Top 40 Albums of 2025
*banner image credit: Gary Walker
40 Miles Kane - Sunlight in the Shadows
Co-written with The Black Keys’ Dan Auberch, Kane sounds the most schackle-free in a decade.
39 Turnstile - Never Enough
Hardcore can so often be derivative, but Turnstile look outwards to pull from clashing cultures and triumph as a result.
38 Consumables - Infinite Games
Debut album from the NYC outfit comes armed with LCD Soundsystem’s abrasiveness and Parquet Courts' rumbling glory.
37 Lambrini Girls – Who Let the Dogs Out
Institutions, misogyny, and homophobia are given punks full fury on this rage-fuelled debut.
36 Bon Iver – Sable, Fable
Justin Vernon strikes his lightest tone to date on his fifth album.
35 Paul Weller - Find El Dorado
Just how does he keep churning out new avenues of pleasure?
34 Michael Robert Murphy – Chaos Magik
The former Wicked Whispers frontman goes on a lo-fi-psyche journey.
33 Heartworms - Glutton for Punishment
The post-punk bubble may have burst somewhat, but, Heartworms prove it still has something innovative to offer.
32 The K’s - Pretty on the Internet
The Earlestown lads follow up last years breakout album with great guitar anthems to solidify their place in the hearts of the UK.
31 The Crystal Teardrop - ...Is Forming
Despite only two years into their tenure, the Stoke outfit have delivered a serious slice of garage-pysche.
30 Cian Downing – Grassroots To The Sky
The North Londoner reimagines Mod, Soul, and Ska on his debut album.
29 Press Club – To All the Ones That I Love
The fourth album from the Australian outfit looks to be the breakthrough in the UK.
28 Ian M Bailey - Lost In Sound
Bailey’s fourth album in five years with Cosmic Rough Riders’ Daniel Wylie is another high-end foray into the West Coast.
27 MOSES - CAPITALISE this
London-based indie rockers return with yet another cult classic. Poignant lyrics from start to finish.
26 Geese - Getting Killed
Odd yet accessible, Talking Heads meets The Velvets via Buffalo Springfield.
25 Pulp - More
A welcome and joyful return from Sheffield’s finest.
24 Theatre Royal - A Change of Weather
Medway’s indie stalwarts prove they have plenty more in the tank.
23 The Royston Club – Songs for the Spine
What Shaking Hips and Crashing Cars’ threatened to do in 2023, this does and more. Heartfelt anthems to unite big crowds!
22 The Reds, Pinks and Purples - The Past Is A Garden I Never Fed
Yet more timeless songs from the San Francisco band.
21 The Ting Tings - Home
The shock album of the year. The 00s also-rans are back in the guiseof Fleetwood Mac circa Tusk. McVeigh-esque beauty and Buckingham’s elegnce on guitar loom large on this delightful rebirth.
20 Little Juke – Departures From The States Of Mind
A sleeping giant of a record. The West Midlands debut strays from Radiohead to Kasabian with an explorative ease that demands recognition.
19 The Chameleons - Arctic Moon
The ‘80s indie veterans continue to find new avenues of intense pleasure!
18 These New Puritans - Crooked Wing
The fifth album from the Southend duo is their most atmospheric to date.
17 Ash - Ad Astra
As playful as their 17-year-old selves when they started. Ash continues to blend great melody with humour and guitars to get lost in.
16 Benjamin Booker - LOWER
The New Orleans-based songwriter returns after seven years with powerful tales of violence and defiance!
15 Horsegirl – Phonetics On and On
Produced by Cate Lon Bon, the US indie outfit have deconstructed US indie and produced spectacular results.
14 Warm Coat – Ambition
Mesmerising lo-fi shoegaze from the South Wales outfit on their debut album.
13 Benefits - Constant Noise
The defiance of trip-hop, the underclass, and truth coming together on this electronic and poetic masterclass.
12 The Cords - The Cords
An instant indie-pop classic. A must-have record for Sarah’s Records fans.
11 CMAT - Euro-Country
Live, no one can touch CMAT. A bona-fide rock star in country-pop clothing! The third album is the first to match their stage prowess in quaity. All killer!
10 Brogeal – Tuesday Paper Club
Hailing from Falkirk, indebted to Ireland, their brand folk-punk has hit a melodic vein which is undeniable.
9 Suede - Antidepressants
Suede’s second coming is now officially a renaissance. Powerful prose and debut album levels of rawness in sonic combine to produce yet another album to rival their first three.
8 The Charlatans - We Are Love
Their first album in eight years witnesses them fold in ‘Then’ and ‘Some Friendly’ into the modern day with laser-like focus.
7 Robert Plant - Saving Grace
Still pushing boundaries, still searching for new sounds and textures, Plant is the blueprint on how to outrun a celebrated youth.
6 Peter Doherty - Felt Better Alive
2026 will be remembered for the Babyshambles comeback for Doherty; it should be remembered for this divine album.
5 My Raining Stars – Momentum
The remarkably consistent French shoegaze outfit steps on the gas and delivers a career-defining album.
4 Good Health Good Wealth - This Time Next Year We’ll Be Millionaires
Slick, funny and uttelry mesmeric. The London duo step up to be the Audio Bullys or The Streets, straddling the guitar and dance scenes and looking cool AF along the way!
3 Pynch – Beautiful Noise
The social comment record of the year. Poetic polemic to soundtrack the current generation's torturous plight, but with anthemic escapist Strokes-esque guitars!
2 Pastel - Souls in Motion
The sound of the devil entering rock ‘n’ roll once more. A ferocious album from untamable souls.
1 The Bracknall - Falling Out of View
Great songwriting. Great songs. Great fans.
Their second album is a DIY triumph. From the Ballroom to 229 and next year Koko. The Bracknall prove there’s still a dream to chase. There’s still life to change. What was it Neil Young said again?