2025 felt like a century—yet it slipped away in a heartbeat. And when I try to retrace it month by month, it doesn’t play back like a neat timeline so much as a trail of vignettes, an oasis of music experiences amongst the desolation of each surreal news cycle. If you compare year-end lists across different sites, the overlap is thinner than usual—and I don’t think that’s a sign of fragmentation so much as abundance. There were simply too many releases worth defending, too many albums that demanded a second pass, then a third, then the kind of listening where you stop “reviewing” and start living inside them. In so many ways, it still feels like we’re in a golden age for the music we champion here.
Amidst all of that, I did have one certainty: my album of the year came from a place I never expected. If you had asked me five years ago whether AFI would land at the very top of my list—let alone that we’d be featuring them here—I would’ve said no without hesitation. Yes, there were tells: the post-punk pull of 2021’s Bodies, the darker contouring going back to 2013’s Burial. But Silver Bleeds the Black Sun isn’t a flirtation with the lineage—it’s a full-bodied commitment. It sounds like a band who spent their lives alone in the same darkened room as Bauhaus, Killing Joke, The Cure, and The Sisters of Mercy, absorbing the grammar, the tension, the romance, the bite—and then writing something with a spirit that shares a greenroom with its Goth forebears.
Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. I’ve stood next to Davey Havok at more than a few shows over the years—watching stalwarts like The Mission and The Chameleons, and then catching newer artists too, the same kind of names he’s been calling out lately in interviews. That context makes Silver Bleeds the Black Sun hit even harder: it feels like a record made by lifelong fans—who understand exactly where this music came from and who still have the nerve to make it feel dark, dangerous, and danceable.
I had another moment like that halfway across the world. I was in a record store in Tokyo when Suede’s Antidepressants stopped me in my tracks—one of those “rewind it, play it again” encounters where the room briefly disappears. Suede have been on a consistently strong run since 2013’s Bloodsports (with 2016’s Night Thoughts still towering for me), and Antidepressants felt like that rare thing: a band with nothing to prove still finding new angles to sound urgent.
Besides the many phenomenal releases on my list—including Bootblacks, Lebanon Hanover, Lathe of Heaven, and Silver Tears—I also want to take a moment to spotlight a few newer artists I’d strongly recommend, projects that feel genuinely forward-moving rather than content to circle familiar ground. Tiffadelic immediately stood out to me for their soulful vocals—often ghostly in tone—layered over icy synth sounds that feel unearthed rather than assembled, echoing coldwave and darkwave currents from France and Germany in the ’80s through the 2000s. It’s as goth as it gets, but without affectation: the real thing, rooted in atmosphere and emotional gravity. Moon 17—who were first introduced to me by Spike Hellis—create old-school industrial music that is complex and operates in a space that actively defies standard EBM tropes. Their music carries the same sense of experimentation and risk that defined the Wax Trax era, but without the camo-and-crew-cut baggage that calcified the genre through the ’90s and 2000s. Some tracks unfold with strikingly beautiful vocals, others erupt into screams, and the tension between those extremes is exactly what makes the project so compelling. And finally, a mea culpa: we missed the mark this year by overlooking The Sick Man of Europe. Their self-titled album—particularly the track and single “Obsolete”—lands with sharp, nervy precision that recalls peak Colin Newman–era Wire: taut, intelligent, and mesmerizing.
There were plenty of other releases I wanted to squeeze in, and a few that deserve their flowers even if they didn’t make it into my top list. The Chameleons’ Arctic Moon earns an honourable mention, as well as Pink Turns Blue’s Black Swan, and Corpus Delicti’s Liminal, also stayed in heavy rotation for me, each in their own way reminding me why this strain of music keeps surviving every trend cycle. And Jim E. Brown’s I Urinated on a Butterfly was one of the year’s strangest pleasures— hilarious, satirical, self-effacing, and impossible to forget once it gets its hooks in. I also want to nod to Frank’s picks—especially The Horrors and Martin Dupont, and a few more that were just shy of being in my top 25,
My favorite EP this year was, by far, the bold early ’90s dance-pop diversion, the Trouble EP Automelodi by Nuovo Testamento, followed by Automelodi’s Chanson-synth masterpiece, the Cavallo EP. And the Australian duo Sacred Hearts released my favorite single of the year with “Possession”.But as far as synth-pop goes, Madeline Goldstein and Ronnie Stone released, hands down, two of the best tracks of the year, with “My Own Design” and “BOUND 2 the RHYTHM”.
Honorable mentions on the singles front: Death Bells had two great ones, including “Shiver.” And the new tracks featured on Ductape’s Echo Drama Deluxe were fantastic, as well as the latest singles released in advance of their next album, Faded Flowers. And while David Byrne’s Who Is This Sky? Wasn’t my favourite of his solo work, but “T-Shirt”—with long-time collaborator Brian Eno—hit with all the kind of sly, minimalist synth brilliance that could hope for.
