Six months. No skips.
The year is only halfway over, and there's already so many great albums we could hardly choose. Check out our picks, in alphabetical order, for the 33 best albums of the year (so far).
Did your favorite make the cut?
Black Country, New Road
Forever Howlong
Theatric and sincere, Forever Howlong is Black Country, New Road's first studio album with their new configuration, post-exit of their previous lead singer. The band has formed their own sound that feels like an equal piece of each of the six multi-instrumentalists. Filled with quiet moments and big crescendos, Forever Howlong is like blowing out the candles on your birthday cake, and digging in.
Jess
Beirut
A Study of Losses
Beirut at their most delicate—melancholic, elegant, and quietly devastating.
Stephen
Blondshell
If You Asked For A Picture
Blondshell's Sabrina Teitelbaum turns up her sharp wit and self-aware sex appeal with If You Asked For A Picture, her second full-length release. Dreamy 90s-influenced indie rock and biting lyrics only a 20-something dating in the digital age could write. This one's for the girls.
Jess
Bon Iver
SABLE, fABLE
Justin Vernon remains ahead of the curve at all times - whether that be reflected based on his collaborators (tapping the future of Nashville's Carter Faith and the future of New Jersey's Mk.Gee, to name a couple) melding pedal steel with groove beats, or, generally, asking the questions through prose that haven't been answered before.
Lucie
Cameron Winter
Heavy Metal
Cameron Winter is on the precipice of indie stardom with his emotive and raw debut album Heavy Metal, utilizing beautiful absurdist and youthful motifs to showcase love, confusion, and heartbreak. The Geese frontman’s instantly recognizable deep and groaning vocals, combined with piano-forward instrumentals, have led to one of the most buzzed-about new releases of 2025 (late 2024).
Annabelle
clipping.
Dead Channel Sky
Dead Channel Sky is a glitchy, dissonant fusion of hip hop and electronic from Los Angeles trio clipping. Futuristic production underscores Daveed Diggs vocals and thought-provoking lyrics. An album to underscore the apocalypse.
Jess
Djo
The Crux
Futuristic and undeniably nostalgic, wrapped in a 45-minute bow - that's Djo's junior record, The Crux for you.
Lucie
Doechii
Alligator Bites Never Heal
Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal won the Grammy for Best Rap Album in 2025 for a reason. A musically diverse and innovative journey through trying to make it in your 20s; an instant classic.
Annabelle
FKA Twigs
EUSEXUA
EUSEXUA is everything- a state of being, of metamorphosis, of losing yourself on the dance floor. FKA Twigs delivers limitless electronic art-pop that's as sensual as it is fun.
Jess
girlpuppy
Sweetness
Sweetness, a very apt title for this lovely, easy listen of an indie pop/rock record is perfect for fans of Soccer Mommy, Momma, and boygenius. Beautiful harmonies and fuzzy guitars, along with relatable lyrics. Place it within a genre filled with so many talented women, and Becca Harvey’s found a seat at the table.
Annabelle
HAIM
I quit
Not everything has to be dramatic to remain poetic, and HAIM proves that once again on their fourth record I quit. The sisters are witty and brave, so much so that one might forget about their unbelievable technical talent.
Lucie
Heartworms
Glutton For Punishment
Heartworms produces a debut already sure of itself. A tribute to 80s post-punk with its own unique twists that has cemented Josephine Orme as an artist not to be missed.
Jess
HotWax
Hot Shock
Has Hole been reborn in 2025? This is one of the top newer UK bands to look out for.
Wesley
Hotline TNT
Raspberry Moon
Fuzz, fuzz, and more fuzz. Hotline TNT's follow-up to the critically acclaimed Cartwheel is more polished, more collaborative, and somehow even more fun. Raspberry Moon establishes Hotline TNT as staples and trailblazers of modern shoegaze.
Jess
Japanese Breakfast
For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women)
Romantic and dreamy, Japanese Breakfast front-woman Michelle Zauner continues to show off her songwriting expertise. Listening to For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) feels like finding a pearl in the oyster.
