The Best Albums for Old Heads of 2025, Pt. 2

Fifteen fit for a top fifty!

Music Reviews Are Actually Spoilers

I used to be really nervous about making my end of year lists.

I’m not saying that I particularly enjoy it now (making ranked lists stresses me out, which is why these are all in alpha order), but I used to put a lot more pressure on myself than I needed to.

I made a habit of checking record reviews for the “correct” opinion before I decided on the placement of an album on my list. If other (better, I guess?) critics disagreed with me, I often rethought the inclusion of a record altogether.

Essentially, I tried to turn an inherently subjective exercise into an objective one.

I also didn’t trust my own opinion. That’s changed.

I haven’t read a single music review this year.¹

That doesn’t mean I don’t listen to what’s recommended to me, or that I don’t follow up on various tips, submissions, or PR. But I purposely avoid written critiques that include a rating, ranking, or score of some kind.²

I’ve actually started treating music reviews as spoilers.

Going in blind is what’s helped me have more confidence in my own assessment of an album’s merit, but also ensures I haven’t been unduly influenced by somebody else’s fanfare or dismissal.

It’s still tempting to check general sentiment after I’ve already committed my thoughts to paper (and sometimes it’s totally unavoidable), but I find that I’d far rather have discussions one on one than seek out critical reception for some kind of validation that I wasn’t off base. Opinions — it turns out — vary! And that’s fine!

At some point I have to allow myself to actually be part of that critical reception, even if I’m nobody special.

Putting together a Best Of list after making this change has been freeing. For once, I have no idea how my EOY list will shape up compared to all the others. Maybe it will still look exactly the same. Maybe it will be unusual. It doesn’t really matter to me, because I know it’s going to be full of albums that resonated with me and that I’m excited to recommend.³

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:

• 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.⁴

• All killer, no filler (lol)

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

There are more, but perhaps we’ll explore the greater philosophy of how to select albums for these lists in future posts.⁵ I know you’re skipping this to get to the actual list, anyway!

P.S. Scroll down to the bottom for a playlist borne out of the New Bands for Old Heads hive mind.

The Best Albums of 2025, Pt. 2 - 15 Albums Worthy of a Top 50 List

Reminder - the numbers are just for your convenience. These are in alphabetical order⁶.

1. The Convenience - Like Cartoon Vampires

This is punchy, anxious post-punk that blends a little 1970s New York noise with 1990s college radio to make something incredibly catchy and danceable. RIYL: Gang of Four, Iggy Pop, The Clash

2. Deradoorian - Ready for Heaven

Skewing closer to her work with Kate NV than with Dirty Projectors, Angel Deradoorian’s new solo record is a plunky, jazzy, art-pop experiment full of curious introspective diversions and spare electronic arrangements. Don’t be put off by what I’m making sound inaccessible — it’s absolutely not. Think thick, dripping bass lines, soft reverb-laden vocals, and heavy influence from funk and no wave. RIYL: St. Vincent, David Byrne

3. Gelli Haha - Switcheroo

An electrifying debut from a ready-made party princess. This reminds me of MTV party-to-go compilations and ‘80s mall pop in an alternate universe. RIYL: Debbie Gibson, sugar hangovers, lack of adult supervision

4. Greg Freeman - Burnover

I’m utterly ashamed that I left out Greg Freeman when I made a mixtape especially for Justin McElroy of My Brother, My Brother and Me. Anybody who grew up loving the earnest, genuine, openhearted, orchestral rock’n’roll of the ‘90s will adore his new record (which I can only assume is getting compared left and right to Manning Fireworks, last year’s critical darling from M.J. Lenderman). RIYL: Ben Folds Five, Stephen Malkmus, Ben Kweller, Wilco

5. Heartworms - Glutton for Punishment

The debut from London-based artist Jojo Orme is an impassioned revival of ‘80s goth rock, some remnants of her earlier shoegaze days, and just a hint of one of my other favorite new(ish) London acts, Sorry. RIYL: Siouxsie and the Banshees, Depeche Mode

