It's a weird time for music, especially in the mainstream sphere. Labels are afraid to really push their artists and their current marketing strategies seem to be nothing more than just crossing their fingers that something will go on viral on TikTok, which means we're down to about 5-10 new hit songs each year (take a look at the 2025 Billboard year-end charts if you don't believe me). Streaming services and their dogshit royalty pay largely decimating the practice of people buying albums either physically or digitally has caused more artists to struggle than ever before. Several genres-particularly hip hop and pop-are in a sterility crisis as uniformity is being prioritized over uniqueness.
Despite the bleakness and strangeness of this moment, there's still some great stuff out there. The weirdos, punks and visionaries that exist largely on the periphery of the mainstream have not let this shitty moment distract them from their art and in several cases, they managed to put out some of the best work of their careers. It's a needed reminder that true artistry will always find a way into the world, no matter how dire things are. Below, you'll find a list of every LP and EP I heard in 2025 ranked from worst to best along with some superlatives and my picks for the top 50 songs of the year. Please enjoy and let's hope that 2026 will continue to deliver some quality music in the face of all the hurdles that are making doing so harder by the day.
EP's:
4.The Crimson Armada-Ceremony
3.Many Eyes-Combust (B)
2.Car Bomb-Tiles Whisper Dreams (B)
1.Soulkeeper-Join Us in Creating Excellence (B+)
LP's:
79.Sleep Token-Even in Arcadia (C-)
78.Machine Head-Unatoned (C)
77.Playboi Carti-Music (C)
76.Olivia Dean-The Art of Loving (C)
75.The Mars Volta-Lucro sucio; los ojos del vacio (C)
74.The Halo Effect-March of the Unheard (C+)
73.Architects-The Sky, the Earth & All Between (C+)
72.Sleep Theory-Afterglow (C+)
71.Rivers of Nihil-Rivers of Nihil (C+)
70.Snooze-I KNOW HOW YOU WILL DIE (C+)
69.Haim-I Quit (C+)
68.Kaonashi-I Want to Go Home (C+)
67.A Day to Remember-Big Ole Album Vol.1 (B-)
66.Bodybox-3 (B-)
65.Sabrina Carpenter-Man's Best Friend (B-)
64.Rico Nasty-Lethal (B-)
63.Born of Osiris-Through Shadows (B-)
62.Thornhill-Bodies (B-)
61.Boltcutter-Still Broke (B-)
60.Arm's Length-There's a Whole World Out There (B-)
59.Geese-Getting Killed (B-)
58.Fleshwater-2000: In Search of the Endless Sky (B-)
57.Tame Impala-Deadbeat (B-)
56.Florence+the Machine-Everybody Scream (B-)
55.Viagra Boys-vigar aboys (B-)
54.Banks-Off with Her Head (B-)
53.Bad Bunny-Debi tirar mas fotos (B-)
52.Behemoth-The Shit Ov God (B-)
51.Tate McRae-So Close to What (B-)
50.King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard-Phantom Island (B-)
49.Rosalia-Lux (B-)
48.Clipse-Let God Sort Em Out (B-)
47.Paleface Swiss-Cursed (B)
46.Obscura-A Sonication (B)
45.Cabal-Everything Rots (B)
44.Killswitch Engage-This Consequence (B)
43.Tyler, the Creator-Don't Tap the Glass (B)
42.PeelingFlesh-PF Radio 2 (B)
41.Stray from the Path-Clockworked (B)
40.Volbeat-God of Angels Trust (B)
39.PSYCHO-FRAME-Salvation Laughs in the Face of a Grieving Mother (B)
38.Mac Miller-Ballonerism (B)
37.Kali Uchis-Sincerely, (B)
36.Addison Rae-Addison (B)
35.Sudan Archives-The BPM (B)
34.Danny Brown-Stardust (B)
33.FKA twigs-EUSEXUA Afterglow (B)
32.Sanguisugabogg-Hideous Aftermath (B)
31.Lorde-Virgin (B)
30.Testament-Para bellum (B)
29.Greyhaven-Keep It Quiet (B)
28.Drain-Is Your Friend... (B)
27.Coheed and Cambria-Vaxis: Act III: The Father of Make Believe (B)
26.Miley Cyrus-Something Beautiful (B)
