Welcome back to The Whetstone, friends! I listened to 2025 albums like a madwoman last month, trying to get my final list together. I'm glad I did, because I made some wonderful discoveries which caused some last-minute shifts in the list. But there comes a time when one must walk away, so here's the final list. I’ve linked to each album on Bandcamp where available, or YouTube if there’s no Bandcamp release. If your favorite album isn't on there, just assume I didn't get a chance to listen to it ;)
Also, before I forget, Rachel and I dropped a new podcast episode - you can check it out wherever you listen to podcasts!

25. Sleeper's Bell - Clover

I listened to this album a lot while driving around Atlanta this past spring. Vocalist Blaine Teppema's delicate voice goes amazingly with the guitars by Evan Green and Max Subar, along with really devastating lyrics on songs like "Room" and "Hey Blue".

24. Artemas - LOVERCORE

I believe it was Matthew Perpetua on his wonderful Fluxblog newsletter who said that Artemas makes “porn-brained” music, and he’s right. Artemas makes music from the persona of a dirtbag, sex-crazed softboy, but for some reason it all just works for me, especially on “superstar”, “southbound”, and “baby give me more” featuring Mareux. His production is sexy and his plaintive wails are just pathetic enough to make him relatable. There's also some really fun gender stuff going on. You’ll notice a theme in some of my favorite kinds of music as we get further down this list.

23. Alex G - Headlights

We've got a lot of confessional dude wails this year, including Alex G's album. I love the combination of his simple guitar playing with all of the other production touches: synths, flutes, etc. Alex G is just a phenomenal instrumentalist and he pairs it with his voice really well.

22. Alice Phoebe Lou - Oblivion

This album is just so dreamy and lovely. "Pretender" in particular is a top-tier song, just so beautiful and moving, with "Oblivion" and "Old Shadows" up there as well. Straightforward, varying from delicate arrangements to accompany Alice Phoebe Lou's beautiful voice, to simple no-frills acoustic. Moody and, just! Lovely!

21. Florence + the Machine - Everybody Scream

I lost touch with Florence a little bit these past few years but I'm so glad I listened to her newest album (and will now be listening to all of her discography again). This one just feels so powerful, not only because of Florence Welch's one-of-a-kind voice but because of the rock instrumentation. Tracks 1 through 5 in particular are a fabulous run. Particularly loved the Julian of Norwich reference in "Perfume and Milk", and the sardonic bitterness of "One of the Greats", one of my favorite songs of the year.

20. Anna von Hausswolff - Iconoclasts

This one is long but it's worth every second. I'm a sucker for motifs, and the motif running through this album is killer. Listen to it all the way through - this is a proper album. But wonder especially at "The Beast", "The Iconoclast", "The Whole Woman" featuring Iggy Pop himself, and "Struggle with the Beast", which is tremendous. Every song is a banger and you should really listen with headphones on.

19. The Last Dinner Party - From The Pyre

I adored The Last Dinner Party's debut in 2024 and was so surprised they had another full-length waiting to go a year later. I was needlessly worried that it wouldn't be as good, but it's totally fully formed and great fun. I love how dramatic and funny TLDP's songs are (one assumes that they're also disciples of Florence + the Machine, as well as Kate Bush, glam rock, and Sparks, who they covered in 2024). There's so many great songs on this album, but "The Scythe" really hits for me personally.

18. Ethel Cain - Perverts

Now for something completely different! I've been getting way more into ambient and drone lately, and I was obsessed with this album as soon as Ethel Cain dropped it at the beginning of the year. I appreciated her disruption of her own narrative as an alternative-pop star, and this album is just so great to immerse yourself in.

17. Maria Somerville - Luster

This one’s in a similar vein to Perverts, but not quite ambient, more shoegaze/dream pop. Something about this album is quietly unassuming, and yet it gets its hooks into you and doesn’t let go. The first two tracks build up to the third, “Garden”, which takes your breath away. What else can I say? It’s just lovely lovely lovely.

16. Samia - Bloodless

Samia is definitely one of the best lyricists working right now, but she's also a great writer of musical hooks, from beautiful acoustic fingerpicking to hard rock chords. She threads this album through with the conceit of listening to the radio, changing the channel mid-song, etc., which is a fun meta-commentary on pop songs overstaying their welcome, except that all of the songs on this album are very much welcome! I particularly love "Bovine Excision", "Lizard", "Fair Game", and "Proof".

