If 2024 was the year of spectacle and exuberance, then 2025 has been the year of rediscovery and introspection.
2024 was a year of record breaking sales and high critic scores in music history. The genre-bending “country” “COWBOY CARTER” became Beyoncé’s first Album of the Year award at the Grammys; “BRAT” and the accompanying cultural phenomenon, Brat Summer, were a monumental part of the culture of 2025 with its high energy, club-oriented sound and the album that reimagined West Coast hip-hop as a 21st Century idea, “GNX” by Kendrick Lamar, was a winning surprise that came as a product of one of the biggest hip-hop feuds in history.
2025 seems meek in comparison, but, in fact, this is one of my favorite years in music that we’ve had in a very long time because of the authenticity found in the sonic landscape and lyricism. Here are a few of my favorites and a few of my not-so favorites from this year:
My Lowlights
Before we get to the good stuff, here are a few bad albums I did not enjoy this year. Let’s start with “I Said I Love You First” by Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco, which feels like an H&M dressing room soundtrack mixed with an imitation event of numerous artists (namely Charli XCX, Lana Del Rey and Dua Lipa on “Bluest Flame,” “Cowboy” and “Don’t Wanna Cry,” respectively). “$ome $exy $ongs 4 U” by PartyNextDoor and Drake was a complete let down on all levels. A twenty-one track album that spans seventy-five minutes should surely have something to say, right? Wrong. The album meanders around true substance, replacing lyricism and an overarching theme with overproduced instrumental.
Source: Rolling Stone Magazine
Now for the (not-so) good stuff. Released on October 3, 2025, Taylor Swift’s twelfth album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” promised a return to the addictive pop of her groundbreaking “1989.” It fell far short of her goal. The album marks a reunification between Swift and her long-time collaborators Max Martin and Shellback (together, they produced “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “Blank Space,” and “Style” just to name a few). The first three songs draw attention inward, with a unique sonic profile compared to Swift’s generic sounding pop. After those three songs, the record loses the trail completely. The dramatic showgirl theme is absent amidst an oddly soft rock-esque production. Her signature autobiographical songwriting is almost too personal and in dire need of an editor. “CANCELLED!” and “Eldest Daughter” are true career lowlights, while the best song on the album (“Wi$h Li$t”) is marginally better than the worst songs on her last Pop album, “Midnights.” The lows are low, and the highs are slightly higher than the lows. Swift has done the impossible for me: making a forty minute tracklist feel longer than her two-hour long 2024 LP. I hope Swift takes a long break after this and rethinks which path she wants to take for her 13th studio album. I suggest a jazz, R&B album.
Source: Country Central
Another household name released an unusually bland album, but this time in the realm of country music: “I’m The Problem” by Morgan Wallen. The country artist has been on the steady decline since his worldwide success with “Dangerous: The Double Album,” and this release was just the next occurrence to prove that. The two hour album – yes, two hours – explores a variety of sounds (including country-trap, which I did not even know existed), yet it remains boring as ever. You would think with upwards of four professional songwriters on each song that the songs would be well-written. This assumption would be wrong. If the songs were released as independent tracks, they’d stand as okay, but together they create an incoherent mess that leaves the listener questioning its themes – specifically the trope where he glorifies past toxic relationships. With all these criticisms said, there are a few notable good songs on the record. My favorite is “20 Cigarettes,” which has an extremely addictive chorus and a guitar riff that scratches the perfect part of my ears.
My Highlights
Source: Atwood Magazine
Miley Cyrus released “Something Beautiful,” her ninth studio album and a visual album, on May 30, 2025; although many people did not realize it happened. The inherently experimental record takes influences from 70’s psychedelic rock. The aesthetic is striking, with all of the visuals drawing influence from vintage avant-garde fashion. While her previous albums have explored Cyrus’s identity as a popstar and singer, she really delves deep into a genre of music that is almost unrecognizable compared to 2023’s ear-bug-full “Endless Summer Vacation.” For me, it is her most cohesive project and truly earns the title of an “album,” as all the songs feel related but not repetitive. My favorite moments on the album are the astonishing title track infused with jazz beats. Halfway through, the song erupts. “Golden Burning Sun” which transports listeners to the Pacific Coast Highway at sunset. “Reborn” blends gospel music and experimental electro-pop and “Give Me Love” feels as if it was taken directly from a fairytale. More than twenty years into her career, Miley Cyrus finally made the thoughtful tunes we have all been waiting for.
Source: Wikipedia
Another phenomenal album from 2025 is “Balloonerism,” released posthumously by Mac Miller. The album experiments with neo-soul and jazz while still keeping true to Mac Miller’s notable hip hop flow. Most posthumous albums are read by the public as cash-grabs, but this one felt different; specifically because it was released as intended by the late rapper. Curated and recorded by Mac Miller in 2014, the album would’ve been released prior to Faces, although his record label blocked it. Since 2014, the songs have not been touched by a single soul, leaving the record as a Miller time capsule. There are numerous highs on the album, but my personal favorite songs are “DJ’s Chord Organ,” featuring SZA: a five-minute track largely comprised of chord organ instrumental (hence the name), alongside adlibs from Miller and a single verse from SZA.“Stoned” proves that Mac Miller was ahead of the curve, as he manages to sound fresh and innovative a decade later. Another plus is the song’s addictive bass guitar courtesy of Thundercat. “Tomorrow Will Never Know,” a twelve minute introspective song, serves as the perfect closing song to Miller’s discography.
Source: Louisiana Music Factory
My third favorite album of 2025 thus far is Willie Nelson’s 77th solo LP, “Oh What a Beautiful World.” The country star, now ninety-two years old, is still reinventing what it means to make an incredible country record. He is proof that once you’ve found the formula for a perfect song, it’s impossible to get rid of it; and also that when you don’t have the formula, it’s clear (see I’m The Problem by Morgan Wallen above). All of the songs on this album are re-recordings of American country singer Rodney Crowell’s original songs, but Nelson makes them his own with dialed-in production and his silky-smooth voice. The twelve tracks, coming in at just under fifty-minutes in runtime, chronicle Nelson’s experiences via Crowell’s lyricism. My highlights on this album are “What Kind of Love”: a truly perfect country song, and the title track featuring Rodney Crowell. “Oh What A Beautiful World” might in fact, be one of my favorite songs released this year.
Other honorable mentions for my favorites are: Irish indie-rock band Inhaler’s third album, “Open Wide,” which was far from my favorite upon release last February, although it has slowly grown on me, and sonically reminds me of The Strokes. Sabrina Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend,” showcased her storytelling ability through autobiographical songs detailing a breakup, which makes it another contender for best 2025 album. Rochelle Jordan released “Through The Wall,” an exceptional alternative R&B record with hints of jazz and house music.
The albums that have stuck with me most aren’t the flashiest ones – instead they’re the ones that feel unapologetically human and unafraid to take risks. It’s been beyond refreshing to hear artists like Miley Cyrus and Mac Miller push expectations, while others, like Taylor Swift, are definitely still figuring out where they belong in the grand scheme of the year. 2025 will not go down in history as a record-breaking year, but it will certainly age beautifully, and I kind of love it that way.
