EDIT: I added a few new albums but kept all the original ones too, so now there are 2 honourable mentions!
While not as incredible as 2024 for me, this year still brought us a lot of great albums. There were many I had been looking forward to for months (many of which were disappointing, but some weren't) and some that caught me by suprise. For the second year, I'm going to write about my top 10.
Disclaimer: Same disclaimer as last year. I am not a music critic, I am just someone who listened to a lot of albums this year and wanted to list them. Don't expect ground-breaking analysis or anything. I also didn't spend nearly enough time giving a lot of the albums that came out this year the playtime they deserve. That means this list is very heavily biased by what I listened to more and what struck me most on my first listen. It's not trying to be some objective list, it's just my 10 favourites. With that out of the way, let's get into it.
HM1. SPELLLING - Portrait of My Heart
I didn't love this album as much as I loved SPELLLING's previous album, The Turning Wheel, but for all its imperfections I really enjoyed listening to this one, and it's one of my most played albums of the year. She's switched her super lush, disney-like sound for a more edgy, guitar-focused rebellious Twilight soundtrack vibe. In this new lane, she still showcases her incredible production and super unique voice.
HM2. Maruja: Pain to Power
After I made my top songs of 2024 list, I started really listening to Maruja, and "The Invisible Man", definitely would've made that list if I heard it earlier. Now the band have released their first proper full-length album, and it's a great showcase of their incredible instrumental talent. There are so many layers and so much beautiful playing all across this album, and while I don't always love their lyrics there are a lot of powerful statements about focusing on love in a world full of hate. There's some blaring heavy sections (I saw these guys live this year, and it was super sick, lots of mosh pits and crowd dives. The Palestine flag in the background and chants between songs were nice too) and some beautiful slower meditative sections.
10. Quadeca: Vanisher, Horizon Scraper
I really loved the 3 singles for this album, and while over time I have become a bit disappointed with the final album, it is undeniably a project of great ambition, both in overall concept and in the ideas contained within each song. The production is always super nuanced and maximalist, and at it's best is some of the most enchanting music of the year. Quadeca continues to evolve as an artist that refuses to be defined by genre or scaled down from large concepts, and I'm very excited to see what he does next (and to see him perform live in 2 days as I'm writing this!)
9. Ninajirachi: I Love My Computer
Another one of the albums I listened to the most this year. I discovered Ninajirachi after the release of the first single for this album, "Fuck My Computer", which is a really entertaining and funny EDM banger. This album is just super sweet and really easy to listen to. It generates a wonderful nostalgia for the early 2010s era of technology that clearly comes from a personal place, and she also has a lot of fun with it. The feeling is matched by the production, which feature great throwback beats which are bangers.
8. Tropical Fuck Storm: Fairyland Codex
This is an album which came out of nowhere for me. It is very strange music that is hard to describe but paints a very vivid portrait of a hallucinogenic hellscape (the album cover really fits). The guitar is very unique, and this album has bangers but also produces very somber moments, and some very oddly beautiful moments too, with their strange Australian accents.
7. billy woods: GOLLIWOG
billy woods is an artist I fell in love with this year, and while this isn't my favourite album of his it is undeniably filled with the consistent writing quality and eccentric genius that has come to define woods. The album uses a horror themed soundscape to explore themes of black identity, colonialism, and surrealist horror. As expected with woods, the beats are incredibly eclectic and he raps with fantastic wordplay and technical precision.
6. Black Country, New Road: Forever Howlong
I think this album is far from perfect, even compared to their last album Ants From Up There, but these guys were my most listened Spotify artist for a reason. The loss of the lead singer did not dim the incredible instrumental talent on display throughout the 6-piece, and I really love the new sound they came up with in the new line-up. The instrumentals are more light and sweet, which works well with the 3 female vocalists they use on this album. The lyrical style is very different on this album, but at its best the light, fun, child-like imaginative lyrics work fantastically with the soundscape and come together to create some of the best songs of the year. I also saw this band live, and they were really great (and also based about Palestine!)
5. McKinley Dixon: Magic, Alive!
This is the album that made me change this list, and it's completely my fault. I was a huge fan of McKinley's 2023 album, Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?, and I never gave this one a second chance. As soon as I did, I realised what I was missing. His newest effort has even more beautiful sharp jazzy production, and again he raps with super fast and fun melodies over it. This album is a step up conceptually too, as it deals with the concepts around magically ressurecting a dead loved one. Worth listening to multiple times (NOT just once!!!!)
4. Jane Remover: Revengeseekerz
I was not the biggest Jane Remover fan before this release, but it blew my expectations away. The production is super inspired, combining elements of rage (a genre I don't usually like) with hyperpop and digicore (and lots of gaming samples) to create an overwhelming, maximalist, blasting experience that's thrilling at every moment.
3. Nourished by Time: The Passionate Ones
I changed my list again to include this album. It is so beautifully smooth and textured, some of the best modern neo-soul/R&B that I have had on repeat this last while.
2. Clipse: Let God Sort Em Out
Rap duo Pusha T and Malice came together again for another album, with production from Pharrell Williams. This album is just so consistently good. Production wise it is banger after banger, and Pusha T and Malice are constantly trying to out-write and out-rap each other on every song which results in everyone involved being at the absolute top of their game. This album has been a staple for me on my runs this year, and I have kept coming back again and again. There are also fantastic guest verses from the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Tyler, The Creator.
1. Geese: Getting Killed
Geese
Conclusion:
Thanks for reading! This is the first blog post in a while, I keep having ideas and sometimes writing some of it but giving up. I will probably return to these at some point, and in any case hope to write some more posts in 2026. I hope you enjoyed this list and maybe find some good music to listen to through it. Feel free to message me and discuss the albums I missed and what would be in your top 10. Once again, here is a Spotify playlist with a song from each of these albums for you to listen to if you're curious. Follow me on Spotify if you like my list because I listen to a lot of other stuff too!