15. Julien Baker & TORRES - Send A Prayer My Way

I’ve been a huge fan of both Julien Baker and TORRES for years, so this album was a delight to me. Country isn’t usually my bag, but I appreciate these two artists queering the typical country formula while still maintaining the genre’s intimacy, sincerity, and campy fun. These two artists’ confessional songwriting works so well here, especially with “Dirt”, “Tuesday”, “Sugar in the Tank”, and “Showdown”.

14. FKA twigs - EUSEXUA

EUSEXUA was the first album of 2025 that I got really excited about, and it stuck around until the end! I’ve been listening to twigs for over 10 years and I always like, but don’t always love, the music she puts out. This album is a really wonderful unification of her more high-concept, theoretical themes in her work, with her extremely gifted ear for production and dance music. I just love really good dance music!! Don’t sleep on “Keep It, Hold It”.

13. Wet Leg - moisturizer

Wet Leg remains one of the best bands I’ve ever seen live, and I’m absolutely dying for them to tour somewhere near where I live so I can see them perform these songs. This is a no-skip album for the ages. I actually think I like “moisturizer” more than Wet Leg’s debut - they seem more confident and mature, while still being cheeky and clever. “mangetout”, “CPR”, “catch these fists”, “pokemon”, I COULD GO ON!!! Just such a great album.

12. Pile - Sunshine and Balance Beams

The thing that I’m always looking for when I listen to music, regardless of genre or artist or year of release, is drama, and Pile always delivers. I love how carefully they walk the line between harsh, atonal noise and gorgeous, elaborate melodies. This album, like their previous album “All Fiction”, kind of feels like one continuous musical narrative, even if the lyrics don’t necessarily imply that. “Born at Night” and “Bouncing in Blue” in particular have narrative heft. Great album.

11. Perfume Genius - Glory

This album was very special to me this year because I got to see Perfume Genius perform it in Chicago! My trip there was in the middle of some terrible car troubles and bad luck, but I refused to give up because this band is so important to me, and it was an incredible show. Part of that is because this is a really great album! It’s obvious Mike Hadreas is confronting aging and his long-time relationship with collaborator (and now husband) Alan Wyffels, and there’s a subtle maturity throughout the songs. “It’s A Mirror” is an all-timer Perfume Genius track.

10. Circuit des Yeux - Halo On The Inside

Generally speaking, I am referring to initial releases on this list and not on deluxe or extended editions, but in this case I recommend that you listen to the Deluxe Edition of this album because it adds something like scene-setting or staging to these already wonderfully cinematic songs. I also saw Haley Fohr perform while I was in Atlanta and her voice is just as incredible live as it is on this album. There was a strain of dark sexiness in my favorite albums this year, and this one is a standout example.

9. Erika de Casier - Lifetime

Erika de Casier was new to me this year, but I’ll definitely be exploring her previous work after hearing this album. The sexiness of this album is different from some of the others on this list - it’s quieter, more intimate, and more nostalgic, especially with Erika de Casier’s use of ‘90s- and 2000s-tinged synths and break beats. Erika’s voice is different from the voice of, say, Sade, and yet they both evoke similar feelings in me. I know I’ll be revisiting this album for a long time.

8. Sam Amidon - Salt River

Another artist who was new to me this year, but gosh was I blown away by this album. I’ve been finding myself gravitating in the past year towards work that is very minimalist and stripped back in a way that allows what’s left to be unexpected and surprising, and “Salt River” has this quality in spades. I just adore his approach to folk music and covers on this album. “Three Five” and “I’m On My Journey Home” are standouts. (I was also very surprised and pleased to hear Sam’s distinct voice on the soundtrack for The History of Sound, one of my favorite films of the year).

7. Olly Alexander - Polari

God, do I love hyperpop. This album brings together two of my favorite artists, singer-songwriter Olly Alexander (in his first official release under his own name instead of his former moniker Years & Years) and producer Danny L Harle. When the first and title track starts, I’m instantly drawn in by the samples and sounds. These tracks are amazing for dancing, and I also loved the themes of gay male desire and courtship throughout the album (like the title, which refers to a now-mostly-defunct constructed language, Polari, used by gay men in England for decades and possibly centuries).

6. Baths - Gut

I’ve been following Baths (aka Will Wiesenfeld) for a few years now, but this is his first album that really gripped me, and that’s due to the extraordinary confessional nature of the songs. Baths puts everything on display here: his insecurities, flaws, hopes, fears. Even though he and I have had very different lives, this album is incredibly universal through its specificity. It’s an impressive feat of vulnerability on top of being beautiful and fun, especially on the faster tracks. The back half of the album is where it really gets powerful, especially on “Chaos”, “Governed”, and the close “The Sound of a Blooming Flower.”

