Albums Around The Fireplace 2025
Hey everyone, it’s Fire and I’m back with my biggest article of 2025, Albums Around The Fireplace!! In this article, I’ll be briefly reviewing every single 2025 album I listened to (some of the albums will have longer reviews than others), with a few minor caveats; any deluxe version of an album from a previous year will not be covered here. Any deluxe versions of albums released this year will be covered in the same review. And no albums from prior years here, even if I only listened to them for the first time in 2025.
I think 2025 had the most albums I listened to in one year; despite that though, I’ve felt really disconnected from music in 2025. The main reason for that is that since 2023, I’ve had an artist that defined my year, where I had seen them on tour and their album was my personal album of the year. In 2023, it was Taylor Swift and 2024 it was Kacey Musgraves. That said, 2025 was a very dead year for music, especially in the mainstream, so all year I was kinda trying to check out so many different albums to get a defining artist of the year. I know some critics have said that 2025 has been one of the best years for rap, especially in the underground. I did listen to some of that, but I definitely didn’t get to everything if only because I didn’t want this article (and the rankdown I hosted on Pulse) to get too long. This might mean that I don't have strong positive feelings towards even my favorite albums of this year compared to previous years, but there are still a few solid gems here. With that, we’re starting this very long journey in alphabetical order with...
1. 21 Savage - WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS? - 5/10
Genres: Trap, Hardcore Hip Hop, Dirty South, Gangsta Rap
21 Savage is a guy who has an undeniably great ability to convey menace and intensity with his lower delivery. But not gonna lie, seeing the generally negative reception this album was getting did worry me. I may have really liked american dream in 2024, but it also was an album that in the broader context of hip hop in 2024 kinda got overshadowed. Now for this album...yeah, I do think it’s a step down from american dream, but I can also say that some of the takes I saw surrounding this album have been genuine dogshit—a lot of bullshit takes claiming rap/trap is over. That’s not to say that WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS? doesn’t have its problems, because it is quite underwhelming. For one, 21 Savage is definitely running out of distinct ways to convey his intensity and thus the album can start to run together. It’s not as egregious as when Lil Durk releases anything nowadays. But honestly the songs themselves are just weaker. The cold laughing gimmick on “HA” comes off as more goofy than intense and a lot of the guest stars really are phoning it in, like Young Nudy’s really weak flow on “STEPBROTHERS” or especially Drake’s pathetic disinterest wasting kinda solid production on “MR RECOUP”. Really the only guest stars who I think hold their ground on this album are G Herbo actually matching 21 Savage’s intensity on “CODE OF HONOR” and Lil Baby fitting (if only barely) the solemn production on “ATLANTA TEARS”. Honestly though, the standout on this album is “GANG OVER EVERYTHING”, where Metro Boomin gives 21 Savage a soulful choir-backed production and 21 Savage hits all the right notes to help the production amplify his clear grief for the awful things that have happened to his friends. On the other side of the coin, there’s the big lowpoint on this album, “I WISH” with Jawan Harris, which tries to do something similar to “GANG OVER EVERYTHING” but does it by sampling a bad R Kelly song!! R Kelly’s presence on his own songs has already been tainted by his crimes; I certainly don’t wanna hear one of his songs get sampled, down to literally getting the children’s choir from that specific R Kelly song!! Overall, this album is a step down from american dream—the guest features, with few exceptions, phone in their verses and some of the sampling decisions are just bizarre. But do I think this album is the death of rap/trap? No. I’d still skip this album though.
Best track: GANG OVER EVERYTHING
HM (tie): J.O.W.Y.H (JUMP OUT), CODE OF HONOR, ATLANTA TEARS
DM (tie): POP IT, MR RECOUP
Worst track: I WISH
2. Addison Rae - Addison - 8/10
Genres: Alt-Pop, Contemporary R&B, Downtempo, Dance-Pop, Alternative R&B
Addison Rae is an artist whose album I simultaneously had high expectations for and yet also low expectations, as weird as it sounds. On one hand, I really liked all the singles, to my astonishment. But on the other hand, she’s primarily an influencer, and that can mean their music tends to have an odd vibe where it’s like you can tell that an influencer made it. Maybe it’s in that it’s produced cheaply, maybe it’s the lyrics that tend to glamorize the influencer lifestyle and the most obnoxious sides of it. So what did we get? Addison is the sort of debut album that proves that Rae has the potential to be a great pop star! The production throughout helps to accentuate the glamorizing lyrics with lush soundscapes that make it feel like you’re walking into a luxury brand store. An easy highlight for me is “Aquamarine”, which is an incredible deep house banger that goes off with Rae selling the enchanting mystique of the track. Another big highlight is “Headphones On”, which adds a tinge of darkness to the album, where Rae is trying to find a way to move past her struggles by putting on her headphones or smoking a cigarette to help her accept the pain of various struggles like her parents not being in love or comparing herself to a new it girl. Coupled with that terrific New Jack Swing groove, it’s a very big highlight. The only track here that doesn’t really do much for me is “Money Is Everything” with Rae trying to flex her wealth but the baby voice cooing just clashes awkwardly with the track’s tone. Overall, it’s a great album and I honestly can’t wait to see what Addison Rae can deliver next!
