2025, you were too kind with some great albums this year. Not only did you bless us with an nearly unlistenable Taylor Swift album that brought even some of the more devout Swifties down to our level, but you also blessed us with the reunion of all reunions.. Oasis. Ask me about my evening at the Rose Bowl if you dare, for I saw god in two British brothers named Gallagher. All in, it was a solid year of music, but one that left me wondering a bit as I creep up upon 40 where we go from here. Does an infest of rock and guitar driven music ever make its way back to the mainstream? Or are we destined to keep reading this electronic wave? Not for me to decide, ultimately, but it is for me to point you in the direction of what my ears hear, rather you want to take me up on it or not. It’s a passion play, afterall.
And now, a word from our sponsors (AFKA “a few reminders”). Albums from December 2024 - November 2025 are considered across all genres. EPs are 3-6 songs, and can be considered in the mix for the Top 20 if they’re that strong/impactful. Overall, 1632 (141 down than last year) albums were tracked throughout the year, each one being listened to/sampled, and then tracked with a personal rating system. Of those 1632 albums, 111 (up 41 last year) made the cut to be considered ‘best of the best’, and then trimmed down to the 20 + 5 you see below. Puttin’ in the work so you don’t have to! Playlist on spotify is here and at the bottom.
2024 Biggest Misses of the Year: Noga Erez The Vandalist, BLK ODYSSY 1-800 FANTASY, Wunderhorse Midas, almost monday DIVE, The Braymores Who You’d Have Been
EPs of the Year: Fiona-Lee Nothing Compares to Nineteen, overpass Dependent, Oswin Benjamin Norma’s Grandson, The Kilans In Transit, Pretty Jane Public Intimacy
Most Anticipated Artists / Artists to Watch 2026: Fiona-Lee, Sekou, Violet Skies, thebandfriday, DON WEST, Joey Myron, KWN, Buffalo Traffic Jam
Last years “watch list” included two acts who ended up making my Top 20 this year. We also noted Doechii, who was fresh off her second album coming out late fall 2024. She did pretty alright for herself, winning a Grammy and selling out arenas this summer.
25. Murs – Love & Rockets 3:16
RIYL: Brother Ali, Mick Jenkins, Atmosphere
Standout Track(s): “Silverlake Rec League", “Chopper”
This one goes out to all my LA brethren. To all those who have a love / hate with the city of angels. Murs does nothing groundbreaking here, but what he does is speak truth for anyone who has ever driven through Los Feliz at rush hour or had an evening ruined by a police helicopter overhead. “Chopper (thisisnotanantipolicesongthisisanantipolicehelicoptersong)” alone might have put this album on the short list but then you add in songs that reference Nick Cannon and his 11 kids, Silverlake, and the infamous California gas prices… you hit gold with anyone who has called LA home. (Label: Mello Music Group)
24. McKinley Dixon – Magic, Alive!
RIYL: Freddie Gibbs, Little Simz, Saba
Standout Track(s): “Recitatif”, “Listen Gentle”
Historically, my skew on hip hop leans heavy into the alternative stylings and storytelling method. From Common to redveil, the substance just hits different. With McKinley, it is spot on with its honest and raw storytelling that flows from song to song, plus the overflow of orchestra moments that makes Dixon’s fifth album fall somewhere between a concept alt hip hop, jazz, and concept. With a runtime of 35 minutes, this is truly a big album in a small package approach that is like putting together a puzzle almost. Discovering where the story weaves as the layers are peeled back. It’s thought provoking, moving, and a semblance of the new retro in terms of hip hop. Give this one a few more months, and I bet I revisit this next year and say it is far further ahead in the re-rank. (Label: City Slang)
23. Billie Marten – Dog Eared
RIYL: Gregory Alan Isakov, Lucy Rose, Madison Cunningham
Standout Track(s): “Feeling”, “Planets”
British songwriter Billie Marten released her fifth album, Dog Eared, to high acclaim not only from reputable publications like The Independent, but with praise from the one and only John Mayer, who gushed Marten’s album was, “deeply soothing and grounding”.
