The Best Albums for Old Heads of 2025, Pt. 4 (& Last Post of the Year!)

Eight albums that deserve a #1 slot, plus a quick peek at some of the records that should have made it on to my list(s).

Quick note before we get to the music:

If this newsletter has ever led you to fall in love with a record you wouldn’t have found otherwise, this is me gently reminding you that paid subscriptions are what keep it going.

I’m phasing out the deepest discount tiers of my pay-what-you-can model (which is NOT going anywhere) at the end of the year, so if you’ve been meaning to subscribe at a stupidly cheap price, now’s the time.

20% off // 30% off // 40% off // 50% off* // 60% off*

*gone soon, but not forgotten :’)

That’s it. No more sales talk. Love you.

Is There Always an Obvious #1?

Most years, I know exactly what my top record is.

This year, I know what it should be.

2025 was an exceptionally strong year for new music, but I found it very difficult to pick anything that stood out as a really obvious #1.

I’ve listened to more records this year than any other. It’s partially for this reason that I’ve introduced so many constraints to my selection process. If I weren’t restricting myself in such a manner, I think I’d be throwing Rosalía, Dijon, Geese, and Viagra Boys into the ring along with everything you’ll be reading below.

But I enjoy the extra challenge I’ve given myself, because it’s freed me from a lot of expectations.

After all that work, did my list actually end up being any different from every other EOY list?

You’ll have to let me know. Honestly, I’m not sure it has! All the more reason to get even more serious about music discovery in 2026.

How NBfOH End-of-Year Lists Work

Week of November 24th: Noteworthy Releases
Week of December 1st: Albums Worthy of a Top 50 List
Week of December 8th: Albums Worthy of a Top 10 List
📍Week of December 15th: Albums Worthy of a #1 Slot

📍You are here

My not so hard and fast rules (a.k.a, why some of your favorites are missing):

• In every one of these “tiers,” I gave strong preference to newer artists rather than established ones, and artists with under 1 million monthly listeners (and especially those under 100,000).

• I sometimes leave out overly hyped artists, even if I loved the record.

• I do not rank! Everyone is listed in alphabetical order.

Speaking of albums that should have been part of my end of year pantheon…

I said I would keep all of these lists manageable and less overwhelming than the typical year-end list. Regardless, some of you are gluttons for punishment.

Scroll to the end for a quick rundown of the albums I axed because of these weird little rules.

The Best Albums of 2025, Pt. 4 - Eight Albums Worth a #1 Slot

Reminder - the numbers are just for your convenience. These are in alphabetical order (by first name, because I’m slow).

1. Foxwarren - 2

Longtime readers may be surprised to see an Andy Shauf project in my picks at all, let alone so high up my list. I’m not really a folk music person, but that doesn’t mean I refuse to listen to it — just that my bar for it is much higher. Alt-folk produced like hip hop is exactly what the doctor ordered. A rich vintage sample collage and groovy beats lend the record a warm, nostalgic quality, but an oddly haunting one that reminds me of my favorite record from 2024 as well. I never thought I’d be thinking of Aimee Mann and MF Doom in the same breath, but here we are.

(Best tracks: Listen2me, Deadhead, Wings)

2. John Michel & Anthony James - Egotrip

The Chicago/Philly hip-hop duo seems to have dropped out of the ether fully formed, with no backstory, no web presence, and a strong whiff of industry plant fuckwittery. All the better that this particular Philly-based music curator learned about them from Chicago-based music Historian Patrick Hicks. I owe him a great debt, because Egotrip is the kind of sample-heavy, melodic, catchy, soulful rap (complete with chipmunk backing vocals!) that we haven’t enjoyed since the mid 2000s. In fact, if you used to love Kanye West but now feel completely betrayed by the Nazi he’s turned into, Egotrip is your salvation. This is The College Dropout for the newest crop of graduates. Highly recommended to soundtrack your next slow motion limousine exit.

(Best tracks: TAKE NO MORE, PREACHER!, NOBODY)

3. McKinley Dixon - Magic, Alive!

Yes, more hip hop. It’s been a stellar year for it, and if you’re still an “everything but rap” kind of person, it might be time to reevaluate, because I can think of no better genre to simultaneously expose you to as many other genres as possible. McKinley Dixon’s masterful blend of jazz, gospel, and funk results in a lush and ebullient sound. More than this though, he is a brilliant storyteller. In half an hour, he weaves a Southern Gothic about three friends grieving the loss of a fourth, and trying to figure out how to resurrect him… magic, alive. I still maintain this is a joyful record, and another reminder that slow, full album listening is a worthwhile pursuit.