Best track: Aquamarine
HM (tie): Headphones On, In The Rain, Fame Is A Gun
DM (tie): Lost & Found, Life’s No Fun Through Clear Waters (yes, just the interludes lol)
Worst track: Money Is Everything
3. AJR - What No One’s Thinking - 5/10
Genres: Folk Pop, Indie Pop, Alt-Pop, Stomp and Holler, Chamber Folk
I’ve pondered ever since I reviewed it in 2023 whether I was too kind to The Maybe Man. And this EP provided me the excuse to give the album another listen and to keep it short...yeah it is their best album, but I was definitely too kind to it. I listened to the album when I was still grieving from a loss in my family and learning that AJR had suffered a loss when they released that album sorta made me forcibly listen to every song through that lens even when it wasn’t appropriate. “God Is Really Real” is still a masterpiece though, I’ll always give them that. But anyways...What No One’s Thinking...I’ll say this, the first track, “The Plane That Never Lands”, was a pretty cute country-ish swerve that strips away all of AJR’s most obnoxious elements for a song where AJR’s childlike lyrical tendencies actually feel like they work! But then the EP follows that with “A Dog Song”, which admittedly had potential, being a song from the perspective of a dog ending with the dog’s owner passing away. That song was so close to being good in the way that “Birthday Party” from Neotheater tried to be good but was instead atrocious. But I’m sorry, it’s the lyric about the dog saying sorry for pissing on the carpet. The brothers aren’t exactly great at acting so when I hear that lyric I genuinely can only picture the brothers themselves apologizing for pissing on the carpet like they aren’t potty trained. It completely undercuts any emotional impact that song could have. Then comes the decent enough “Betty”, which is a far too limp stomp clap cut that at least isn’t as obnoxious as something like “I’m Ready”. “I’m Sorry You Went Crazy” has more weird lyrics that clash hard with the solemn aesthetic as they sing about aliens and...getting shot by subatomic lasers? And then there’s the closing track “The Big Goodbye” which sounds like they tried to recreate one of their absolute worst songs “Thirsty” except instead of a yodeling breakdown it’s an auctioneer breakdown! At least when Kacey Musgraves made “The Auctioneer” on her independently released demo album she imitated an auctioneer to accentuate the storytelling on that song!! But here, the auctioneer breakdown is just plopped into the song with no purpose. In short, What No One’s Thinking shows AJR regressing from what truly made “God Is Really Real” such a special song with clunky and awkward songwriting that blunts all emotional impact and sends it straight into the uncanny valley. It’s not their worst project by any stretch, but if you haven’t heard it, you’re not missing much.
Best track: The Plane That Never Lands
HM (tie): A Dog Song, Betty
DM: I’m Sorry You Went Crazy
Worst track: The Big Goodbye
4. Alessia Cara - Love & Hyperbole - 7/10
Genres: Contemporary R&B, Neo-Soul, Pop, Soft Rock, Pop Soul
I think Alessia Cara was the first artist I can remember suffering the “Best New Artist curse” in my time actively following music and back when I actually tried to care about the GRAMMYs. While I know her music was panned by YouTube critics back in the mid 2010s, I can’t say I felt the same way. I love “Stay” with Zedd and I’ll even stand up for “Scars To Your Beautiful”. Really, the only song of hers that I outright dislike now is “1-800-273-8255” with Logic and Khalid. I don’t remember what prompted me to listen to this album because while I’ve rarely disliked Cara, I’ve never really been a stan either. But anyways...I checked out Love & Hyperbole and...yeah, this is pretty good! Cara doesn’t really impress me as a presence on this album, but I do like how loose and fun she is on it. It feels a lot more authentic than some of the other stuff I’ve heard from her; I get the impression this is something that she wanted to make. The fun looseness of the album is probably best represented on “Nighttime Thing”, which is a really fun and lovestruck track about how Cara and this guy don’t have to be just “a nighttime thing”. The production is loose and danceable with an aesthetic I can only describe as “sleepover-core” (hopefully that term helps you envision what I hear in the song lol). So overall, yeah, this album is good and it probably would’ve been a real breath of fresh air to see on 2025’s pop charts.
Best track: Nighttime Thing
HM (tie): Get To You, Drive, Dead Man, Subside
DM: Left Alone
Worst track: Garden Interlude
5. Ava Max - Don’t Click Play - 6/10
Genres: Dance-Pop, Synthpop, Electropop, Synthwave
I’ve said many times both IRL and online that Ava Max was one of my favorite artists thanks to her incredibly underrated vocal range and obvious worship of the club boom. Sure, Max does have problems in her music; she does tend to liberally sample other songs rather than trying to carve out her own distinct personality as an artist (see that trash “Not Your Barbie Girl” from 2018). And that admittedly makes her come off as pretty one-dimensional. That said, I can look past all that if the music itself is great and...I hate to say it but while I think this album is pretty decent, it was what made me take a step back and realize that Max wasn’t actually among my favorite artists. For one, this album was the first album where Max worked with different producers and you can tell. I’m not sure what it is, but the production doesn’t flatter Max’s vocals. It might have a ton of flashy callbacks to the club boom, but none of the huge, dramatic sounds that actually flatter Max’s skillset. It all makes the self-empowerment lyrics much less charming. I really rolled my eyes at the second verse on the title track, where she directly references the people on Twitter calling her a “sample-singing Gaga imitation” and then trying to clap back with a reference to “Kings & Queens” and Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face”. Ava, I don’t care how much I like your music, face the facts, your music is very sample-driven and a big part of your appeal was your worship of Lady Gaga. It comes off as incredibly defensive and insecure in an unflattering way. Thankfully, after that the rest of the album returns to club bangers. But again, Max’s vocals are not flattered by the production. Take “Catch My Breath”, probably the best song on the album, it’s a very strong synthpop banger with a solid groove but Max just sounds out of her wheelhouse. It doesn’t hold a candle to “Dancing’s Done” or even “Sweet But Psycho”. So overall, this album was what made me realize that I was drawn to Ava Max’s music less for anything she herself contributes and more for the sound being drawn from an era I really like, because Max does not have enough personality to pull off this transition to new producers. The new production rarely, if ever, flatters her vocals. I do think the album is decent thanks to the production being strong enough on its own, but this illuminated the fact that Ava Max is a stock photo of a pop star. Because these songs could’ve been way better with almost any other vocalist. You don’t have to click play on this.