Dog Eared got the same producer as last years indie darling and critically lauded talent Adrianne Lenker’s album had, and while that album skewed more along the americana folk-borderline-country, Billie continues her trek along the softcore comfort songwriter arc. Album opener “Feeling” is a perfect pacesetter, “Crown” is an enticing throwback to 1970s Laural Canyon and a smidge of off-kilterness that gives this a very raw, one-take approach. However, for me, “Planets” is an absolute masterclass is solace, simplicity, and the art of being sedative in songwriting. An absolute must listen for your winter and early spring enjoyment. If you’re riding the Olivia Dean train and enjoy a soft songwriter approach, try this on for size. (Label: Virgin / Fiction)
22. Tyne-James Organ – The Other Side
RIYL: Sam Fender, Vance Joy, Matt Corby
Standout Track(s): “All On Me”, “One Way Ticket”
Aussie-based songwriter Tyne-James falls somewhere along the lines of raw storytelling, pop sensibility, and indie rock emotion. In the same vein that Sam Fender tapped into in the last five years, championing the return of indie rock to popular culture, Tyne-James will speak to a spectrum of fans of those who admire The 1975, those who grew up listening to the early 00s pop rock songwriters like Matt Nathanson & Green River Ordinance, and the more modern, aforementioned Sam Fender’s and Inhaler’s of the world. With The Other Side, Tyne-James dives into an array of topics from his bipolar diagnosis, self-acceptance, grief/loss, and everything in between. The album, which has garnered critical acclaim in other regions of the world, is primed to pull in fans well after the fact, and this is your invite to dive into “All On Me” and move about freely. (Label: Universal Australia / Dew Process)
21. Blood Orange – Essex Honey
RIYL: Dijon, Solange, Q
Standout Track(s): “Mind Loaded”, “Vivid Light”
Of possibly any album on the list, Essex Honey is the one that is riding the wave of 2025 end of the year love: 8.1 from Pitchfork, 4 stars from NME, 4 stars from Rolling Stone, 5 stars from The Guardian. When you can get both US and UK critics to agree in year of our lord 2025 and then you toss in the pretentious asshole of Pitchfork to also sing praises… i’m now listening.
Blood Orange has never been an artist that I resonated with in the past, but with this late August release, this album just hit at the perfect intersection of season, life, and momentary burnout. I’d put this album on late at night, grinding through spreadsheets and allowing the trance to carry me to a better headspace. It’s an album that feels like being caught in a reoccurring dream where you visit a low light english pub on a cold night that cozies up next to a jazz club next door. Essex entrenches the listener between a whiskey-soaked R&B jukebox, a celestial street corner busker, and the smokers section in the jazz club that are in it for the DIY hustle of the freeform sound. It’s an ode to a world too far gone, a time and a place that no longer exist except in memory. To say it’s Price level enigmatic is a far reach, but then I talk myself into that that, in reality, it’s maybe not that far fetched. And that is partly why this album is resonating. Each listen is new. Each listen is a earworm that hadn’t been caught before. A new hook, a new cello, a new layer of reverb that keeps propelling the album to something new. For the non-traditionalist or the enthusiast of art being art… you will likely fall in love with this. Oh, and pretty nice when you have heavyweights like Lorde, Turnstile, and Daniel Caesar jumping in to help. (Label: RCA)
20. Old Mervs – Self-Titled
RIYL: Spacey Jane, Ocean Alley, Wallows
Standout Track(s): “Forget It”, “What You’ve Lost”
This is one I went back and forth on a lot. But the Kojonup duo who named their band after a friends childhood dog really introduced themselves with their debut album with moments of greatness. To say the album is groundbreaking would be a complete lie to your face, but to say there is something there, and that there is potential for this band to be opening for The Backseat Lovers and similar acts in the future isn’t far fetched. “What You’ve Lost” sounds like it could be on many a indie playlists into 2026, and “Parched” is primed for Alt Nation. Room for improvement? Sure. A nice introduction to what we may be getting from Old Mervs in the years to come? Absolutely. (Label: Universal Australia / Dew Process)
19. LEISURE – Welcome to the Mood
RIYL: Poolside, Parcels, Magic City Hippies
Standout Track(s): “Beach House”, “One in a Million”
LEISURE is maybe the one act on this list that had the biggest move throughout the last few months. With the release of singles the album quickly became a must listen upon it’s release for me. After my first listen “Beach House” became the standout for me. So much so that after 2-3 full listens, the album snuck into my very quick jotted Top 10. However, as the months drew on and more time was spent really pinpointing where things fell, it slowly creeped back. Look, Welcome to the Mood is still a hellava vibe. It’s classic, soulful, chill. It’s jazzy and poppy - a beautiful build on their ‘21 retro bent Sunsetter and ‘23s Leisurevision, an album that rode the rail closer to synth soul and electropop. The New Zealand collective may also have their biggest hit yet on their hands, as “One in a Million” is creeping its way onto curated playlists, wedding playlists, and anywhere lush piano over some jazzy breakbeats are welcome. Don’t be surprised to start hearing it in your new trendy $23 cocktail bar in lower Manhattan or Silver Lake before long. All that to say, LEISURE is for the vibe makers, the retroist, the Khruangbin fans who want vocals but still want the dreamy groove, and those who long to be on a rooftop overlooking an ocean at 12:30am with nothing more than their thoughts and a well made digestif. (Label: Nettwerk)
18. Stephen Wilson Jr. – søn of dad (Deluxe)
RIYL: Lukas Nelson, Charles Wesley Godwin, Dylan Gossett
Standout Track(s): “the devil”, “twisted”
Look, is this cheating? Sorta… cause søn technically came out September 2023. Looking back at my 1391 albums that I spun that year, it was on there. However, I slept on it like most. That is… until October of last year Stephen Wilson Jr. (SWJ) did a little Ben E. King cover of “Stand By Me” live at The Print Shop that made its way to me. It didn’t leave rotation for a few weeks as we headed into the holiday season. Fast forward to the second week of January and søn gets a rerelease with the backing of Mercury records with 10 new acoustic tracks + the two SWJ cut at The Print Shop. So… you see the technicality I pulled here?
