The Best Albums of September 2025
September 2025 was the best month for new music so far this year. I'm passing over some obvious picks like Neko Case, Geese, and Wednesday for a few under the radar releases.
1. Biggest Albums of September
2. Best Albums of September
3. October Listening Party Invite
4. September Playlist
The best unintended consequence of having a music newsletter is that I’ll finally have something tangible to look back on at the end of every year when I say,
is it just me, or has this year been an ESPECIALLY good year for new music?
Because I’m pretty sure I say that every single year, and I know that can’t be right. There have definitely been slumps, even in recent memory. But I’m a woman of a certain age, my memory is absolute garbage, and recency bias is a thing.
Prove me right, readers.
One day I’ll do a little “has this music actually held up?” retrospective. Right now, tough, I’m clearly stalling because of the petite existential crisis induced by the prospect of having to choose just nine September albums.
Let’s make a deal.
Let’s all agree that this list of hotly-anticipated releases are worth inclusion, and move on immediately, okay? You’ve already heard about them and you’ve probably already listened to them. (If not, just click on them.)
FINE, I WILL ALSO GIVE A QUICK EXPLANATORY BLURB.
Albums You Thought Would Be On My List
Cate le Bon - Michelangelo Dying
More lush, ethereal art pop from the prolific musician/producer, for all the Kate Bush lovers who hold a soft spot in their hearts for Enya.
Geese - Getting Killed
The fourth release from this indie favorite finally gets the band brand-name recognition; they’re now being called “Gen Z’s first rock band.” Think Rolling Stones meets Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.
- Neon Grey Midnight Green
I just saw the inimitable Ms. Case sing at The Met. What a crystalline voice, what a poet, what a treasure.
shame - Cutthroat
Probably the best and most accessible yet from this post-punk powerhouse.
SPRINTS - All That is Over
The follow-up release from last year’s astonishing debut goes BIG.
Wednesday - Bleeds
Karly Hartzman proves again that she’s a better songwriter than MJ Lenderman (I said what I said).
I’m getting around this problem neatly by excluding these albums from my list entirely.1
We’ll see them again in December. In the meantime, let’s check out a few records you may have missed last month.
The Best Albums of September 2025
You kind of already got six, but my typical nine monthly picks are below.
I don’t play favorites amongst my favorites, so albums are listed alphabetically.
As usual, the first 3 are for everyone, the rest are for paid subscribers.
1. BRNDA - Total Pain
If the Talking Heads, B-52s, Devo, and the Velvet Underground reformed as some kind of unlikely supergroup and decided to play early ‘90s college rock (specifically Pavement covers), they’d probably sound like BRNDA. (Standout track: Books Are Bad)
2. Coach Party - Caramel
Has anyone noticed that anything with even the slightest fuzz gets slapped with a shoegaze label these days? That’s what I’ve seen for Coach Party, but what they actually remind me of is the mid 2000s/2010s era of indie pop — the “unsure if this is for the dance floor or the mosh pit” times when bands like Metric and Sleigh Bells loomed large. (Standout track: Disco Dream)
3. Frost Children - SISTER
Speaking of 2000s revival, let’s just rip it all open with this hyperpop/indie sleaze/EDM masterpiece. I didn’t think I’d ever feel any kind of nostalgia for Skrillex, but now that I’ve learned that the youths don’t leave their homes or go dancing, an album like this just brings a tear to my eye. (Standout track: CONTROL)
Still to come — a totally different twist on the Talking Heads/Devo influence, kosmiche to impress your guests, soulful post-punk, and a lot more.
October Listening Party - Stargazr
Stargazr is a new band, but made up of Seattle veterans: Leeni Ramadan (Prom Queen), Bree McKenna (Tacocat, Who Is She?), Natasha El-Sergeny (somesurprises), Billie Bloom (Von Wildenhaus) Aimee Zoe (Sam Russel & the Harborrats) Ahmad Yousefbeigi (The Crown, Yesod).
Join us to listen to their debut record of celestial grunge, and chat with bandleader Leeni Ramadan.
When: Saturday October 18th at 3pm Eastern
Where: The New Bands for Old Heads Discord Server
(Paid subscribers, you’re already in!)
All of the other month-by-month best of lists are here.
The playlist of the month is at the very bottom of the post. Here’s you usual reminder about the playlist of the year, free to all.
Also on Apple, SoundCloud, and YouTube
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