UIC Radio's Top 25 Albums of 2025

2025 was absolutely a year, but throughout this year, UIC Radio has grown so much and will continue to do so. It was also a year for some amazing music! And so, as a goodbye to 2025, UIC Radio members were given the opportunity to vote on their top 10 albums for this past year, which were added up to give you UIC Radio's Top 25 Albums of 2025!

#1 MAYHEM by Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga does it again, as she does every time. MAYHEM, her album released on March 7th, 2025, has gained a huge amount of popularity since its release, earning a multitude of successes. It claimed the top spot in 23 countries, gained the largest amount of sales within the first week for a female artist in the year, and won the number one spot in UIC Radio’s Top 25 Albums ranking! With MAYHEM, Lady Gaga returned to her roots, to the iconic sound of The Fame, her first studio album, except with a more diverse range of music. She taps into a multitude of genres, dreams, and styles, leaping from “one genre to another in a manner that feels almost corrupt, and it culminates in love,” as she describes in an interview with The Rolling Stone. The album features three songs released as singles, “Disease,” released in October of 2024,  “Abracadabra,” released in February of 2025, and “Die With A Smile,” released with Bruno Mars in August of 2024. All of which gained a lot of success, with “Die With A Smile,” which would eventually be the album's final song, reaching over 3 billion streams, setting the album up for success even before its release. In the album, Lady Gaga focuses on topics like fame and love, seen in songs like “Perfect Celebrity,” she talks about the pressure of being put into the spotlight being a flawed person and the influences it can make on identity: “you love to hate me, I’m the perfect celebrity.” Songs like “Garden of Eden,” “LoveDrug,” “Don't Call Tonight,” and “How Bad Do U Want Me” represent a more retro-Gaga experience, offering more of The Fame with certain elements of new Gaga. I also have to spotlight her voice on songs like “Disease,” “Die With A Smile,” and “LoveDrug.” It was a magical experience seeing the range she is able to hold, with the iconic sound it has. When I first started getting into this album, I really gravitated towards the faster, more dance-focused songs, like “Abracadabra” and “Garden of Eden,” but as I focused on listening to the album, I found myself really leaning into some of the more diverse sounds like “Zombieboy” and “Blade of Grass.” If you asked me, I couldn’t pick just one favorite song, but I do have to express a special love for “Perfect Celebrity,” “Garden of Eden,” “LoveDrug,” and “Blade of Grass,” and I highly recommend you listen to the entire album, if you haven't already. Lady Gaga has released a multitude of music with different genres and styles, and I am so excited to see where she goes from here. – Iva Peric

#2 Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You by Ethel Cain

Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You, is Ethel Cain’s, the stage name of Hayden Silas Anhedönia’s second full-length studio album, released in August 2025. Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You, serves as a narrative prequel to her 2022 studio album, Preacher's Daughter, focusing on her teenage years and connections with her high school boyfriend, Willoughby Tucker. Musically, Ethel Cain uses layers and layers of vocals and guitars to pull off an incredibly immersive, entrancing southern gothic sound that is more atmospheric in comparison to Preacher’s Daughter, but still more melodic than her 2025 EP Perverts. In the album, Ethel uses thunderous, dreamy, and hauntful textures to describe her possessive, affectionate, and obsessive relationship with Willoughby, found in ambient instrumental tracks like “Willoughby’s Theme” and also 80s synth rock moments like on “Fuck Me Eyes”. Ethel shows that she is amazing at storytelling on this album, like during moments on “Nettles” where she sings about the paranoia of something bad happening to Willoughby, the fear of hurting and losing the one she loves, and continues by using haunting, sad country guitar tracks to further develop the story of Willoughby’s family trauma and loss of hope in “Dust Bowl” and “A Knock At The Door”. The album is a slow-burning narrative that concludes in an emotionally devastating finale, reinforcing themes of obsession, loss, and inevitability. Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You is an album that captures fear, love, and pain all at the same time by using extremely ethereal yet haunting textures and emotionally gripping lyrical content. As a prequel, Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You adds so much depth to the tragic story of Preacher's Daughter, but even on its own, it stands as such an entrancing southern gothic record, and Ethel Cain proves herself to be a fantastic songwriter. Ethel feels so comfortable in her sound on Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You, balancing a variety of dense and spacious textures with heartbreaking storytelling, making a musical palette that feels unmistakingly her own. -Caleb Gollings

