Best of 2025 DIY’s 2025 Albums of the Year 

Across the half hour runtime of Lambrini Girls’ debut album, there’s barely any time to take a breather. The pair take aim at everybody and everything that stands in their way, from trendy gentrifiers (‘You’re Not from Around Here’) to misogynistic bosses (‘Company Culture’), but also leave room for slightly more tenderness when exploring eating disorders (‘Nothing Tastes As Good As It Feels’) and neurodiversity (‘Special Different’). However, it’s not simply an exercise in box-ticking sociopolitical issues; ​‘Who Let the Dogs Out’ is brilliantly funny — Phoebe Lunny and Selin Macieira-Boşgelmez possess a real acerbic wit — and there’s a hell of a lot of heart here. In some ways, it’s a very 2025 record – the album’s brilliant closer ​‘Cuntology 101’ is all about how different things are, well, ​“cunty” – but the topics they discuss aren’t going to go away, and neither is their frenetic, in-yer-face punk sound. (Adam England) 

Read our Class of 2025 cover interview with Lambrini Girls here, and our review of ​‘Who Let The Dogs Out’ here. 

‘Essex Honey’ is Dev Hynes using his Blood Orange alter ego to wind through his past, exploring just how and why he ended up as the in-demand producer and musician he is today. Light, ethereal production is cut together with bass-heavy electronic beats, organic instrumentation, and a star-studded line-up of featured artists (including Lorde, Caroline Polachek, and Turnstile’s Brendan Yates) to really pay tribute to his suburban upbringing. Hints of jazz piano (‘Thinking Clean’), almost guttural cello (‘Vivid Light’), and sprinkled moments of taped conversations vibrate with pride in his hometown, whilst also hinting at the music and individuals who have so inspired him. ​‘Countryside’ feels like a wander through fields on a winter’s day, whilst ​‘The Last of England’ confronts his decision to travel the world and ultimately become Blood Orange. The whole palette mimics the not-quite-rural-not-quite-city life that shaped him, most clearly seen as ​‘Life”s lofty flute and jangling guitar suddenly crash into ​‘Westerberg”s fuzzy, grimy electronic drumbeat, reminiscent of a sprawling urban nostalgia. You might call it a love letter, you might call it a tribute; you have to call it a triumph. (Ciaran Picker)

Read our review of ​‘Essex Honey’ here. 

Despite losing out to fellow AOTY listee Sam Fender for this year’s Mercury Prize, FKA twigs’ performance of album title track and opener ​‘EUSEXUA’ presented the ceremony’s most jaw-dropping moment, transforming Newcastle’s Utilita Arena into a dark, underground nightclub bordering on the likes of Berlin’s notorious Berghain. It’s this sultry, unmistakably cool atmosphere that has underpinned much of twigs’ year, having dropped her acclaimed exploration of euphoric sexuality and liberation back in January. Its impact has been massive, with its blend of performance art and music effortlessly dominating fields, nightclubs and warehouses since, fittingly channelling the Prague raves it draws inspiration from. The record itself, at once freeing and dense, traverses Madonna-at-her-best pop (‘Girl Feels Good’), industrial noise (‘Drums of Death’), introversion (‘Sticky’), and all-out sex (‘Striptease’), while its layered production remains the standout of the year. Now, with almost a full year under its belt, ​‘EUSEXUA” has emerged as a world all of its own: inclusive, deep, sweaty, and perfectly underground. (Ben Tipple)

Read our review of ​‘EUSEXUA’ here. 

