With so many amazing bands consistently putting out good music, it’s hard to keep track of everything that came out in 2025, and even harder to pick just 10 favorites. To narrow it down, I asked myself, “out of all the music released this year, what do I keep coming back to month after month?” And with that in mind, I present my top 10 albums of 2025:

10) We Are Scientists, Qualifying Miles (Grönland Records)

Guitarist Keith Murray and bassist Chris Cain are long-standing fixtures in the indie rock world, and together have spent their career releasing solid music as We Are Scientists for over 20 years. Their albums reliably deliver toe-tapping rhythms and catchy choruses that are bound to get stuck in your head. Qualifying Miles is no exception. It’s almost impossible not to find yourself walking around singing “Everybody hang on ’cause this is the big one” after hearing the track “The Big One. Across the record, reverberated guitars and upbeat bass lines tip the balance further toward the indie side of their sound, resulting in a very lively feel.
Key Track(s): “The Big One,” “Please Don’t Say It”

09) Weakened Friends, Feels Like Hell (Don Giovanni Records)

If you asked me to describe Weakened Friends, I’d call them an exceptionally tight three-piece who wrap sweetly melancholic lyrics in driving guitar hooks, serving melodies any rock fan can sink into. Feels Like Hell builds on the foundation laid by the band’s earlier releases, offering a mix of fast and punchy riffs, juxtaposed by slow-burning climbs that erupt into full-bodied walls of sound. A perfect example is their closing track, a distinctive interpretation of Natalie Imbruglia’s hit “Torn”. The album is a confident reminder that guitar-driven rock isn’t just alive, it’s thriving.
Key Track(s): “Lightspeed,” “Torn”

08) Kings of Leon, EP #2 (Love Tap Records)

I’ve been a fan of Kings of Leon for nearly two decades. Last year, the quartet delivered the very respectable album Can We Please Have Fun. This fall, they followed it up with EP #2, a brief release that plays like a collection of B-sides drawn from the band’s more exploratory side. The four-song EP serves as a satisfying companion piece for fans hungry for new material. Moments like the emotionally charged lyricism on “Pit to Rind” and the delay-saturated guitar textures on “To Space” make this release well worth a spin.
Key Track(s): “Pit to Rind,” “To Space”

07) Glare, Sunset Funeral (Deathwish Inc. / Sunday Drive)

Imagine floating through a hazy evening on a summer night. That’s the only way to describe the shoegaze filled atmosphere conjured by Sunset Funeral. Filled with all the hallmarks of reverberated drums, smooth lead guitars, and dreamy chords, the carefully crafted layers of this album make it perfect for repeat listens, revealing new textures beneath the haze each time.
Key Track(s): “Kiss the Sun,” “Nu Burn”

Kyle Ostrander

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