What Am I Listening To??

My Top 5 Albums of 2025

In late 2024, I had an epiphany in the form of Geordie Greep’s debut solo album, The New Sound. That album was one of those rare experiences that felt handcrafted just for me, an incredible blend of my favorite things that felt simultaneously fresh yet familiar. It forced me to reckon with the fact that incredible, innovative music is being made today, and I've been missing it. As someone whose personal tastes lie far removed from the current day, The New Sound exposed my inattentiveness to current artists and new music.

This experience set me on a warpath over the past year, voraciously consuming as many new albums as I could, searching for something that could change my preconceptions of music in the same way that The New Sound did last year. Over the past 12 months, I’ve listened to over 115 newly released albums in an attempt to compile a definitive list of my personal Top 5 Albums of 2025. While I wasn’t able to listen to everything that came out this year, truly nobody could, I believe I managed to cover a wide variety of genres and artists, and exposed myself to a veritable avalanche of new and interesting music. Below, I’ll be writing briefly about my Top 5 and my reasoning for their place in my list.

But first, a few honorable mentions.

HM #1: Who’s The Clown?- Audrey Hobert

This album did for me what I imagine Taylor Swift’s music does for a lot of people. As someone who has never connected with Swift’s music, no, not even the classics like “Romeo and Juliet,” I think I get it more now.

Hobert’s debut album paints a portrait of an everygirl, an earnest and oftentimes humorous vignette of a young woman finding her way in the world, navigating social faux pas, shitty dates, and self-doubt. So many of these songs have a razor-sharp wit about them; there’s some really great songwriting and lyricism on display here, especially on tracks like “Sex and the City” and “Sue Me.” In terms of sound, to me, it harkens back to an early 2000s kind of pop sound that seems to be back in vogue in recent years. Personally, I’m all for it.

While it does seem like Hobert is playing something of a character on this album, there’s also a genuineness that elevates this above other similar kinds of albums and artists for me. Throughout Hobert’s tongue-in-cheek delivery, Who’s The Clown truly feels like it’s from an early-20s-something girl walking the walk of a normal life, figuring out who she is and what she wants out of her life and her relationships, instead of a nearly 40-year-old billionaire singing about prom and her new husband’s penis. (Sorry, I can’t help myself.)

HM #2: Neon Grey Midnight Green- Neko Case

If Hobert’s album is the anxious concerns of a young woman just getting her start in the world, Neon Grey Midnight Green is a confident reflection over a multi-decade career from a hardened songwriter at the top of her game. I’ll admit, I wasn’t very familiar with Neko Case before I listened to this album, and Christ was I missing out!

This album is such an interesting mix of genres and sounds that somehow never feels disjointed or ineffective. NGMG is indie rock, alternative country, Americana, and something else I can’t put my finger on. I am such an absolute sucker for a string section, and when they start to swell on songs like “Wreck” or “Oh, Neglect…,” my freakin’ knees go weak. The band on this album is just stunning, so powerful, and the perfect backdrop for Case’s striking voice and lyrics that cut like a scalpel.

Speaking of lyrics, Case’s cryptic songwriting leaves you with plenty to think on in every track; take, for example, “Winchester Mansion of Sound,” which imagines the object of Case’s affection as a sprawling estate, an unknowable and confusing person to whom she dedicates herself despite her inability to truly achieve understanding or real connection. “In the grip of recognition, you echo back a wilderness.” I also love that she doesn’t shy away from pushing into avant-garde territory with songs like “Tomboy Gold.” There’s so much emotion and creativity packed into each of these songs, it’s almost dizzying.

The writing, both lyrically and musically, reflects an artist so confident in her craft, so expertly refined, that all the listener can do is sit and accept the album as it unfolds. On NGMG, Case has a vision, and she’s going to give it to you regardless of whether or not you’re ready to see it. Out of all my honorable mentions, I think this was the closest to making the Top 5.

HM #3: Deep Country- Bruiser and Bicycle

While not as close as NGMG, Bruiser and Bicycle’s third album, Deep Country, was another strong contender for my list. I don’t know that I’ve ever really engaged with their style, which is essentially progressive folk. As someone who has developed a real fondness for the wacky and zany sounds of progressive rock in recent years, this album felt like a breath of fresh air as far as folk goes. Don’t get me wrong, I love the classic folk sound, but B&B have cultivated this fascinating, frenetic feel that’s just so damn fun.

The instrumentation, unique rhythms, and song structures here really made Deep Country stand out to me. The way they transition from one sound to the next is enough to give you whiplash, though it’s so well-executed that it doesn’t feel jarring in the slightest. The compositions are just so dense, expertly arranged with a wide variety of instruments and vocal work that keep you guessing at what’s around the next corner.