Whether via the cheeky wink of their campaign’s promo photo series (all designed to recreate a different, iconic ​‘90s tabloid moment) or through the unexpected inclusion of a George Michael sample, Haim​’s fourth full-length, ​‘I quit’, is an album that continues to surprise and delight, even six months on from release. Having felt to finally fully embody themselves (both musically, and in personality) on predecessor ​’Women In Music Pt III’, it’s through their latest album that the Haim sisters look to have embraced the messiest, most chaotic moments of life and love. Tracking the eventual end of our primary narrator’s relationship, this is an album that revels in the freedom of saying out loud the things that most stay tight-lipped about; whether the candid admission that relationships are overrated (‘Relationships’), that sometimes you have to put yourself first (‘Gone’) or that the idea of moving on for good often feels impossible (‘Try to feel my pain’), even in the fact of true toxicity (‘Blood on the street’). Many buzzy social media trends would suggest it’s best to let go of what no longer serves you, but with ​‘I quit’, Haim manage to do so with wit and aplomb.

Buy a copy of our Haim-covering print mag here; read the full June 2025 cover feature here; and check out our review of ​‘I quit’ here. 

It’s arguable that, for years, guitar music had become tired and derivative. Few artists could be said to have evolved the sounds that had once been a clarion call for rebellion, outcry, and defiance. But on ​‘45 Pounds’, New York’s YHWH Nailgun gamely take up the mantle for driving forward the genre. Here, chopping power chords are replaced by half whale noise, half distorted organ-like guitar moans, which blur and swell atop some of the most intricate and off-kilter beats laid to wax, shifting metres and rhythm with animalistic unpredictability. Zack Borzone’s vocals are barbaric semi-groans, part crackled whisper and part the sound you make as you are winded. On listening, it’s not easy to see where ​‘45 Pounds’ draws inspiration from: rather than following a direct band lineage, YHWH Nailgun instead draw from different moods across the wider punk spectrum, including the snappy hardcore jolts of ​‘Castrato Raw (Fullback)’, the lumbering experimental hip-hop of ​‘Iron Feet’, or the new wave swells of ​‘Blackout’. These comparisons fail at every juncture though. Across 21 minutes of chaos, YHWH Nailgun have created something markedly rare in contemporary music: a wholly original album, and the shape of punk to come. (A. L. Noonan)

In this day and age, it’s increasingly difficult to be truly sonically unconventional; and yet, on their debut record ​‘The New Eve Is Rising’, The New Eves have mastered this challenging undertaking and proved they can be a forward-thinking ensemble amongst their peers. It’s an album that sees the Brighton quartet draw on a broad range of influences, intertwining scuzzed-out garage-punk with primal, folk-horror-like sensibilities and krautrock-esque pulsation, making for an avant-garde marvel. The nine-track treat can be a somewhat visceral experience, but the odyssey is wonderfully cathartic — think a shamanic pagan ritual at Stonehenge during the summer solstice. Whilst the debut outing in itself has a truly contemporary feel, it’s all gloriously blanketed with a retro-tinged warmth. There’s a genuine air of originality to it all, yet it still so often evokes a sense of familiarity; namely, where sprinkles of The Velvet Underground and The Stooges surface within the 40 minute sonic stew. The New Eves faithful is ever-growing, and doubtless ​‘The New Eve Is Rising’ will help recruit further members to their intriguing, enigmatic cult. (Brad Sked) 

Read our Neu interview with The New Eves here, and our review of ​‘The New Eve Is Rising’ here. 

Going solo can be tough. For every Beyonce, Justin Timberlake or Harry Styles, there are droves of aritsts who simply don’t kick on when they go it alone. As soon as Jade Thirlwall – now mononymously simply JADE – shared her debut solo single ​‘Angel of My Dreams’ last year, the prevailing thought was that she’d be more likely to join the former category. And when ​‘THAT’S SHOWBIZ, BABY!’ finally arrived in September, she proved that she’s firmly on her way there. Little Mix, of course, were a wildly successful group, their R&B‑infused brand of high-quality dance-pop frequently sending them into the upper echelons of chart success. As a solo artist, JADE has used this Mixer DNA as a springboard to delve into disco (‘Before You Break My Heart’), funk (‘Fantasy’), electroclash (‘Angel Of My Dreams’), and hyperpop (‘Glitch’), honouring inspirations like Diana Ross and Donna Summer while embracing cutting-edge pop and resolutely reclaiming her career narrative to date. Honestly? This sounds like the work of a seasoned soloist, not her first independent venture. (Adam England) 

Read our review of ​‘THAT’S SHOWBIZ, BABY!’ here. 

