What a phenomenal year for music! There were so many incredible releases from artists new and old that it was really, really difficult to narrow it down! Unlike some publications, we at The Blue Banner’s entertainment department actually wait until the year is over to compile and release our list– just in case we miss something. Does anyone else find it ridiculous that Cameron Winter’s 2024 album was topping the lists of “The Best 2025 Albums”?
Before we officially start counting down The Blue Banner’s picks, there’s some honorable mentions we need to get to as well. I couldn’t go with just 10, and admittedly 12 wasn’t much easier!
Just a reminder: if there’s an album YOU want to see covered that we missed (or a review that you disagree with) write a review of your own and submit it right here!
HM#1: Nice Day: A Collection of Singles – Magdalena Bay
8.6/10
Well, this is tricky isn’t it? This year, Magdalena Bay released eight singles as a part of their “Nice Day” series. These were eventually compiled and sold as a box set of singles called “Nice Day: A Collection of Singles”. Kind of cheating, I suppose, but that’s why this is a list of the best releases and not the best albums.
Magdalena Bay peaked in 2024 with their album “Imaginal Disk”, a swirling, chaotic look into a psychedelic world of monsters, mystery and synth pop. Since they essentially perfected neo-psychedelia on “Imaginal Disk”, it’s not surprising they’d want to take things elsewhere with this project. While some tracks like “Second Sleep” and “Human Happens” match their previous sound (and are just as high quality), what really caught my attention were the changes to said sound.
The first release is “Second Sleep / Star Eyes”, which in my opinion is the peak of their output from the past year. “Second Sleep” has a gorgeous string accompaniment that makes the electric piano and aggressive drums sound just that much better. It goes full orchestral with a healthy backup choir and even bells towards the end. “Star Eyes”, while less in-your-face, has a beautiful saxophone fluttering across the track, which I loved.
Following that is “Human Happens / Paint Me A Picture” which starts to back away from the established pop sound for something a little on the rock end. The clangy electric piano and bassy drum push the excellent verse into the equally fun chorus. This song is really, really phenomenal. “Paint Me A Picture” , while slightly less interesting in my opinion, is still fun and has a really nice shuffle beat.
“Unoriginal / Black-Eyed Susan” is where they drop off. The songs are almost twee pop. It’s more indie rock than anything, with its jangly guitars, reserved synth usage and– and a glockenspiel. Not really of the genre, but I had to point it out. There’s a lead synth used in the chorus of “Unoriginal” that is absolutely phenomenal. It’s almost like an extremely aggressive calliope; like, wind-tunnel level aggressive. These aren’t bad songs at all, I just found them pretty weak by Magdalena Bay standards.
The final collection, “This Is The World (I Made It For You) / Nice Day” features a more traditional piece in “This Is The World (I Made It For You)”. It still has some guitar accompaniment and a bit more of a rock-like writing approach but not to its detriment. The final song, “Nice Day” is actually a shoegaze song, which totally took me out the first time I heard it. I was really surprised they managed to nail the sound properly but that just goes to show how great they are.
Overall, this collection was fun despite its widely cast (perhaps too wide at times) genre net. While the collection isn’t as good as their magnum opus “Imaginal Disk”, I think a few of the more traditional neo-psychadelia songs fit quite well onto that tracklist beyond just being leftovers from the record.
HM #2: Plan 76 – The Orchestra (For Now)
8.5/10
Oh, The Windmill. How many great bands have gotten their start playing there? black midi, Squid, Black Country New Road, The Last Dinner Party and now The Orchestra (For Now).
This album is quite good. Yes, it’s stereotypical new-wave British art rock, but I love it. It’s got all the hallmarks of your average Windmill scene band. Talk-singing that switches to yells during a climax, stop-start drumming patterns and a nice accompaniment of strings.
This EP didn’t blow me away, I mean, compared to some of the other releases on this list. As I keep saying, it’s pretty heavily derived from other, better bands, but if perhaps this is the one group that can keep themselves from breaking up and continue to evolve their sound, we can stop the ridiculous relay race that seems to be happening there and let The Orchestra (For Now) be the definitive Windmill band.
#10: The Passionate Ones – Nourished by Time
8.6/10
To this day, I still get the title for this album and the artist behind it mixed up, anyways. This album is absolutely wonderful. It’s a clear display of what bedroom pop should be. Fun, genuine and inventive.