Needless to say (as many found out with his CMA performance that has gone viral on all my moms friends Facebook pages), SWJ is a uniquely incredible talent. The husband of 90s hitmaker Leigh Nash (most of you know her as the voice behind Sixpence None the Richer) is now making waves himself. At the ripe age of 46, no one ever has an excuse to say they are too old. Not when SWJ is writing lyrics like “Oh say can you see… the nearest pharmacy” and “A snake will crawl the earth to shed its skin to make more room for the poison”. SWJs sound is raw, poignant, and soaked in influence from 90s grunge. In fact, he dropped an EP earlier this year called blankets that has covers of “Hunger Strike” and “Tonight, Tonight” on it. Some to label it Death Cab for Country, some like yallternative. Whatever you want to call it, it’s fantastic. And it’s some of the rawest and most real country music for the non-country, retro country fan we’ve had since Sturgill burst onto the scene 10 years ago. Play it loud, play it proud, and remember the name… cause he is on the cusp of arena level talent and has a lot of the big country names behind him including Willie. (Label: Mercury / Big Loud)
17. Sabrina Sterling – Ramona
RIYL: Kacey Musgraves, Gracie Abrams, Holly Humberstone
Standout Track(s): “Soon”, “Ramona”
I’m not exactly a 16 year old girl, but I do have an iniate ability to listen to something and say “my niece will love this.” With Sabrina Sterling, the 20 year old scratches that vulnerable pop itch, falling somewhere between Phoebe Bridgers, Lizzy McAlpine, Kacey Musgraves, and Olivia Rodrigo. The title track really stirs up moments of Golden Hour Kacey for me, while “Soon” reminds me of Phoebe Bridgers pre-Punisher era. The coming of age sound for the next gen is alive and well, and there is some exciting talent carrying the torch during some truly dark days. While Sterling may just be wielding a butane zippo in the back currently as her journey is just starting to take shape, we salute a torchbearer no matter how big the flame. (Label: Columbia / Disruptor)
16. Ray Vaughn – The Good The Bad The Dollar Menu
RIYL: Vince Staples, Kenny Mason, Kendrick Lamar
Standout Track(s): “EAST CHATT”, “FLAT shasta”
LBC is so back! Not that it ever left, but this is the future of West Coast hip hop (Kendrick aside). Enter: Ray Vaughn. The Cali kid is coming off one of the best hip hop songs i’ve heard in many years with 2024’s “Black Jesus”, a XXL Magazine “freshman class” nomination this year, a feud with East Coast rapper Joey Bada$$, and a mixtape (debut album for our purposes) that packs 42 minutes of raw hip hop covering off on poverty, Uncle McDonald and Aunt Wendy, and growing up around gangs, drug use, parental schizophrenia, and run in’s with the po-po. WE ARE SO BACK WHEN COASTAL FUEDS ARE A THING AGAIN!
While the word may not fully be out on Ray, folks are taking notice especially after the newcomer made an appearance at Kendrick’s highly publicized and epochal The Pop Out last June at The Forum. An wordsmith who is charmed with a charisma that quite honestly is impressive, comes strapped with moments where I wonder if i’m listening to Kendrick 2.0 when “LOOK @ GOD” or “EAST CHATT” hits that car stereo on a 6 pm night drive under the West Coast palm trees. (Label: Top Dawg / RCA)
15. Renao – STILL LIFE
RIYL: Omar Apollo, Dominic Fike, Steve Lacy
Standout Track(s): “RUNTIME”, “STORM RIDE”, “SWEETEST STAR”
We have made it, friends. We have our first Desi album hitting the list. Couldn’t say I saw this one coming, but we did have our first S. Korean album last year, so why not continue the global trek?