#3 Getting Killed by Geese

If you’ve been on the internet at all in the past 4 months or so, you’ve probably heard whispering of a new indie rock band you have to care about: Geese. I’m here to tell you that yes, you absolutely do have to care about them. I first heard of them back in 2023 with the release of their last album, 3D Country, and was instantly hooked by lead singer Cameron Winter’s unique vocals paired with country-noisy-post-punk instrumentation. Then, at the beginning of this year, I listened to Winter’s solo album Heavy Metal, which contains some of the most beautiful lyrics and addicting melodies I have ever heard. When Geese announced their new album Getting Killed earlier this year, I was beyond excited, and after my first listen, I knew this would be my favorite album of the year. 

The opening track, “Trinidad,” perfectly balances restraint and volatility. The slow and quiet verses build to the explosive and noisy chorus as Winter, in front of a wall of guitar tones and drum crashes, exclaims (with backing vocals from JPEGmafia, fun fact) “THERE’S A BOMB IN MY CAR!” This song is easily the most fun, and as a lover of noise rock, this is one of my favorites on the album. 

The following track, “Cobra,” calms things down quite a bit. One thing I appreciate most about this song is Winter’s songwriting and the emotion in his vocals. “You can make the cobras dance, but not me,” Winter cries in a way that is both heartbreaking and empowering, like the newfound sense of self you gain after love is lost. This simplistic, yet utterly heart-wrenching lyrical style is highlighted best in the track “Au Pays du Cocaine,” which is my personal favorite. It’s debatable what the song is referring to, but at the core, it describes a yearning for something that is unattainable, begging for it to choose you, knowing it never will: “You can be free, you can be free, just come home, please.” 

The last song I want to highlight is the closing track “Long Island City, Here I Come.” It is essentially a descent into Hell in musical form, and it perfectly encapsulates all the best qualities of this album. This song just picks you up and never lets you down, building and building before collapsing in on itself in a messy, fast-paced conclusion that perfectly closes out this album.

There is so much more I could say about this album, but I’ve probably said too much already. If you haven’t yet, I highly encourage you to check out this album and the rest of Geese’s and Cameron Winter’s work. I am excited to see what directions they take in the future with their growing popularity. Whatever it is, I will be there, and I hope you will be too. -Sean Juarez

#4 Melt by Not For Radio

This summer, during the Submarine tour with the Marías, lead singer María Zardoya began to tease a solo project of her own, where she goes by Not for Radio. Shortly after their tour ended in September, she released Melt on October 10 and already released dates for a theater tour in the upcoming year, where she plans to have a local orchestra performing alongside her. Her solo project, Not for Radio, follows a concept where she wants to limit the amount of mainstream attention it receives. The album itself has a unique sound, a dreamy, melancholic haze before paying close attention to the raw emotional lyrics, which María herself says was out of her comfort zone to make, but encourages the audience to listen to while out in nature. The album starts off strong with one of the more popular songs, "Puddles," setting the tone for the rest of the album of emotional introspectiveness. The song heavily focuses on a deep longing, or better yet, yearning in a romantic sense, representing a desire that is continuously seen. The fourth track, "Back to you," is another hit, as it draws parallels with The Marías' single released earlier in the year, "Back to me." In "Back to me,” there's a stronger sense of desperation, comparison, and changing. Whereas, in "Back to you," there's a slower melody with more intimate lyrics representing a desire still, but rather than desperation, it serves to be more reflective, with the sense of longing still present. The entire album fits similar themes, deep desire, and longing throughout a grieving period of a relationship, and being fearful of fully letting go of someone, which can be seen in "Vueltas," which is my personal favorite in the album. It follows this attachment one has that takes vulnerability and struggles with letting go completely. The album encourages its audience to follow in María's footsteps, taking a step into self-love and self-exploration, that grieving a relationship is normal, and this grief takes you on the beautiful journey of self-exploration. Take that journey out in nature like María encourages, and just like she did when making the album, hold the notion of being fully in the moment. This debut album for her solo project excites me for the rest of her journey and what else can come of Not for Radio after her tour ends. -Ashley Cotton

