#daniel+avery

Top 50 Albums of 2025: #40-31

40. Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party by Hayley Williams

Without a doubt one of the most unique album rollouts of the year, Paramore’s Hayley Williams is never one for the same old, same old.

Originally released in July as 17 individual singles, Hayley’s fans across the globe delighted in making their own playlists, with each listener able to take this collection of songs and forge it into their own preferred running order and tracklist. Eventually at the end of August, Hayley would release her third solo album in the order she intended with Parachute also added to the tracklist, before Good Ol’ Days and Showbiz were further added in October and November respectively, marking a staggered five-month rollout for this collection of 20 songs.

Aside from the fun and inventive way this album was delivered to the masses, this is a compilation also packed full of highlights. Whether she’s sampling Bloodhound Gang on Discovery Channel, contrasting digitalised vocals with acoustic guitars on Glum, or openly speaking from the heart on songs like Negative Self Talk and Blood Bros, Williams’ wonderful, eclectic artistry is always on full display.

Best tracks: Glum, Discovery Channel, Parachute

39. Getting Killed by Geese

At the time of writing, the fourth studio album from American rockers Geese is leading the charge in Album of the Year’s critics' list aggregate, and honestly it’s not too surprising. While it may have taken me a few listens after the initial hype had worn off, I eventually came to see this record for what it is – one of the best rock records of the year.

Recorded back in January after the departure of guitarist Foster Hudson and release of frontman Cameron Winter’s debut solo album Heavy Metal (which despite being released in December 2024 is also doing well on critic year-end lists), Geese sound creatively inspired as they jump between different shades of guitar music. Whether it’s the jazz-infused noise-rock of Trinidad, the sun-tinged melody of Cobra or the anguished cries of Winter on two of the year’s defining singles, Au Pays du Cocaine and Taxes, Geese have never sounded more interesting than they do on Getting Killed.

With great production work also from the maestro Kenny Beats throughout, you’ll struggle to find much to fault here.

Best tracks: Cobra, Husbands, Au Pays du Cocaine

38. From The Pyre by The Last Dinner Party

Having delivered one of the biggest and most acclaimed debut albums of last year, it seemed bold that art-rockers The Last Dinner Party were delivering their sophomore effort so soon after Prelude To Ecstasy. However, we needn’t have worried, as they returned this year sounding even more assured in their sound and abilities, delivering a follow-up album on-par with its hugely successful predecessor.

From the Arctic Monkeys channelling Count The Ways, fan favourites Second Best and This Is The Killer Speaking, to defiant protest anthem Rifle and standout grief-stricken single The Scythe, The Last Dinner Party’s second collection is a baroque-pop delight once again.

Best tracks: Second Best, This Is The Killer Speaking, The Scythe

37. Microtonic by Bdrmm

With their last release, 2023’s I Don’t Know, seeing them add more electronic elements to their traditional shoegaze sound, Microtonic sees Hull outfit Bdrmm double down on the transition, with this 2025 project seeing them fully convert into crafters of lush, synth-driven soundscapes. Opening on a snappy collaboration with Working Men’s Club, the album doesn’t let up from there, navigating majestically through blissful highlights like John On The Ceiling, Snares and Clarkycat, before eventually drifting into the ambient haze of The Noose.

While the greater shift away from shoegaze may have put off some longtime fans, for me personally this is my favourite bdrmm project to date. An album full of auditory delights, made for strapping on a pair of headphones and allowing yourself to get fully immersed in the wonderful vibrations.

Best tracks: John On The Ceiling, In The Electric Field, Clarkycat

36. viagr aboys by Viagra Boys

Frequently funny, bitingly perceptive and full of barnstorming rock riffs, this self-titled-of-sorts from Swedish Punks Viagra Boys is just an absolute blast from start to finish.

Storming out the gates with the frantic rhythms of Man Made of Meat, the band go on to deliver some of their best and most accessible work yet, with the slack-rock of Pyramid of Health and scuzzy riffs of You N33d Me just some of the highlights here. We even get to see a different side to the band too with closing track River King, a reflective piano-led number that sounds more like The National than The Hives / Amyl & The Sniffers crossover we’ve come to expect from Viagra Boys.

For me, this is the band’s best yet and it just flies by for the 37-minute runtime, with each cutting, finely penned lyrical observation backed by some rip-roaring rock instrumentation. Without a doubt, one of the best punk records of the year.

Best tracks: Man Made of Meat, Medicine For Horses, River King

35. Lotus by Little Simz

While this may be Little Simz’s lowest placed finish on my year-end list for some years, having been named my Album of the Year for NO THANK YOU back in 2022 and runner-up for her Mercury Prize-winning masterpiece - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert - the year prior, the British rapper still delivered one of 2025’s best rap projects, in a year filled with some outstanding contenders.