Best track: Catch My Breath
HM (tie): How Can I Dance, Wet, Hot American Dream, World’s Smallest Violin
DM: Fight For Me
Worst track: Don’t Click Play
6. Bad Bunny - DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS - 7/10
Genres: Reggaetón, Caribbean Music, Salsa, Plena, Bomba, Jibaro, Latin Electronic
In hindsight, I feel like Bad Bunny should’ve had a much bigger 2025 than he actually had. Part of that feeling was how big Un verano sin ti was back in 2022, but part of it was also the fact that 2025 was such a dead year for music and it felt like Bad Bunny had a prime window to have a big year. I guess part of why Bad Bunny didn’t really dominate 2025 was that after 2023’s Regional Mexican boom, Spanish music pretty much vanished from every music chart in 2024. Either way, it’s a shame because I honestly liked this album more than I did Un Verano Sin Ti and Nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana. I thought both of those albums were decent with plenty of highlights but still ultimately bloated. DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS is a considerably less musically accessible album for me but I still have a lot of respect for it. The album sonically acts as sort of a tribute to Bad Bunny’s home country, Puerto Rico, by, for lack of a better term, modernizing traditional Puerto Rican music by fusing it with Western musical genres. The cultural crossover feels really genuine. However, as a consequence of that, I do feel a bit of distance with this album. I can admire it at a distance, but I don’t really feel as strong of a connection to the culture that’s being platformed here. I’m not Puerto Rican which means that treating this album as something I can engage with (like dancing or singing or even just for admiring the melodies), I can’t call it better than just good. However, I can totally see how someone with deeper appreciation for Puerto Rican music and culture can love this more. It’s for this reason my favorite song on this album is "NUEVAYoL", I can certainly appreciate the Puerto Rican textures and cultural touches but at the same time, it’s fused with a colorful reggaeton beat which means that you can just as well treat it as just another club jam. As is, I’d definitely recommend it for its interesting sonic textures, but if you aren’t as knowledgeable about Puerto Rican culture or music, you might not be as impressed. I’m curious to see what songs from this album Bad Bunny might perform at the Halftime Show in 2026; I have a feeling that it’ll be a really fun show.
Best track: NUEVAYoL
HM (tie): VOY A LLevarte PA PR, PERFuMITO NUEVO, WELTiTA, VeLDÁ, EL CLúB, KETU TeCRÉ, EoO, LA MuDANZA
DM: N/A
Worst track: N/A
Also trying to get the capitalization right for these songs was painful.
7. Benson Boone - American Heart - 6/10
Genres: Pop Rock, Adult Contemporary, New Wave, Big Music
After the pretty mediocre Fireworks & Rollerblades last year, I didn’t have very high expectations for Benson Boone’s followup. And maybe I should’ve at least expected a decent album. Even if it has cooled on me a bit since I reviewed it in my Chill Pick article, I still love “Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else”. But I also had reservations about liking the album when I heard the awful "Mystical Magical”. But giving it a listen, I was kinda pleasantly surprised. The album gets its peak (“Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else”) out of the way early, which means it doesn’t really get better than that song. However, it also doesn’t reach the lows of Fireworks & Rollerblades with “Mystical Magical” comfortably being the worst song here thanks to the awful delivery and Harry Styles knock-off production. One thing this album highlighted for me is that Benson Boone is actually a really damn good singer when he doesn’t screech like a drunk bat the way he did on last year’s “Beautiful Things”. I think if this album is any indication, Benson might be best when he’s making synth-heavy 80s cheese between the new wave diner romanticism of “Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else” or the synth-heavy pop rock of “Mr Electric Blue” or the punk-leaning “I Wanna Be The One You Call”. So honestly, much to my shock, I’m willing to call this album decent—much better than his debut. Benson, more of this and less of...well, nearly everything on Fireworks & Rollerblades, and you might have a pretty damn good career ahead of you.
