The Top 10 Albums of 2025
2025 hasn’t marked the best of years for the music industry. Following the anomaly of a successful 2024, this year hasn’t brought much into the history books. What’s lacking, for example, are new stardoms (e.g., Chappell Roan, Benson Boone, Sabrina Carpenter), the $36.2 billion in revenue that the industry hit previously, and politics-defining music trends such as Charli XCX’s Brat (“I’m your favorite reference baby,” she sings on “360”). While this year may not have shone economically, it’s inevitable that artistic masterpieces have still been created. Evaluated with considerations of popularity and originality, below you will find the most critically praisable albums of 2025 (in no specific order).
1. GNX – Kendrick Lamar
After receiving five Grammys, 2.84 billion streams, and winning a widely publicized rap feud with Drake through his smash single “Not Like Us,” GNX serves as Kendrick Lamar’s eighth studio album in response to his overwhelming 2024 success. Although the album was released on November 22, 2024–so not technically in 2025–it has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards for the 2026 ceremony and has seen massive cultural influence, including an impressive 13-week run at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Luther,” featuring R&B artist SZA. The album is diverse in its style of rap, ranging from classic Kendrick poeticism to pop-adjacent tracks like “Luther” and introspective songs like “man at the garden,” featuring a slower-tempoed reflection upon Lamar’s identity and career. True to Kendrick, the project features a metaphorical message engraved through magical production and lyrics. Referring to the limited-edition car model Buick Grand National Experimental (as featured on the album’s cover), GNX symbolizes prestige, rarity, the West Coast, and masculine affection. Released the same year Kendrick was born (1987), the car takes on new layers throughout the album. It narrates the struggles Lamar faced to reach success, and by the end, we watch Kendrick question and learn to accept his success, the personified car, “Gloria,” and–most importantly– how to feel no shame in experiencing success.
2. Addison – Addison Rae
Once labeled “just another influencer,” Addison Rae has shocked the world with her debut album—providing color, light, and personality, all of which has felt rare to see in recent years, let alone by a former influencer. Addison rose to fame in late 2019 through TikTok dances and associations with other influencers such as Charli D’Amelio. She released her first song on March 19, 2021, but it received a controversial response: the general consensus, it was bad. “Obsessed” was swept in a wave of other influencers trying to capitalize on their recent fame through music that felt inauthentic. But recently, something has changed. Addison crafted a new brand identity merging Y2K aesthetics with Madonna-like seduction. By now, she is no longer an average influencer; she’s collaborated with respected artists like Charli xcx and released “Diet Pepsi,” a track that exploded last fall and shocked the world with its quality. Her strong sense of visual identity is what scored her a deal with Columbia Records, who released and produced her self-titled debut album, which has surpassed one billion streams. The album has a clear vision and allows the listener to feel in color. Dreamy and cloudlike, Addison is a modern classic; cohesive imagery, prestigiously produced, and narratively creative—all rare for a debut, especially from a former TikTok superstar. Rae’s stardom is galactic, promising an even brighter future.
3. Debí Tirar Más Fotos – Bad Bunny
Striking sentiment with a glass of energy, Debí Tirar Más Fotos is Bad Bunny’s postcard to Puerto Rico. Earning himself the upcoming 2026 Super Bowl Halftime performance, Bad Bunny has crafted a critically praised album which scored 152,000 pure sales within its 1st week and features “DtMF,” one of only three songs in 2025 to surpass one billion streams. The album kicks off with a sample of the Puerto-Rican classic “Un Verano en Nueva York,” released by El Gran Combo in 1975. While electric, the album ends with tracks “DtMF” and “La MuDANZA” which highlight Bunny’s bittersweet reminiscence of his home country. With lines such as, “I should’ve taken more photos” (translated), the album captures Bad Bunny’s homeland and allows us listeners to experience the beauty of familiar nostalgia.. Though the album is emotionally inconsistent , it is all done with carefully crafted intention. The messy, the perfect, the heartbreak—it’s all apparent, and the ability to recognize it all is the truest form of home. It is the most perfect way, then, for Bunny to take a step back from his career and create an album that reflects his identity and what has provided him with the fuel to find success. With two Grammy nominations for the upcoming 2026 Grammys, it is no wonder that such a well-crafted album is receiving its flowers.