6. Long Fling - Long Fling

Add Long Fling to your list of minimalist boy/girl duos who sing a little off key on purpose. The side project of both Pip Blom and Personal Trainer has a distinctly Britpop vibe. RIYL: bar italia, The Waeve, drum machines, getting rejected for dates by people prettier than you

7. Norman Sann - The Audition

Jaw-droppingly clever and chaotic rap from a painfully underrated lyricist/producer. The influence of jazz is heavy throughout, and no subject is off limits. RIYL: Outkast, Eminem

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8. Paper Lady - Idle Fate

The debut record from a band that describes their own music as “dream rock” or “noisy freak folk.” It’s true they are pulling in a lot of shoegaze elements, and My Bloody Valentine fans will find a lot to love, but there’s more here, specifically a fantastic knack for weaving from soft folk to hard, sludgy grunge. RIYL: Mazzy Starr, Smashing Pumpkins

9. Rocket - R is for Rocket

Surprise, it’s another splashy debut! This is exactly the kind of fuzzy grunge album I like to rudely throw in the faces of erstwhile 120 Minutes devotees when they tell me there’s no good music coming out anymore. RIYL: Ride, Sonic Youth, and Juliana Hatfield

10. Saya Gray - SAYA

What makes Saya Grey’s debut so hard to pin down is also what makes her so magical. I guess art pop is the easiest (or laziest?) descriptor for what is actually a weird, dreamy genre-fuck that blends Americana, folk, trip-hop, psych, and pop. RIYL: Prince, Bjork, Imogen Heap, Regina Spektor

11. SELF IMPROVEMENT - Syndrome

I almost hesitated to include this record because it may just be something for me personally and not for broader consumption. But if you follow me exclusively for my post-punk obsession, or you have ever wondered “what the fuck is an angular guitar?” now is your chance to find out. RIYL: Dry Cleaning, The Slits, Joy Division

12. Sharp Pins - Radio DDR

Kai Slater has had a prolific this year, but I for one prefer Sharp Pins to Lifeguard. I went into this record expecting noise rock or punk, but came out with a lo-fi bedroom pop surprise. RIYL: Guided by Voices, the Beatles

13. SPELLLING - Portrait of My Heart

If there’s anything that 2025 has taught me, it’s that we’ve developed a taste for lush, expansive, baroque avant-pop. This record seems to have fizzled a bit under the more prominent lights of Rosalía or The Last Dinner Party, but I say that’s a damn shame. Prog rock and ‘80s ballad lovers take note. RIYL: Kate Bush, Paramore, The Knife

14. Titanic - HAGEN

Speaking of Rosalía and avant-pop, now that your ears have had a little extra polyglot exposure, take a trip to Mexico to hear the experimental chamber pop. RIYL: Tori Amos, Juana Molina

15. Your Grandparents - The Dial

Your Grandparents made the first great record of the summer, and you didn’t even call to check up on them? Shame on you! You should put their music on your beach and barbecue playlists and let them know how much their carefully crafted, ‘70s-inspired hip-hop means to you. RIYL: Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Stevie Wonder

Have you finished your EOY lists?

What is your system for compiling your annual favorites?

What albums are you hoping to see on my final two tiers?

Ciao for niao.

xo

Gabbie

The best albums of 2025, as chosen by YOU!

A few weeks ago I asked New Bands for Old Heads subscribers to add one song per each of your favorite 2025 albums to a collective playlist. This is the 17 hour result. Just remember that I didn’t contribute to this playlist. If any of my picks made it on here, it’s purely by coincidence.

Also on Apple, SoundCloud, and YouTube.

1. …that wasn’t written by a friend of mine, I should say. I support my friends!

2. I did think of a belated exception, and that’s for the AOTY exercise I did in this article. But that was for science.

3. Does that mean previous lists weren’t like this? Of course not. I just did a lot more handwringing over them before publication.

4. These exclusions may become more obvious in later weeks.

5. Maybe the last post of the year? We’ll see!

6. By first name.