Best Albums of 2025: 20-16

There’s a trend in my best albums of the year article where I hear from folks more about the artists in the middle of the countdown than the top. Maybe they’re hearing a new album for the first time thanks to the list. Maybe they’re mad a favorite record didn’t end up higher. Either way, that comment section down below is a great place to tell me what you think about the projects we’re counting down. Let’s continue the best albums of 2025 with numbers 20 – 16!

#20: Indigo De Souza – Precipice

I felt like Precipice worked so well because it was a big swing for an artist who was clearly in the driver’s seat when it comes to understanding what makes them special. Even if Indigo De Souza is clear with her online social media presence that her career and life are far from some linear, well-executed succession of victories, I can’t think of an artist I’ve enjoyed watching grow more as a singer-songwriter. I think a major shift in this record, in how the lyrics feel more personal while being sonically more universal, is a sign of growth.

Pitchfork giving this album a 6.6 out of 10 was my biggest annoyance of the year in terms of the site’s reviews. Of course, numbered reviews are sort of empty as it is, and that’s coming from someone who writes them! If you haven’t heard Precipice, my sell to you would be the promise of authenticity and gorgeous songwriting. If that’s something you’re lacking in your rotation, or needing more of, you can’t go wrong with a single album from De Souza, but this one in particular feels so cathartic that it has stuck with me in big ways all year.

#19: Tennis – Face Down in the Garden

Tennis is my Beach House. Okay, let me explain. I hope some of you get this reference, but you know how people universally praise Beach House and love them to death for their unique sense of songwriting and sound? That’s how I feel about Tennis. Which is why when the band announced they’d be disbanding for other projects after this record, I was devastated. That was until I heard Face Down in the Garden. This album is a perfect conclusion to a fantastic blend of retro song production and incredible lyricism.

As “In Love (Release The Doves” plays at the album’s finale, I can’t help but feel swept back to the first time I heard Tennis. Their stylings always screamed 70s, but something felt timeless about them, like much of the music from that era. It’s likely a combination of no BS artistry that gets displaced in so much music because, at the end of the day, it’s still an industry. Tennis succeeds in their final record by staying true to themselves, producing more great music for their discography, and leaving delusional fans (like myself) hopeful that we see the group return in this format in the future.

#18: Folk Bitch Trio – Now Would Be A Good Time

Australian trio Folk Bitch Trio are only five years old as a collective, but already feel like a leading voice in the indie folk space. Right at home on label JagJaguwar, their debut record garnered a ton of attention in the scene and an Australian Album of the Year nomination in their home country. There’s nothing I love more than great harmonies, and in the same vein as Mountain Men or I’m With Her, the coalition of three fantastic musicians on one project is our treat from start to finish.

There’s a lot of sparseness on Now Would Be a Good Time that works for me. In many ways, this is a folk album with all the trimmings of sounds traditionally found in the genre. Still, there’s a modern sense to the songs that makes me think you wouldn’t balk at hearing one of these songs in an Urban Outfitters. I think there’s a production value that is very similar to what we hear from artists like Lana Del Rey, who aren’t afraid of adding a filter to their sound. For this trio, it works to take a debut output and make it feel like it’s coming from a group we’ve loved for years.

#17: Bb Trickz – 80’z

I’m not going to front and say I’m up on the latest happening in Spanish rap, but this album bewitched me from the first listen in a way I’m not used to. After getting a spot on the remix record for my favorite album of last year, I was suddenly trying to find any work from Bb Trickz I could. A stellar EP and a few singles satiated me, but her debut record 80’z, really feels like a statement debut. Over 8 songs that run less than 12 minutes total, I think we get a good sense of Bb Trickz’ styling in a way some artists struggle to communicate.

There’s a casualness to the way Spanish lyrics are randomly broken up by English lines, or even a Clairo sample. I like it because it feels like there’s no overthinking of what this album is meant to be. I’d imagine the goal was to get people blasting this on a night out or with the windows down. Happy to report I did both this year, and I hope I’m right about this being a strong start to a successful run of work from Bb Trickz.

#16: Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea

If “Fata Morgana” doesn’t make you want to run right through a brick wall, I don’t know what to tell you. Following up Eternal Blue was going to be a huge feat. Spiritbox got nominated for a Grammy for that record and immediately became a metal band to watch. On Tsunami Sea, we see more of what we loved from the first record, but with more experimentation. On tracks like “Black Rainbow” or “Ride the Wave,” tones and soundscapes feel very atmospheric. Mixing those types of songs into a set of songs that include more standard metal tracks like the title track, make this album a no-skip listen.

The singles on this album had me excited, but the tracks that weren’t used to promote the release are even better. I think there’s enough in Spiritbox’s sound that makes them stand out in the genre to lead to major crossover success. We’re going to see them tour in 2026 with Evanescence, which will certainly open them up to new listeners as well. I want the whole world for this band, and it’s such a good sign that two albums into their career they are this well-rounded and self-assured. We’re already ten albums through the best albums of 2025! Any thoughts on my picks so far? Let me know what you’re liking in the comments.