There’s a handy amount of fun fusions here. While the main inspirations are taken from alternative RnB, there’s a good dose of neo-psychadelia, sophisti-pop and even some UK hip-hop influence to speak of here. While the drum tones are stripped back and basic, the actual rhythms are anything but. With everything from fun shuffles to straight rock-esque grooves. The highlight here are the various synths that Brown utilizes. Catchy piano riffs, bell fills, and gorgeous synth leads are scattered throughout. There’s even some light usage of square plucks that give an eclectic techno feel.
Brown’s vocals really grew on me over time. He’s not the best vocalist featured on this list but he still has a lot of good range– and importantly knows how to write for himself. Some artists sound like they’re singing in place of somebody else; but both lyrically and sonically Brown makes this album his.
The entire record has a warm, soothing yet hazy feel to it. The production is really incredible, every instrument is at its perfect place and volume. I could throw a dictionary at the wall and still not manage to capture all the emotion and genius of sound here. It’s surreal, it’s aquatic, it’s urban? It’s uniquely gorgeous and I highly recommend you check it out.
#9: Corre y Suelta a los Perros – Cesar y su Jardín
8.7/10
In a world where artist Bad Bunny is showered with accolades for creating the most derivative and lazy latin music ever, I take solace in the fact that there are so many other artists under the “latin” umbrella who are delivering incredible music. The first time I heard this album, it was on a youtube video with exclusively spanish speaking comments. Cesar y su Sardin, or “Caesar and the Garden” is a relatively new outfit in the folk scene, having only debuted in 2024 with a 20 minute EP. This album on the other hand, is a 50 minute excursion and is one of the most heartfelt and emotional records I’ve heard.
This album incorporates traditional folk music so extremely well. Son jarocho, the folk music from indigenous gulf coast Mexico, is incorporated into more modern sounding contemporary folk so well. This gives the album a warm, homely feeling. It’s very intimate with itself in that way– the record has such a clear respect for its origins and it shows that love every single track.
The guitar riffs are at center stage here, they’re quintessentially Mexican, tapping into the classical roots. They’re low, bouncy and endlessly enjoyable. It’s not just the guitar though, my favorite part is the trombone that’s on nearly every track. It highlights lead vocalist César Croda’s vocals so incredibly well that it feels like a backup vocalist at times.
There’s quite a big string section too, offering a gorgeous, lush support to some of the slower parts of the tracks. Combined with the occasional flute flair, it gives many tracks this epic, film-score feeling. When all the cylinders are firing during the various explosions throughout, it truly feels like you’re exploring through the Mexican mountains.
I could talk about this Mexican influence forever, the draw from traditional sounds is as blatant as the various El Gritos that dot the more lively tracks. For those unaware, El Grito is that scream you hear in Mariachi music. Yeah, that’s the one. It again goes back to feeling so in love with itself in the best way possible.
The vocals here are nothing to forget about either– Croda’s voice is so good, powerful but never too in your face about it. The range is incredible too, with everything from yearning cries to gentle adornments of the song; it’s able to both be the star and a supporter.
There’s also a few improvisational tracks, which almost give me prog rock vibes at times. The entire thing is a ton of fun from start to finish and I highly recommend you check it out.
#8: Getting Killed – Geese
8.8/10
This is maybe the third or fourth time I’ve written about “Getting Killed” for this publication and every time I do, I find new things on the album I want to talk about. This album has also given the band (and Cameron Winter, the reserved masterminded frontman) a huge wave of fame. It makes sense: this album is their best by far. Where their earlier projects were of high quality, there really wasn’t anything for a mainstream (as far as mainstream in the indie world) appeal. The albums themselves were also of course, much rougher than “Getting Killed”.
Geese decide to choose neither quality nor quantity– opting for the secret third option of both. From the tense, fiery hot screams and brass hits of “Trinidad”, to the indie anthems “Getting Killed” and “100 Horses”, the soft pleading and cutesy guitar riffs of “Au Pays du Cocaine” and “Cobra”, all the way to the masterclass in songwriting “Taxes” that combines all of these and more– there’s no shortage of variety and enjoyment to be had on this album.
