Introduction
This week’s mixtape compiles a selection of the most representative albums from 2025, showcasing a diverse range of artists and genres that have shaped the music scene this year. Here’s an in-depth look at twenty standout albums, each with its unique story and impact on the music world.
1. More – Pulp
Album: More
Artist: Pulp
After a 24-year hiatus, Pulp’s “More” marked a powerful comeback for the band. The album demonstrates their matured lyrical prowess, steering clear of nostalgia and reviving past glory. From the opening chords of “Spike Island” to the emotionally charged finale of “A Sunset,” Jarvis Cocker and his bandmates take listeners on a journey that still resonates with the band we fell in love with over three decades ago.
2. Lux – Rosalía
Album: Lux
Artist: Rosalía
Rosalía’s fourth studio album, “Lux,” sparked intriguing musical conversations in 2025. The Catalan composer sings in 14 languages and collaborates with the London Symphony Orchestra, Björk, Yves Tumour, Yaritza, Su Esencia, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, El Guincho, and Pharrell Williams.
In “Lux,” Rosalía takes risks and explores various musical directions that few contemporary pop artists dare to venture into. Although sometimes the exploration across multiple languages dilutes the lyrics, she delivered a highly purposeful album and a new artistic direction that places her in a league of her own.
3. A Danger to Ourselves – Lucrecia Dalt
Album: A Danger to Ourselves
Artist: Lucrecia Dalt
Lucrecia Dalt’s seventh album conjures ethereal and sinister atmospheres, blending spaghetti westerns with horror films into a rugged and fragmented sound infused with ambient, bolero, salsa, and mambo echoes. The album features collaborations with the iconic David Sylvian (Japan), Juana Molina, and Camile Mandoki.
4. I Quit – Haim
Album: I Quit
Artist: Haim (Danielle, Alana, and Este Haim)
The sisters offer a fresh take on the album concept centered around breaking up. In their fourth album, the California trio deviates from traditional romantic comedy narratives and explores various aspects and stages of their interpersonal relationships, infusing their pop sound with a touch of nineties nostalgia.
5. Bleeds – Wednesday
Album: Bleeds
Artist: Wednesday
The sixth album from the American band is filled with distortion, friendly riffs, and melodies reminiscent of the Pixies, Pavement, and Drive-By Truckers. Karly Hartzman’s lyrics aren’t breakup songs, but they teeter on the edge of relationship turmoil with guitarist MJ Lenderman, giving a bittersweet flavor to their melodies infused with country, alternative rock, and alt-country.
6. Live at Madison Square Garden – Goose
Album: Live at Madison Square Garden
Artist: Goose
Goose is part of a lineage of jam bands from Grateful Dead to Phish, cultivating their audience through expansive live performances. Although the Wilton, Connecticut quartet released two studio albums in 2025—”Chain Yer Dragon” and “Everything Must Go”—this four-hour show at Madison Square Garden is epic in scale. The set includes musical deviations towards Kate Bush and Otis Day & The Knights.
7. Who Let the Dogs Out – Lambrini Girls
Album: Who Let the Dogs Out
Artist: Lambrini Girls
The debut album from the Brighton duo is explosive, filled with anger and catharsis. Lambrini Girls take their punk label seriously, offering songs that challenge police brutality, toxic masculinity, transphobia, homophobia, nepotism, and privilege.
8. Twilight Override – Jeff Tweedy
Album: Twilight Override
Artist: Jeff Tweedy (Wilco)
Jeff Tweedy’s solo debut is a three-disc musical project gradually revealing its mysteries.
9. DeBÍ TiRAR Más FOToS – Bad Bunny
Album: DeBÍ TiRAR Más FOToS
Artist: Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio)
Bad Bunny’s sixth album sparked musical conversations throughout 2025, filled with music that pays homage to his Caribbean and Latin influences from bomba, plena, salsa, and dembow.
Alongside his multiple appearances in films, television, and the upcoming Super Bowl, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio’s persona remains one of the most representative figures in contemporary music.
10. Butler, Blake & Grant – Butler, Blake & Grant
Album: Butler, Blake & Grant
Artist: Butler, Blake & Grant (Bernard Butler from Suede, Norman Blake from Teenage Fanclub, and James Hart from Love And Money)
Despite being marketed as a supergroup, the music of this trio is a soothing blend of acoustic guitars and English folk.
Other Notable 2025 Albums
11. Getting Killed – Geese
12. Everybody Scream – Florence + The Machine
13. Vendrán Suaves Lluvias – Silvana Estrada
14. Cabin in the Sky – De La Soul
15. West End Girls – Lily Allen
16. Phonetics On and On – Horsegirl
17. Saving Grace – Robert Plant & Suzi Dian
18. All Is Love And Pain In The Mouse Parade – Of Monsters And Men
19. Who is the Sky? – David Byrne
20. Antidepressants – Suede