After their debut’s tongue-in-cheek chaos and post-party wit, Wet Leg could’ve easily stuck to what worked. Instead, with ​‘moisturizer’, the Isle of Wight outfit — now a full five-piece — dive headfirst into something softer, stranger, and a little bit in love. It’s a record that still fizzes with their trademark humour but carries a newfound warmth: opener ​‘CPR’ kicks things off in a breathless rush (“Hello, 999, what’s your emergency? … I’m in love”), setting the scene for an album that treats infatuation as both punchline and confession. ​‘liquidize’ and lead single ​‘catch these fists’ keep the fuzz and frenzy alive, while ​‘davina mccall’ transforms TV nostalgia into something genuinely tender. Elsewhere, ​‘mangetout’ stretches their sound into dreamier post-punk territory, and ​‘pond song’ and ​‘pillow talk’ find unexpected vulnerability. Closing with ​‘u and me at home’, ​‘moisturizer’ trades irony for intimacy — proof that Wet Leg can grow up without losing their spark. (Gemma Cockrell)

Read our review of ​‘moisturizer’ here. 

After Sprints toured their critically acclaimed debut ​‘Letter To Self’ into the ground, the arrival of follow-up ​‘All That Is Over’ the following September was an astonishing feat in itself. Yet, with bucketloads of inspiration – all headlocked by our current, tense socio-political atmosphere – the Dublin quartet found themselves whipping up another knockout blow. Dramatic, murky and dynamically striking, the album swaps between dystopian dread and cathartic expressions of hope and unity, as Karla Chubb and co. navigate their daily duality between heaven – the band’s ever-increasing success – and the hell that surrounds us on the internet and in the news. It’s perhaps one step closer to their truest form; a band completely off the leash, with no parameters to where their noise-rock chaos will lead them. Faced with impending doom, Sprints remind us on lead single ​‘Descartes’ of the fundamentals that keep us all afloat: ​“We have love, and we have art.” (Rishi Shah)

Read our September 2025 interview with Sprints here, and our review of ​‘All That Is Over’ here. 

This year has seen Olivia Dean rapidly climb her way to the top, racking up a feature in the soundtrack to the new Bridget Jones movie, a turn on Glastonbury’s iconic Strummerville Stage, support slots with Sam Fender and Sabrina Carpenter, and last — but most importantly — her sophomore album ​‘The Art Of Loving’. Love in all its forms is under the microscope here: with the bossa-nova influenced ​‘So Easy (To Fall In Love)’, she examines the importance of self-love and confidence, while ​‘Man I Need’ is a charming manifestation of the kind of love everyone deserves. Like real life, the record isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, and there are several moments where Dean brings her listeners back down to earth: ​‘Loud’ is an intense and stripped back realisation that someone only wants you for what you can give, rather than the person you are; and ​‘A Couple Minutes’ centres on a brief reunion, a reminder that love is never wasted, no matter the outcome. ​‘The Art of Loving’ works hard not to put any type of love on a pedestal, but instead celebrates it all — the good, the bad, the ugly, and — most of all — a singer at her best yet. (Minty Slater-Mearns) 

Read our review of ​‘The Art Of Loving’ here. 

While ​‘Prelude to Ecstasy’ made The Last Dinner Party one of the buzziest bands of last year, ​‘From the Pyre’ doubles down on everything that made their debut great. Maintaining the theatricality and indulgence of ​‘Prelude’, but now with a darker, more ambitious edge, ​‘From the Pyre’ exponentially expands their sound without losing their signature drama. Lead single ​‘This is the Killer Speaking’, with its swinging country choruses and full-orchestra production, feels like an artistic declaration — a confirmation that they weren’t just a one-album wonder, but are in fact here to stay. Indeed, the sheer versatility demonstrated on the record is proof enough of that: while ​‘Woman is a Tree’ brings choral gothic grandeur in a major key, ​‘Sail Away’ strips away all production, leaving only a drifting piano accompaniment, and ​‘The Scythe’ pulls out all the stops for a poignant, powerful rock epic. ​‘From the Pyre’ doesn’t just dodge the dreaded sophomore slump – it raises the bar for what a band can achieve second time out. (Sophie Flint Vázquez) 

Buy a copy of our TLDP-covering print mag here; read the full October 2025 cover feature here; and check out our review of ​‘From The Pyre’ here. 