5. Caroline Rose - year of the slug

I’m a HUGE Caroline Rose fan, they’re one of my favorite artists, so this album was a treat for me which allowed me to witness a little bit of Caroline’s process. When they dropped this album they explained that these are essentially demos straight out of Garageband, and the tour that followed was in small clubs and bars that lent themselves to these intimate, stripped back songs. I was able to catch them in Atlanta and it was a full-circle moment for me: back in March 2020 I had planned to go to Columbus, OH on a solo birthday trip to see them. Obviously that plan didn’t happen, but the intervening 5 years saw my life change so completely - I could never have imagined that I would be seeing Caroline in Atlanta because I would be there for months working as an accountant on a huge movie. Having Caroline Rose’s voice with me all those years has been a huge comfort.

4. Geese - Getting Killed

The first I heard of anyone involved with Geese was when my brother insisted that I listen to lead singer Cameron Winter’s solo album that he released at the end of 2024. I find that whether or not Geese works for you depends heavily on how you feel about Winter’s voice. I know some hate it (check the reception to their performance on SNL for evidence) but I am totally enamored of it. It’s so unique and powerful and full of emotion. But really, I love everything about this album. The addicting hooks, the excitement of Emily Green’s guitar and Max Bassin’s drums, the seductive plodding of Dominic DiGesu’s bass. There’s something almost Zappa-esque about this band. I’m so excited because I haven’t heard any of their previous albums, so there’s more to discover!

3. cutouts - Snakeskin

Of all the dark and sexy albums I loved this year, this one is the apotheosis. “Snakeskin” is the debut solo album of cutouts, aka Alex MacKay, bassist for Nation of Language. I don’t really listen to Nation of Language but I sincerely hope they are putting Alex’s beautiful and dusky voice to work as well as his obvious affinity and skill at grooves and beats. If I listen to this album with headphones on I basically go into a fugue state. The production is perfect and has lots of little teases and ear candy. “Cowgirl”, featuring Kentucky’s own Tomberlin, in particular had a chokehold on me all year. I more or less listen to it on repeat! It’s literally a perfect song.

2. Lorde - Virgin

LORDE! I am a ride or die for Ella Yelich-O’Connor, okay? Remember when I said I’ve been really into minimalist and stripped back production? Yeah. This album’s placement on this list isn’t just about the exciting and inventive production on these songs, something new and cool for Lorde’s oeuvre. This album is also very personal for me and some changes I’ve been going through over the past two years in my personal life, as well as some topics and themes that I’ve also been exploring in my own work (virginity, gender, alchemical internal work). “Man of the Year” in particular is a song that feels incredibly personal to me and has made me weep on more than one occasion. We’re so lucky to be living at the same time as Lorde!

1. Addison Rae - Addison

If you had told me even just a year ago that Addison Rae would make my favorite album of the year, I would not have believed you. I’m sure a lot of people feel the same way, and there’s an interesting discussion to be had about overcompensating in the other direction for the sins of poptimism. But that’s not important. What’s important is that, if you like pop music, Addison Rae’s self-titled album will knock your socks off. Producer Elvira Anderfjärd has gained a lifelong fan (me). These songs are like champagne bubbles, Turkish delight, just so sweet and effervescent. I’ve compared what Addison is doing to Marilyn Monroe - stay with me - because she’s depending on the listener’s extant perceptions of her to wink, play coy, and subvert expectations. Her lyrics are very self-aware and reach out to the listener, inviting you to feel youthful and wide-eyed with Addison. I just can’t speak highly enough of this album!!! I’ll send you all off with her video for “Aquamarine” which really sealed the deal for me.

Honorable Mentions:

• Annie DiRusso - Super Pedestrian

• Bartees Strange - Horror

• Big Thief - Double Infinity

• Cory Hanson - I Love People

• Daniel Lopatin - Marty Supreme (Original Soundtrack)

• Ethel Cain - Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You

• Ezra Furman - Goodbye Small Head

• Grace Rogers - Mad Dogs

• HAIM - I quit

• jasmine.4.t - You Are the Morning

• Jenny Hval - Iris Silver Mist

• Kara-Lis Coverdale - From Where You Came

• Lady Gaga - MAYHEM

• Lambrini Girls - Who Let The Dogs Out

• Lucy Dacus - Forever Is A Feeling

• Malibu - Vanities

• Marlon Williams - Te Whare Tiwekaweka

• Mhaol - Something Soft

• PinkPantheress - Fancy That

• Prewn - System

• ROSALÍA - LUX

• spill tab - ANGIE

• Ty Segall - Possession

• yeule - Evangelic Girl is a Gun

• Your Smith - The Rub