5. “Bleeds” - Wednesday
Released September 19, 2025 through Dead Oceans.File under: rock/alternative/country
From the first moments of the opening track Reality TV Argument Bleeds, you just know Wednesday’s 6th full length album is going to be an intense journey. As with their previous album, the amazing Rat Saw God from 2023, this album explores ideas of small town isolation and the hidden stories that lurk beneath the surface. The signature crackling almost yodeling vocal style of Karly Hartzman, the big lazy grunge riffs, the self exploratory lyrics telling stories of simple needs and disappointments, the addition of country elements (Elderberry Wine), Never have Wednesday sounded more like Wednesday, and they sound like nobody else either. Bleeds was announced as Pitchfork’s number 1 rock album for 2025, and it’s an album I keep returning to, and you should too!
Listen to “Bleeds” on:Apple Music }|{ Spotify }|{ Tidal
4. “The Bad Fire” - Mogwai
Released 24 January, 2025 through Rock Action.File under: rock/post-rock
Never a band to rest on their laurels, this album continues to experiment with musical approaches and sounds, and at the same time, manages to maintain much of the signature sound that Mogwai is known for. The album’s exploration of personal turmoil and resilience has been highlighted as a testament to Mogwai’s enduring artistry. With its blend of introspective themes and dynamic instrumentation, The Bad Fire stands as a compelling addition to Mogwai’s discography, reaffirming their status as pioneers in the post-rock genre. Also it’s a bloody good listen!
Listen to “The Bad Fire” on:Apple Music }|{ Spotify }|{ Tidal
3. “Dead Channel Sky (Plus)” - clipping.
Released March 14/September 19, 2025 through Sub Pop.File under: experimental hip hop
The only hip hop album to make it into my top 5 is the sixth full length album by horror/tech/alt-hip-hop/big-beat outfit clipping. Dead Channel Sky is an aggressive assault of industrial sounds and cutting lyrics over 20 tracks. A unique sound with slick industrial production. This album was rereleased later in 2025 as a deluxe edition, their bandcamp page stating “Dead Channel Sky Plus expands and reorders the original 20-song sequence. The album is now 24 tracks long and includes the new songs Night of Heaven (feat. Counterfeit Madison and Kid Koala), Forever War, Hard-Eyes, and current live fan favorite Mirrorshades, Pt. 1.”
For those who like Death Grips, Anticon artists like Why?, JPEGMAFIA, Danny Brown, and older artists like Aphex Twin, Autechre and Atari Teenage Riot.
As a supplement to this album, clipping also performed some of these tracks in an NPR Tiny Desk concert earlier this year, definitely worth watching and listening to.
Listen to “Dead Channel Sky” on:Apple Music }|{ Spotify }|{ Tidal
2. “Landscape From Memory” - Rival Consoles
Released July 4, 2025 through Erased Tapes.File under: electronic/dance
Only one electronic album in my top 5, and that’s not because the offerings in the electronic genre were not up to task, just that everything else was so good this year. Landscape From Memory is the ninth studio album from Ryan Lee West AKA Rival Consoles. For fans of Rival Consoles’ previous albums, this is a welcome return to the artist’s previous music, but with a fresh new lens, maintaining the expansiveness of releases like Persona (2019) or Night Melody (2016), but also evoking feelings of the half-thought, the dream idea, and the distant memory. Some sounds and phrasing is familiar, while others are a bold new direction.
Landscape From Memory is a journey through swirling keys and harpsichords, deep bass, foreboding and distorted sounds, sudden drops and slow ascents, set to staccato rhythms and metronomic percussion. No doubt it will take many listens to penetrate the many layers of this album.
Listen to “Landscape From Memory” on:Apple Music }|{ Spotify }|{ Tidal
1. “A Single Flower EP” - We Lost The Sea
Released July 04, 2025 through Below Bird’s Robe.File under: rock/alternative/post-rock
This album really hit the spot for me, on so many levels. A Single Flower is Sydney-based post-rock 6 piece band We Lost The Sea’s 6th studio album, and their experience in emotive soundscapes shines through on this release. While it’s called an EP, simply because it’s only 6 tracks, it’s over an hour and ten minutes long, and not short by any stretch of the imagination. The final track on We Lost The Sea, Blood Will Have Blood, is an epic 27 minutes long. From lulls to crescendos, powerful droning guitars, crashing drums, A Single Flower offers a swirling wall of noise impossible to deny.
In the vein of Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Russian Circles, A Single Flower is an expression of raw emotion, set against a bleak backdrop of life in the 21st century. Cascading with highs and lows, this album will have you in awe of the sheer power this band can deliver.
A Single Flower comes in at my album of the year for 2025 because of the sheer emotive nature of the music delivered. If you enjoy post-rock, as I do, you’ll l love this, especially the epic aforementioned Blood Will Have Blood. It is also the prettiest album I bought this year, the double splatter vinyl resplendent in a world of boring black records.
Listen to “A Single Flower” on:Apple Music }|{ Spotify }|{ Tidal