Hayley Williams could have named her third solo record after any of its eighteen tracks; after all, when she first released them at the start of August, they weren’t formally grouped together, and she had yet to decide whether she even would give this batch of songs an overarching title or running order. When she did, though, it made sense to make reference to something as profound as ego death; this is Williams’ first release since she fulfilled the terms of a twenty-year contract with Atlantic Records, that she signed at the age of 15. Accordingly, freedom is at the heart of ​‘Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party’: freedom from contractual obligations; freedom from expectation; freedom from outdated ideas of how an album should look or sound. Said liberation sees Williams wander right across the pop spectrum, taking in everything from ebullient alt-rock to mellow introspection, and sees her dig deeper into her own psyche than ever before, with grief and how we cope with it providing the record’s emotional throughline. It’s an album that confirms what Paramore fans have known for a while — that Hayley Williams has gradually, elegantly evolved into one of America’s finest songwriters. (Joe Goggins) 

Read our review of ​‘Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party’ here. 

Named for the concept of rebirth that its titular flower embodies, ​‘Lotus’ — the sixth studio album from Little Simz — is a record of reclamation, a markedly candid (and crucially, non-linear) journey from betrayal and (righteous) rage to, if not quite peace, then at least its pursuit. Born out of a period of personal and professional upheaval, the LP sees Simz reckon with a host of uncomfortable home truths. On opener ​‘Thief’, her dispute with longtime producer Inflo (with whom she’d worked since 2019’s ​‘Grey Area’) is unpicked with acid bite. Midway through, ​‘Hollow’ exchanges barbs for bruises, its swirling, romantic strings framing the narrative as a heartbreak befitting Old Hollywood. Elsewhere, she brings in a raft of impeccably-judged collaborators — among them Obongjayar, Moonchild Sanelly, Sampa, Michael Kiwanuka and Wretch 32 — to tease out the intricacies of her emotional turmoil, from defiance (‘Flood’’s thundering rallying cry) to confrontation (‘Blood’’s conversational sucker punch), isolation to determination (which closer ​‘Blue’ astutely casts as two sides of the same bittersweet coin). And yet, in amongst the heaviness, there’s also moments of real verve: ​‘Young’ is a whipsmart, gloriously playful left turn that sees her adopt a clipped RP accent to deliver choice quips on British culture with a distinctly Mike Skinner flavour. Having spoken in interviews about how the album’s context made her consider quitting music, for Simz to emerge with ​‘Lotus’ is a remarkable feat — a testament to facing hardship with unflinching honesty, and moving forward with authenticity. (Daisy Carter) 

Read our review of ​‘Lotus’ here. 

Back in October, as Sam Fender and his band took home the 2025 Mercury Prize in his hometown of Newcastle for their third album, there was barely a dry eye in the room. When presenting the North Shields songwriter with the Prize that night, DJ Sian Eleri explained that the judging panel felt that ​‘People Watching’ was ​“a classic album, which will take pride of place in record collections for years to come”; a hefty claim that would undoubtedly hold a huge amount of weight for any musician. But with this third record of Sam’s — an album that looks back at his beloved (but complicated) home through a different set of eyes to those he bore earlier in life — it’s impossible to doubt the impact it has made already to both his career at large, and his capabilities as an artist. A record that is at times tender and heartbreaking, ​‘People Watching’ tackles the conflicting feelings of moving away from home, only to grow and shift a little further from it with each passing day, all through an intimate storytelling lens. A deft record that is as subtle as it is monumental, ​‘People Watching’ sees Fender take a step into an altogether new realm; a classic album, indeed. (Sarah Jamieson)

Read our review of ​‘People Watching’ here. 

