Top ten albums of 2025

As the semester crawls to a close, so too does my time as KRNL’s online editor. As I say goodbye, I thought what better sendoff than subjecting you to my personal opinions that are of value to absolutely no one? I love a good list, so, here, I’ve gathered 10 of my favorite records of 2025 so I may celebrate, recommend and analyze them. Enjoy!

10. Model/Actriz – Pirouette

New Yorkers Cole Haden and company have always reveled in the sounds of dance-punk and industrial, but they’ve typically played it close to the vest. Their 2023 debut, “Dogsbody” was no doubt an interesting combination of influences — pulling heavily from the likes of Nine Inch Nails and Xiu Xiu — but it left their palette feeling limited to harsh greys, blacks and murky in-betweens. Fortunately, here on “Pirouette,” Model/Actriz not only refine their sound, but expand it into the realms of slow-burn ballads and

sensuality. “Acid Rain” and “Diva” are

dramatic — dare I say theatrical — while “Cinderella” and “Departures” are intense dance cuts through and through. The intensity that made the band so interesting is still here in spades, but they do it with a surgeon's precision, blurring beauty and noise together to create their boldest record thus far. Whether they’re sipping poison or pinning roses to their suit jackets, Model/Actriz remains electric on “Pirouette.”

9. Black Country New Road – Forever Howlong

When the lead singer leaves your band after finding critical and commercial success, what are you to do? In the case of Black Country, New Road, the answer is simple: don’t panic. Though the heart-wrenching musings of Isaac Wood will be missed by many depressed 20-something indie heads, what we get on “Forever Howlong” is nothing short of a triumph. The instrumentation is lush, the songs are punchy and the lyrics are more playful than they’ve ever been. At the heart of this baroque, art-rock odyssey of saxophones, flutes and violas exists an earnest passion to create something. And, against all odds, they managed to create something rather beautiful. “Forever Howlong” is as much of an album as it is an experience, gently tugging you along brick-laid city streets and lush gardens that never overstay their welcome. Every song is its own multi-phase epic filled with explosive highs and serene lows, but, if you are to take it as it is, in one sitting, I think you’ll come out the other side rejuvenated. The biggest compliment I can give is that it inspired me to also create, and that is exactly what Black Country, New Road has achieved here.

8. I love my computer – Ninajirachi

On the surface, there’s much to be skeptical about regarding Ninajirachi’s fifth album, “I Love My Computer” (or, perhaps, not much to be excited about). These days, if you’re listening to an electronic record, there is probably an anime-obsessed, techno girl who rambles on about the IBM 5100 at the helm. However, once you stop judging and immerse yourself in her world, you will find that “I Love My Computer” is an endearing personal narrative packed with electropop highlights. Ninajirachi uses her producing chops to tell the story of her life, and the role technology has played within it, something any child of the early 2000s is bound to gravitate towards. It is an album which offers much nuance, from the adrenaline of cuts like “Battery Death,” to the more commentative moments like the haunting “Infohazard.” She manages to charm her audience and make them dance all at once, which is made more impressive when lyrics like, “iPod Touch, yellow Pikachu case” are what she’s pumping into our ears. It is a cohesive, exciting project that was released right on time for robots to kill the lot of us.

7. Goodbye, world! – miffle

Tape Loop records are difficult to discuss, mostly because their beauty is often derived from the contexts in which they originate rather than the content itself (“Disintegration Loops” being the poster child). That said, what makes “goodbye, world!” beautiful is not hard to decipher. That’s not to say the album is simple, as there is much technical proficiency on display as the tapes glitch, warp, rewind and blend with one another. No, what makes this album phenomenal is the emotional journey miffle manages to piece together from seemingly disparate places. Field recordings and string passages and random conversations are thrown together like a manic clockmaker is at the wheel, but it somehow pierces through the heart. It is an album which you must accept on its terms, but, if you do, you are in for an emotional journey that will relentlessly play with your soul as it loses itself in the frozen tundra of its own making.

6. Lotus – Little Simz

Little Simz has been busy since her last full release, “No Thank You,” and she wants you to know all about it. Lawsuits, heartbreak and struggle are all on full display with “Lotus” (a flower known to survive in rough conditions). What has always made Little Simz so engaging on previous records is her ability to tackle a subject with immense precision – a skill that thrives in the soundscapes of “Lotus.” Anger is channeled in the grime of “Thief” and “Flood,” but grief is released in the subtlety of tracks like “Peace” and “Blue.” Every line she pens feels intentional and powerful, and the instrumentals accompanying them are just as intricate. It grapples with womanhood, artistry and love so seamlessly, ultimately painting a self-portrait of Simz and the journey she has taken thus far. It is her most triumphant release yet, and, having released music for well over a decade now, it seems like Little Simz can never be broken.  