Best track: Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else
HM (tie): Mr Electric Blue, I Wanna Be The One You Call, Young American Heart
DM (tie): Man In Me, Reminds Me Of You, Momma Song, Take Me Home
Worst track: Mystical Magical
8. Cardi B - AM I THE DRAMA? - 6/10
Genres: Trap, Pop Rap, Contemporary R&B, Hardcore Hip Hop, Crunk
At this point, it’s kinda cliche to say the rollout for AM I THE DRAMA? was a mess. You can argue that the rollout started back in 2020, given the oldest song on the album is “WAP” from...oh god, half a decade ago. While I could make a bunch of jokes about how time is passing by too quickly and how I feel like I’m finding gray hairs already while barely being in my 20s, the 5-year rollout is the central problem with this album. The music scene looks vastly different in 2025 than it did back in 2020. For one, Nicki Minaj was still at least somewhat likeable. But cheap shots aside, it leads to an album that feels simultaneously dated yet also very of the times. It doesn’t feel like Cardi B is leading the rap game or anything. I might still not like “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)”, but there was no denying that it was influential when it hit #1 back in 2017 for how it paved the way for female rappers that would blow up in the years to come. None of that is here on this album. Even arguably the most culturally big song from the album, 2020’s “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion, it feels far less influential in the context of this album, more like an anomaly tied to 2020 if anything. And yeah, “WAP” being the best song on this album is both a blessing and a curse. It is an incredible song that was absolutely a moment back in the pandemic, but it being the best song here kinda signifies how this album doesn’t really go more daring than that. That’s not even to mention the straight up awful collaborations here, like Lizzo sounding so formless on “What’s Goin On” and showing exactly why we didn’t keep her around as a hitmaker after 2020. Or “Pick It Up” with Selena Gomez, where somehow Cardi’s singing makes Selena’s sound good in comparison! In short, AM I THE DRAMA? is a mess of a sophomore slump that exemplifies why you shouldn’t take 5 years to make an album! I literally have gone from hating Cardi to respecting her to outright liking her over the course of this album rollout! I’ll call it decent because Cardi is still a force of personality, but if you’re not a Cardi fan, you can skip this – you’re not missing much. See you in 2032 for the 3rd album, I guess.
Best track: WAP
HM (tie): Hello, Magnet, Bodega Baddie, Safe, Outside
DM: Pick It Up
Worst track: What’s Goin On
9. Clipse - Let God Sort Em Out - 8/10
Genres: Gangsta Rap, Hardcore Hip Hop, Southern Hip Hop
Clipse’s comeback album was unquestionably one of the most anticipated releases of 2025 and I think it’ll go down as one of the best albums of the year. It’s probably the first thing that comes to mind when I see people say 2025 was a great year for hip-hop. And...yeah, I’d absolutely call this great! Still, I feel like this is an album I’m not totally equipped to review, mainly because Let God Sort Em Out tackles complex themes that really benefit from deeper unpacking. I don’t consider myself a particularly great critic—just a passionate music fan—and this is the kind of project that requires some high analytical skills to untangle the complex themes. The first thing that stood out to me was the opening track, “The Birds Don’t Sing,” where Pusha T and Malice confront the loss of their parents over a genuinely devastating John Legend hook. I could also praise the sharp flows and production that pushes everything into higher intensity, but it honestly feels silly to over-focus on the sound when it’s clearly the lyrical content and thematic weight that earned this album so much acclaim. The biggest standout on this album to me is “Chains & Whips” with Kendrick Lamar where the bluesy bassline against the knocking rhythmic percussion makes Kendrick’s bars just hit with more murderous intensity. Apparently he recorded it between releasing "euphoria" and "Not Like Us," which definitely explains how committed he is to positioning himself as hip-hop’s torchbearer—and how convincing he sounds doing it. But yeah, this is a great album, but honestly go to any one of the many other critics who’ve praised this to the high heavens who are actually smart enough to untangle the themes of this album.
Best track: Chains & Whips
HM: The Birds Don’t Sing
DM: N/A
“Worst” track (tie): F.I.C.O., So Far Ahead (these are both good but they pale in comparison to the rest of the album being great)
10. Dabin - Aura Park - 7/10
Genres: Melodic Bass, Electro House, UK Garage, Alt-Pop, Melodic Dubstep
So Dabin is an EDM producer I first discovered through his 2020 collab with ILLENIUM and Lights—a song I still really love. Admittedly though, he didn’t end up being an artist I regularly checked out after that, with there being only one other song of his that wound up in my rotation—“Drown” with Mokita. One thing that this album did illuminate for me though is that Dabin is a far more versatile producer than I gave him credit for. This album in particular shows Dabin effectively blending elements of alternative and emo in his songs, which can often be complete misfires for many EDM artists. But somehow, Dabin manages to make it work by not compromising any of the core strengths of either genre. The EDM components act more as accents than the driving force, letting the emo/alt textures take the lead. One song that doesn’t really hit as strongly for me is “Hollow” with Kai Wachi and Lø Spirit. I have massive respect for the craftsmanship but the screamo vocals admittedly turn me off (it’s rarely been my thing tbh). “Nothing At All” with Grabbitz is another song that doesn’t do much for me because the song should really have more intensity than it has. The breakdown feels like an incomplete crescendo and the “oh-oh-oh”’s really don’t work for me. It’s also good, but still. Honestly, if I want the alternative-EDM fusion that works best for me, it’d probably be “Constellation” with FRND, even if FRND doesn’t exactly carry much firepower in his delivery. With all that in mind, a part of me feels a bit sheepish that my favorite song on this album is arguably the most pure EDM and least alternative—“Worlds Away” by Trella—I can acknowledge that it’s for sure just my genre preference here, though. I just really like Trella’s vocals on that song and the production sounds really pretty. But overall, I feel like this album is best seen as a gateway album for EDM fans to start appreciating more alternative and emo. Sure, you could argue that it’s watered down alt and emo, but for what it is, I think Dabin did a good job of preserving the alt and emo signifiers. I like this, check it out!