For the past decade, Wolf Alice have been busy honing their sound, comfortably establishing themselves at the forefront of British indie rock. But after the overwhelming critical success of their third album, ​‘Blue Weekend’, it felt like there was, perhaps, nowhere else for the band to go. So rather than trying to replicate past successes, instead they created ​‘The Clearing’ — a record which turned their signature sound on its head. It was a risk, but one that paid off, in turn propelling them to arena-sized heights. From the lounge jazz of ​‘Just Two Girls’ to the folk of ​‘Leaning Against the Wall’ to the psych-rock of ​‘White Horses’, each song takes a left turn away from its predecessor. And ​‘The Clearing’ isn’t just a sonic evolution; it’s a leap forward lyrically, too. Here, hazy recollections of nights out are replaced by fears about growing old and lamentations of lost futures, deftly proving the band’s pen to be sharper than ever. If lead single ​‘Bloom Baby Bloom’ was a gauntlet-dropping challenge to evolve, Wolf Alice have picked it up with gusto. (Sophie Flint Vázquez)

Read our review of ​‘The Clearing’ here. 

Challenging arch-rivals The Hives to become Sweden’s goofiest punk band, Viagra Boys’ kind-of-self-titled fourth album might have given them the upper hand. Baffling, brilliant opener ​‘Man Made Of Meat’ sets this precedent, rambling about ​“hot dog flavoured water” and ​“your mom’s OnlyFans” over some zippy riff work. More the cool uncle than the middle-aged man yelling at a cloud, we now find a calm, measured Sebastian Murphy – but not one who’s compromised any of his inherent eccentricity. Sonically, it’s their most ambitious effort to date, with the closing pair of ​‘Best In Show pt. IV’ and ​‘River Song’ existing worlds apart from the flute-trip-hop of ​‘Store Policy’ and the eerie ​‘Waterboy’. On ​‘viagr aboys’, Sebastian’s storytelling is a vivid exploration in picture-painting, one where Viagra Boys threw the whole palette at the kitchen sink – and accidentally created something that could belong in a gallery. (Rishi Shah) 

Read our April 2025 In Deep interview with Viagra Boys here, and our review of ​‘viagr aboys’ here. 

When Lily Allen announced her unexpected return, few could have anticipated just how her savage, immediately acclaimed takedown of her cheating ex-husband would define the latter part of 2025. With the world hyped up by the apparent semi-autobiographical expose on open relationships, this is certainly far more than just a moment for Lily, an artist who has built a career on capturing the zeitgeist with raw, insatiably relatable material. ​‘West End Girl’ — mirroring the journey of her early releases — stretches well beyond the record itself, guiding everything from newspaper articles to dinner conversation. Take a quick peek online for a series of think-pieces and social commentary on her candour, from finding a hidden sex grotto to messages from the other woman (the now infamous Madeline). It’s a record that has captured attention not just because of its salacious storyline, but because of Lily’s impeccable songwriting, its many ventures into new musical territory, and ultimately its universally recognisable pain. Few, if any records released in 2025, have bled into public discourse quite like this one. (Ben Tipple) 

Read our review of ​‘West End Girl’ here. 

In a social media age — where rock that errs on the side of groundbreaking or a little bit weird is increasingly constricted to smaller audiences, in favour of overt sonic derivations with soundbite-friendly TikTok polish — the astronomical rise of a band like Geese is actually quite a remarkable turn of events. ​‘Getting Killed’, the third album from the Brooklyn based band, marks a profound evolution for the quartet. Building on the rich, dread-laden songwriter craft of band leader Cameron Winter’s 2024 solo album ​‘Heavy Metal’ — a record that cemented Winter’s status as a cult alternative music figure at the tender age of 23 years old — ​‘Getting Killed’ carries all the hallmarks of a generational body of work, serving as a stark and exceptional maturation from the quirky jam-band flamboyance of 2023’s ​‘3D Country’. From the anarchic, short-fused derangement of album opener ​‘Trinidad’, to the jiving, off-kilter throttle of ​‘100 Horses’ or anthemic charm of lead single ​‘Taxes’, ​‘Getting Killed’ is a meaty, rewarding smorgasbord of art-rock excellence, its afterglow diffusing into popular culture and marking a bold step towards the mainstream revival of the ​‘band’ once again. (Hazel Blacher)

Read our October 2025 In Deep interview with Geese here, and our review of ​‘Getting Killed’ here. 