Nearly every instrument plays its part perfectly. From the huge range of guitar tones that Cameron Winter and Emily Green show off, to the thick creamy basslines of Dominic Digesu and the gentle piano touches throughout, most everyone plays their part well. Now, the eagle-eyed among you may have noticed I did not include drummer Max Bassin in that little tangent. This was mostly because of the mixing. All of the drum parts are interesting and fun– but my god the mixing really hurts a lot of these tracks. It’s particularly bad on “Bow Down” and “Islands of Men” (the latter being one of the more forgettable tracks on the record anyways).
Normally, that would be the end of my criticism. I could say ‘the drum mixing is bad on tracks xyz, oh well’. It wasn’t until “Getting Killed | From The Basement” was released at the height of the album’s popularity and I heard a rendition of “Bow Down” that was absolutely phenomenal. If the entire album had been mixed like that session, I personally would have pushed the album over a 9/10, but for now, it’ll stay just below. If you share these criticisms of mine with the album but still see the potential, go listen to that show.
Obviously I could talk forever about the quality of Winter’s gorgeous warbly vocals and his heart-on-sleeve wax poeticism, but I’ll leave it at exactly that: his vocals are gorgeous, uniquely warbly and his lyrics are a masterclass in emotion and love. This album was a landmark for the now indie darlings and hopefully we’re to see a continued upward trend from them.
#7: Vanisher, Horizon Scraper – Quadeca
8.9/10
This album is one from this year that I really feel has not been given the flowers it deserves. This record is gorgeous; it’s a lush painting of sound that’s effortlessly drawn by Quadeca throughout the runtime. It captures quite a huge range of emotions and utilizing a bizarre collection of influences, there’s a new idea at every turn.
It is experimental hip hop, so there’s going to be some hip hop elements. The traditional cloud rap-esque drumming occasionally alternates with pounding, artsy rhythms that feel both energetic yet comforting. Not to mention the melodies are derived heavily from art pop, folktronica and even chamber pop. These two backgrounds blend far easier than you’d think; the result is a pleasantly unique piece of art.
There’s a really unique approach to how rap is implemented here: Quadeca jumps between singing and rapping very quickly, and it never sounds jarring or too uncomfortable for him. His ability to sing over the more hip hop-esque songs and rap over the poppier pieces is (for lack of better word) very cool.
From soft, swelling chamber pop openers to thunderous rap bars in the second half, every song is loveable. The record is cute, emotionally powerful and feels like you’re falling into a polaroid photo. Give it (and the accompanying album movie) a listen!
#6: Carpe Diem, Moonman – Psychedelic Porn Crumpets
8.9/10
Don’t let the goofy album cover, goofy album name or goofy band name fool you– this album is extremely serious. Okay well, not really. With scattered influences from stoner rock, neo-psychadelia and even math rock, “Carpe Diem, Moonman” is an adventurous record that has an emotional range from here to the moon (man).
The first and most obvious genre that you’ll be sucker punched with as soon as the album opens is stoner rock. A dissonant, psychedelic timbre plays powerful, groove riffs overtop drums and vocals going all in. While a good handful of tracks follow this bluesy style, it’s not long before the Psychedelic Porn Crumpet’s incredible range. “Weird World Awoke” features British art rock talk-singing. “Qwik Maff” features a busy math rock riff and a softer tone.
This softer tone plays excellently into the second half of the album, which for the most part cools things down and leans more into the chiller, psychedelic rock influences. Bandleader Jack McEwan really shows off his vocal range here, able to softly crow to us here as well as he could scream at us in the earlier tracks.
For fans of Queens of the Stone Age, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Slint, don’t miss this amazing record. Those unfamiliar with these artists still shouldn’t let this album fly under their radar, because it’s truly a front-to-back pleasure.
#5: darkskin [n-word] with lightskin problems – Heavensouls x Stickerbush
8.9/10
“Gimmie that roach-infested pussy girl, I need that!”.
Don’t let the goofy album cover, goofy album name or– haven’t I said this before? Rappers Heavensouls and Stickerbush combine to make The Sidepieces and this is their second released record from that outfit. The album is unquestionably one of the best hip hop albums of the decade, and with the group already releasing another album following this one (though admittedly not quite as impressive), there’s no doubt we’ll be discussing The Sidepieces in the southern hip hop world for years to come.