Jess
Jason Isbell
Foxes In The Snow
The North Alabama singer-songwriter has a knack for putting the deepest human emotions into beautiful words. Without the accompaniment of his band, the 400 unit, Foxes in the Snow shows off Jason Isbell's talent with only his voice and a guitar.
Jess
Lambrini Girls
Who Let The Dogs Out
Raw and rebellious British punk duo make their stance on misogyny, homophobia, and capitalism loud and clear with their furious in-your-face sound.
Kenya
Lifeguard
Ripped and Torn
Ripped and Torn teeters between urgent and wistful across songs, and sometimes within a single song. Each track is brimming with youthful energy, but informed by the taste and maturity of someone who's been feverishly collecting records for decades. There's Mission of Burma's intensity with the pop elements of Guided by Voices on display- while not completely biting either too hard. The band is one of economy... This is exceptionally showcased by the rhythm section being extremely rigid, allowing for brief explosions of guitar noise and exasperated yelps to find their footing on the way back down. Excellent first effort from the young lads.
Brendon
Little Simz
Lotus
Lotus hits hard and cuts deep... Little Simz at her most stripped-back, sharp, and self-assured.
Stephen
Lorde
Virgin
Lorde is reborn again on Virgin, as her fourth album delves into the intensities one faces with their own identity and personal evolution, remaining both cathartic and evocative at all times.
Lucie
Lucy Dacus
Forever Is A Feeling
Heartfelt songwriting from the boygenius sweetheart, roaming from the throes of heartbreak to the ecstasy of true love.
Jess
Maribou State
Hallucinating Love
Feel-good electronic from the Hertfordshire duo. Full of energy, Hallucinating Love is music for sun-kissed days.
Jess
Mark Pritchard and Thom Yorke
Tall Tales
Tall Tales is the electronic collaboration between producer Mark Pritchard and Thom Yorke of Radiohead and The Smile, of course. Ambitious and atmospheric, the record spans a vast landscape of ambient, new wave, and synth-pop.
Jess
Mogwai
The Bad Fire
How does a band's 11th album still hit so hard? Post rock at its finest.
Wesley
Oklou
Choke Enough
The french electronic artist debuts her minimalistic yet dynamic and captivating sound, sending all those who listen into a dreamlike state.
Kenya
Pulp
More
Pulp have returned with their first new album in 24 years, and More is worth the wait. Same old perverse wit from frontman Jarvis Cocker, but made even better by the life experience gained by the band in the past quarter-century.
Jess
Sam Fender
People Watching
Another fantastic record from the Geordie God that is Sam Fender, this time, with assist on production from Adam Granduciel and unmistakable harmonies by Brooke Bentham. While Fender usually exposes true lyrical depth, this record might just dig even deeper.
Lucie
Samia
Bloodless
The Baby herself both critiques and celebrates intimacy, femininity, and chaos on her distinctive third album. Sit down with Bloodless, and you may feel like the third craziest person in the room.
Lucie
Scowl
Are We All Angels
Their first LP for Dead Oceans brings new sounds to the Bay Area band's typical hardcore punk sound. Proof you can be catchy AND maintain the heavy.
Wesley
Stereolab
Instant Holograms On Metal Film
Their first album in 15 years, and Stereolab has yet to disappoint us. Instant Holograms On Metal Film is just as melodic, interesting, and fun as their previous works. An essential listen for the Stereolab fan.
Jess
The Horrors
Night Life
Sleek, nocturnal rush—neon-soaked, synth-heavy, and The Horrors at their most visceral.
Stephen
Turnstile
Never Enough
While expanding on the themes they explored on Glow On, Turnstile doesn't lose their edge whatsoever.
Wesley
yeule
Evangelic Girl is a Gun
yeule crafted a beautiful glitchy world that tears a rip in time, pulling listeners into an immersive, nostalgia-fueled soundscape.
Merit