One last housekeeping note: there’s no Andi Harriman list this year, as she’s been buried in authoring a book that’s due out soon. We’ll be shouting about it properly when the time comes. For now, here’s my list—one attempt to pin down a year full of great music that flourished while society collapsed.
Alex’s List:
1. AFI – Silver Bleeds the Black Sun
Silver Bleeds the Black Sun… by AFI
2. Suede – Antidepressants
3. Lathe of Heaven – Aurora
4. Silver Tears – Silver Tears
5. Bootblacks – Paradise
6. Lebanon Hanover – Asylum Lullabies
Asylum Lullabies by Lebanon Hanover
7. Odonis Odonis – Odonis Odonis
Odonis Odonis by Odonis Odonis
8. Ash Code – Synthome
9. Korine – A Flame In The Dark
10. Ritual Howls – Ruin
11. Soft Vein – Through Blinds
12. Rosa Anschütz – Sabbatical
13. Home Front – Watch It Die
14. Mareux – Nonstop Romance
15. Ultra Sunn – The Beast In You
The Beast In You by ULTRA SUNN
16. Safe Mind – Cutting the Stone
Cutting the Stone by Safe Mind
17. The Discussion – All the Pretty Flowers
All the Pretty Flowers by THE DISCUSSION
18. Moon 17 – TX_1320
19. Nyx Division – Midnight Lights
Midnight Lights by Nyx Division
20. Body Maintenance – Far From Here
Far From Here LP by Body Maintenance
21. Tiffadelic – Retrosynthesis Vol. I
Retrosynthesis Vol. I by Tiffadelic
22. Pixel Grip – Percepticide: The Death of Reality
Percepticide: The Death of Reality by Pixel Grip
23. The Sick Man of Europe – The Sick Man of Europe
The Sick Man Of Europe by The Sick Man Of Europe
24. Automatic – Is It Now?
25. Sextile – yes, please
EPs
1. Nuovo Testamento – Trouble EP
2. Automelodi – Cavallo EP
3. Claudia Kane & Metallic Lover – A New Way To Hurt EP
A NEW WAY TO HURT EP by METALLIC LOVER, Claudia Kane
4. The Names – Procrastination EP
Procrastination EP by THE NAMES
5. Closed Mouth – You Don’t Need a God EP
You Don’t Need A God by closed mouth
Singles
1. Sacred Hearts – Possession
2. Madeline Goldstein – My Own Design
My Own Design by Madeline Goldstein
3. Ronnie Stone – B0UND 2 THE RHYTHM
B0UND 2 THE RHYTHM by Ronnie Stone
4. Traitrs – Burn In Heaven
5. House of Harm – Away Above
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.
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 is 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
WE WERE JUST HERE by Just Mustard
2. Suede – Antidepressants
3. Martin Dupont – You Smile When it Hurts
4. Deftones – Private Music
5. Winter – Adult Romantix
Adult Romantix by Winter
6. Nuclear Daisies – First Taste of Heaven
First Taste of Heaven by Nuclear Daisies
7. Public Memory – Public Sword
8. Wardruna – Birna
9. Bootblacks – Paradise
10. Lathe of Heaven – Aurora
11. November Növelet – Electrical
Electrical by November Növelet
12. Rocket – R Is For Rocket
13. Ritual Howls – Ruin
Ruin by Ritual Howls
14. Odonis Odonis – Odonis Odonis
Odonis Odonis by Odonis Odonis
15. Christopher Larkin – Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hollow Knight: Silksong (Original Soundtrack) by Christopher Larkin
16. Pulp – More.
17. They Are Gutting a Body of Water – LOTTO
LOTTO by they are gutting a body of water
18. Lamp of Murmuur – The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy
The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy by Lamp Of Murmuur
19. Zanias – Cataclysm
20. Esses – Pain At the Altar of Jest
Pain at the Altar of Jest by ESSES
21. Desinteresse – Onschuld
22. High. – Come Back Down
23. Bug Teeth – Ammonite
24. Miki Berenyi Trio – Tripla
25. The Horrors – Night Life
EPs
1. Automelodi – Cavallo
2. Lowsunday – White
low sunday ghost machine white ep by lowsunday
3. Closed Mouth – You Don’t Need a God
You Don’t Need A God by closed mouth
4. Alison’s Halo – Skywide
Skywide by Alison’s Halo
5. Splizz – Splizz
Singles
1. Jeffrey Runnings – “Batman Forever”
2. Ortrotasce – “Mine Sorrow”
3. Coatie Pop – “Surrender Your Heart”
Surrender Your Heart by Coatie Pop
4. Mouth Ulcers – “A Perfect End”
5. HEALTH – “VIBE COP”
CONFLICT DLC by HEALTH
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!
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