That brings us to the unique indie/R&B fusion sound that Renao gives us with his debut album STILL LIFE. Minimalist and soft, but with a soulful familiarity. Renao does a great job of blending modern western sound with the rooted Desi sound of his home country. The standout for me here is “RUNTIME”, which is a simple piano track with engaging synths, layering, a track that could easily be mistaken for a song by Omar Apollo. With the longest song on the 13 track album clocking in at 3:21, it’s a quick listen that will take the listener on a journey from Bangalore right back to your living room in less time than it’d take you to watch an episode of Bourdain’s No Reservations. Settle down, plug in, and embrace. I, for one, welcome the amalgamation that Renao has blessed us with. (Label: Sony / TTW)
14. Calum Hood – ORDER chaos ORDER
RIYL: Luke Hemmings, Bad Suns, COIN,
Standout Track(s):”Call Me When You Know Better”, “Don’t Forget You Love Me”, “Sunsetter”
Real talk here. I am of an age where I missed One Direction, Jonas Brothers, and the “second wave” of boy band pop. But in a weird, non-creepy way — i’ve embraced it. Not through past catalogs, but through solo projects. 2021 I welcomed Luke Hemmings of 5 Seconds of Summer onto the EOTY list with his debut solo album, and four years later I welcome his 5SOS bandmate Calum Hood onto the list. ORDER chaos ORDER is an absolute vibe of an album, turning the clock back at times to mid 2010s indie rock a la Phoenix, Phantogram, and Passion Pit while keeping it in line with the sonically hazy pop album that one would expect from a Day Wave produced album. “Call Me When You Know Better” was the single for me that lured me in even before I knew that Calum was in 5SOS. The glitchy production sounds like Joywave and Phoenix had a indie baby in 2025 which is more than enough for me to entertain the play button. However, it was “Sunsetter” that really made me pay attention. If you’ll indulge me for a moment in a “I saw the potential first” moment, it brought me back to 2017 when I first heard “Two Ghosts” and “Ever Since New York” by some kid named Harry Styles (who, fairly, was already a megastar with 1D but one could argue didn’t catch massive fanfare off his debut solo album right away, or maybe really until Fine Line?). Indulging complete, back to yelling at the clouds I go. Nevertheless, Calum hit a home run here with a personal yet personable album, and one I can’t quite figure out why it’s not huge amongst the youth (yet). (Label: EMI)
13. KIRBY – Miss Black America
RIYL: Leon Bridges, Ari Lennox, SZA if she was southern
Standout Track(s): “Miss Black America”, “Na$ty”, “Bettadaze”
Of everyone on this list not named Stephen Wilson Jr, KIRBY may be the biggest riser and name that hits the masses in the coming years. With a sound primed for modern day Top 40 radio but also TikTok crossover, KIRBY is on the doorstep of a Doechii level breakout in the next few years. Blending everything from Americana (“the Man”), delta blues (“Reparations”), deep fried dirty south soul-hop (“Miss Black America”), and more Lizzo-Like-Pop (“Na$ty"), KIRBY truly did achieve a near perfect southern-bred album. Miss Black America is shaped, molded, and roux’ed together by the history-woven roots of KIRBY’s (government: Kirby Lauryen Dockery) family and ancestors.
The only struggle I have with the album is the over-expansive exploring of genres deeply engraved in a culture. The art of trying to hit them all can make the album, at times, feel just a tad disheveled for my ear. While others may find that as a positive, it’s just a tad out of pocket at times. But when looking at the songs on their own, you can quickly overlook that far-fetched constructive criticism of being a slightly frantic genre bender. I’ll leave you with this: as I listen to “Reparations”, the Sunday gospel blues song that is lighting my soul on fire in this very moment while scouring through lyrics to “Miss Black America”, i’m quickly reminded of my favorite line from the album and why this album moved from 20 to 19 to 15 to 13 all in a few weeks time.