Best track: Worlds Away
HM: Constellation (if I did a tie I’d have to put nearly the entire album here lol)
“D”M (tie): Nothing At All, Hollow
“Worst” track: Won’t Be The Same
11. Demi Lovato - It’s Not That Deep - 8/10
Genres: Dance-Pop, House, Slap House, Synthpop, Electropop
Demi Lovato is a pop artist who I struggle with a lot. They have an incredible voice. But their voice is sometimes leveraged for an incredible track like “Heart Attack” or a terrible track like “Sorry Not Sorry”. But It’s Not That Deep is intended as a straightforward victory lap album after everything Demi has been through, and I think it really sticks the landing! Demi’s voice sounds powerful yet also finally free of burdens, they sound really happy here. And the production is really strong too; it’s got the electropop and synthpop textures, that yes, I’m a sucker for, but they are also incredibly energetic or just exuberant. Take “Let You Go”, a bit of a slower song but the brighter synths make it clear that Demi is happy now. “Say It” is the only song here that doesn’t quite hit as strong for me because Demi sounds like late-period Katy Perry in a bad way against the slap house production. It’s still a good song and certainly clears most of Katy Perry’s 143 from last year, but it is a bit of a momentum halter on this album. But the real standout to me here is “Sorry To Myself”, an upbeat synthpop song with Demi sounding super free and happy. It picks up resonance for me because I can’t help but think of the last line in “Sober”—in my opinion their best song—and I hear the phrase “sorry to myself” being recontextualized from Demi being ashamed of themselves to now them apologizing to their past self for all the hurt they put on them. Whether or not it was intentional, it’s a powerful recontextualization and for me, easily the centerpiece of this album. So yeah, this is an absolutely great album and I’m just happy that Demi seems to be doing better now.
Best track: Sorry To Myself
HM (tie): the rest of the album
DM: N/A
“Worst” track: Say It
12. Doja Cat - Vie - 7/10
Genres: Contemporary R&B, Dance-Pop, Synth Funk, Pop Rap, Synthpop, Minneapolis Sound, Freestyle
Doja Cat is a versatile artist who’s exhibited an ability to seamlessly fit into a number of genres, whether it be rap, R&B, nu-disco, or just straightforward pop. So honestly Doja could’ve been game for making a synth-heavy funk album. Her rapping certainly is at the level that could match the grooves of Minneapolis Sound and disco. And yet, Vie just doesn’t fully click for me. I think the production on some of the songs here could be the big culprit. Take “Cards”, where the groove is too stiff for Doja to really ride and we’re stuck with Doja trying to imitate the weird breathing effects on Britney Spears’s “Piece Of Me”. And then there’s “Acts Of Service”, which sounds like a weak Scarlet leftover where the beat is too slow and really clashes with Doja trying to inject personality into it. If I want Doja songs in that sound, I have no use for it when “Agora Hills” exists. “Lipstain” might have better production but Doja sounds more bored than sexy and her more forceful rapping clashes hard with the synth-infused slow jam production. That said, most of the album is very synth funky where Doja proves she’s game for this genre. “Silly! Fun!”’s production is very flashy and complements Doja’s delivery really well. Even the slightly front-loaded “Jealous Type” is a ton of fun and kinda reminds me of Doja’s forgotten 2020 collab with Bebe Rexha “Baby, I’m Jealous” if it was actually...you know, good. And then there’s “One More Time” where Doja’s sensual delivery matches the tight synthpop groove incredibly. So overall, based on its strengths alone, I’m inclined to call this album quite good, but the weaker R&B cuts prevent me from calling this quite great. I honestly think Doja should make more music in this sound.
Best track: One More Time
HM (tie): Jealous Type, Silly! Fun!
DM (tie): Lipstain, Acts Of Service
Worst track: Cards
13. Drake & PARTYNXTDOOR - $ome $exy $ongs 4 U - 4/10
Genres: Trap Soul, Alternative R&B, Pop Rap
In hindsight, I feel stupid for assuming that Kedrick Lamar’s string of disses at Drake last year would mean Drake would never have a hit again. Drake’s obviously way too big at this point for his career to end that easily. However, I do think it’s very telling that Drake had to rely on PARTYNEXTDOOR of all people, who’s been a C-lister Drake wannabe for as long as he’s had songs charting on pop radio at least, to get an album bomb on the Hot 100 this year. And I truly don’t see why even Drake stans were bumping to this album, because this is a serious contender for my least favorite Drake album to date. Certified Lover Boy might be a bad album, but as bloated as it may be, at least the songs sound finished! Drake brought out a full stable of OVO producers for this album and makes it abundantly clear why none of these producers have really been on anything of note (that I know of at least) since this album. The productions are all sludgy, turgid, and malformed messes. The only songs that sound complete are “NOKIA”, which is actually a pretty fun dance song, and “DIE TRYING”, which is decent enough, even if PARTYNEXTDOOR is completely disposable on it. But then there’s the easy lowpoint, “MEET YOUR PADRE” with Chino Pacas, where it almost feels cliche to point out that Drake is blatantly leaning into Kendrick calling him a colonizer on “Not Like Us”! Drake’s Spanish is abysmal and the phony accent is simply humiliating against the downtuned and sludgy Regional Mexican instruments. That song is as pitiful as that “Wah Gwan Delilah” thing from last year. But yeah, none of this is remotely sexy; skip this album, it sucks!