In the fifteen years since they first emerged on the genre’s underground scene, Baltimore hardcore outfit Turnstile have steadily reshaped the landscape of the genre, this year triumphantly standing as the scene’s major breakthrough and treading a fine line between mainstream and dank punk clubs. ​‘NEVER ENOUGH’, with its intricate balance of all-out ferocity and dreamlike soundscapes, lays the groundwork for a band as comfortable performing a floor show as joining Tyler, The Creator in Victoria Park, injecting a heavy dose into a sunny Glastonbury afternoon, or rounding out the final day of Barcelona’s Primavera at four in the morning. The album, alongside one hell of a year for the five-piece, not only cements the band’s broad versatility, but also their separation from the bravado that some associate with the scene that has borne them. There’s a sensitivity here — one that even surpasses frontman Brendan Yates’ ode to his sister, which has encouraged years of ​“I want to thank you for letting me be myself” chants. With that, Turnstile have not just flipped hardcore on its head, but become one of the biggest and most revered bands on the planet whilst doing so. (Ben Tipple) 

Read our review of ​‘NEVER ENOUGH’ here. 

For those in the know, Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson has been on the verge of greatness since, well, since she started out, really. Her 2020 single ​‘I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby!’ is an enduring staple of her live set, standing as the early epitome of her songwriting signatures: complex camp; pulls-no-punches lyrics; and truly killer hooks. For the past five years, CMAT has been busy perfecting her blueprint; 2025, then, has seen the world finally sit up and pay attention.

Just like ​‘BRAT’ before it, there’s something about her third album, ​‘EURO-COUNTRY’, that seems to have struck a chord in the public consciousness — maybe the key is in its refreshing imperfection (“The people’s mess / Dunboyne Diana”, she proclaims in the title track), or its propensity to say the quiet part out loud (“Take a sexy picture of me / And make me look 16”, she chirps later, a smilingly scathing comment on the insidious male gaze). Chief among its many merits, though, is its remarkable refusal to dilute, dumb down, or otherwise compromise any of its wildly ambitious thematic threads, be it national identity, deep-seated grief, Ireland’s economic collapse (no, really) or the muddy waters of self-perception. To communicate such weighty emotion and pinpoint specific ideas so acutely is no mean feat full stop — let alone via the medium of radio-friendly pop songs — but on ​‘EURO-COUNTRY’, CMAT does so with an ease that cements her as one of modern music’s sharpest cultural commentators. She may have been pipped at the post (for the second time) to the Mercury Prize, but if her storming run across this year’s festival and live circuits — infected tooth be damned! — are anything to go by, ​‘EURO-COUNTRY’ has been the soundtrack to — and the driving force behind — her arrival proper in the mainstream’s big leagues. An opus in the truest sense of the word, it’s an instant-classic album that, in the future, will be held up as the gold standard for just how much you can say with pop. (Daisy Carter)

Buy a copy of our CMAT-covering print mag here; read the full November 2025 cover feature here; and check out our review of ​‘EURO-COUNTRY’ here. 

Tags: Features, Blood Orange, CMAT, FKA twigs, Geese, HAIM, Hayley Williams, JADE, Lambrini Girls, Lily Allen, Listen, Little Simz, Olivia Dean, Sam Fender, Sprints, The Last Dinner Party, The New Eves, Turnstile, Viagra Boys, Watch, Wet Leg, Wolf Alice, YHWH Nailgun