Overcoming a betrayal from producer and collaborator Inflo, as well as a period of intense writer’s block, Lotus finds Simz in full flow once again, channelling her anger and sadness into an album of defiance. From rage-fuelled opener Thief and the tribal rhythms of lead single Flood, to the punk-rock of Young and stripped-back acoustics of Peace, Simz manages to bring the sonic splendour once again, even without Inflo at her side.

Backed by a host of great collaborators including Moses Sumney, Wretch 32, Obongjayar and Michael Kiwanuka, Simz emerges from a period of turmoil sounding fully liberated, while also continuing to cement herself as one of the best rappers and artists in the world today.

Best tracks: Flood, Peace, Lotus

34. Double Infinity by Big Thief

While American indie-rockers Big Thief haven’t always connected with me in the past, six seems to be the magic number as the last two projects from Adrienne Lenker – her sixth solo album Bright Future from last year and this sixth album from Big Thief – have been easily my favourites of hers.

With this album the band’s first since reducing down to a trio from a quartet, Lenker’s songwriting has never sounded better or more timeless. With a creative purple patch resulting in over 50 songs being written for this project, the trio rightfully chose to avoid another sprawling effort after their 2022 double album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, instead producing this tightly-knit collection of 9 songs where every single moment is a highlight.

From the passionate, shuffling rock of Words and Los Angeles through to the rich, multi-layered instrumentation on tracks like Grandmother and standout closer How Could I Have Known, this is a deeply rewarding and near flawless project from Big Thief.

Best tracks: Incomprehensible, Los Angeles, How Could I Have Known

33. Magic Alive! by McKinley Dixon

Invoking the spirit of Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly, Chicago rapper McKinley Dixon followed up his acclaimed 2023 album Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? with another spellbinding (in more ways than one!), jazz and soul-influenced hip-hop project this year, striking lightning once again with Magic, Alive!

Lyrically impressive, passionately delivered and sonically delightful at every turn, the concise 35-minute runtime simply flies by every time I spin this one. Introducing the album’s narrative and characters on summer scene-setter Watch My Hands, the project takes flight from there, with Dixon delivering a series of fascinating and fantastical short stories, while textures of brass horns and tight snare drums provide the enchanting sonic backdrop.

Rightfully one of the most acclaimed rap albums of the year, McKinley Dixon continues to carry the baton for jazz-rap through the means of conscious, intricately written lyrics and plenty of sonic thrills.

Best tracks: Sugar Water, Recitatif, Listen Gentle

32. Tremor by Daniel Avery

Deservedly winning the 5-9 Album of the Month award back in October, electronic producer Dan Avery continues to out-do himself with each new project, with the dark, industrial and rock-influenced soundscapes found on Tremor making up his finest work to date.

Featuring a whole host of great guest stars including Ellie Rowsell (Wolf Alice), Alison Mosshart (The Kills), Julie Dawson (NewDad), Yeule, the aforementioned Bdrmm and many more, the result is an ominous, unsettling and yet all-round pulsating listening experience. Expertly curating this diverse collection of collaborations and sounds into a cohesive whole, Avery always remains the star of the show, with instrumental cuts like the distorted rock title track and ambient bliss of A Memory Wrapped in Paper and Smoke as intoxicating as any of the A-List team-ups.

Visionary and highly replayable, Dan Avery once again served up one of the best electronic albums of the last 12 months, while also delivering a new career best in the process. An artist who continues to get better and better, I already can’t wait to see what he creates next.

Best tracks: Haze, New Life, The Ghost of Her Smile

31. Self Titled by Kae Tempest

Musician, spoken-word rapper, poet, playwright and novelist – Kae Tempest’s artistry and literary genius is not limited to any single medium, as his creative output has continually excelled and defied expectations over the years. Amongst it all, this year’s aptly named Self Titled might just be Tempest’s pinnacle, a project filled with heart, insightful observations, honest introspection and plenty of self-discovery.

Written alongside famed producer Fraser T. Smith, Tempest’s music sounds bigger and bolder than ever before, with his lyricism as expertly penned as it always has been. The tracklist is littered with high points too, from the dramatic keys of Statue In The Square and Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant lending his distinctive vocals to heady love song Sunshine on Catford, to the string-tinged heartbreak of Prayers To Whisper and the dizzyingly autobiographical Breathe, Kae Tempest tells his story like only he can.

Poetically written, fantastically produced and plenty of killer beats that kept me grooving all summer, this was another of 2025’s best hip-hop delights.

Best tracks: Statue In The Square, Sunshine On Catford, Prayers To Whisper

Stream Unlimited Music Podcast 138 by Soundae—featuring music by Daniel Avery, Patch Park, Josh Wink & more! 🔈