I believe that 2025 truly belonged to Cameron Winter. At the end of 2024 he released an album named Heavy Metal, his first solo album. It came out very late in the year and so missed most end of year lists. After a couple of listens I slotted it in at 19. But this magnificent album has shaped most of 2025 for me. So much so that it would probably be my number one album of 2024 if I redid my list. I wasn’t that familiar with Winter previously but I found out he is the lead singer of Geese. A band I liked but wasn’t totally sold on. Then they released a song called Taxes, and I was hooked. Taxes would become part of Getting Killed. From the moment I heard this album in September I had no doubt it would be my album of the year. Such an exciting, swaggering, vibrant album. This New York band is truly special. There were other special records released last year. Alex G made his major label debut and produced a beauty, whilst Wednesday followed up my favourite of 2023 with a fantastic album in Bleeds. Perfume Genius made an album of impossible beauty, whilst veterans like Destroyer and Ty Segall came through with the goods again. As did Neko Case and Jeff Tweedy. I truly believe 2025 was a great year for music.

1. Getting Killed-Geese
2. Headlights-Alex G
3. Bleeds-Wednesday
4. The Scholars-Car Seat Headrest
5. Glory-Perfume Genius
6. Possession-Ty Segall
7. Dan’s Boogie-Destroyer
8. Sinister Grift-Panda Bear
9. Caroline 2-Caroline
10. Phonetics On and On-Horsegirl
11. Double Infinity-Big Thief
12. Freckle-Freckle
13. Neon Grey Midnight Green-Neko Case
14. Buyer Beware-The Men
15. Diamond City-Will Johnson
16. Twilight Override-Jeff Tweedy
17. I Love People-Cory Hanson
18. Rarely Do I Dream-Youth Lagoon
19. Big Ugly-Fust
20. The Purple Bird-Bonnie Prince Billy
21. Big Black Plume-Michael Beach
22. Ripped and Torn-Lifeguard
23. Sable, Fable-Bon Iver
24. Thee Black Boltz-Tunde Adebimpe
25. Losin’-Colin Miller
26. The Open Up-Frog Eyes
27. Blue Reminder-Hand Habits
28. Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by Turtles
29. Snocaps-Snocaps
30. Golden Caravan-Clifford
31. Get Sunk-Matt Berninger
32. Always Been-Craig Finn
33. What Of Our Nature-Haley Heynderickx & Max Garcia Conover
34. This Side of the Island-Hamilton Leithauser
35. Time Indefinite-William Tyler
36. On This Day-Tony Molina
37. Moisturizer-Wet Leg
38. Small Talk-Whitney
39. Strange Love-Bleak Squad
40. Abomination Revealed at Last-Osees
41. Natural Light-Dan Mangan
42. Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory
43. Send a Prayer My Way-Julian Baker & Torres
44. Surgery and Pleasure-Vundabar
45. Hunting Season-Home Is Where
46. Forever Is A Feeling-Lucy Dacus
47. Blight-The Antlers
48. Once I Was Wild-The Smith Street Band
49. I Believe In You, My Honeydew-Josh Ritter
50. A Study of Losses-Beirut