Though 2025 had its fair share of misfires and disappointments, a few high points rose out of the gloom to stand tall and proud. Musical highlights that made the year than bit brighter and more wondrous. Records that resonated in the back of my mind, that sparked an inferno of excitement in my veins right from first pressing play, that kept me coming back time and again for another helping. It’s time for this year’s Listmas celebrations to reach their grand crescendo as take a look back at the very best albums of the past twelve months.
10. The Last Dinner Party – From The Pyre
TLDP really refined their opulent, theatrical style on this sophomore record. The lyrics leaning more into personal drama, tales of yearning and heartache, with their eclectic hairpin turns sounding slicker than ever. (Review)
9. Biffy Clyro – Futique
One of the band’s more streamlined and accessible releases, but still containing plenty of those uniquely Biffy quirks and massive anthemic hooks we’ve come to know and love. (Review)
8. Similar Kind – Good Grief!
Whenever I went to play music this past year, Good Grief! was the record I would find myself instinctively reaching for. Its funky indie pop sound lifting me up, and injecting a hearty dose of good vibes into my day. (Review)
7. Coheed and Cambria – The Father of Make Believe
One of the most consistently fun and engaging records in their catalogue. Full of addictive earworm hooks, with ‘Goodbye, Sunshine’ to ‘Meri of Mercy’ in particular being the strongest run of tracks of the whole year. (Review)
6. Divorce – Drive to Goldenhammer
Brooding, playful, bittersweet. Divorce’s unique and promising debut somehow manages to balance being offbeat and eclectic, while also feeling comfortingly familiar. (Review)
5. Sam Fender – People Watching
His most consistent, mature and heartfelt body of work to date. Reflecting on the world he grew up in, and the people he left behind, it’s the record that solidified his place as one of the most important voices in the UK music scene. (Review)
4. Bon Iver – SABLE, fABLE
Drawing from the raw, rustic folk of For Emma, Forever Ago, the cinematic chamber pop of Bon Iver, and the inventive electronica of 22, A Million – all while introducing a warm, soulful sound all its own. It feels like a victory lap for Justin Vernon. (Review)
3. Adult Leisure – The Things You Don’t Know Yet
This Bristol band’s debut feels spirited and energizing at every turn. Polished to a brilliant sheen; full of infectious earworms, revitalising rhythms, and an almost defiant sense of joy. (Review)
2. Luvcat – Vicious Delicious
This captivating cabaret fully immerses you into Luvcat’s world of lipstick, lace and leopard print. Rich, heady, and sinfully seductive, I adore its theatricality, its macabre romanticism, and its penchant for bewitching murder ballads. (Review)
1. Moron Police – Pachinko
Vibrant, absurd, and life-affirming, Pachinko is Moron Police’s masterpiece. It manages to be an uplifting, anthemic adventure, that will leave you grinning from ear to ear, while also being one of the most eloquent and heartfelt reflections on loss ever put to music. (Review)
Belwood Music 