#5 Virgin by Lorde

Released on June 27th, 2025, Virgin is the fourth studio album by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde. It is self-described as a reflection on autonomy, empowerment, and self-discovery. The cover of the album is an X-ray image of a pelvis, containing a belt buckle, a zipper, and an IUD. When asked about the inspiration behind the artwork, Lorde stated that it represented “full transparency” and “a reflection of femininity.”The overall sound of the record can best be described as synth-pop, brought to life through collaborations with Jack Antonoff, Dan Nigro, and Jim-E Stack, among others. The lead single “What Was That” was released on April 24th of the same year and acted as a catalyst between Lorde’s former sound and her new sound. -Chiara Antonellis

#6 Bleeds by Wednesday

North Carolina based alt-county-rock band Wednesday came through in 2025 with their most focused and forceful album to date. Karly Hartzman’s beautiful lyrics mix nostalgia with harsh, gothic realism, while MJ Lenderman’s unique, sometimes-serene and sometimes devastating guitars rip through everything else in the mix. On Bleeds, the band shows off the sweetest (“Elderberry Wine”, Gary’s II), darkest, (“Carolina Murder Suicide”), catchiest (“Bitter Everyday”, “Townies”), and heaviest (“Wasp”,  “Reality TV Argument Bleeds”) sides of their songwriting, and I can’t get enough of it. It's pure, honest poetry caked in dried mud. Wednesday forever. -Nathan Weakley

#7 LUX by Rosalía

Released on November 7th of this year, Rosalía’s fourth album Lux is an expansive, epic album that shattered all of my expectations for what she would release next. From my first listen, I knew that this album was firmly solidified in my top three albums of the year. Back in November, I didn’t know where exactly it would land in my final ranking. Now I do: it sits atop the list at number 1. The London Symphony Orchestra is Rosalía’s most frequent collaborator on Lux, and you can tell; every song is as stunning and dramatic as the next, full of swelling strings and sweeping instrumentation. As an album, Lux primarily employs operatic and classical techniques, though it relies on Rosalía’s formal flamenco education as well. The album is a force of nature, dealing with subjects like religion, death, and femininity, and what I believe to be not only Rosalía’s best album, but the best album of the whole year. – Devon Isakson-Bell, Passionfruit Blog

#8 Forever Howlong by Black Country, New Road

Following the departure of frontman Issac Wood, Black Country, New Road had big shoes to fill and even bigger expectations to live up to after 2022's acclaimed Ants From Up There. Forever Howling is a sprawling and warm record centering around lead vocalists Georgia Ellery, Tyler Hyde, and May Kershaw. In an attempt to reinvent their sound, it shifts away from the art and post-rock elements of the band's past and instead embraces a sound rooted in chamber pop. Through and through, it’s a bright and noisy album that remains remarkably consistent through its run time. With the band relying heavily on violin, saxophone, it’s the instrumentation and arrangement that make this an easy standout of the first half of the year. Although the record takes a poppier turn at times, the band still produces some career-best tracks with longer run times in “Two Horses” and “Nancy Tries to Take the Night.” As a massive fan of both chamber pop and the band, I’m excited about what this could mean for the genre. -Myra Dodd

#9 Addison by Addison Rae

Addison Rae’s debut album “Addison” is a very strong contender for one of the most compelling pop albums to release this year. This record is a great example of how to be referential of other works without feeling redundant. The inspirations drawn from other artists, such as Britney Spears or Lana Del Rey, resulted in a record that was familiar yet refreshing and kept me coming back for more. Without a doubt, this album has successfully transformed Addison Rae from a TikTok influencer into a full-fledged pop star, which says a lot about its quality and impact. -Joey Gilbertson

#10 Deadbeat by Tame Impala

Tame Impala’s Deadbeat, released October 17, 2025, marks his fifth studio album and a sharp departure from his classic psychedelic pop-rock sound. Listeners expecting familiar textures may be disappointed, as Deadbeat leans heavily into EDM, house, and techno, producing the hit song “Dracula”. Despite the backlash from fans hoping for a return to earlier styles, the album deserves more credit. It showcases some of Parker’s most diverse vocal performances, including a notably lower register, and reflects how he is unafraid to evolve musically. Deadbeat captures a new phase of Tame Impala’s life, and its stylistic shift feels intentional rather than forced -Kierstyn Herrmann