You wanna free us pay them teachers like they senators
(Label: Independent)
12. Racing Mount Pleasant – Self-Titled
RIYL: Black Country, New Road, Vacations, The World is a Beautiful Place…
Standout Track(s): “Call It Easy”, “Racing Mount Pleasant”, “Your New Place”
What happens with the children of the midwest emo scene of ‘03 grow up? Racing Mount Pleasant is what happens. The second wave of midwest emo, if you will. The Ann Arbor septet bring about a cathartic sound that falls somewhere in between Black Country, New Road, Cursive, Of Monsters & Men, and Sunny Day Real Estate, somehow covering off on all of these sounds in “Your New Place”. There is always one album on the list I tend to warn listeners about, saying “it’s not for everyone.” This one is in consideration for that this year (along with one more, to come). If you go in expecting something something a little weird, a little mathy, a little bit of emo with horns and long post-rock inspired instrumentation, you may be quite happy. If you go in expecting anything but, you’re more likely to scratch your head. So, faithful reader, I pose to you… are you willing to step outside of your box and challenge the norms for 57 minutes and allow yourself to be engulfed with a wave of sound and noise? To quote Pitchfork here, “the rewards are high when you allow yourself to get caught up in the curation and craft.” (Label: R&R)
11. Oracle Sisters – Divinations
RIYL: Durand Jones, Drugdealer, Real Estate
Standout Track(s): “Riverside”, “Moon On The Water”, “Marseille”
Where LEISURE at 19 brought a uniquely vagabond soul album to the table, Paris-based trio Oracle Sisters (no actual sisters involved) bring the sunkissed retro indie soul. “Riverside” sounds like a summer morning; a floating brume, almost Zombies meets Fleetwood Mac meets Nick Drake in a Crantock poppy field. One hell of an opening track, and maybe, juuuuust maybe my favorite song of 2025. As you continue on through the Divinations, you hear elements that lean more indie and baroque, like “Alouette” that sounds like it could have belonged on Real Estate’s Days album or “Moon on the Water”, that has a bit of Head and the Heart meets The Heavy Heavy feel to it. But in saying that, while this album can be all over the map it really does work and is tethered together but that retro feel throughout, regardless if they go more soul, more indie rock, more baroque, or even more desert songwriter. With two full albums now under their belt, I am excited to see what lane the trio proceeds down. Do they stay with the enigmatic approach and pull from multiple genres, or do they settle down one 1-2? Nevertheless, “Riverside” will not be leaving my rotation for many, many, many moons to come. (Label: Wizard)
10. Khamari – To Dry a Tear
RIYL: Frank Ocean, Givēon, Daniel Caesar
Standout Track(s): “Acres”, “Sycamore Tree”, “Apollo Eighteen”
If you are starved for new Frank Ocean like I have been for years, I got good and bad news for you. The bad is I think we have some more waiting ahead. The good being we have Khamari to carry us down the long desert road. While it’s not tit for tat, it does fill my Frank cup. When “Arces” first crossed my desk, I did have a triple check a few times it was, in fact, someone other than Frank. And then on listen two, eight, and forty-seven I still had to check. Then when I moved deeper into the album, I had to ask myself if D’Angelo did a project before his untimely passing and just did it under the name Khamari. It’s a beautifully done alt-R&B album, cultivating beautiful bluesy guitar work, compelling vocals, honest storytelling, and a nuanced sex appeal. In fact, “Sycamore Tree” interpolates a tiny bit of “Untitled”, a clear nod to D’Angelo himself. With the album releasing in late August, one can only hope D’Angelo got ears on the song before he parted. All in, To Dry a Tear is a beautiful journey, leading through peaks of emotion to valleys of sorrow, taking the listener on a sonic journey through a R&B revival that keeps the groove strong, the soul stirring, and the emotions amped to a high level. (Label: Encore / Ionknowman)
09. Somebody’s Child – When Youth Fades Away
RIYL: Sam Fender, Inhaler, The War on Drugs
Standout Track(s): “Time Of My Life”, “My Mind Is On Fire”, “The Kid”
Irish musician Cian Godfrey really made a stellar sophomore album with When Youth Fades Away. It’s a lush, kinetic indie rock album exploring the passage of time, of youth, and of reflection. Produced by Peter Katis, who’s previous work roll call includes Local Natives, Frightened Rabbit (one of my all time favorites), Interpol, The National, Gang of Youths, and Hozier, the powerhouse indie producer really brought out a deepened, sonically pleasing sound from Cian and mates. Half of the album is primed for festival stages across the US and UK this coming summer, while the other half of the album is better enjoyed with some WH-1000XM can headphones while you partake in the poignant, nuance of the sound. The band, who has opened for acts like Bloc Party and The War on Drugs, saw ‘25 lead to their own headline shows in London and Dublin. And while the act hasn’t quite stamped their name in American rock lore yet, it’s not ambitious to say that there is a chance it’s on the horizon, even if it’s at a lower level than those acts they toured alongside. (Label: Frenchkiss)
08. Ken Pomeroy – Cruel Joke
RIYL: Margo Price, Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires
Standout Track(s): “Wolf In Sheep’s Clothes”, “Cicadas”, “Coyote”
Native American songwriter Ken Pomeroy really set the bar high with her sophomore album, Cruel Joke. The Oklahoma native wrote one of the most beautiful songs of the year for my money with “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothes”, and this album should be the one that breaks her for the masses. While not a single song on the album has over a million spotify streams at time of writing, that does nothing more than present an opportunity for you. Get in early. Let me repeat… get in early.
