2025 has come to an end, and what a year it was for music! I’ve been eagerly anticipating a few releases from some of my favourite artists who were making their return. These albums lived up to expectations alongside a wealth of new, unexpected music. The following list includes my favourite records of the year:
From The Pyre by The Last Dinner Party
Baroque Pop’s biggest stars are back, and it’s not a disappointing second album. In From the Pyre, TLDP expand their world, taking the listener on a journey from saloons to sailboats. Their sound is more vibrant than ever, with Morris’ striking vocals leading the charge. Guitars, keys, violins, saxophones and choral arrangements all blend cohesively to back poetic lyrics, allowing the band to tell striking stories of romance and pain.
Liquidize by Wet Leg
Wet Leg’s second instalment is far more mellow than I had expected from their return to music, but the sound perfectly encapsulates the feeling of safety and comfort provided by a loving relationship. In most tracks, Teasdale explores the solace she has found in life with her partner, while in others she still maintains the cheeky and assertive attitude heard in their debut album. The band supports her every step of the way, creating their most self-assured work yet.
Cosplay by Sorry
The third studio album from Sorry captures a kind of melancholy angst, which permeates their reflections on love, identity, and the modern world. Some tracks present haunting melodies with soft, twisting vocals, while others are more frenzied and intense, but they all succeed in immersing the listener into Sorry’s dark soundscape, as though entering a portal into a different, more uncanny version of our own world.
Lotus by Little Simz
Mercury Award winner Little Simz is back with her sixth studio album, which sonically presents itself as a rebirth for the artist. The tracks feel new and fresh, combining rap with punky guitar riffs and jazzy melodies. The sound this creates is confident and cinematic, supported by the lyrics which explore personal and political struggles in a nuanced and assured way.
Getting Killed by Geese
Geese’s bombastic return to the scene breaks all the rules. Sometimes cacophonous and abrasive, the tracks don’t hold back in their experimental choices. It feels like it has been impossible to miss the conversation surrounding Geese this year, whether through word of mouth or a frankly excessive amount of posters in tube stations, and yet the album revels in never being quite what you expect from it.
The Badger Also Recommends:
- Juniper by Joy Crookes
- The Clearing by Wolf Alice
- Evangelic Girl is a Gun by Yuele
- That’s Showbiz Baby by Jade
- All That is Over by Sprints
- Headlights by Alex G
- Euro-Country by CMAT
- Virgin by Lorde
You may also enjoy https://thebadgeronline.com/2025/12/west-end-girl-lily-allen/.