#11 Debí Tirar Más Fotos by Bad Bunny

Released at the beginning of 2025, Bad Bunny's newest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, or DtMF, is his 7th released album. Managing to mix reggaeton, house, and traditional Puerto Rican music that was inspired by his childhood. Repeating themes in the album are around gentrification and losing cultural identity, as well as Puerto Rico's political status. This album was very highly beloved, his song "DTMF" topped charts, including Billboard's Global 200 and US 200. This song was also accompanied by a short film that Bad Bunny made. It is an incredibly personal album and is thought of as an homage to Puerto Rico. This critically acclaimed album is a beautiful listen, and I believe just a taste of what is to come from Bad Bunny. -Lauren Harris

#12 Fancy That by PinkPantheress

Fancy that, PinkPantheress’ second mixtape, is a quick 20-minute listen that really packs a punch! This album is a dance pop hit sampling songs like “Do You Know What I’m Seeing” by Panic! at the Disco, “Romeo” By Basement Jaxx, and Jessica Simpson’s “Irresistible”. The 2000s vibe mixed with UK garage and R&B influences creates an upbeat and electric mood, making this such an easy album to dance to or simply listen to while walking to class. Pink has grown so much in her career, and this album shows her progress; I was fortunate enough to see this first-hand when I saw her perform at the Aragon Ballroom! It was such a good experience because of her confident stage presence and the music itself, of course, which is why it is one of the best albums of 2025! PinkPanteress is able to create music that is fun and carefree, but also tells a story about relationships, unrequited love, and anxiety. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend listening to Fancy That, you will not be disappointed :) -Abby Bjork

#13 Man’s Best Friend by Sabrina Carpenter

Man’s Best Friend, Sabrina Carpenter’s seventh studio album, had millions of fans hooked upon first listen. With major hits like “Manchild” and “Tears,” this album solidifies the increasingly universal opinion that Sabrina Carpenter is a pop princess. In Man’s Best Friend, Carpenter deeply explores the pop genre, integrating Country Pop, Dance Pop, and even 80s Synth Pop into her tracks, as well as R&B and Soft Rock sounds, allowing her to experiment with a new sound while remaining true to herself artistically. Released on August 29th, Man’s Best Friend is the perfect album for the end of summer, as many of the songs symbolize moving on. Since its last summer release,  Man’s Best Friend has accumulated over 2.17 billion streams on Spotify, making it her most-streamed album to date. My personal favorites on the album include, “Sugar Talking,” “When Did You Get Hot?,” and “Tears.” For almost a decade, Sabrina Carpenter has been one of my favorite artists, and with the release of MBF, I am even more confident than ever that she is a fountain of talent, and I can’t wait to see what she does next. -Mari Crews

#14 Baby by Dijon

Dijon’s latest album, Baby, is a wonderful and unique R&B project from the singer/producer. While most of the songs are short, as it is a 12 song record but 37 minutes in length, the songs feel very detailed with multiple elements of alt T&B, glitchpop, and synthpop, all clashing together along with Dijon’s wonderful voice to create unique but beautiful melodies and tracks that you can’t really compare to anything else released this year or anything Dijon has previously put out for that matter. I especially liked the track "(Referee)" because of its catchy chorus and unique melody, as well as the track "Another Baby!" because it sounds a lot like an older Dijon track, something that would’ve been off his album Absolutely. Overall, Baby is such an incredible-sounding and unique album, and I would highly recommend you give it a listen if you haven't already. -Mack Woznak

#15 Ripped & Torn by Lifeguard

Even though they just released their debut album Ripped and Torn this year, Lifeguard has evolved a lot since their first single release back in 2020. This time around, they’ve ditched the live sound and have gone for a more stylized approach. Inspiration for the songwriting and production is wider than ever for Lifeguard in their debut, citing even dub as an inspiration for the production. The instruments seem to blend together more as a collective, noisy wall of sound as well. Lifeguard seems to be taking a more pop-centric approach to structuring their songs this time around. Memorable chorus melodies and phrases are seen all over this record. Isaac Lowenstein’s drumming takes a different approach here, too, with a straightforward danceable kick grounding almost every song. Often abrasive noise from guitars, synths, and who knows what else are also heard all over this record. The moments of pure noise, though, are separated from the rest of the music in the form of their own songs. We see some more moments of shared vocals between guitarist Kai Slater and bassist / baritone guitarist Asher Case here as well, creating vocal moments of screeching, yelling, and singing we haven’t seen yet in Lifeguard’s catalogue. Case’s baselines are often machine-like as seen on songs like “(I Wanna) Break Out,” which creates an addictive repetition of melody that really draws you in. Ripped and Torn comes together to be a unique and brilliant debut record from one of Chicago’s most innovative young bands, but Lifeguard also excels at what they’ve always done: blur the line between melody, noise, and chaos. -Gavin Bohan

