Top 10 Albums of 2025
by Killian Laher
It’s list season on the Workhorse, and this is the first of many!
We’ve asked some of our journalists to tell us about their musical highlights of the year. This time out, it’s Killian Laher.
A pretty decent year, it has to be said, with at least 30 candidates, difficult to whittle it down to 10, but here goes:
Some really gorgeous melodies here on arguably their best album to date.
“The album is as good as any previous Midlake album; in fact, it might even be their best. The songs feel timeless, and the album will wash over you like autumn sunlight. It’s calming, healing music for stressful times.” – From our Review
Darker than usual ambient goodness from Scott Morgan, enveloping, hard to avoid cliché describing this, but the best kind of ambient.
8. Preoccupations – Ill At Ease
What seemed strange at first turned out to be some lovely, complex slabs of dark pop.
“How this album differs from its predecessor, Arrangements, is that the songs are tighter, and there is less room for them to breathe. The truth is, many of their older fans won’t know what to make of this at first, but it’s a brave new world for these guys. While another slab of misery might have been preferable, this is a more interesting follow-up”. – From our Review
Vintage, classic Suede, plays like a greatest hits. One of their finest collections of songs, they are a truly ageless band.
“The album plays like a collection of future greatest hits; the only reservation is will it have the depth of other albums, which are slower to reveal their charms? It’s hard to see any Suede fan being disappointed with this.” – From our Review
Easy to take this lot for granted, but they are consistently turning out good music with an increased keyboard influence. They do downbeat better than most.
“”In 2025, this is unlikely to be anyone’s favourite Mogwai album. On the other hand, they have no bad albums, so if you like any of their albums of the last 15 years, you’ll enjoy this one”. – From our Review
5. Adrian Crowley – Measure of Joy
Some of it is quintessential Crowley; the rest pushes his sound in an unexpected bossa nova direction. He gets better and better.
4. Steve Gunn – Daylight Daylight
A deceptively simple-sounding collection of songs from Steve Gunn, the little touches here and there elevate this.
The almost meditative title track has a really classic sound to it, brought about by the gentle woodwind instrument and occasional steel guitar running through it. The folky Loon is a little reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel, while the tranquil final track, A Walk, has a gorgeous piano alongside Gunn’s guitar playing.
It’s a gorgeous album that will soundtrack the tail end of 2025. – Form our Review
3. Maria Somerville – Luster
The immersive album of the year, a fine collection of blissed-out songs.
Superb dark pop, a thrilling return from this band.
“It’s definitely an album worth waiting eight years for, and if there’s a better moody, post-punk album in 2025, that will be some achievement. An early shout for indie album of the year?” – Form our Review
1. The Apartments – That’s What The Music Is For
Lovely, haunting tunes that linger long in the memory.
“Peter Milton Walsh and the Apartments are criminally underappreciated. These are songs to get lost in, at times seriously dramatic, while at others, subtle and lovely. And it’s not just how the music sounds, but how it makes you feel. It’s an album that changes the atmosphere in the room, and possibly The Apartments’ finest album to date.” – Review here
https://theapartments.bandcamp.com/album/thats-what-the-music-is-for
Music is undoubtedly one of the bright lights of 2025.
Categories: Album Reviews, Header, Lists, Music
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