If Americana is your thing and you can get behind the Indigo playlist, you’re already halfway there, friend. At just 22, the songwriter had two songs from Cruel Joke featured on Reservation Dogs, another on the Twisters soundtrack, and spent this summer out at the Newport Folk Festival and opening for Iron & Wine. This might not be the future of country radio, but I have a feeling those who are in the know and find the craft special and seek out the less-radio-friendly side of country and Americana will be turned on to Ken in no time at all. So why not start the journey a bit early and say you were on the ground floor of the rise? (Label: Rounder)
07. Larry June, 2 Chainz, The Alchemist – Life is Beautiful
RIYL: Jay Worthy, Freddie Gibbs, Curren$y
Standout Track(s): “Colossal”, “Munyon Canyon”, “Life is Beautiful”
Life is Beautiful was the first album of the year I listened to that said “yep, this is making the list”. It’s a vibe and a half, and from the moment I heard that piano loop on “Colossal” I was hooked. If you know me, you know that I have an affinity for The Alchemist, Harry Fraud, and producers of that ilk. So throw in the San Francisco artistry of Larry and the charismatic styling of 2 Chainz, and then roll down the generational seven song run Life is Beautiful leads you on before you hit anything that i’d say wasn’t top notch. “Munyon Canyon” is an absolutely perfect album opener, setting the scene of the album, “Colossal” brings the nasty beat and a gritty flow, “I Been” is a masterclass in production from Alc, “LLC” throws it back to a 90s NYC vibe with a hauntingly perfect ethereal vocal sample, a wild sample on “Bad Choices” and a lyric mic-drop with “Got certain accounts just for money growth and I don't even gotta do shit but just make more”, a floating flute sample on “Life is Beautiful” that suits 2 Chainz masterfully, and finally the sample Alc pops on “Generation”, that sounds like it was an interlude or lifted from the end of song from something i’d of listened to in 2005 from the likes of Underoath or Alexisonfire. And a throwback music video that looks like it’d of played on MTV in ‘99 and i’d be learning how to use the internets just to get to AOL to vote on the song to be on TRL. Oh, and then this:
We the generation got these kids all on the dirty Sprite
We the generation got 'em on the Perkies every night
We the generation got 'em on the switches, kill on sight
We the generation make 'em get revenge and candlelight
While I gush over the first half of the album, I got zero qualms with the remaining four. The heavy hitters come first, we chill out on the last, and we all leave happy. My only hope is 2 Chainz understands how perfectly perfect his flow works with The Alchemist and we get something with those two - or give me a LIB 2.0 IDGAF. LFG. (Label: Freeminded / ALC)
06. Geese – Getting Killed
RIYL: Parquet Courts, MJ Lenderman, Big Thief
Standout Track(s): “Trinidad”, “Taxes”, “Islands of Men”
For a band that continues to remain weird as hell but somehow super accessible to the masses, Brooklyn’s own Geese shot out of a cannon with their third studio album Getting Killed. Pulling every angle of the rock spectrum from indie, art prog rock, post-punk, and some heavily neo-new wave experimental, Cameron Winter and friends might just be helping to lead the charge of new era rock. It’s a sense of chaos, a heavy handed tilt of erraticism, and a power play of noise. Stereogum called it ‘Radiohead on PCP’, Everything Is Noise referred to it as ‘Shambolic’, and I liken it somewhere in the sweet spot of the two. I hear Zappa, I hear Dirty Projectors, I hear Radiohead, I hear King Gizzard, I hear Modest Mouse, I even hear Tom Waits and The Strokes. And that… THAT is what makes this proclaimed chaos so great. If the unhinged level of “Trinidad” is just a bit too much for you between the yelling of “there’s a bomb in my car” and sheer unruly instrumentation like the jazz trumpet or wah-wah guitar, proceed on and get into “Cobra”, a upbeat, faux-country track or the festival ready singalong “Taxes”. From there, revisit “Trinidad”. Because as much as I said “what the fuck?” the first few times of listening, once that song clicked then everything changed about how brilliant it (and the album is). DIY labeled the band the ‘heir apparent to New York’s indie-rock throne’ and after spending countless fall evenings spinning this album, finding a deep and profound enjoyment in all the album has to offer - I think I can put myself in the camp that agrees that Geese might just be one of those special, generational talents before too long - and an act who defines and shapes where rock music heads in its next iteration. (Label: Partisan / [PIAS])
05. Youth Lagoon – Rarely Do I Dream
RIYL: Volcano Choir, the more experimental bodies of work from Sufjan Stevens, Kevin Morby
Standout Track(s): “Seersucker”, “Football”, “Lucy Takes a Picture”
When I first started jotting down notes for myself, this album was one that got a lot of footnotes. Not because Youth Lagoon went and made some unfathomable, complex album that needed multiple notations, but because I found charm in who this album appeals to. Rarely Do I Dream, the follow up to 2023s acclaimed Heaven is a Junkyard, finds Trevor Powers (Youth Lagoon) pushing the boundaries of imagination and inspiration all in one. This album is for the hippies. But also, the Wyoming cowboys and pachouli westerners. And even the cinephile. And weirdly in-between it all are the indie kids who will also love this album. It’s truly made for everyone, because the theme is one that everyone has lived.
