AOTY 2025
Hello hello. This year I am doing something a little different. 2025 saw the release of no less than 3 bands who had a top album of the year for me at some point, plus a bunch of artists who I have featured before. A bunch of these albums I loved and would normally be on this list, however in the interest of keeping things interesting and also helping expose some lesser known acts, I have decided to focus on my favorite 10 albums from artists who haven’t been on a list before. I am pretty sure there will be at least one band in here that is new to you, and to me that’s what this list is really all about. So, while I could go on and on extolling the virtues of the new Deafheaven, Turnstile and Darkside records (all of which I loved), instead I invite you to explore something different. As always, I appreciate your time and support for the label and music in general. Thanks!
All these albums are also in a playlist with some other favorites from the year HERE
I have also made a playlist with my favorite single tracks of the year. You can check it out HERE
Pirouette by Model/Actriz
By far my most listened to album of the year is the sophomore effort from Brooklyn based Model/Actriz. The singles, Cinderella, Doves and Diva were on constant repeat for months and I had that feeling where nothing else sounded as good so I just kept listening to these same songs over and over. At the same time Paris (from Object As Subject) and I were working on the score to Chronology of Water so these songs became the soundtrack to that particularly crazy time in our lives. We would take breaks from working just to dance like fools to these songs.
And these songs, while on an initial listen sound more like noise rock tracks, propel themselves forward and it becomes impossible not to move to them. Nobody else is making dance music that sounds like this. Its herky jerky, its noisy and raw, the lyrics are incredibly personal and real. It eschews all the stereotypes of what dance music should be like and succeeds far better than whatever EDM or trance is considered more appropriate for people who want to move their bodies. And even more impressive is that this is a band that plays live and doesn’t rely on backing tracks or synthesizers, although its understandably confusing when the main guitar player plays his instrument like a noise machine rather than a melodic stringed device. It squeals and jitters and glitches out in unnatural ways and is completely captivating to me.
Singer Cole Haden keeps his lyrics squarely in the realm of his personal experience as a gay man on tour, living in America, dealing with his demons and getting into compromising situations. And while this approach seems highly specific, his imagery is applicable to so many people and situations. It transcends its narrator into something universal and important. By far my favorite record of the year.
Die In Love by Greet Death
Greet Death is a four piece shoegaze / alt rock band from Michigan who wear their influences on their sleeves but aren’t afraid to push forward with their own unique sound as well. They are the absolute best at making nice sounding music that is lyrically super dark shit. That dichotomy of light and ark suffuses the whole album with a sense of both hope and foreboding. The song Die In Love starts sounding like a My Bloody Valentine jam before switching gears to a major chord progression and a happy melody. Listen closer and the lyrics let you in on a little secret, all the pretty stuff is just a show. ‘Me and my love already have one foot in the grave, I just want to die in love and consummate my shame’. Oof.
The album also succeeds because it has two singers, each has their own distinctive voice both literally and lyrically. On the song ‘Country Girl’ Harper Boyhtari conjures a midwest scene that anyone from that area will relate to. Simple lyrics about family, fuck ups, smoking weed and watching horror movies because there’s nothing else to do. On the other side of the band is Logan Gaval who tends to be much more visual and metaphoric but no less impactful. Even on a basic acoustic song like ‘Small Town Cemetary’ he fills it with the angst and sadness of losing a partner effortlessly. His voice carries the kind of pathos that illicits emotion and makes me feel some of his pain, even if I will never match him.
Every song on here is great, I don’t skip anything. A fantastic album from a great up and coming band.
Dead Channel Sky by clipping.
The first time I heard about clipping. was on the podcast ‘60 Songs That Explain the 90s’ (an absolutely great podcast btw) on an episode about Nine Inch Nails. Two of the guys from the band were talking about how big an influence Trent was on their music and that got me interested. Dead Channel Sky came out shortly after I listened to that episode and instantly blew me away. Turns out there is a third guy in the band and that guy is Daveed Diggs, who was made famous by the musical ‘Hamilton’ where he played Thomas Jefferson. And holy shit, Diggs can rap his balls off. Is he the fastest rapper in the biz? Maybe? It would be hard to for me to believe that anyone can rap faster than he does on the track ‘Dodger’. Its the first thing you notice when you listen through this album. How the hell does that guy spit so fast. How does he not trip all over his own tongue as he moves through these incredibly complicated, intelligent tracks that range from guerilla warfare to drug dealing to mmorpg kids out of touch with reality. As he said in their recent Tiny Desk performance, ‘Real rap shit’.
After the initial shock of the BPM of the vocals I started to hear what Jonathan Snipes and William Huston were doing in the background and I had my mind blown for a second time. I don’t think its a coincidence that the title of the album is a lightly veiled reference to the first line of the novel ‘Neuromancer’ by William Gibson; ‘The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.’ That’s exactly what this album sounds like to me. Like the soundtrack to a dark, depressed world full of runaway technology and disenfranchised people. Old dial up modems, bit crushed to oblivion find their way into the mix. Radio static, 80s synths, acid bass lines and momentary glimpses of light define the sound of this album. Its that last one that really sticks out to me. On ‘Keep Pushing’ the best moment is when the strings come in at the last minute. Its like seeing the sun through the clouds for the first time in weeks, and as quickly as you saw it, its gone. That hope was momentary and fleeting and you are forced back into the reality of today, because thats the magic trick of this album. Its not some far future that we are trying to avoid. Its now and its real and I think this is the only band in the world that gets it.