I once saw this album described as “the Gen-Z experience encapsulated”, and I couldn’t describe it better myself. It’s a total sensory overload in a great way. Glitchy, dissonant blares of electronic sound occasionally broken up by some of the wittiest bars I’ve heard in recent years. The samples that they work into their music are given new life and blown up to fit into these insane compositions that show not just the duo’s love for the glitch hop genre, but for all the music they listen to and sample.
This is one of those genres I really struggle to describe– glitch hop is just something you have to listen to really. The compositions here are so, so impressive that I struggle to wonder how one even thinks to write a song that sounds like this? The sample chops mixed with the spacey synths create this insane, booming sound that is screaming at you for almost the entire record.
I can’t say much more than I already have. This album is pushing not just the boundaries of hip hop, but music as a whole.
#4: Apiary – Gingerbee
9/10
Art pop, samba, screamo. Realistically speaking, in no world should these three genres sound good together. Adding chiptune and jazz rock to that mix would make anybody with reason shake their heads– but it’s there that genius internet band Gingerbee manages to fuse all five of these polar opposites together. The result is one, chaotic, gorgeous mess of fifth-wave emo that leaves me flabbergasted and smiling every time I listen to it.
Emotion is the first word that comes to mind when I think of this project. You wouldn’t think that the bandmates are all writing, recording and producing this across the world (with members ranging anywhere from Brazil to Canada) because everything sounds so full of love. It’s so coherent in its message of reluctant love and the pain that follows. Every instrument is played to its absolute fullest potential, and there’s virtually no uninteresting or upsetting moments.
At just over twenty minutes, the EP still manages to explore an utterly insane assortment of new, refreshing ideas for the emo genre. From the soft strings that lead the less-screamy verses, to the fluttery, jazz-inspired saxophone that’s sprinkled track to track, all the way to the chiptune, square leads that both confuse and impress you– the variety is so, so well done. Despite this, it still manages to sound extremely well put together.
This is one of those releases that you simply need to listen to, my descriptions aren’t enough to do it justice. The lead single and opening track “Petal Dance” is actually my number one song of the year– so, props for that. The only thing that’s really stopping me from ranking this release any higher is its unfortunate length. No matter how good it is, an EP just isn’t comparable to a full length album. Regardless, you should probably listen to this album as soon as you can.
#3: Birthing – Swans
9/10
When an album is two hours of depressing, aggressive drone, the question is really begged: how do you write about such a piece? Well, I suppose you start by clarifying that being a Swans release, it’s nothing out of the ordinary for them. Swans has been pushing the boundaries of post-rock since their first masterpiece “The Great Annihilator” in 1995, and immediately followed it up with “Soundtracks for the Blind” in 1996, an equally phenomenal showing.
After a decade plus gap after “Soundtracks for the Blind”, the swans returned and since then, haven’t gone longer than a few years without an album. This album reportedly marks the end of what Swans call their “big sound” era, deciding to cap things off with the biggest sound of all, and the result is a full, hazy masterclass.
With bandleader Michael Gira in the December of his life at over 70, it makes sense the group would start to focus and write about death and passing. That was the main focus on 2023’s “The Beggar”, but here– as the title gives– is actually about the start of life instead.
For example, the star track “I Am a Tower” is seemingly written from the perspective of a tower, speaking of fading into a grandiose symbol of protection and the kingdom’s glory. This song actually came to Gira after a dream he had of Donald Trump, Richard Nixon and Roy Cohn having a threesome. Rereading the lyrics again– you realize the song is actually about sex. (with some lyrics seemingly conversing with Richard Nixon).
There’s a lot of this, unsexy sex symbolism that’s scattered throughout the vocals. “Now dig in this pit! Suck milk from my tit! Come take what is left! Now cut off my sex!” from “Guardian Spirit” and “Your belly is pregnant with plaster and sawdust and lust (Feeding us, in disgust)” from “Red Yellow” do such a great job at describing the gross, animalistic core of intercourse.
Despite my droning (pun intended) about it– the vocals really aren’t the highlight here. At 115 minutes long, there has to be enough musicality to fill in the gaps between Gira’s groaning; and believe me. There is plenty.
With a range that stems from long, electronic swells to powerful chugging metal-inspired riffs, Swans weren’t kidding when they called this their “Big Sound” era, and there’s so much uniqueness to go over I couldn’t realistically fit it all in this segment. You should give them a chance, even if you think it won’t be your thing.
