New Release Album Cycle June 20th and My Favorite 25 Albums of 2025 So Far
Full album list, my thoughts on some and Apple Music and Spotify Playlists
Happy weekend! If you scroll ALL the way to the bottom of this page, you will find twenty-five albums that have stood out the most to me so far this year (not including albums from this week). I am not ready to put albums in any sort of order, but out of the 200 or so I have kept in the listening rotation for 2025, these are the ones that rise above the rest. There is also a Spotify playlist of them.
This was a very good week, some real standouts. I talk about some of them below, including albums from S.G. Goodman, James McMurtry, Hotline TNT, and Bones of Jr. Jones. There will also be the weekly Spotify and Apple Music playlists below. Some artists I do not talk about in-depth, but who are on the playlist, include the jazz, electronic, classical trio GoGo Penguin, who have put out another very pleasant album to listen to. Pop sisters Haim are back with an album of very produced and sugar-sweet songs. Country singer Kelsey Walden is back with a solid collection of real-deal country tunes on her album Every Ghost. UK hip-hop artist Loyle Carner has his fourth album out. The Mercury Prize nominee has a very poetic, laid-back vibe, and the album is a great listen. Australian singer-songwriter OSKA has a new album out, and we have the song “Final Straw” on the playlists. Dream pop duo Tan Cologne release the dark and pretty Unknown Beyond. Neggy Gemmy is here with a song that kind of reminds me of Sarah Cracknell of St. Etienne. Terrace Martin and Kenyon Dixon have a new album out called Come As You Are, and I also put on experimental duo Matmos on here.
THIS LINK IS THE APPLE MUSIC PLAYLIST
Below is the Spotify Playlist
Bones of Jr. Jones-Radio Waves-So, this guy has been putting out albums for over ten years. I just went back and scanned through some to figure out how I missed him. I am pretty sure if I would have scanned a lot of the older albums when they came out, I would have passed—as they would not have piqued my interest right away, personally. I do think I had his 2018 CD in my possession at one point, probably because Nicole Atkins is on it. It looks familiar, but I also work in a record store—so everything kind of does. I guess he has always been an “alternative blues” guy—though scanning through his past work, it seems like he is a lot more than that and kind of evolved to what we have on this album, maybe. When I stumbled on the single “Car Crash,” his voice caught me, but also the subtle electronic production on the song also. Americana and synths could go very badly. It works out wonderfully here. Especially on songs like “Savages,” where his twangy vocals recall a little bit of Elvis in his “Suspicious Mind” to me. The synths are not over the top; they really just add atmosphere or even place you in a different time. The sound on the song “Shameless” puts me listening to a Springsteen 80’s ballad in a car on a dark road in the middle of nowhere. All in all, this is a solid album—with some gorgeous songs, genuine emotion, and some cool things happening musically. I bet this guy took a real risk going for this sound—and it was a risk worth taking.
Hotline TNT – Raspberry Moon-In 2023, many of us fell in love with fuzzy rock band Hotline TNT—especially those of us who grew up on shoegazy college rock of thirty-plus years ago. The hook in the song “I Thought You’d Change” still gets me when I hear it. Two years later, and that album is still played frequently in the record store. This album feels more focused on songwriting a little bit. While still fuzzy, it drops some of—but not all of—the shoegaze vibe for more of a power-rock/power-pop sound. It all works—especially if you are one who complains about a lack of guitar music—and it’s not all that big of a jump for the band. The song “Julia’s War” is this album’s attempt at that killer hook, and it’s a good one, but no “I Thought You’d Change.” A good follow-up album that is the band’s most fleshed out, and I think it is a grower also. We will see. Worth a listen.
S.G. Goodman-Planting By Signs-I always think of S.G. Goodman as a bigger artist that she is. She seems to pop on everyone’s albums, and of course Tyler Childers recorded her song “Space and Time” as the closing number on his last album. This is only her third solo album and fourth album total. It’s a good one, and could be one that finds it’s way onto many best of 2025 lists. It is singer-songwriter and Americana, but not as steeped in Americana as some of her previous work was. If you just let it play and do not actually sit down and listen to the lyrics, it might fly by you on the first listen. It did me. When I took it for a car ride the lyrics really caught my interest, especially the song “Snapping Turtle”, as it speaks to many of us who grew up in small towns. This is definitely a grower of an album, you need a few listens to it to sink in, but once you do-these songs will hold up to repeated listens. Other stand out tracks that end up being ear worms after repeated listens include “Fire Sign” and “I Can See The Devil”. Bonnie Prince Billy guests on “Nature’s Child”.
