Few songs in 2025 have become cultural touchstones the way ‘Espresso’ or ‘Not Like Us’ last year did – we can’t even agree on what the song of the summer is – but where mega hits are lacking, great albums are filling the void. The conversation-makers of 2025 might not necessarily be shaking the charts with singles, but their full-length efforts are steering where culture and the zeitgeist are headed.
From stunning electronic pop by Oklou to a new pop classic courtesy of Lady Gaga and Turnstile’s free-wheeling approach to genre, it’s hard to believe the amount of adventurous, exciting new music we’ve had in the last six months. While there’s plenty more to come in the second half of the year, join NME as we take stock of the 25 best albums of 2025 so far in alphabetical order.
Addison Rae – ‘Addison’
In a nutshell: Gauzy, gorgeous pop songs to soundtrack a sensual summer
What NME said: “Bold, expressive, and catchy as hell, and with little overt biography, it’s completely personal in its craftsmanship”
Key track: ‘Headphones On’
Bad Bunny – ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’
In a nutshell: The urbano superstar stages a sonic homecoming that moves the hips and the heart
What NME said: “Benito revolutionizes Puerto Rico’s folk music and reclaims his reggaeton throne with game-changing fusions”
Key track: ‘Baile Inolvidable’
Bdrmm – ‘Microtonic’
In a nutshell: Compelling urgency of frontman Ryan Smith’s songwriting drives the Hull shoegazers’ surprising electronic pivot
What NME said: “The magic of ‘Microtonic’ lies in that liminal space: the sonic moiré of shoegaze and dance, the emotional collage of despair and beauty”
Key track: ‘Infinity Peaking’
Blondshell – ‘If You Asked for a Picture’
In a nutshell: A grungy reckoning with the past that pushes Sabrina Teitelbaum’s sharp songwriting forward
What NME said: “Still as sharp and impactful but focused more on the spaces in between her stories than the plots themselves”
Key track: ‘Event Of A Fire’
Caroline – ‘Caroline 2’
In a nutshell: The south London octet range far and wide in this patient exploration of sonic contrast – it’s a journey well worth taking
What NME said: “Distilling a series of complex musical ideas into a poignant core, Caroline prove the value of earnest sonic experimentation, no matter what direction it may lead in”
Key track: ‘Tell Me I Never Knew That’ feat. Caroline Polachek
F5ve – ‘Sequence 01’
In a nutshell: Chaotic, otherworldly experience that does away with the polished pop idol playbook
What NME said: “With their frenetic, genre-blurring debut, the Japanese girl group are advancing a creative vision that’s as bold as it is inclusive”
Key track: ‘Magic Clock’
FKA twigs – ‘Eusexua’
In a nutshell: Twigs continues her careerlong exploration of sensual, bodily experience in a new sonic world fuelled by techno, trance, house and more shades of club euphoria
What NME said: “A lust-fuelled insight into what it is to be human… The ever-experimental artist searches for transcendence in her own inimitable language”
Key track: ‘Eusexua’
G-Dragon – ‘Übermensch’
In a nutshell: This commanding, compelling comeback proves the K-pop star’s still got it
What NME said: “‘Übermensch’ is firmly on par with G-Dragon’s best work and yet more proof of his unwavering greatness”
Key track: ‘Power’
Heartworms – ’Glutton For Punishment’
In a nutshell: Raw, genuine post-punk debut that shows exactly why she’s South London’s buzziest new talent
What NME said: “In this survey of man’s most masochistic impulses, Heartworms expands on the gothic dance-punk that first garnered her acclaim”
Key track: ‘Warplane’
Japanese Breakfast – ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women)’
In a nutshell: Sweet sadness is vividly realised on Michelle Zauner’s first studio album
What NME said: “True to the literary whimsy of its title, ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women)’ sounds like living inside a classical piece of art, every detail an elaborate brushstroke”
Key track: ‘Orlando In Love’
Jennie – ’Ruby’
In a nutshell: A showcase of bold creative vision that goes beyond being BLACKPINK’s “it girl”
What NME said: “After years of being scrutinised, Jennie flips the lens back onto herself and seizes control of her own mythos with staggering clarity”
Key track: ‘Zen’
Lady Gaga – ‘Mayhem’
In a nutshell: Mother Monster mines funk, industrial and much more to execute much-needed, pitch-perfect pop bombast