Inspired by some old VHS tapes found in his parents basement in Idaho, Powers went on the journey of reliving life as his younger self through moving pictures. Blending in moments of those VHS tapes into the palette of these songs is what makes Rarely Do I Dream so special. Hearing the loop of the videotape, hearing the childish banter, and feelings moments of closing credits and a world lost is powerful, but not solely in a depressing way. “Football” has a indie flare to it, “Saturday Cowboy Matinee” almost a dark noire spaghetti western vibe, “Lucy Takes a Picture” with some serious cinematic charm amidst some warble, and my personal favorite of “Seersucker”, a piano ballad that just hits so perfectly. When I told my good friend Nick, a LA cinephile himself who I met some ten years ago, about the album he opined that, “the overall production is really slick. Heavy reverb on the vocals and lots of ambient tones, but still some dope licks. It’s like an indie rock sound bath or something”. This is for the storyteller, for the kid still inside, and a sharp reminder of who we used to be and where we come from. And that is something, no matter where you are at in life right now, we can all understand. (Label: Fat Possum)
04. flipturn – Burnout Days
RIYL: Hippo Campus, The Backseat Lovers, Mt. Joy
Standout Track(s): “Burnout Days”, “Tides”, “Window”
My whole outlook on flipturn changed a few years back when I caught them at Ohana Festival and then again a week or two later at Austin City Limits. For a band that came on my radar around 2019 with “August” and “Glistening”, they once were nothing more than a blip on my indie radar. After Ohana, I made it a point to see the kids from Florida again because what I saw at Ohana was sublime and I had to make sure what I saw wasn’t a fluke. Vedict: flipturn is the real deal (with a super tight and energetic live show).
The bands sophomore full length, Burnout Days, is beautifully jangly, serene, ambitious, and a fresh stepping stone of growth. It’s easily digestible dreamy indie rock, with moments (see: “Juno”, “Window”) where I sit and ask myself if the twenty-somethings used to spin MuteMath back in the mid 2010s, and other moments (see: “Right?”) where a distinct 90s alt-rock sound comes blaring in. With a January release, this album carried itself through numerous seasons of life for me. During the Eaton Fires, “Burnout Days” and “Tides” were healing songs. When back with our community, “Window” helped usher in the spring time driving down the Arroyo Seco Parkway from Pasadena to Highland Park. Come summer, “Reason To Pretend” and “Sunlight”. While the album is far from groundbreaking, it did what a good album does and it connects when the listener needs it most. There is a high likelihood you don’t find this one on many other EOTY lists, but Burnout Days will always hold a soft spot for me and the excitement I have for this band on where they go for album 3 is mountain top high. (Label: Dualtone)
03. Jonah Kagen – Sunflowers and Leather
RIYL: Matt Maeson, Noah Kahan, Chance Peña
Standout Track(s): “Black Lung”, “Krissy”, “The Reaper”
This album came out of absolutely nowhere to floor me this September. Jonah, the 25 year old songwriter from South Carolina, dazzled on early singles and EPs, from georgia got colder to his hit single “God Needs the Devil”, but when Sunflowers and Leather was released to the masses I expected nothing more than to cherrypick a song or two that stood out, have them on my now decade running Weekly 15 list, or possibly have this be a paperweight album in the 20-25 range holding down the heavy hitters. Boy, was I wrong. A ton of bricks. And while the album stands on its own legs, its the story of how this album came to be that really makes it something special.
Last year, Jonah set out on a journey, a personal mission of sorts. After breaking up with his long time girlfriend, he bought an airstream and set out to write and produce the entire album from a mobile studio on the road. He was quoted as saying, “I want to go chase these beautiful flowers, but I want to suffer too. That’s what Sunflowers and Leather is to me.” Experiences from the road morphed themselves into songs on this album, which makes the storytelling all that more impressive. From me, the standout here is “Black Lung”, a heartbreaking look at a destructive relationship as compared to the miners black lungs, and closely followed by “Krissy”, a song Jonah wrote about his mother and her abusive upbringing, resilience, and unwavering love. For those who love the sound of Noah Kahan but also can get behind some country twang songwriting, Jonah is a perfect hit of those two, meddling songwriter spirit, storytelling narrative, yet a sense of open roads, fields, and heartbreak. If you find the journey as interesting as the songs, Jonah made a “field guide” documentary of his travels and his journey, which is a wonderful watch. For the nomads, for those who suffer from a sense of wunderlust - Sunflowers and Leather is for you. (Label: Arista)
02. Mo Lowda & the Humble – Tailing the Ghost
RIYL: Wilderado, Kings of Leon, My Morning Jacket
Standout Track(s): “Canary”, “The Painter”, “7.31”
Since 2018 and their album Creatures, I’ve been following every song, every album that Mo Lowda & the Humble have put out; each with their charm and growth. It was in 2023, however, that I really started to pay close attention to what was going on in the brotherly love scene. With the release of “Beachtown” the band took a massive step forward. The self-titled album that year didn’t spawn itself onto my EOTY list, but it was in the running for inclusion a few rounds in before it got the graphite and clay treatment. And as motion is better forward, the path ahead continues calling the Philly quartet, evident by Tailing the Ghost, the bands June 2025 release.