4. DON'T TAP THE GLASS – Tyler, the Creator
“Number one, body movement | No sitting still” commands Tyler, the Creator as he launches his disco-hip-hop ninth studio album. With funky grooves, retro chords, and 808 synths, DON’T TAP THE GLASS is an innovative type of dance track that gives rap and hip-hop plenty of room to flourish. Already nominated at the 2026 Grammys for Best Alternative Music Album (alongside five other nominations for his other 2025 album, CHROMAKOPIA), the album is the kind that can make a listener get lost inside their room. It has an adjustability that easily shifts from chill, low-key vibes to an energetic club atmosphere. Particularly successful was “Sugar On My Tongue,” which peaked at number 42 on Billboard’s Hot 100, but saw massive virality and success on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, inspiring a trend where users open their refrigerators (for some reason…) and reverse lip-sync to the lines, “Like sugar on my tongue, tongue, tongue | My body is so sweet, sweet, sweet | Invite me if you come, come, come.” Other standout tracks include “Ring Ring Ring,” “Don’t You Worry Baby,” and “Sucka Free,” all of which fit perfectly into Tyler’s creative universe while technically exploring different genres and dimensions of the disco world he imagines. With samples from retro tracks like Too $hort’s “Dope Fiend Beat,” the album showcases Tyler’s skills as a producer– his ability to mix, produce, and reinterpret yesterday’s music for today. With the goal of promoting letting loose and forgetting about everyday struggles, it’s safe to say that Tyler more than succeeded.
5. Who’s the Clown – Audrey Hobert
Getting her foot into the music industry as a songwriter–most famously for Gracie Abrams– Audrey Hobert has now debuted her solo career with the album Who’s the Clown? released this past August 15th. Simply put, the album is emotional from a quirky, childish point of view. It tackles common tropes—relationships, beauty standards, navigating adulthood—but in a way only Audrey herself could imagine. “Sex in the City,” “Bowling Ally,” and “Thirst Trap” exemplify this approach. Playfully painstaking (yes, the album is wonderfully paradoxical), lines such as, “He’s heating up and eating up a pizza pocket | I wanted one, but he forgot it” and “I feel like I’m Phoebe (from TV show Friends)” highlight a childish perspective on adulthood that feels refreshing in a society that seems to value maturity at the cost of inauthenticity. Creativity clearly runs in the family: her brother, Malcolm Todd, is also a successful musician who has recently broken out into the music scene. With their mother involved in musical theatre and their father a scriptwriter for shows like The Middle, Audrey’s originality feels generational rather than accidental. While at first glance words like “quirky” or “childish” may seem belittling, the album embodies them in a lighthearted tone: it offers a euphemistic, youthful soul that many of us lose with age—a way to face life’s serious problems with sunlight and optimism. The brilliance of Who’s the Clown? lies in Audrey’s ability to evoke a character–or herself–who laughs off challenges without ever seeming naïve.
6. Fancy That – PinkPantheress
Jumping the gun immediately, PinkPantheress kicks off Fancy That with a quick introduction: “My name is Pink, and I’m really glad to meet you,” and never slows down throughout the rest of the album. Building on a handshake trend under her track “Illegal,” which exploded on various social media platforms this summer, Fancy That delivers youthful danger with accents of romance, allure, luxury, drugs, and simply, a feeling of cool. She keeps you at a distance while pulling you ever so closer into her world–there’s not a single moment of the album that allows for rest, and the electropop tracks are kinesthetic in a way that makes even the least interested listener move. Flowing seamlessly from one song to the next, the record feels like a cohesive story that describes the need to stay strong despite heartbreak, fear, and any imaginable barrier. With so many merits, it’s no surprise that the album earned PinkPantheress her first Grammy nominations–for Best Dance/Electronic Album and Best Dance Pop Recording. While the 2024 Billboard Producer of the Year has received widespread praise for her work, the album’s short 20-minute runtime across nine tracks remains noticeable. A struggle throughout her career, Pantheress has become notorious for minuscule tracks that sometimes struggle to push past a minute or two. In response, she has expanded her legacy with the deluxe edition, Fancy Some More?, featuring remixes of all the original tracks and collaborations with artists such as Zara Larsson and Kylie Minogue, extending the album’s runtime to an impressive 1 hour and 31 minutes. Marking a revolutionary step in her career, it’s no longer wishful thinking to expect the 22-year-old artist to continue shining.
7. The Art of Loving – Olivia Dean
In a market where most pop music seems to follow a checklist of modern or retro production, Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving creates a contrasting world: modern pop infused with notes of classy 1920s glamour and jazz. Following her now best-performing track, “Man I Need,” released in mid-August, Dean’s second studio album allows listeners to feel what it means to be empowered–not in an overly radiant “you can do it” way, but in a realistic way that shows how true love comes not only from external romance but also from one’s own self-love.. How can one know they aren’t in the right relationship, where they are truly valued, if they don’t know their own worth? On track five, “So Easy (To Fall In Love),” Dean sings, “I’m the perfect mix of Saturday night and the rest of your life,” praising her own personality and beauty. The album is empowering, but only for those who seek empowerment; for others, it at least radiates Dean’s awareness of her self-worth. Beyond personal empowerment, the album explores how external love can be navigated. Dean asks: How do you overcome the problems that emerge in every relationship? Is your partner’s love equal to yours? Perfect for a quiet piano bar night, a classy cabaret, or—dare I say—a Saturday night, Olivia Dean creates music that feels modern while unapologetically paying tribute to traditional styles. Especially for a sophomore album, Dean is shaping up to build a legacy and a style that resonates across generations.