What NME said: “There’s a nonchalant confidence in the way Gaga sticks to her maximalist vision without pandering to contemporary pop trends”
Key track: ‘Vanish Into You’
Lambrini Girls – ‘Who Let The Dogs Out’
In a nutshell: Raw and defiant, the Brighton duo’s debut is the kind of record that makes you sit up and listen
What NME said: “With ‘Who Let The Dogs Out’, Lambrini Girls are unapologetically amplifying chaos, calling out societal wrongs, and daring us all to feel something”
Key track: ‘No Homo’
Little Simz – ‘Lotus’
In a nutshell: An unflinching portrait of self and spirit that makes room for venom and humour alike
What NME said: “Simz sifts through grief, pressure, burnout and spiritual reckoning with a vulnerability that is admirable, making it among her most important works emotionally”
Key track: ‘Lonely’
Lucy Dacus – ‘Forever Is A Feeling’
In a nutshell: The rush of a new romance fuels this album’s joyful and grand chamber-pop sound
What NME said: “Though longing and mortality have long been recurring themes in Dacus’ music, the stakes feel even higher when there’s so much to lose”
Key track: ‘Best Guess’
Momma – ’Welcome To My Blue Sky’
In a nutshell: Studded with irresistible guitar hooks and shot through with emotion and feeling
What NME said: “Their latest and most vulnerable offering yet… Weingarten and Friedman lean towards a more pop sound reminiscent of something you’d hear soundtrack the opening scene of an early-noughties rom-com”
Key track: ‘I Want You (Fever)’
Oklou – ‘Choke Enough’
In a nutshell: The French electronic artist makes her head-turning debut with a record of understated but undeniable beauty
What NME said: “Where ‘Galore’ was so concerned with the lived and the dreamed, her debut album ‘Choke Enough’ taps into a new perspective: the observed”
Key track: ‘Blade Bird’
Pinkpantheress – ‘Fancy That’
In a nutshell: Pop ditties so fresh and fun you won’t even notice the nostalgic samples
What NME said: “No longer content with being the elusive girl behind the screen, Pinkpantheress proves she can shapeshift, push boundaries and still keep us hooked”
Key track: ‘Tonight’
Samia – ‘Bloodless’
In a nutshell: A weighty exploration of the concept of identity and self kept light by gorgeous indie-rock
What NME said: “We already knew Samia was a sublime songwriter, but on her third album, she sets a new bar – and then some”
Key track: ‘Pants’
Sam Fender – ‘People Watching’
In a nutshell: Emotionally charged indie rock that zooms in on the realities of working-class life
What NME said: “Reflective, analytical and vulnerable, ‘People Watching’ takes stock of the characters, friends and loved ones who have made Fender the person he is today”
Key track: ‘TV Dinner’
Sleep Token – ‘Even In Arcadia’
In a nutshell: The masked metallers reveal more of their humanity than ever before as they expand their sound further
What NME said: “The album builds on the bravery of its predecessor, sonically, while its lyrics reveal the most exposed version of bandleader Vessel we’ve seen yet”
Key track: ‘Damocles’
Spiritbox – ‘Tsunami Sea’
In a nutshell: Uncompromising, artful reminder that that heavy music remains relevant and vital
What NME said: “The punishing elegance of Spiritbox’s new album will punch a hole through your chest and wrap its aqueous arms around your heart”
Key track: ‘Deep End’
Turnstile – ‘Never Enough’
In a nutshell: The Baltimore hardcore band’s sonic palette expands even more on this dreamy, meditative album that aims for transcendence
What NME said: “Turnstile’s attitude towards hardcore, as a genre capable of mass appeal and ripe for experimentation, is what powers this excellent album”
Key track: ‘Look Out For Me’
Wretch 32 – ‘Home?’
In a nutshell: In a search to define where and what home really is, the Tottenham rapper crafts his most philosophical release yet
What NME said: “Wretch’s search for belonging is emotive and heart-wrenching for those who truly understand what it is to be forever torn between worlds”
Key track: ‘Me & Mine’
YHWH Nailgun – ‘45 Pounds’
In a nutshell: Visceral and unpredictable, from the juddering electronic blasts to frontman Zack Borzone’s shredded howls
What NME said: “Transcendent… crescendos of ecstatic noise can rush straight through the listener’s core”
Key track: ‘Ultra Shade (Beat My Blood Dog Down)’
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