The lead singer’s voice often reminds me of midwest emo, exaggerated vowel sounds in a high, belty, almost whiny chest voice paired with his soft-spoken near-falsetto. All of these vocal styles are used to great effect and manage to blend seamlessly with the rest of the band. The rhyming and lyrics here are pretty great too; there are a few songs that almost feel like Dr. Seuss poems in the absolute best way.

I think they really swung for the fences on this album, and what you’re left with is an album that has extremely high points with songs like “Dance and Devotion,” “Part of the Show,” and “Syd Barrett’s Disaster Picnic.” Overall though, I felt like that quality isn’t quite consistent enough throughout the entire album, to beat out the others on my list.

That being said, the creativity displayed on Deep Country is staggering for a band only on their third project. I can’t wait to see what comes next for them, and I’m really crossing my fingers for a tour that comes through my area sometime soon.

#5: Till the Morning- Brian D'Addario

It’s not uncommon to see a current artist attempting a style and sound from an older decade; however, to do so without becoming almost a parody of the genre they’re trying to emulate, I feel that most artists fall short of creating something that’s simultaneously new and nostalgic. Outside rare exceptions like last year’s Diamond Jubilee from Cindy Lee, I can’t really think of many other albums that have nailed that dichotomy quite as well as Till the Morning.

Till the Morning feels at once fresh and familiar in the best way. This album draws on the sounds and feelings from late 60s/early 70s rock music and channels some serious Beach Boys energy on many of the tracks. It’s pretty obvious here that D’Addario has a deep reverence for the genre and understands what made that music so special.

I think a big reason many newer artists attempting an older sound rarely stick the landing is that, to me, so many modern artists simply don’t have that same kind of voice. Which makes sense, right? I mean, we talk differently now than people did in the late 60s, not just in our vocabulary but in our cadences as well. Not to mention that the popular vocal style has changed so dramatically over time that many of today’s vocalists simply never learned to sing the same way that, say, Brian Wilson did back then. Someway, somehow, Brian D’Addario has it nailed.

I’m fairly convinced that you could play any song off this album for someone today and they’d confidently guess it’s from the early 70s, in large part due to D’Addario’s vocals. His voice is beautifully frozen in time, exactly the kind of sound you’d expect to catch on your local classic rock station today. Additionally, the harmonies here are just incredibly tight and well-composed, giving each track this lush, gorgeous soundscape that’s a treat to enjoy. The electric organ work is top-notch as well, along with some very tasty guitar licks.

Till the Morning has such a great mix of the standards from that time, too. You’ve got your upbeat, happy-go-lucky hits like “Nothing on My Mind” and “Flash in the Pan,” while also leaving room for some slower, beautiful ballads like “One Day I’m Coming Home,” “Company,” and “What You Are is Beautiful.” All in all, it’s just a fantastic love letter to the late 60s and 70s, an all-heaters, no-beaters affair that I found myself coming back to time and again this year.

#4: Cancionera- Natalia Lafourcade

I love an album that exposes my blindspots, an album that hits you right in the face and says, “You’ve been missing out!” Cancionera was like that for me. If you had told me at the start of the year that one of my favorite albums of 2025 would be a Mexican folk/classical hybrid, I don’t think I would’ve believed you. Yet, here we are.

This album is absolutely gorgeous, packed with these haunting melodies and a nostalgic pining for yesteryear in a world that’s lost its magic. It’s a fantastic mix of emotions that swings from serious and contemplative to light and fun with ease. There’s an infectious kind of energy in songs like “Cocos en la Playa” that makes it hard not to move your body when it plays.

As far as instrumentation goes, Lafourcade’s gentle classical guitar often serves as the foundation for the rest of the band to build on, and build they do. You’ve got brass, strings, piano, and more here, all working together in fantastic conjunction. Lafourcade’s voice is just butter on this album, so smooth, effortless, and rich. All of this comes together to create a sound that is often dark and mysterious, scratching my brain in all the right ways.

The major standout feature here is the actual recording. Supposedly, each of these songs was recorded live in a single take, which gives the entire album a very earnest and real sound. The overproduction of much of today’s music is a big part of what turned me off newer artists, as many of their songs feel “recorded” rather than “performed.” Every song on Cancionera sounds as if it’s being played right in your living room, just for you. It’s a very special feeling that I hope more artists strive to emulate rather than overly relying on post-production editing to create a serviceable sound.

In all, Cancionera was an exciting new discovery that exposed an entire genre of music I’ve failed to give due credit to, and for that, I’m extremely grateful.

#3: New Threats From the Soul- Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band

Few albums manage both the depth of sound and ideas that Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band accomplish with this project. This is a seriously stunning display of musicianship that only gets better each time you come back. Country music tends to feel samey and often flat to me, which is a big reason why I think I’ve never really connected with the genre. It’s also why alt-country, like this album, really appeals to me. It’s a lot of the same ideas and feelings, but with much more interesting packaging.

