Frank’s List:
What a year… Before we even begin to address the myriad of excellent albums and singles released this year, I just wanted to call out that it was also a tremendous year for vinyl reissues – I spent quite a bit of time with freshly minted pressings of Requiem in White’s early catalogue, Anilore’s shimmering remix of debut record Still Awake, Q Lazzarus’ collection of long-lost demos and studio tracks, Lycia’s classic Estrella, The Sundays underrated sophomore LP, Vazz’s ethereal masterpiece Your Lungs and Your Tongues, Rick Cuevas from Zru Vogue’s special solo LP, Silent Scream’s cassette-only demos, Shudder to Think’s perfect Pony Express Record, The God Machine’s two pummeling albums, forever favorite Mira’s debut LP, Orbital’s seminal Brown Album, and of course, the massive Machina boxset from The Smashing Pumpkins. The past is alive and well!
Otherwise, when looking at my list this year, it’s as clear as ever that I was all over the map. Year after year when I piece together these lists, I find that while there’s a few threads of connective tissue between the music I enjoy, an overarching theme, if one is even needed, is always difficult to identify. To me, loving a hodgepodge of music is what helps me feel more alive, and this year was all about embracing the different shadow sides and finding joy and beauty wherever I can. For lack of a better term, shoegaze remains supreme for me, as does a recent crop of revival sounds that tap into those early nineties alternative bands that I grew up with, but with the songs and hooks to counter the nostalgia. Of course, there are shades of caustic black metal, dark bedroom electronics, otherworldly drama and beauty, and barn-burning dance floor passion throughout this list, with perhaps a few surprises here and there. For starters, I never thought I’d include a video game soundtrack in my best-of list, but I was captivated by Team Cherry’s effort through and through, a maddeningly difficult-yet-gorgeous game with a stunning soundtrack that tapped into my deep love of ambient and neoclassical soundscapes. Silksong truly encapsulated the end of the year for me as a perfect escape from the horrors of the world above. Now that I’ve finished the game, I feel at a loss for something else to live inside so thoroughly.
To speak to my top three albums (lest we be here all day), Just Mustard’s third record was a lock for me even before it was officially released, as the Irish quintet has fully captured my heart and my ears and can do no wrong in my book. I must have clocked three listens to the album in one day, which is rare for me, and the album certainly hasn’t lost its luster over nearly a dozen more.
Also unsurprising for me was Suede’s Antidepressants. As a lifelong devotee of this plucky band, they just seem to keep getting better and better, and just like their prior their latest record capitalizes perfectly on the band’s unsung post-punk roots, complete with a haunting Francis Bacon-inspired album cover to seal the deal. Be sure to seek out the extra tracks from the album sessions, one which delightfully channels Killing Joke and Bauhaus. Lastly, Martin Dupont’s first LP in 38 years was a welcome surprise – as one of the champions of the French coldwave movement, their latest LP is a real stunner, a brilliant combination of deep orchestral passages and the minimal cold sounds that they are best known for.
On the EP front, special shoutouts to Automelodi and Lowsunday for releasing two absolutely flawless extended plays this year as well. Both projects are forever at the peak of their powers. Meanwhile, modern (and impressively prolific) French band Closed Mouth were also a delight to discover this year – I’m still absorbing the sheer magnitude of material that this project has released in just a short time period, but everything I’ve heard has been gold. Speaking of shimmering gold, while Jeffery Runnings from flawless and underrated post-punk band For Against sadly passed away this year, he left a bittersweet parting gift with Piqued, a mostly instrumental record that calls to mind the delicate tonality of The Durutti Column and Not Drowning, Waving. Lead single “Batman Forever” is in a word, heartbreaking – a track to be used sparingly, but one that will stand the test of time in an already formidable body of work.
Otherwise, hopefully there’s something for everyone to enjoy on this list, and of course, much love to even those I couldn’t mention. See y’all in 2026!
LPs:
1. Just Mustard – WE WERE JUST HERE
2. Suede – Antidepressants
3. Martin Dupont – You Smile When it Hurts
4. Lathe of Heaven – Aurora
5. Winter – Adult Romantix
6. Nuclear Daisies – First Taste of Heaven
7. Public Memory – Public Sword
8. Deftones – Private Music
9. Bootblacks – Paradise
10. Wardruna – Birna
11. November Növelet – Electrical
12. Rocket – R Is For Rocket
13. Ritual Howls – Ruin
14. Odonis Odonis – Odonis Odonis
15. Christopher Larkin – Hollow Knight: Silksong
16. Miki Berenyi Trio – Tripla
17. They Are Gutting a Body of Water – LOTTO
18. Lamp of Murmuur – The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy
19. Zanias – Cataclysm
20. Esses – Pain At the Altar of Jest
21. Bug Teeth – Micrographia
22. Desinteresse – Onschuld
23. The Horrors – Night Life
24. Pulp – More.
25. High. – Come Back Down
EPs
1. Automelodi – Cavallo
2. Lowsunday – White
3. Closed Mouth – You Don’t Need a God
4. Alison’s Halo – Skywide
5. Splizz – Splizz
Singles
1. Jeffrey Runnings – “Batman Forever”
2. Sacred Hearts – “Joyride”
3. Ortrotasce – “Mine Sorrow”
4. Mouth Ulcers – “A Perfect End”
5. Coatie Pop – “Surrender Your Heart”
Listen to our Best of 2025 Playlist on Spotify! And be sure to purchase physical copies of the albums you like on this year’s list!