Best track: NOKIA
HM: DIE TRYING
DM: MOTH BALLS
WORST TRACK: MEET YOUR PADRE
14. Ed Sheeran - Play - 6/10
Genres: Pop, Adult Contemporary, Worldbeat, Indian Pop, Pop Soul, Folk Pop, Dance-Pop
Remember when Ed Sheeran was a huge popstar? Okay, all jokes aside, it feels like Sheeran’s starpower has significantly diminished in the 2020s. He had only one very minor hit in 2025 with “Azizam” and it feels like he hasn’t had a truly inescapable radio hit since “Bad Habits” in 2021 (maybe “Shivers” or “Eyes Closed” if you wanna stretch, I guess). This probably isn’t very surprising, you can only have a career making generic radio pop for so long. You could tell as far back as Divide that Sheeran only really churned out generic radio filler for the money to make the stuff he truly is passionate about. But stuff like “Castle On The Hill” or “Visiting Hours” weren’t the big inescapable hits as opposed to “Shape Of You” or “Bad Habits” (unfortunately). I didn’t end up listening to Subtract but I heard that it was supposedly Sheeran turning back the shiny accessible pop that the radio loves for something more personal. I kinda figured based on this that Play would be the followthrough, where we would get more of the authentic, real Ed Sheeran. And what we got was...a weird attempted swerve to return to the radio friendly pop that Sheeran was big for in the late 2010s. It’s not bad by any means, this stands out from much of Sheeran's other soulless filler slop with a few of the songs incorporating Indian musical rhythms and melodies, including even getting Arijit Singh to contribute backing vocals on some tracks. The two Indian-inspired tracks on this album sound like they’re straight out of a Bollywood movie. And as someone of Indian origin, this feels like a cultural exchange rooted in genuine appreciation. I’ll certainly take this over that atrocious “Jalebi Baby” remix by Tesher and Jason Derulo. And while “Sapphire” is a very upbeat and fun track, “Symmetry” is just irritating because that sample just grates on my nerves in record time. But that’s about where the cultural exchange ends because everything else feels like a grab bag of different styles in pop. “Slowly” is dreadfully boring despite Sheeran’s impressive vocals because he just doesn’t work on a chamber pop song like that one. It feels like he doesn’t have any command of the song’s atmosphere, instead letting the production thud over and over. I will say that “Opening” proved that Sheeran is actually a pretty good rapper with a shockingly sharp flow and cadence. “Camera” is also a really nice love song where Sheeran’s belting is impassioned in a sincere way. “Don’t Look Down” is also a really good lowkey EDM-adjacent cut thanks to the production from fred again... The standout on this album for me was immediately “Old Phone” though. It’s a song where Sheeran finds his old phone in a box he put away and starts to read through all the old messages. He then reflects on all his friendships and relationships that he may have let slip away or have just naturally faded away. And honestly, as someone who struggled with regretting the relationships I let slip away and deep loneliness this past year, that song genuinely hit me so hard. The last three tracks are all pretty mediocre though sliding into forgettable ballad territory. Overall, I’m honestly more positive than negative on this album, but I still can’t call it better than decent for it being an awkward attempted swerve back to the radio hit formula we were all sick of 8 years ago. I kinda hate to say it, but I think Ava Max calling her album Don’t Click Play was trying to be a warning against this album.
Best track: Old Phone
HM (tie): Opening, Camera, A Little More, Don’t Look Down
DM: Slowly
Worst track: Symmetry
15. FKA twigs - EUSEXUA - 8/10
Genres: Electronic Dance Music, Art Pop, Trance, Alternative R&B, Dance-Pop, Downtempo, Glitch Pop, Alt-Pop
To me, FKA twigs is one of those artists who’s bubbling just below the mainstream while still being in the critically acclaimed underground in a sense. It feels like she’s long overdue for a proper mainstream breakthrough. And honestly, in a different timeline, I feel like EUSEXUA could’ve been that in 2025. It’s a very art poppy album which can mean that it isn’t the most accessible pop music, but I think with all the EDM influences this could’ve easily been a huge album this year in a similar way to how Charli XCX’s brat was big last summer. Now onto the album itself, the title track has a beauty in its trance soundscape where the melodies just sound majestic. “Girl Feels Good” immediately follows it and as a very club-ready banger, it works really well thanks to that strong bassline. But back to my comparison to brat, “Perfect Stranger” feels very reminiscent of that album with twigs’s vocal tone reminding me a lot of Charli XCX on that song alongside the autotune embellishments and even the cadence. That’s not a bad thing at all, I fucking miss brat summer. Another highlight for me is “Drums Of Death”, which as you’d probably expect based on the title is very drum-heavy with that pounding kick and the very glitchy vocals. The album as a whole is a very good blend of EDM and art pop—art EDM, I guess—and the songs as a result either sound beautiful or kinda fall flat. For art EDM (I’ll just use this term for the rest of this review lol), since it’s obviously gonna be less accessible than commercial EDM, it lives and dies on breathtaking soundscapes to add beauty to the art. It’s why “Striptease”, while good, just doesn’t hit as strongly for me. The soundscape doesn’t feel very elegant or beautiful and thus even as a standard EDM song I don’t think it’s great because the percussion feels way too busy without much power. “24hr Dog” has the opposite problem; it dials back all the EDM elements for a regular art pop song and it just doesn't feel accessible to me and it completely pivots away from what I find unique about this album—the blend of EDM and art pop. It’s still a good song because I can admire the beauty of it as just an art pop song, but more EDM elements could’ve elevated it. Overall though, this album is absolutely great and I highly recommend it if you’re into EDM or art pop, especially the latter—you might enjoy this album even more than me.