#16 EUSEXUA by FKA Twigs

The third studio album from FKA Twigs, EUSEXUA, is 43 minutes of enchanting vocals with beats that are perfect for the club. She self-describes EUSEXUA as the feeling after dancing and kissing someone for hours, and you get lost in time. EUSEXUA is more than an album; it's a phenomenon and an experience of love. As a long-time fan, I'm excited to see how she continues to develop as an artist. She enjoys experimenting with various musical styles, with the core of her work centered around her ethereal and alien-like aesthetic, showcasing her soprano voice. My top songs for this album are Perfect Strangers, Striptease, and Sticky. If you are looking for more, she recently released EUSEXUA Afterglow. I had the pleasure of seeing her perform this album this past June. She is not the type of performer who struggles to keep up with her dancers or just stands there. She has amazing breath control and knows how to find the balance between the music and the performance. As she is a trained pole dancer (she's so strong, her core is crazyyyy), she had a very tall pole in the middle of the stage and showed off her skill. 2025 was her year. -Jade Hansen

#17 DON'T TAP THE GLASS by Tyler, The Creator

A surprise album that I didn’t expect this year was Tyler, the Creator’s DON’T TAP THE GLASS. After releasing a long-awaited album, Chromakopia, in late 2024, Tyler embarked on a global tour after the release. While in the middle of his tour and about to start his festival run, Tyler surprised his fans with DON’T TAP THE GLASS, an album filled with upbeat songs that make you want to dance. His rollout, I remember, was a bunch of surprise dance parties with Tyler just playing the album on repeat and letting people enjoy the music and dance their heart out. Dropping a surprise album with a completely different style than any before truly shows how much of an artist Tyler is. Some of the tracks that stood out to me are “I’ll Take Care of You,” “Ring Ring Ring,” and, of course, the hit “Sugar on My Tongue”. Each song has its unique sound, with Sugar on my tongue being immediately upbeat, Mommanem being more of a rap feel, and the intro to the album really makes this whole project a front-to-back listen with no skips. The mixing on it is honestly amazing, with a great selection of samples from other artists that created this amazing album. Especially after seeing him perform 2 of the songs at Lollapalooza, it really made this album special. -Diana Morales

#18 Headlights by Alex G

Released in July 2025, Headlights is Alex Giannascoli’s ninth full-length studio album under the stage name Alex G. In 2024, Alex G signed with major record label, RCA Records, signaling a turning point in his career, and bringing an end to the low-fidelity indie production that defined much of his earlier work. In comparison, Alex G’s Headlights brings a much more polished folksy indie rock sound to the table, but still maintains his personal, authentic, DIY charm that fans love him for. Musically, Alex G uses a wide range of instruments including mandolin, strings, accordion, banjo, and opts for lighter percussive elements and brushes on drums rather than the use of a full kit, most notably on the singles released as promotion for the album, “Afterlife,” “June Guitar," and Oranges”. In Headlights, fans sense a growth in maturity musically, like through the way Alex G sounds older in his vocals and the absence of his high-pitched squeal sometimes found in older music, but also personally, singing about fatherhood and growing up. Notably, on “Beam Me Up,” Alex G suggests that as he has grown up, his priorities have shifted, and he took a big check when he signed with RCA Records to support his incoming family, reflecting on the transition of being a young indie musician to becoming a father. While his previous album, God Save The Animals from 2022, seemed to explore faith and religion conceptually, Headlights continues this topic in a more grounded way. While Alex G writes lyrics about love, vulnerability, and past mistakes, he also suggests no longer needing spirituality to take accountability and find forgiveness. Overall, even though the recording quality and production are much cleaner than the familiar 2000s DIY Alex G, the rhythms, melodies, and songwriting on this album still feels very true to himself. The drone in the song “Louisiana” sounds like something from his album House of Sugar, and the hyperpop off “Bounce Boy” sounds like it came from God Save The Animals. Headlights was a significant step forward for Alex G, highlighting growth and maturity not just as a musician but also a person, without relinquishing any of his emotional authenticity that has always defined his music. -Caleb Gollings & Gavin Bohan