5. Stardust – Danny Brown

I’ll give full disclosure here: this record was made for me. You take my favorite yelping, crazed rapper, throw him on hyperpop instrumentals, and have him collaborate with the best in the genre? That’s a recipe for success, and one many could take notes from when taking creative risks. Brown has always been cutting edge with his music, collaborating with the likes of Charli XCX and Purity Ring since 2013. This creative ambition has landed him in many odd places, but none were as unexpected as his shift into hyperpop. Now, he’s working with the likes of Jane Remover, ISSBROKIE and underscores. The best part? He’s killing it. This lane shift results in a record that is experimental, introspective and highly enjoyable. Cuts like “Copycats” and “Lift You Up” are seamless and leave me questioning if this is the same guy who used to rap about three-day benders and jail lunch lines. Regardless, the emerging sentiment is clear: whatever Danny Brown does, I’ll be there.

4. Geese – Getting Killed

As a kid, my father would often shove Rolling Stones CD’s into the car’s radio, turn back to me in my booster seat, and say, “This is what real music is, boy!” Well, I fear that is exactly what I will be doing to my future children as I show them “Getting Killed” by Geese. Cameron Winter and friends have been turning heads since 2021, but no single release felt as important as this. Any kinks the band were attempting to shake on “3D Country” have been thrown to the wayside in favor of winding song structures, tight riffs and vocals which could command an army. The influences from blues, country and garage rock are all here, but made thrilling through a unique, relentless energy only Geese is capable of capturing. One minute the record is slapping you across the face with “Trinidad” and “100 Horses,” the next it's tending to your wounds on “Au Pays du Cocaine” and “Half Real.” It is an album which makes me excited about music and about being alive. Anyone who says rock is dead is a fool, and this album is proof enough.

3. viagr  aboys – Viagra Boys

I’m a big fan of being weird. I mean, really weird. Viagra Boys are too and should be with a name like that. What matters, though, is what you do with that weirdness. In the case of “viagr aboys,” it means using absurdist humor and punk-rock to make some sense of the world we’re living in. That may seem counterintuitive, as singer Sebastian Murphy prattles on about reanimated corpses, eating cigarettes for breakfast, and knowing a dude that knows a dude that knows a dude. But the world we live in is just as bizarre if you stop and look around long enough. Viagra Boys manage to do just that, peering into every convenience store corner and vet operating room to deliver songs that are as weird as they are catchy. And I do need to emphasize the quality of these songs, because they are all a delight. The riffs are fast, the drums are pounding and Sebastian Murphy slips between smooth-rocker and sociopathic-screamer a little too smoothly. It won’t be a record for everyone (please don’t show this to your grandmother), but, if you give it a chance, you’re in for a record that is hilarious, enjoyable and thought-provoking.

2. Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out

Clipse has a long history in hip-hop dating back to the early 2000s. I will not bore you with the details. All you need to know is that “Let God Sort Em Out” is about as perfect of a hip-hop record as you could ask for. It all comes down to two simple things: Pusha T and Malice are phenomenal rappers, and Pharrel Williams is producing like it’s 2006. There is very little I could critique about this record. True, it is nothing new or cutting edge in the grander scheme of music history. That said, it is indeed something new for Clipse, as they confront themes of parenthood, crime and legacy in ways only decades of reflection could provide. They even manage to rope in newer artists, collaborating with Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator and Stove God Cooks, while also looking back on legends such as Nas. I have listened to this album approximately 1,089 times, and it has yet to even remotely get old (there are too many lyrical highlights here to mention). Clipse reminds the world that they haven’t lost their magic on “Let God Sort Em Out,” a flawless record which continues to impress me.

1. McKinley Dixon – Magic, Alive!

“Magic, Alive!” is not only McKinley Dixon’s best record, but one of the best records of this decade. I thought 2023’s “Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!” was a showstopper, but he somehow managed to outdo himself. It all comes down to commitment, as Dixon finally jumped headfirst into jazz instrumentals on this one. Dixon will rap over a full jazz band effortlessly, giving the record a unique splash of color unseen in the vast majority of the genre. What he says is no slouch either, as his storytelling has the makings of a premier writer: engaging, detailed and emotional. The elements all come together to create an experience unlike any other. It is angry, it is heartbreaking, it is triumphant and it is beautiful all in the same breath. Tracks warp and bend, made that much more alive thanks to flutes, saxophones and upright basses all dancing with one another. “Magic, Alive!” comes from a very special place that many artists dream of tapping into. Yes, it is magic. Yes, it is alive. It is the culmination of the heart and the soul, working together to create some of the most impactful art of this year. Hats off to you Dixon, I wish to one day create like you create.