I’m back at it again with my favorite albums of the year! 2025 has been a fantastic 12 months for music, featuring releases from various genres and styles. Admittedly, this year’s list was far harder to make than last year’s; while 2024 had great albums like Charli xcx’s “Brat” and Bring Me The Horizon’s “POST HUMAN: NeX GEn,” 2025 knocked it out of the park.
Because this year’s list was so much more difficult, I want to name some honorable mentions before getting into the list: Florence + The Machine’s “Everybody Scream” and Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners’ “No Silent Monks” were absolute delights. It saddens me to not include them on my official list, but their competition was even better. I was lucky enough to attend the tours for each of the five albums on my list, and therefore was able to fully embrace them in their best form: live. Now, onto the rankings …
#5 – “Everyone’s Talking!” by All Time Low
All Time Low have been around for a long time now, and I am of the belief that they have never released an even mediocre album. Every release they’ve put out has been fantastic, meaning my expectations for “Everyone’s Talking!” were high. I didn’t think they could make anything even close to their 2023 album “Tell Me I’m Alive,” but “Everyone’s Talking!” serves as a strong follow-up. While it isn’t as good, I won’t hold that against it—I was lucky enough to hear a chunk of the album live in Boston, and their performance reminded me of why I love All Time Low so much. Even after being a band for over 20 years, they still maintain a great pop punk sound, and it doesn’t hurt that they’re from my home state.
Highs from “Everyone’s Talking!” include singles “The Weather” and “Butterflies,” and also deeper cuts “Little Bit” and “Sugar” (feat. JoJo). “Little Bit” brings back the harsher sound of All Time Low’s earlier days, echoing sounds from their hit album “Nothing Personal,” while “Sugar” highlights the newer elements of their sound, and wonderfully blends the vocals of featured artist JoJo and frontman Alex Gaskarth. Needless to say, Maryland’s finest have done it again, and created both a deep and fun album that fits perfectly into their extensive discography.
#4 – “The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1” by Lord Huron
Lord Huron has been in the spotlight for over a decade with their top-tier sad song “The Night We Met,” releasing on “Strange Trails” back in 2015, but not many people know their music further than that. As masters of indie-folk, “The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1” was a highly anticipated album that absolutely lived up to the hype. As an additional part in the universe the band has been developing since “Strange Trails,” not only does the album play well on the radio, but it hits hard in the hearts of dedicated fans who’ve been following the story it tells.
“Who Laughs Last” (feat. Kristen Stewart) is my favorite leading single out of any on this list, combining Kristen Stewart’s smooth speaking with frontman Ben Schneider’s vocals truly taking you to another plane of existence. “It All Comes Back” has gained success on social media platforms like TikTok, and rightfully so; it’s a great addition to the collection of Lord Huron songs yearning for a past love, and even features lyrics connecting it to others like “Meet Me In The Woods.” “Bag of Bones” takes country inspiration as it truly portrays why the word cosmic is in the album title, and live Lord Huron truly took me past the boundaries of time and space and into their own world. “The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1” is incredible, and the title implies a later sequel that I can hope will be even half as fantastic.
#3 – “Virgin” by Lorde
New Zealand’s pop sensation Lorde released her greatly anticipated fourth album “Virgin,” and it’s absolutely some of her best work yet. While I don’t think anything can top “Melodrama,” “Virgin” is a deep album full of self-exploration. Lorde discusses her own struggles with gender, love and self-perception in a relatable and catchy way, making an album truly for those who are a little too deep into their own head. Lorde is right there with you, because she’s been through it, too.
My favorites from “Virgin” are easily “Shapeshifter,” “Favorite Daughter” and “David.” “Shapeshifter” goes into changing yourself for the benefit of others, complete with beautiful vocals and synths, while “Favorite Daughter” discusses societal pressure and being under the pressure of pleasing people. “David’s” title draws from the famed Michelangelo statue, and as Lorde delivers the most impressive vocals of the album, she makes it clear that she is her own person and has control of her own destiny. The sound is hopeful and tragic all at once, and is one of my favorite album closers ever, with one of its challengers being “Perfect Places” from “Melodrama.” Live, Lorde was electrifying; she commanded a massive crowd while making TD Garden feel like a small, intimate space. Her vocals held up, and through “Virgin,” proved why she is such a global sensation.
#2 – “Breach” by Twenty One Pilots
This is the second year in a row that Twenty One Pilots have put out of my second favorite release of the year. “Breach” serves as a sequel to last year’s “Clancy,” and concludes the lore the band has been creating since “Blurryface.” While their last few albums have all been lore-related, “Breach” and “Clancy” are the first ones that can truly be called twins; they are two sides of the same coin, with “Breach” being seen as some sort of extension of its predecessor. Both have 13 songs, and clock in at just over 47 minutes long.
“Breach” has some of the most unique songs in Twenty One Pilots’ discography, with an easy highlight being “Drum Show.” A song dedicated to drummer Josh Dun, it is the first one recorded to ever feature his vocals. Dun’s voice blends seamlessly with frontman Tyler Joseph’s, and the product is a fantastic song about drowning out the world with music. “RAWFEAR” is another incredible track; the bridge increases in tempo that feels almost like a panic attack, reflecting its themes of anxiety in more than just the lyrics. I couldn’t rank this album without mentioning “Center Mass,” too; it’s a love letter to the fans, including viral sound bites from the Clancy World Tour, while also speaking to vulnerability and personal pain. I will never forget echoing the “Ahs” of “RAWFEAR” thousands of other people on the water in New York, and will deeply miss the consistent touring Twenty One Pilots had been doing for a few years. Honestly, “Breach” surpasses its sister, and had it been released last year, would’ve taken the top spot. It was a beautiful end to an era going on for 10 years, and I am so excited to see what Twenty One Pilots have planned for the future.
#1 – “The Scholars” by Car Seat Headrest
I never thought a Car Seat Headrest release would be at the top of my list, but here we are! “The Scholars” is an interpretive concept album that reminds me of everything I love about music. I could talk about it for hours, but instead am confined to two paragraphs of my top five list. Nine songs and 70 minutes long, “The Scholars” is the story of two fictional universities and the people involved with both of them. Much of it is up to interpretation, but is also written like a play; different lines are sung by different characters, with most of them belonging to Chanticleer, who serves as the narrator and main focus of the album.
Picking my favorite tracks from “The Scholars” is near impossible, but one that quickly comes to mind is lead single “Gethsemane.” Clocking in at nearly 11 minutes long, the song tells the story of Rosa, a medical student at one of the fictional universities, who has been taken hostage by a seemingly violent being. The way frontman Will Toledo sings is incredible, accompanied by booming guitar from Ethan Ives. It is such a hard song to describe, and I simply need to tell you to listen to it. “Reality” is another long track, this time being over 11 minutes long, with an ending that is one of my favorite pieces of music ever released. Sung by both Toledo and Ives, the end of the song features the character Artemis losing grip on reality as they mourn the seemingly-dead Chanticleer. Their voices unite for the final few repeated lines: “The earth fell out from under me.” I saw Car Seat Headrest perform “The Scholars” almost in full, missing only “Equals,” back in June. I decided I needed to see them again when they came to Boston in September, and I’m so glad I did; I mourn the fact that I will never hear all of these songs live again. I’ve seen over 90 bands live, and Car Seat Headrest performing “The Scholars” was the best. Every listen, I discover new things about this incredible album, and can only suggest you dedicate the time to experience it yourself.
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