It’s been a few years since I have written a post like this, but considering (1) my unfortunate recent lack of writing about music, either here or on my Instagram, (2) attending Pugfest over the weekend and being immersed in powerful music, (3) the great albums that have already been released in 2025, and (4) the potentially fantastic albums that are going to be released later this year, documenting my thoughts today seems important. I have been immersed in new music recently, and so many of my favorite bands have new albums on the horizon.
I’ll start with the albums I am most excited about that are upcoming later in 2025:
Wolf Alice- The Clearing August 22
The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die- Dreams of Being Dust August 22
The Beths- Straight Line Was A Lie August 29
Rocket- R is for Rocket October 3
Thrice- TBD, pre-order seems imminent and a tour for the album has been announced for the fall with a snippet of a new, unreleased track. Will it be called Horizons: West? Or did they drop that concept?
Stay Inside- TBD, pre-order is imminent. I actually learned the title of the album from Chris Johns at Pugfest a couple days but won’t share it here yet. Two new singles are out and they are terrific. July 15 update- Lunger pre-order is up and they dropped a 3rd single! Album releases October 3.
All five of those bands have previously released albums that have been my AOTY at one time or another, so the competition is going to be fierce. And that is before we even get to the albums that are already out and I have been spinning over the first half of 2025.
Other upcoming albums I am excited about:
Gordi- Like Plasticine August 8
The Casket Lottery- Feel the Teeth August 26
Slow Crush- Thirst August 1
Pretty Bitter- Pleaser July 25
Katie Malco- TBD, but she has dropped many new singles this year and last
Rocket- TBD but have dropped a number of new singles this year. Here is a great one.
Top 10 albums of 2025 at the midpoint:
Great Grandpa- Patience, Moonbeam This album is oh so beautiful. I wasn't sure Great Grandpa would ever release music again, and reading recent interviews, doesn't sound like they did either.
This Beautiful Mess- The Soft Powers
Laura Stevenson- Late Great
Momma- Welcome to My Blue Sky
Mogwai- The Bad Fire
Beach Bunny- Tunnel Vision
Charlie Houston- Big After I Die
Lucy Dacus- Forever Is a Feeling
Sleigh Bells- Bunky Becky Birthday Boy
HAIM- I quit
Top EP of 2025 thus far:
Fake Pollocks- Livestock
I didn’t see this band at Pugfest, but I did learn about them from Chris of Stay Inside. We were watching Floral, an instrumental math rock band, and he let me know of Fake Pollocks as they are also from Brooklyn and have some of the same songwriters. Fake Pollocks is wild and awesome.
Here is a playlist of 17 of my favorite songs of 2025 thus far from the releases mentioned above. I had read of BNDCMPR's demise, but it is still working well for me, and I even listened to someone else's playlist today. Probably best on a computer in a browser, but no account needed and you shouldn't need to login. If it won't play from here open this page in a new tab.
I also want to mention Stavesacre re-issued their self-titled album (stāvz’ā’kər), which sounds great and was long overdue. Long-being the one dud in their discography, it was hampered by being poorly mixed, always sounding muddy and honestly just awful. The new remix and remaster sounds fantastic and the vinyl can be pre-ordered. It is still some of Stavesacre’s weaker songs, but hearing the details and “new” guitar parts is refreshing. Finally for now, I have been to a bunch of great shows this year, and many more to come. I am looking forward to traveling to Seattle to see Poor Old Lu (!!!), The Prayer Chain, and Rose Blossom punch in September. Locally, I have tickets to see Momma in Detroit that same month, and am considering Slow Crush and Godspeed You! Black Emperor in the fall. Then I am seeing the Beths again on my birthday in November. I have leaned into filming one full song for each show I attend, and here are the ones I have shot this year: Stay Inside- "Bon Zs" Live at Pugfest
Mogwai- "New Paths to Helicon, Pt. 1" Live in Detroit Sleigh Bells - "Riot Rhythm" Live in Detroit Anxious- "Call From You" Live in Atlanta 2025