#19 Double Infinity by Big Thief

Have you guys ever heard of Big Thief? Hey, have you guys heard of Big Thief? Hey, you know Adrianne Lenker and– with Double Infinity, Big Thief gave us one from left-field, a little bit. Though they’ve been known for their organic, folksy sound, this album incorporates more electronic and ambient noise than anything they’ve done before. But this is still the Big Thief we know and love; there is still the beautiful, open, heartfelt songwriting of Lenker & co. pushing along time-stopping songs from start to finish. To me, this album strangely feels warmer and friendlier than their previous work. The deep, gorgeous soundscapes that surround the rest of the music make everything feel so massive and overwhelming, but welcoming at the same time. “Incomprehensible”, a fan favorite since its days as an unreleased live staple, is re-worked here with a trip-hop adjacent sound that I love to death. “No Fear” is one of my favorite songs the band has ever put out. “Grandmother” feels like a mission statement for the band as a whole. I adore this album. -Nathan Weekly

#20 The Crux by DJO

DJO’s The Crux is a confident, immersive record that cements Joe Keery’s evolution into a fully realized artist. Keery blends lush guitars, warped synth-pop, and introspective lyricism into an album that feels both nostalgic and forward-thinking. On Spotify alone, The Crux has garnered over 166 million streams and continues to grow, with a strong daily play count. The Crux is one of DJO’s most listened-to releases of the year. Coupled with sold-out shows on his Back On You world tour and frequent appearances on “best of 2025” lists, The Crux is a beautifully stylish and vulnerable album that is truly and unmistakably DJO. -Paulina Borowski, The Cool Cat Chronicles

#21 Hurry Up Tomorrow by The Weekend

This year, The Weeknd came out with his sixth studio album titled Hurry Up Tomorrow on January 31st. It featured a variety of songs with genres focused on Brazilian funk, hip-hop, synth-pop, and R&B music. This album was the final installment that completed a trilogy of his albums with After Hours (2020) and Dawn FM (2022). It had five of its tracks released as singles, "Timeless," gaining over 1.3 billion streams, "São Paulo," gaining over 557 million streams, and "Cry for Me," gaining over 327 million. "São Paulo” was the song that first got me into the album; it has a Brazilian funk-feel, with vocals from Anitta, a popular Brazilian artist, and The Weeknd adding a beautiful blend of vocals. They utilize a lot of sound mixing, with a feel relating more to a racing atmosphere. It’s the perfect song for an upbeat, enthusiastic moment, and I found myself having it on repeat this last school year. The more I started listening to the album, though, I discovered songs like “Niagara Falls” and “Big Sleep” have a more relaxed feel, something I would encourage people to listen to on a calm walk home at night. His voice is insanely smooth, which is hard not to focus on when listening to this album. As a new listener of The Weeknd, I’m not very familiar with the range he has in his music, but I do believe that this album has very little, if any, skips in it. Listen to the whole thing, you won’t regret it. – Iva Peric

#22 Forever by Bassvictim

This album was not at all what I expected it to be. From the London-based artists who brought you “Air on My G-String,” Forever is an incredibly complex album. It feels more polished and yet more experimental than their previous releases. Balancing the often hard-electronic sound with Maria Manow’s soft vocals. This album feels reflective, the opening track, “It’s me Maria,” is very direct, making sure the listener hears her and understands that she is Maria. It is almost a welcome back and an introduction. Maria Manow and Ike Clateman are amazing artists, with the wonderful talent to be able to play with their sound. This album balances multiple types of techno with folk elements. They combine what should just be noise, and are able to create something deep with it. A very notable track is “Ike piano,” which completely strays away from their typical sound, with the song being primarily piano and string instruments; Maria doesn't even sing on it. I am typically the type of person who loves the shuffle feature, unless I am listening to physical media, I am shuffling playlists, albums, etc. This album is not something that can be shuffled. It is incredibly smart and meant to share an experience. Songs that should not work together do, because of how they have composed this album. Their closing track, “Final Song,” amplifies this, while “It’s me Maria” is direct as an introduction, this is a beg not to say goodbye. The lyric “please don’t go away” repeats for the majority of the song, they don’t want you to leave, and I don’t want the album to end. This album is an amalgamation of noise that has been expertly crafted into a request for everything to stay. Forever pushes Bassvictim into another league, from music being fun to truly experimental and viewing it as art in its truest form. I highly recommend listening to this album, even if techno isn’t typically for you. Forever is unskippable and may open the door for you. -Lauren Harris