#2: Lonely People with Power – Deafheaven
9/10
When I have to talk about twelve albums I love back-to-back-to-back, eventually I’m going to run out of superlatives. When we reach my pick for the second best album of 2025, I’ve got no choice left but to lay it out on the table: This album fucks.
Blackgaze, an innovative fusion between death metal-esque screams, the hazy atmosphere of dream pop and the powerful guitar of post metal, is perhaps one of my favorite genres I’ve discovered in recent years. Deafheaven, as it is their signature sound, utilized it to their best extent yet on “Lonely People with Power”
I love screaming vocals, unquestionably. They’re no doubt the highlight of the record in my eyes. Lead vocalist George Clarke just sounds absolutely amazing, and they’re some of my favorites of all time– not just from bands in 2025. While there are some tracks like “Heathen” where we slow things down and there’s little to no screaming, I generally prefer the death metally stuff.
The guitar work is insane here too, the riffs are gorgeous, they have the best guitar tone of any album from this year and the actual lines are extremely catchy. The powerful, shrieking lead amongst the deeper, chugging rhythm guitar, combined with the surprisingly gentle bass and scream of the vocals creates a gorgeous, full sound.
The drumming is also incredibly enjoyable. It oscillates from soft, nigh-indie beats to the classic double-pedal ones super easily, and while I’ve heard plenty of double pedal drumming, it’s particularly good here.
This album is special. It’s hazy. It’s powerful. It’s noisy, abrasive, poetic, complex, anti-authoritiarian and many many more adjectives. Even back in March when I heard it initially, I knew it was something that would be topping the charts of my year-end rankings.
#1: Magic, Alive! – McKinely Dixon
9.1/10
Stories of loss are always beautiful. Personal, love-filled tales that can range anywhere from melancholy reminiscences to spite-filled regrets. This album falls off to the side and instead tells the story of a young friend group who attempts to resurrect their dead friend through heartfelt jazz rap.
Even setting aside the gorgeous storyline that threads the record– the music on its own is phenomenal. Standing out amongst a sea of samples, the instruments are actually all performed in-studio, playing lines written by McKinely Dixon himself. The jazz inspiration is heavily drawn not just from a cool, lounge sound– but there’s a big draw from all subgenres. Shockingly there’s a good amount of free jazz inspiration with wild horns and aggressive cymbal hits that give the entire record a super punchy sound.
There’s not just quality instrumentation though, there’s a wide array to listen to. Harps, flutes, guitars, trombones, trumpets, the ubiquitous saxophone and others all contribute to a very full sound. Everything down to the bass is done in a traditional jazz tone, with its bobbing acoustic lines.
This album isn’t instrumental though. Even if it was, I would still hold it in pretty high regard, but it’s Dixon’s phenomenal vocal performances that bring me back time and time again to this outing. Firstly, he’s incredibly authentic. Whether there really was or wasn’t a seemingly endless summer or a kitchen table he “moved to the backyard ‘cause the house got packed out”, we wouldn’t know because he delivers each line like he’s recounting it firsthand.
He can very easily switch his flow to match the variation of beats. The aggressive, blaring horns that support his energy on “Crooked Stick”, to the naive, desperate chants on “Magic, Alive!” or a soft acceptance on “Could’ve Been Different”, he’s always giving it his all despite the varied themes.
As I mentioned before, the final cherry on top is the beautiful, heartfelt story and how it’s worked into more than just the lyrics, but the music too. You can feel yourself sent into syncope by the beating sun, with the thick acoustic bass tone matching the pounding of a headache in “Sugar Water”. You can hear the melancholy reflection and flying feeling of “jumping off the roof” in the strings of “Could’ve Been Different”.
I really, truly cannot get enough of this record. My only real critique is that I wish it was a little longer. A lot can get accomplished in 35 minutes but just one more track to push it to a round 40 would have been really nice. As much as I praised it earlier, I do wish it was a little jazzier. It would have been nice to be really blown away by some outlandish jazz compositions.
Regardless, this album is beautiful. As soon as McKinely Dixon popped on my radar in the early 2020s, I felt insane potential from him but his prior outings felt just short of a truly phenomenal record. This album is what I have been waiting for from him for years now– and it was unquestionably worth the wait.