The album opens with maybe one of my favorite songs of the entire year in “Fitzroy”, a scorcher of an album opener with deep, repetitive tones that automatically grabs the listener in and sets the tone for where this album is going to go. The sheer power of the first :38, while instrumental, speaks louder than words on the room-feel and synergy these guys had laying this track down. Locked eyes, nag champa on the windowsill of a wood cabin being pelted by rain, sheer red scarf draped over a bohemian floor lamp, and a half-crushed pack of Marlboro Reds sitting next to empty Cinsaut bottles. I’m suddenly transported to 2008 and 2009 with the deep Kings of Leon undertones Shane Woods, Jeff Lucci, Kirby Sybert, and Jordan Caiola’s vocals pull off on the song.
One can argue the spirit of Only By the Night and Come Around Sundown that captured the “desert rock surf” community has been adopted and reengineered into what Mo Lowda wrote and recorded in a slew of places from the high desert out to the hills of Tennessee. However, to call it a carbon copy would being doing a major injustice to this album. Songs like “Canary” bring a hypnotic energy and groove that stirs up indie-god level atmospheric riffs and psychedelic vibrato… like what I could only assume dropping acid in Twenty Nine Palms and wandering amongst the yuccas and chollas in 1am feels like. And when an album, a tone, a vibe can conjure up those feelings - it’s worth taking the trip however that suits you. (Label: Workaround)
01. Bon Iver – SABLE, fABLE
RIYL: Bon Iver, Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Standout Track(s): “S P E Y S I D E”, “Day One”, “If Only I Could Wait”
Congrats to Mr. Justin Vernon, aka Bon Iver, for writing a once-in-a-lifetime, generational-shaping album not once, but twice in his career. For Emma burst onto the scene almost twenty years ago and helped redefine the folk genre into the mainstream alongside Mumford and Sufjan. Subsequent releases followed bending folk, americana, folktronica, glitch and experimental - all with varied levels of success, admiration, questioning, and ultimately leading to tag teaming on songs and albums alongside the likes of Taylor Swift, Aaron Dessner, Kanye, St. Vincent, James Blake, and others. However, that undeniable and hallmark sense of vulnerability, often cited as a driver in early Bon Iver work, has sometimes been clouded and lost amongst the last few albums if you dive deep into the catalog. Maybe more indirectly and at listener discretion, but nonetheless that changed with SABLE, fABLE.
From the moment “S P E Y S I D E” was released as the introduction to what was to come as the first single, it was a momentary morph back to 2008. A simplistic, touching folk ballad that is raw emotion and energy somehow packed into a acoustic, slight viola, and vocal performance. It allows you to revisit that sense of "getting lost” in a special, Bon Iver specific way that we did with “Blood Bank”, “Beth/Rest”, “Re:Stacks”. But what makes SABLE more brilliant besides just a subtle return to yesteryear is the molding of almost two albums into one. And while “S P E Y S I D E” and its following track, “AWARD SEASON” maintain that sense of sparseness, once you dive into the second part of the album “disc two” you are introduced to a more upbeat Bon Iver that is a wildly welcomed change compared to his historically desolate sound. “Everything is Peaceful Love”, “Day One”, “If Only I Could Wait” are all highlights, all blending elements of synth patches, samples, and a soulful pop skew that bleeds sincerity amidst pain to form something so unique, so beautiful, and so Bon Iver.
It’s a new and different outlook for the crooner from Sawdust City, but it’s a welcome blend of uplifting heartbreak. While rumors swirl that this album is the epilogue for the artist known as Bon Iver and with “Au Revoir” being the album closer, I wouldn’t put it past Vernon to sunset the moniker at the very least. Maybe a revisit to Volcano Choir, Big Red Machine, or a shift to using his own name or maybe taking a backseat to something entirely different. In the end, I don’t know where we go from here, but one thing is for certain: Justin Vernon, Bon Iver, started his career with For Emma, Forever Ago and helped shaped multiple decades of music to follow from artists far and wide. And Justin Vernon, Bon Iver, possibly leaves us with his best yet as a final bow. If this is the end, I can rest happy knowing we have SABLE, fABLE for the rest of time to lean on, learn from, and dissect. Thank you, Midwest prince. and for giving us a catalog of good winter. (Label: Jagjaguwar)