#23 Perverts by Ethel Cain

Perverts by Ethel Cain, released on January 8th, 2025, has quickly become my favorite album of all time. Although Perverts is Cain’s first drone and dark ambient album, every song on the album is extremely well thought out and executed to perfection. Few albums have made me feel the way Perverts does. It is dark, climactic, scary, and even erotic at some parts. Many songs on the album lack lyrics but include recordings from old sermons, Christian hymns, and the movie The Reflecting Skin (1990). Paired with the drone music, these recordings add an element of storytelling to the songs. Each song explores dark themes, including shame, guilt, dishonesty, self-harm, suicide, abuse, and, obviously, perversion. One song that sticks out to me, which I feel is important to discuss while talking about Perverts, is “Pulldrone.” This song mentions concepts such as “the pull,” “the veil,” “the great dark,” and reaching proximity to God, all of which are concepts discussed in Cain’s YouTube video, “the ring, the great dark, and proximity to god.” I highly recommend you listen to Perverts if you have not yet. There is definitely much more to say about this album, and I encourage you to research further if interested. -Eli Mirek, Midwest Muse & it came to me in a dream

#24 Caroline 2 by Caroline

Waking up in the morning to the night sky. Drowning in the breeze. A bright, sunshiny day full of rain. Caroline’s 2025 album Caroline 2 achieves sensations akin to those—natural yet impossible. These are folk songs seemingly pulled from cultures or countries from an outer world. Post-rock that defies all the genre’s trappings. Chamber ensembles that reject the calm, somber potential of their acoustic space in favor of bright, warm, yet chilling and spectral arrangements. Fans of Jim O’Rourke would be comforted by the warped acoustic pop present in Caroline 2, and for those tuned in to the UK experimental rock revival pioneered by bands like black midi, Squid, and Black Country, New Road, Caroline 2 offers a compelling retort to the increasing popularity of that sound. A sound both new and old, an ethos telling and mysterious, Caroline 2 is also reminiscent of a confessional free-verse poem—defying traditions of form while creating its own, exposing the speaker’s truth but only through complex patterns, somehow both labyrinthine and laid bare. There is something deeply unsaid in Caroline 2—lyrics tend to end in infinitives, lacking any direct object for the layered vocals to apply their aching ennui. Despite this emptiness and restraint, the music seemingly bursts from every crevice and divot that remains in their syntactical wasteland in swirls of acoustic instrumentation, slumbering drums, and processed robotic vocals. As such, the lasting impact of Caroline 2 is the dual effect of being both rewarding and restricting in its minimalist beauty. -Wilder Mouton

#25 Let God Sort 'Em Out by Clips

Speaking the truth and vengeance was all that Clipse had in mind when they released Let God Sort Em Out.  A return that’s been brewing since 2019, the brothers felt no stone untouched to ensure that their return would cement itself as one of the top albums released this year while sticking true to their sound. 2000s East Coast Gangster Rap.- The album production is nothing like current hip-hop albums, it’s entirely produced by Pharrell Williams. A long-time collaborator, since their debut album, Pharrell is the only one who could take on this project with Clipse.  The beats have a modern flair, but they scream 2000s BADDDDDDD, and no one but Clipse could rap over them. With this production, it's as if the brothers never went on hiatus. We took a trip back in time. Don’t get me started on the lyricism. Every single lyric is written with a purpose, every song has a story, and that story is rapped with such intensity, spite, pride, and intention. Clipse made sure they respected and honored the poetry that makes rhythm and poetry. Don’t get me wrong, but there's something about modern hip-hop that feels more commercial than ever before. It’s almost as if the lyricism isn’t there anymore. Of course, this doesn’t apply to all rappers. Regardless, it's hard to find modern rap albums with deeper meanings that keep you thinking for days and don't just use triplets for their rhyme scheme. Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out is such a breath of fresh air in this department. The literary devices they use to rap about taboo subjects, religion, and the hardships they faced give them such an undeniable cool vibe. Like, guys, I don’t know what to say, but this album is just so cool. It has all the swag and grit from the 2000s. If you’ve been feeling that nostalgia for the 2000s rap (I have, man)…. this album cures it. -Sasha Salguero Gomez

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed our list and maybe found some new music! I cannot wait to see what comes in 2026!!

-Uic Radio, where music and culture ignite