James McMurtry-The Black Dog and Wandering Boy -By my count, this is James McMurtry’s twelfth album. I am a lifelong fan of McMurtry, going back to when I was just turning drinking age. I think he is one of the best songwriters of all time and one of the most underrated. In 2021, he put out the album Horses and the Hounds, and I think that is the best album he has put out. Somehow, he has gotten better into his late 50s and now 60s. I am not sure yet if Black Dog will top Horses and the Hounds, but damn, it is sure going to try. It is another collection of fantastic songs from the cantankerous and witty McMurtry. From the gorgeous “Sailing Away” to the classic McMurtry dry and witty story song “Pinocchio in Vegas,” the album has all of James’s hallmarks. The song “Annie” is about 9/11 and George Bush, and the chorus mentions Nebraska over and over, and Offutt even gets a mention. “The Color of Night” is an upbeat driver, and “Sons of the Second Sons” will surely be a McMurtry live standard. If you were at the Omaha show this past spring, you already heard it live once. If you are a McMurtry fan, this new album will do the trick and more. If you are not—I highly recommend getting on board. He is up there with Zevon, Petty, and Prine.
Aitch – 4
Alestorm-The Thunderfist Chronicles
Badflower-No Place Like Home
Bambie-Infinity Club II
Benson Boone – American Heart
The Bones of J.R. Jones – Radio Waves
Che Noir – The Color Chocolate 2
Cryptopsy – An Insatiable Violence
Edna Vazquez – Te Esperaba
Eric Hilton (Midnight Ragas
EsDeeKid-Rebel
The Farm – Let The Music (Take Control)
GoGo Penguin – Necessary Fictions
HAIM – I quit
Hiroe – Wield
Hotline TNT – Raspberry Moon
Illit-Bomb
James McMurtry-The Black Dog and Wandering Boy
Karol G-Tropicqueta
Keke Palmer-Just Keke
Kelsey Waldon – Every Ghost
Kenny Muney – Kenjamin Franklin
L’Eclair – Cloud Drifter
Liam Finn – Hyperverse
Loyle Carner – hopefully !
Lukah and Staik Selektah-A Lost Language Found
Lukas Nelson – American Romance
Malevolence-Where Only The Truth Is Spoken
Matmos – Metallic Life Review
Matthew Shipp – The Cosmic Piano
Maxo – Mars Is Electric
Meggie Lennon – Desire Days
midwxst – archangel
Minais B – And i know i can feel bad when i get in a bad mood
Mo Lowda & the Humble – Tailing the Ghost
Nathan Salsberg-Ipsa Corpora
Neggy Gemmy-She Comes From Nowhere
OSKA – Refined Believer
REDD. – RAUNCH
S.G. Goodman – Planting by the Signs
Skinhead – It’s a Beautiful Day, What a Beautiful Day
Tan Cologne – Unknown Beyond
Tee Templeton – Diner of Doubt
Terrace Martin and Kenyon Dixon-Come As You Are
Tropical Fuck Storm – Fairyland Codex
University – McCartney, It’ll Be OK
U.S. Girls – Scratch It
The Wandering Hearts – Déjà Vu (We Have All Been Here Before)
Water Machine – God Park
Willie Nile – The Great Yellow Light
Yaya Bey – do it afraid
The 25 Albums of 2025 That Have Stood Out To Me Thus Far
Sharon Van Etten and The Attachment Theory-Self Titled
Chime Oblivion-Self Titled
Clipping-Dead Channel Sky
Julien Baker and Torres-Send A Prayer My Way
Flora Hibberd-Swirl
The Murder Capitol-Blindness
Zzzahara-Spiral Your Way Out
Blondshell-If You Asked For A Picture
Manic Street Preachers-Critical Thinking
Pulp-More.
Cayllee Hammack-Bed Of Roses
Lambrini Girls-Who Let The Dogs Out
Horsegirl-Phonetics On and On
Momma-Welcome To My Blues Sky
Ben Kweller-Cover The Mirrors
Emma-Jean Thackray-Weirdo
Deep Sea Diver-Billboard Heart
Charlie Crockett-Lonesome Drifter
Florist-Jellywish
Alexandria Savior-Beneath The Lillypad
Mhaol-Something Soft
Samantha Crain-Gumshoe
Snapped Ankles–Hard Times Furious Dancing
Little Simz-Lotus
Annahstasia Tether