold back with the utterly mesmerising harmonies and their latest offering doesn’t fall short. The trio’s third album packs more of a punch, pairing melody with motivating mantras, title track Cut and Rewind a call to celebrate womanhood, and Disco Life spotlights the enduring power of disco as resistance. Shimmery psych-tinged creations which will always be an instant mood booster.
Georgia, Head Office
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive Larger Than Live! LP ft. covers
Jensen McRae- I Don’t Know How But They Found Me
Joining a label of eclectically prolific songwriters on Dead Oceans such as Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski, Jensen McRae splashed onto the scene with her sophomore record I Don't Know How But They Found Me. Each track tells a different and necessary story, such as the viral hit Massachusetts, a detailed and poignant perspective on lost love; then there's the painstakingly honest Let Me Be Wrong that we think truly solidifies McRae's spot in our Albums of the Year.
Lucie, Rough Trade NYC
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive I Don’t Know How But They Found Me sky blue LP + bonus flexi disc
Clipse - Let God Sort Em Out
An uncompromising comeback - this record is the epitome of picking up from where you left off with the added learning and experiences of the last 16 years. It’s been a phenomenal year for hip hop, and this record rises to the top. Think menace and maturity blended with hyper-produced pop hooks from Pharrell.
Bruce, Rough Trade East
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive pink deluxe LP
Brutalismus 3000 - Goodbye Salo
Live On Earth
I’ve been obsessed with Vikki’s vocals since 2020’s Good Girl, she brings a raw ferocity to the electronic scene that attracts alternative rock fans. Following 2023’s debut ULTRAKUNST, the shorter Goodbye Salo holds my favourites from the gabber-punks so far, and No Sex With Cops was going to take some topping. 9mm is hardstyle at its finest. The anthemic badthiings (rip avicii) expands their experiments to feel like a love letter to 2010’s EDM. Scee, reimagined by The Dare on new remixes that also features Underworld, bring even more pace to a collection that already doesn’t stop to breathe.
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive 12” of remixes
Hope, Rough Trade Liverpool
Jehnny Beth- You Heartbreaker, You
You Heartbreaker, You is wild and ferocious. Jehnny Beth sprawls raw energy in an urgent and honest album focused and perfectly balanced. Beth has gone a long way since Savages, (she’s an actress, presents a music program on French tv, writes…) Her energy and creativity are inspiring and her music (not to mention her live performances) are galvanising. Best tracks: Out Of My Reach, High Resolution Sadness.
Heloise, Head Office
Rough Trade In-Store of the Year
We have been lucky enough to have hosted a lot of incredible events through 2025 across all our stores, but the Jehnny Beth gig at Rough Trade East was truly transcendent, cathartic and intense. It was a sell-out crowd and post-show everyone was totally blown away. It's that lingering sense of awe that crowns the performance our in-store of the year, and we're thrilled to have it documented on wax as a special limited edition release so that feeling can be shared more widely. Thank you Jehnny.
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive Live at Rough Trade 12”
Tropical Fuck Storm - Fairyland Codex
Tropical Fuck Storm's Fairyland has been a summer highlight for me. They did an amazing set at the very rainy End of the Road festival (there is a storm pun in there somewhere) and a soundtrack to the energetic but frantic shifts here at Rough Trade East! This album definitely brought an Australian heat to London with its vibrant art punk.
Amelie, Rough Trade East
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive Fairyland Codex fairyland frost LP + Rough Trade Exclusive Live at 3RRR FM LP
Matt Berninger - Get Sunk
Matt Berninger's second album doesn't stray too far from the first one, but somehow hits harder for me than the last couple records from The National. Seeing this live is a must, and the NYC in-store upon release was one of the best so far at the new Rough Trade Below store.
Wesley, Rough Trade NYC
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive Get Sunk white/blue marbled LP+ bonus X-RAY flexi disc ft. Bonnet Of Pins
YHWH Nailgun - 45 Pounds
An absolute behemoth debut from the NYC/Philadelphia-based experimentalists YHWH Nailgun (pronounced YA-WAY for those still unsure), 45 Pounds is one of those albums where you find beauty within the ugly. Filled to the brim and spewing over the sides with abrasive guitar tones, brash vocal exclamations, and even a fully automatic weapon - these boys have not only broken the mould, but they've packed it with C4 explosives & detonated it right in front of our faces, eardrums, and speaker systems. If there's any way to make yourself heard amongst the dense populace of NYC, it's to release a debut like 45 Pounds. Safe to say they've caused a tectonic shift in the versatility of roto toms
Leila and Josh, Rough Trade Bristol
EXCLUSIVE: 45 Pounds LP + Rough Trade Exclusive bonus flexi disc ft. live recording of Hawk
Smerz - Big City Life
Sexy, sassy, sophisticated...Smerz. That's how I'd sum up Big City Life. Unless you've been living under a rock the past 6 months, this sophomore release has found the Norwegian duo skyrocketing from the realms of smaller experimental soundscapes to front and centre pop-star sensations. Still firmly rooted within their more esoteric sonic sensibilities, this album will MAKE YOU want to approach that person at the bar or club. As staple figureheads amongst the 'CPH+' scene, Smerz are not only in good company, but they are rightfully paving the way to a larger appreciation for what you might refer to as 'left-field pop'.
Josh, Rough Trade Bristol
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive Big City Life pink LP
Annahstasia - Tether
An instantly captivating voice and a debut that’ll knock you off your feet. Annahstasia Enuke’s deep mahogany vocals are paired with gently organic textures, lyrically navigating the sweeping meanders of interpersonal relationships and overflowing swells of emotion. Tether exists in the stratosphere between celestial folk music and earth-born soul like the works of Tracey Chapman, Sufjan Stevens, Joni Mitchell, Laura Marling and Labi Siffre - a truly magical place to exist.
Patrick, Head Office
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive Tether black silk LP + bonus flexi disc ft. Sunday
Quadeca - Vanisher, Horizon Scraper
Multi-instrumentalist, producer and rapper Quadeca is back with his third full-length once again demonstrating their innate sonic world building abilities. Following the success of 2022’s I didn’t mean to haunt you and 2024’s Scrapyard project, his work has only grown in ambition with Vanisher, Horizon Scraper. This record ebbs and flows between virtuosity and chaos following the journey of a sailor navigating a literal storm (for more context enjoy the full length film accompaniment). Quadeca captures the essence of yearning, paranoia and fear on highlights Monday and Godstained. The record oscillates between patient steady layered builds and emotional catharsis with closing track Casper featuring Maruja.
Arthur, Warehouse
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive Vanisher, Horizon Scraper LP + bonus flexi disc ft. Melisa
Buntspecht - Konstrukt 5
Colourful, soulful, impossible to cage - Buntspecht are Austria’s avant-garde indie-pop woodpeckers*. They whisper, scream, trill, and chirp in equal measure, moving between the arty, the weird, and the beautiful. After four albums, they finally hit Germany’s charts at #36 with Konstrukt 5. This fall they’re spreading wings beyond Austria, bringing their extraordinary sound to France and Benuelux for the first time. Vibrant. Playful. Unforgettable. Buntspecht are a true original.
*Buntspecht is the German word for the Great Spotted Woodpecker
Curt, Rough Trade Berlin
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive Konstrukt green and grey splatter LP + bonus live CD