(Best tracks: Sugar Water, We’re Outside, Rejoice!, Magic, Alive!)

4. The New Eves - The New Eve Is Rising

I have my readers to thank for this recommendation, which has quickly become one of my most listened to albums of the year. I’m grateful that this is a debut, meaning that I haven’t missed much else of this strange concoction of both discomfiting and oddly spare, almost brutally primal sounds. It’s a tenuous connection at best, but something about it makes me think of that brief period in 2000 when we were all collectively obsessed with the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? A better point of comparison would probably be The Raincoats, if they were inspired more by ancient folklore than punk rock.

(Best tracks: Highway Man, Cow Song, Volcano)

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New Bands for Old Heads merch makes a great holiday gift! “What a clever and thoughtful gift,” your friend and/or family member will definitely say. How nice of you!

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5. Prewn - System

What a weird and wonderful record that I wish more people were talking about. There’s something about it that reminds me of Joanna Newsom, though the instrumentation here is far darker, or even Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Boltcutters. It has something of Solex in it, too. And at the same time, it’s nothing like those records. It’s grimier, closer to P.J. Harvey’s dirtiest depths or Kim Gordon’s scuzziest fuzz. I love the purposefully unfinished feel that this album leaves behind — heavy feedback and plunking of instruments here and there that seems like they’re being passed by more than played. Yet these are intentional decisions, carefully placed. It’s like nothing else I’ve heard this year.

(Best tracks: Easy, System, My Side)

6. Smerz - Big city life

This record reminds me of the heat wave of the first summer I spent in Philadelphia: the late nights I’d spend out dancing, the cigarettes I’d smoke on stoops and in bars (because we could back then!), and the sticky un-air conditioned concert venues I’d frequent. My first impression assessment, when I had only heard “Roll the dice,” was that this was full-on recession sleaze, revived and ready to party. Not quite. The rest of the record is a bare bones, bare-ass, bare knuckled exploration of womanhood. It’s real and it’s sexy. Last week I compared Daughter of Swords to Tune-Yards, and The Blow, and the same touchstones apply here, but repurposed in a totally different way.

(Best tracks: Big city life, Roll the dice, You got time and I got money¹)

7. Um, Jennifer? - Um Comma Jennifer Question Mark

I resisted the quirky conceit behind this buzzy-as-fuck new band for as long as I could… which turned out to be all of about two days. I was wrong to wait even that much, because the record is annoyingly infectious. This is an encapsulated memory of your favorite basement show. This is Steve Malkmus’ lo-fi cool and Kimya Dawson’s wit and (early) Rivers Cuomo’s awkwardness all wrapped up in the perfect pop-punk package. More of this, please.

(Best tracks: Girl Class, Car Wash, Cut Me Open)

8. Victor Jones - Zookeeper

I’m making you watch a video instead of reading! Oh no! Here are the Cliff’s Notes: He sounds like Frank Black’s Modest LCD Meatloaf System. You’re going to hate this at first, but hang in there. You’re welcome.

(Best tracks: White Fang Safari, We Go to Russia)

Also, as a bonus, this is a fantastic non-album single that he released this year:

Your turn!

What was your #1 album in 2025?

I chose eight :) You can pick more than one, if you like.

Albums I Should Have Included (Maybe)

I’ve repeated my exclusion rules countless times. If they’re:

• too big

• too established

• overhyped

…I probably left them out.

But it’s fun to know what I was culling from!

That’s most of everything I would have included, if I weren’t playing by my own rules.

Believe it or not, there’s even more. If you’ve made it this far, and you care this much, you deserve a little extra treat. I may send out a “no but really” last brain dump of all the honorable mention records that you might want to scan.

If I spontaneously combust before I manage to do that —

Happy holidays. Happy new year. Thank you for an incredible 2025 here at New Bands for Old Heads. There is lots of exciting stuff in store for 2026. Stick around.

xo

Gabbie

1. I’m not the only one who hears “Bittersweet Symphony” all over the strings section of this track, right?