The instrumentation here is just magnificent. Somehow, they’ve managed to take a country band, complete with dreamy steel guitars, and jammed it together with a goddamn orchestra. As noted above, the quickest way to my heart is a string section, and this album truly delivers. Beyond the strings, though, you can hear woodwind instruments, brass, flutes, and maybe a grocery store checkout gun? The way this band tiptoes into experimental territory without ever going so far as to lose a listener is really something to behold. It’s this amazing amalgamation of so many different sounds that coalesces into something far greater than any of its parts.

In terms of songwriting, New Threats From The Soul is an absolute tour de force. It may be the most lyrically rich album I’ve ever listened to. Each track here is so jam-packed with subtle metaphors and clever wordplay that I find myself catching new jokes and references with each listen. Ryan Davis’ voice is absolutely gorgeous, simultaneously powerful yet gentle; it’s this booming, yearning drawl that could stop a runaway bull dead in his tracks and still tuck me into bed at the end of the day.

Despite the unique band and near-literary levels of writing, New Threats From The Soul never strays too far from the depiction of everyday struggles, love, and loss that are so central to country. In this way, NTFTS feels like a new and innovative rendition of country music, breaking new ground while staying true to the roots that make the genre great.

#2: The Passionate Ones- Nourished By Time

Nourished By Time was one of my musical obsessions this year. After a friend introduced me to his music, I’m pretty certain that Erotic Probiotic 2 was the only thing that played in my car for like a month. Needless to say, I was eagerly anticipating this album for much of the year, and Marcus Brown did not disappoint.

On The Passionate Ones, NBT sits at this fascinating crossroads of alternative R&B, electronic-pop, and sometimes funk. It’s impressive how he’s continued to develop and carve out this unique sound showcased on EP2 into something greater here on TPO. I think a lot of the tracks here feel more distinct than the more homogenous sound of EP2, which keeps the entire experience varied.

The electronic work here is top-notch, creating these textured and layered synth-heavy soundscapes that take you deep into Marcus’ dreamy love cult. It’s a masterful display of composition and arrangement that leaves you wondering how the hell he managed to put this all together. Aside from the electronic work, Marcus’ deep, droning voice serves as a through-line across the entire project, switching between the kind of soft spoken-word style on “9 2 5” and the obsessed, maniacal shouting on “BABY BABY.” This is another area where I think the variety really elevates TPO over his previous work.

Now, I may be biased, having seen Nourished By Time on tour immediately following the release of this album, but I found TPO to be so much fun. I think you’d be hard-pressed not to dance and groove a little when “Automatic Love” or “The Passionate Ones” comes on. The entire package is just very tight, interesting, and indicative of an artist with a hell of a career ahead of him.

#1: Forever Howlong- Black Country New Road

Here we are, my album of the year! I don’t think this one should be much of a surprise to anyone who’s talked with me about music this year, as I’ve been singing its praises since it released back in April. I think with Isaac Wood’s departure from the band in 2022, many were wondering what would be next for this band, especially considering Wood’s voice was a focal point on their previous album, Ants From Up There. With Wood out of the picture, how would this group change? Could they still produce something as groundbreaking and unique as their previous work?

Forever Howlong put any and all concerns to rest. It’s truly unbelievable the way this band has reinvented itself without losing the magic that originally put them on the map. There’s a gentle yet powerful beauty to every single track on the album, both in the instrumentation and the lyricism. So many songs strike this gorgeous balance between the slower, contemplative moments and the full band’s explosion of sound as the songs reach their climax.

I think “Nancy Tries to Take the Night” is one of the most striking songs written in recent years, and the moment when the band really comes in full is just breathtaking. It’s this expertly executed play with dynamics that keeps you so locked into every new movement and development in each track. Even on a track like “Mary,” which is a slower song with less instrumental grandeur than others, the strength of the lyricism nevertheless keeps the listener engaged in the absence of the wackier melodies and rhythms showcased on other songs.

Similarly, the decision to rotate the three vocalists throughout the album was a stroke of genius. Their voices are all pretty similar, but each is distinct enough to keep things fresh through to the end. Songs like “Two Horses” and “For the Cold Country” have this chilling, haunting sound due in large part to the incredible vocal work. The way these singers jump between a full-bodied chest voice and a ghostly falsetto works so well. Additionally, the mix of instruments is endlessly entertaining, with mandolins, guitars, piano, woodwinds, and more performing these unbelievably intricate melodies. The number of different parts being played at any single time is truly staggering.

Forever Howlong is an absolute all-timer in my book. I think it’s just an inspiring display of musicianship that solidified BCNR’s place as one of the most innovative and talented bands working today.

And that’s it! This has been such a fun project over the past year, exposing me to so many incredible artists and albums of which I would’ve otherwise remained woefully unaware. I can’t wait to see what 2026 brings (please, God, a new Greep album), and I hope to update this page throughout the year with some of the more exceptional albums I come across along the way.

Thank you for reading. Burger, out.

~Bruce C. Burger