Best track: Eusexua
HM (tie): Girl Feels Good, Drums Of Death, Room Of Fools
DM: N/A
“Worst” track (tie): Striptease, 24hr Dog
16. Gunna - The Last Wun - 4/10
Genres: Trap, Cloud Rap, Pop Rap, Southern Hip Hop
You know those artists where you’re genuinely confused how they still have a career? Gunna is absolutely one of those artists for me. I think I can state with certainty that Gunna has no stans—if you like him there are likely dozens of, if not more, other artists that do his sound way better for you. And while I thought A Gift & A Curse was actually pretty good and One Of Wun was decent, The Last Wun is the sort of backslide that made me question any credit I ever gave him. The album is defined by Gunna’s disinterest and lack of engaging charisma. If you’re gonna have a song called “wgft” standing for “We’re getting fucked tonight”, you’d think you’d sound excited, right? Or “gp”, standing for “good pussy”, you’d think that the song would at least be entertaining! I’d say that Gunna’s lack of interest could accentuate the emptiness of all the debauchery, but...no, Gunna. Emotional emptiness is not an excuse for laziness! Even the “best” song on the album, “just say dat”, is only carried to being barely good thanks to kinda nice production. In short, The Last Wun is an album where Gunna fails to justify his own existence. He’s only ever been good when he’s got good production with him and on most of this album, he doesn’t have that. It’s way too long to justify being so uninteresting. I’m not saying this is the worst album of 2025, but it easily is the most tedious and pointless. At this rate, I truly do hope that this album is, in fact, the last one we get from Gunna.
Best track: just say dat
HM: i genuinely can’t
DM (tie): gp, sakpase, prototype, i can’t feel my face, fuck witcha boy, rare occassion, made for this shit, cfwm, showed em
Worst track: wgft
17. Hoang - Heartstrings - 6/10
Genres: Melodic Bass
I said in my November Chill Pick article that I was really into Hoang’s music during the COVID-19 lockdowns but that after 2020-21 I haven’t really had the same love for his music that I did back then. Like I said there, Hoang’s biggest weakness as an artist is that he’s really formulaic. The exact same melodic bass guitar textures and percussion are used in every song with virtually the only difference from song to song being the vocalist he chooses! I will say that “Crashing Down” with raph is the easy highlight for me. Even if it is just Hoang treading his formula once again, the lyrics are actually kinda potent for me; I love songs that could be interpreted as about losing a loved one, even if the song isn’t explicitly about that and raph just sells the heartache on that song. Coupled with possibly the strongest guitar melody on the album, it’s not Hoang’s best song by any means, but it’s still a strong one. I can see why Hoang might be hesitant to experiment considering how big of a disaster “Don’t Want To Be Lonely” with VLCN and Skye Silansky was. And speaking of VLCN, I really think they should stop collaborating because their styles clash so awkwardly. It’s no different on “Better Now” with Casey Cook. Hoang’s style of production is very momentum heavy into the VLCN’s drop but that drop feels like Flume from wish.com and it just halts all the momentum and it doesn't work. “Kids Again” with With Løve and Trella is also bad because that drop sounds like an out of tune accordion. I don’t think Heartstrings is a bad album by any means but that’s more of an indictment of my tolerance for this formula than anything. This album is decent because of my tolerance for this formula, but it’s pretty inessential when he dropped “Are You Still There” in November showing tangible signs of artistic growth. Let’s just hope that that song is more indicative of the direction Hoang takes his music and he doesn’t start recycling that formula. In the meantime, if you’re a Hoang fan (like all...10 of you idk), he’s done this sound better before and if you aren’t a fan, you’re not missing much.