25.Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist-Alfredo 2 (B)
24.Doja Cat-Vie (B)
23.Lady Gaga-Mayhem (B)
22.Despised Icon-Shadow Work (B+)
21.Your Spirit Dies-My Gnawing Pains Will Never Rest (B+)
20.Pinkpantherss-Fancy That (B+)
19.Allegaeon-The Ossuary Lens (B+)
18.Revocation-New Gods, New Masters (B+)
17.Lorna Shore-I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me (B+)
16.Dying Wish-Flesh Stays Together (B+)
15.Deftones-Private Music (B+)
14.The Acacia Strain-You Are Safe from God Here (B+)
13.FKA twigs-EUSEXUA (B+)
12.Shadow of Intent-Imperium Delirium (B+)
11.Fallujah-Xenotaph (B+)
10.Spite-New World Killer (B+)
9.Turnstile-NEVER ENOUGH (B+)
8.Whitechapel-Hymns in Dissonance (B+)
7.Between the Buried and Me-The Blue Nowhere (B+)
6.Orthodox-A Door Left Open (B+)
5.Tallah-Primeval: Obsession/Detachment (A-)
4.The Weeknd-Hurry Up Tomorrow (A-)
3.Jane Remover-Revengeseekerz (A-)
2.Spiritbox-Tsunami Sea (A-)
1.The Callous Daoboys-I Don't Want to See You in Heaven (A)
Superlatives:
Biggest Surprises:
1.Lady Gaga-Mayhem
2.The Acacia Strain-You Are Safe from God Here
3.Despised Icon-Shadow Work
4.Sanguisugabogg-Hideous Aftermath
5.Addison Rae-Addison
Biggest Letdowns:
1.Playboi Carti-Music
2.King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard-Phantom Island
3.Rivers of Nihil-Rivers of Nihil
4.Born of Osiris-Through Shadows
5.Behemoth-The Shit Ov God
Most Underrated:
1.Orthodox-A Door Left Open
2.Spite-New World Killer
3.Allegaeon-The Ossuary Lens
4.Your Sprit Dies-My Gnawing Pain Will Never Rest
5.Drain-Is Your Friend...
Most Overrated:
1.Geese-Getting Killed
2.Olivia Dean-The Art of Loving
3.Snooze-I KNOW HOW YOU WILL DIE
4.Arm's Length-There's a Whole World Out There
5.Thornhill-Bodies
Top Discoveries:
1.Jane Remover
2.Orthodox
3.Your Spirit Dies
4.PSYCHO-FRAME
Top Artists I Hope Drop an Album in 2026: (Excluding Those with Already Confirmed Release Dates):
1.Loathe
2.Better Lovers
3.Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA
4.Yves Tumor
5.Year of the Knife
Top 50 Songs (in alphabetical order by artist name):
The Acacia Strain-A Call Beyond
Addison Rae-Fame is a Gun
Bad Bunny-NUEVAYol
Bad Omens-Specter
Between the Buried and Me-Absent Thereafter
Between the Buried and Me-Psychomanteum
The Callous Daoboys-Idiot Temptation Force
The Callous Daoboys-Schizophrenia Legacy
The Callous Daoboys-Tears on Lambo Leather (feat. Adam Easterling)
The Callous Daoboys-The Demon of Unreality Limping Like a Dog
Coheed and Cambria-Play the Poet
Danny Brown-Stardust
Deftones-cut hands
Doja Cat-Jealous Type
Drain-Living in a Memory
Dying Wish-I Brought You My Soul (Your World Brought Me Despair)
Fallujah-Step Through the Portal and Breathe
FKA twigs-Girl Feels Good
FKA twigs-Hard
Jane Remover-Dreamflasher
Jane Remover-Experimental Skin
Jane Remover-Professional Vengeance
Jane Remover-Star People
Lady Gaga-Garden of Eden
Lady Gaga-Shadow of a Man
Loathe-Gifted Every Strength
Lorna Shore-Prison of Flesh
Miley Cyrus-Something Beautiful
Orthodox-Searching for a Pulse
Orthodox-Step Inside
Paleface Swiss-Youth Decay
Pinkpantherss-Stateside
PinkPantherss-Tonight
Revocation-Sacrophagi of the Soul
Shadow of Intent-Infinity of Chaos
Spiritbox-Fata Morgana
Spiritbox-No Loss, No Love
Spiritbox-Ride the Wave
Spite-Gavel
Spite-Hand of the Reaper
Tallah-A Primeval Detachment
Tallah-as fate undoes
Thundercat-Children of the Baked Potato (feat. Remi Wolf)
Turnstile-DREAMING
Turnstile-SOLE
The Weeknd-Cry for Me
The Weeknd-Nigara Falls
The Weeknd-Open Hearts
The Weeknd-Wake Me Up (feat. Justice)
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