Blight by The Antlers
The Antlers are a band that has been around for a long time. Held together by Peter Silbermann for the better part of 20 years, the band is an outlet for the progression of his life and what he has gone through. Back in 2009 they released the incredible record ‘Hospice"‘ which was featured on many best of lists and considered a classic. They could have stayed the course and released follow up albums that did the same thing, but they didn’t. Life doesn’t stay the same from year to year, so why should Silbermann’s output? Every Antlers record is something new. Something unexpected. For Blight the focus is on the last five years. The pandemic, which we all want to be over and done with, is still here. On ‘Something In The Air’ its the main character. The collective trauma we have as people is ingrained in the song and forces us to deal with it. On the title song you can hear Silbermann wrestling with his guilt over the capitalistic society that destroys the environment around us while he orders things on Amazon. How can we live in such a fractured state? Why is nobody else freaking out?! That energy can be difficult to process and I think this album can help anyone struggling.
deathdotcom by deathdotgov
Probably the most obscure band in this list is the four piece deathdotgov from Phoenix, AZ. I discovered them through this most recent record and was immediately in touch with them to see if they wanted to make a follow up for Lost Future (maybe more on that later). This album has all the things I love in music. Wild switches in style and presentation, sometimes in the same song? Check. An amazing drummer who matches the intensity of the other musicians? Yep. A lead singer who is at times fragile and at times an absolute screaming demon? For sure. Deathdotcom reminds me of Refused for its musicianship and genre bending songs. It also sounds like what would happen if Black Country, New Road made a metal album because of its musical instrument choices and that ridiculously awesome saxophone that comes in and out of the album. And lastly it reminds me of my beloved Blood Brothers through its vocal performances and incredible energy. That’s a pretty amazing list of influences and call outs but this band totally deserves it.
The Beep Test by God Alone
The most recent add to my favorite albums of the year comes from this incredible Irish quintet. Ireland is absolutely on fire with great bands and artists right now. Ever since the Irish government started subsidizing working artists, the output of truly astonishing stuff has gone through the roof. Now that the pilot program has been made permanent I look forward to more and more Irish music coming across to the US.
The Beep Test is the evolution of the sound made (semi) famous by countrymen And So I Watch You From Afar, in that its mainly instrumental but when vocals come in they are always necessary and hit hard. God Alone also likes to party so in between noisy post-metal driven tracks they bust out some incredible dance grooves that remind me of Soulwax with a metal frontman. On the song ‘Sir Laplage’ the combo of heaviness and dance is just perfect. This back and forth on the album between metal and dance sounds disjointed but instead it gives the listener a chance to move their body, to do some headbanging before diving back into the heavier, mathier stuff. Its cathartic and necessary on such a dense record. Every time i listen through this album I am always disappointed when its over. A good sign to be sure.
Reliquary by Reid Willis
The biography for Reid Willis says he is a classically trained pianist but there is almost no piano on this album. Instead, this record focuses on cinematic textures and extremely intricate, percussive beats, made from a collection of analog sounds and found sounds. Each tracks bristles with energy from these hypnotic and surreal soundscapes. I find myself getting lost on these tracks when I listen on headphones, trying to figure out how he made each beat sound so unique and original.
While I think the beats and drums are the standout thing here, the music surrounding them is equally as amazing. The moments of melody on ‘Mutual Fawn’ bring a technicolor spectrum to the music before a song like ‘The Gnawing’ drops us back into a post-industrial landscape. Willis was a child prodigy and was composing his own music at 8 years old. I think Reliquary really delivers on his promise and I would love to see him compose music for a film or some other media.
Tracked in Mud by Cassels
Cassels are two brothers riffing off each other and making some very gloomy rock music. They have a musical language that you can tell has been developed over many years of playing together, and the interplay between guitar and drums is the best thing about them. These songs bristle with anger and emotion and only explode at key moments. The band prefers the slow deadly burn, that makes the listener unsure of whats around the next corner or how the next section of a song will go. That mystery makes each song a fun trip and the album flows from the heaviest stuff to the most sparse tunes over its length. It feels like a descent into something harrowing and terrible. But you know, in an enjoyable way.
Dance Called Memory by Nation of Language
Probably the most well known band on this list is the Brooklyn trio Nation of Language. They have been making great records for a few years but I think Dance Called Memory is probably their strongest work to date with songs like ‘In Your Head’ and ‘Inept Apollo’ really anchoring the album and the sound of the band. They emulate 80s new-wave without copying it. They incorporate indie song writing and sounds without sounding like everyone else. This is probably in large part due to lead singer, Ian Devany, and his gorgeous singing voice. Seriously the dude could sing a shopping list and it would probably be beautiful. I love the restraint in this band and how they never do more than is absolutely necessary at any given time. It really sounds like 3 people playing music, instead of 3 people plus a hundred backing tracks.
A Thousand Years in Another Way by Activity
Another great find this year from the r/indieheads weekly playlist was this New York based experimental band and their album ‘A Thousand Years In Another Way’. What makes this album so special is the band’s dedication to taking the songs into weird and surreal places to see what they can uncover. A song like ‘Your Dream’ might start sounding like a normal indie song, but a couple minutes in and you’re on a voyage through some new sonic textures. ‘We Go Where We’re Not Wanted’ is my personal favorite. Its electronic textures and drums giving way to dreamlike chorale section and a spooky lead guitar. Each song is evocative lyrically too with themes of abuse, failure and a generalized sense of dread that permeates each tune. Katie pointed out that the lead singer also sounds a lot like Billy Corgan so that might have something to do with it for me as well…
There we go! Another year, another list. Honestly, what a great year for music. I never lacked for something interesting and new to listen to. As always, I appreciate you taking the time to peruse this list, and if you have suggestions or records I should have put on this list, don’t hesitate to let me know.
