Naturally, I fell a lil behind with a deployment and grad school, but I wanted to finally get this one published. 2025—What a great year for music! I’ve never been one to follow album releases, but Spotify has gotten me hyped every time they notify me of an artist I follow with an upcoming release. Here are my top albums from 2025.

A6 by LIGHTS (Spotify)

A Canadian synth-pop artist, she reminds me a lot of Ellie Goulding. Her album, A6, is easy to listen to on repeat, and she even throws some German in there.

Through looking her up, she also apparently released a graphic novel line called Skin&Earth prior to an earlier album release. Pretty rad that she spans multiple domains.

In 2026, she released A6EXTENDED (Spotify), adding 8 songs!

The Crux by Djo (Spotify)

The original release had 12 songs, but The Crux Deluxe (Spotify) came out the same year and doubled the songs on the album to 24!

I have a hard time pronouncing the band’s name (I think it’s “Joe” after the lead singer), but they’re fun. Joe Keery plays Steve Harrington in Stranger Things and has an incredible band!

Oh! The Ocean by The Wombats (Spotify)

While Katy Perry has dominated my Spotify Wrapped statistics for years, The Wombats unseated her for 2025 with this album. I listened to it and shared it so much. 

They released the album’s Extended Version (Spotify), too, which added 5 songs.

About A Woman Deluxe by Thomas Rhett (Spotify)

I’m not a country fan, but Thomas Rhett has been not only acceptable but enjoyable. I’m not sure why he’s different from others, but I enjoyed the deluxe release of About a Woman.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps OST by Michael Giacchino (Spotify)

Easy, space-themed study music.

Perimenopop by Sophie Ellis-Bextor (Spotify)

Sophie’s got a high-energy, funky disco sound.

Addison by Addison Rae (Spotify)

I first came across Addison Rae through Rebecca Black’s cover of “Fame is a Gun” on triple j’s Like a Version series. Addison is her first album, and it’s a bop.

Honorable Mention: I Love You So F***ing Much by Glass Animals (2024) (Spotify)

While it didn’t come out in 2025, I listened to it on repeat all year. Better late than never!