8. Virgin – Lorde
After over four years without new music, Lorde delivers an alternative pop feast for her fans. Just from the title, it’s clear this album is not safe. It’s evocative, but not in a flashy way. This 11-track, 34-minute album features futuristic production as Lorde questions her own sexuality, gender, and–most controversially–body politics. With an album cover featuring her own pelvis, lines such as “Cause I’m a mystic, I swim in waters” (from “If She Could See Me Now”), “Some days I’m a woman I’m a man,” and “Take an aura picture, read it and tell me who I am” (both from “Hammer”) feel entirely in character. In essence, the album takes listeners through Lorde’s mind. Describing herself as gender fluid, she presents herself as a spirit in a human’s body rather than a human defined by gender. Complicating her identity through, bluntly, sexual connections, Lorde uses virginity as symbolism for the external possession of identity and sexuality. Like how any person only ever has one experience of losing their virginity, the song “David” distills the album’s themes into a holistic summary: “why do we run to the ones we do? | I made you God cause it was all.” Lorde connects this to gender, questioning why society confines us to the gender we were assigned at birth. She challenges societal norms through lines like, “A man should be a man, and a woman should be a woman” and blurs these standards with personal reflection such as, “Am I ever gon’ love again,” raising questions about whether society will accept her as her true, spiritual self–free from gender labels. Paired with the album cover’s emphasis on the pelvis–the bodily location of reproductive organs, shared by all humans regardless of gender–the album clearly redefines gender constructs, achieving this with musical brilliance. Virgin is thoughtful, creative, and unmistakably Lorde.
9. A Matter of Time – Laufey
Marking her third studio album, Laufey is no longer a small and underrated artist. With her 2023 jazz-pop hit “From the Start” approaching a billion streams–her very first–her successful streak continues with A Matter of Time. Merging jazz, pop, and alternative elements, the album sold 99,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, earning Laufey a #4 spot on Billboard’s 200 chart. The album is charming, characterizing Laufey as everything from a princess, “Lover Girl,” or villain, to simply a girl struggling with insecurities. With jazz losing some of its mainstream appeal in recent years, Laufey avoids the stubborn need to stick strictly to tradition, instead paying homage to her predecessors while adapting the sound for a new generation. If anything, Laufey navigates a wide range, moving effortlessly between contemporary and traditional jazz. Standout tracks include “Silver Lining,” "Mr. Eclectic," and “Lover Girl” (the latter featuring a playful music video set in Tokyo). The album feels like a surreal combination of jazz greats like Gershwin, Frank Sinatra, and Duke Ellington’s Take the A Train, merged with modern artists like Olivia Rodrigo. Complemented by a world tour featuring surprise guest artists at each show–some including the likes of KATSEYE and Benson Boone–the album demonstrates Laufey’s consistent boundary-pushing in the jazz world, creating a unique and atmospheric experience. For both jazz enthusiasts and casual listeners exploring the genre, A Matter of Time provides comfort and a safe, inviting landing ground.
10. Sable, Fable – Bon Iver
Already groundbreaking from its modern, art-like album cover, Bon Iver ventures into the ideas of breaking free from the conformity we impose on ourselves: the self-loathing humans create when reacting to the darkness in the world. After a six-year hiatus from new albums, the now 44-year-old artist illustrates a bitter feeling of despair that comes with the wisdom of age. For example, on “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS,” Iver asks,” I never lose, and who’s the benefactory?” The line captures a realization many of us share as we get older: sometimes, things that should feel good just don’t satisfy. As the album progresses onto Disc 2, Iver sings on “AWARDS SEASON,” “But I’m a sable | And honey, us, the fable.” Here, the album’s cohesive message is even more clear: like a fable, multiple characters and elements are needed to create a meaningful story. Sometimes, life, like a fable, just happens to be the balance between good and bad—the yin and yang, if you will. The second disc on the album introduces the flipside: happier beats, serenity, and finding peace. Iver reflects, “Time heals, and then it repeats,” on “Short Story.” The first disc, with folk arrangements that feel adjacent to spoken poetry, represents the storm–thus the darkness before the light. Even the album cover mirrors this concept: the smaller black square against the beige square suggests that without both, life would be meaningless. Even if pain seems massive, outside of it is a world of beige, of happiness that comes with the combination of life’s realistic struggles. The album advocates that while not every day is perfect, what we make of life is what allows us to appreciate the merits of light in a deeper way. With melodically intentive production–spanning indie folk, reggae, and funk–Sable, Fable’s careful articulation makes it stand out as one of the most unique and accomplished albums of 2025, and possibly the decade.
Honorable Mentions / Personal Recommendations
MAYHEM – Lady Gaga
Self-Titled – Malcolm Todd
People Watching – Sam Fender
Juniper – Joy Crookes
VELVET NOIRE – Cortex
LUX – Rosalía
Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party – Hayley Williams
EUSEXCUA – FKA twigs
HOT POT! – Mikayla Geier
private music – Deftones