Best track: Crashing Down
HM: N/A
DM: Better Now
Worst track: Kids Again
18. JADE - THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY! - 8/10
Genres: Dance-Pop, Electropop, House, Nu-Disco, Synthpop
I’ll be straight here, I don’t know much about JADE—I liked what I heard from Little Mix but it was never enough for me to actively check out their other material. But my impression of her is that JADE is to Little Mix what Camila Cabello was to Fifth Harmony—the most famous member of a girl group who is the first member to start a solo career (I wouldn’t really be shocked if I’m wrong here lol). But anyways...does this album make showbiz attractive? Well, this album’s sound is instantly very appealing. The R&B intro of “Angel Of My Dreams” before diving headfirst into bassy electropop creates a sense of grandeur that feels like a great opener for an otherwise straightforward electropop album like this. “IT Girl” is probably the most central song to the “showbiz” theme of the album, down to outright name-dropping the album title in the song. I really like JADE’s attitude on that song, it’s the sorta flashy attitude that makes her feel like the it girl. Honestly though, most of this album’s appeal lies in its sound, which is very rooted in electropop melodies and synthpop rhythms. “FUFN (Fuck You For Now)” is very likeable thanks to the nu-disco rhythm of the synths. My favorite song here is “Plastic Box”, which is probably closer to “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” by Ariana Grande than electropop, with the melodic and bright synths and the drum machine. That song just sounds really pretty. “Unconditional” falls in a very similar vein. Or take “Fantasy” which is definitely more nu disco than electropop but really goes off thanks to the synths that feel very 90s disco. Even “Before You Break My Heart”, flipping a sample of JADE as a child singing “Stop! In The Name Of Love” by The Supremes, oddly works thanks to the nu disco groove and melodies helping the sample not quite feel jarring or out of place. The only song here that’s good without being quite great is “Self Saboteur”, which has a rather likeable bassy groove that tries to have the synths explode into something more euphoric but JADE’s falsetto sounds weirdly stilted. Overall, this album is a ton of fun and I think it might genuinely be my favorite album of 2025. There’s no reason why some of these songs couldn’t have crossed over in the US, come on!
Best track: Plastic Box
HM (tie): FUFN (Fuck You For Now), Fantasy, Unconditional, Before You Break My Heart
DM: N/A
“Worst” track: Self Saboteur
19. Jason Isbell - Foxes In The Snow - 8/10
Genres: Singer-Songwriter, Americana, Country Folk
When I reviewed Weathervanes in 2023, I expressed that while I liked it, I felt the album felt musically inaccessible for me because the focus was clearly on the songwriting and that some of the compositions were a bit lacking for me. So what happens when you take out the 400 Unit for a spare album driven by just an acoustic guitar? This feels shocking for me to say, but I think this weirdly makes Foxes In The Snow a more accessible album. I feel like stripping everything back to an acoustic guitar forces you to pay more attention to the songwriting as opposed to Weathervanes, which to me felt like it was trying to do too much and too little at the same time in its compositions. One thing that’s clear with Foxes In The Snow is the messy emotions surrounding Jason Isbell’s divorce. Such as the loss of stability in “Ride To Robert's, probably my favorite song here. Or the heart-wrenching “Eileen” depicting the end of the relationship. It also helps that Isbell is a remarkably skilled guitar player, helping the compositions feel distinct while letting the album flow seamlessly. Yeah, this album is great and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for an easily digestible album by one of the greatest americana singer-songwriters alive.
Best track: Ride To Robert’s
HM (tie): Eileen, Don’t Be Tough, Open And Close, Good While It Lasted, Wind Behind The Rain
DM: N/A
Worst track: N/A
20. JENNIE - Ruby - 6/10
Genres: Contemporary R&B, Pop, Alt-Pop, Pop Rap, Neo-Soul
At the beginning of the year I was really looking for an artist to define my year and I checked out a number of different albums, including the debut solo albums of two BLACKPINK members. Despite the fact that I’ve rarely liked BLACKPINK as a group before “JUMP” earlier this year, checking out the solo albums from some of the members would provide me an opportunity to see their individual personalities. And...I’m not sure JENNIE really displays any distinct personality. Don’t get me wrong, I do really like the bombast of “Like JENNIE” and “Mantra”, but I’m left with the impression that anyone could sing these songs and display more personality. It’s a bad sign that even my favorite song here, “ExtraL”, I think Doechii is more of the reason I love it than anything JENNIE contributes. Dua Lipa likewise is more of the reason “Candlebars” is good. The only track where I would say JENNIE is the strongest part is “Love Hangover” but that’s already not a very good song and JENNIE is only really the strongest part of the song because I’ve rarely ever liked Dominic Fike and his rap flow on that song is absolutely embarrassing. I do like the verses and even the buildup on “Starlight” a lot, but as soon as the drop hits, all impact is just neutered, like she wanted to make a less obnoxious BLACKPINK song and only partially succeeded. And “ZEN” is just outright bad thanks to the heavy bass punches and JENNIE’s awful delivery that leave me with anything BUT zen!! In short, Ruby is a decent album that’s only carried to being decent from few and far between moments of promise and good guest features from Doechii and Dua Lipa. You can pass on the ruby, look for the diamond in the rough instead.
Best track: ExtraL
HM (tie): Like JENNIE, Mantra, Twin
DM: Love Hangover
Worst track: ZEN
21. Jessie Murph - Sex Hysteria - 0/10 for both standard and deluxe editions
Genres: Alt-Pop, Contemporary R&B, Trap, Pop Soul, Pop Rap
There comes a point where reviewing music negatively feels like you're punching down, regardless of how much you truly may hate the art....and this is definitely one of those times. If you saw the rating I gave this album and are expecting me to scorch the Earth with a roast of this thing, sorry, it's not gonna happen. I've mentioned on my blog before that Jessie Murph is only 5 months older than me. She could've literally been in my class in grade school. So if I were to give this a thrashing like I did with Vultures 1 last year, it'd feel like I'm bullying a peer, and I'm really not a bully. But anyways, Jessie Murph was the first real artist in my age group to hit it big last year, so I felt obligated to listen to arguably her breakthrough album. So what did Sex Hysteria give us? Look, I'll be honest, when I finished listening to this album, my main emotion wasn't rage or shame, but a sense of concern of how Jessie Murph's management is handling her. They make her try a number of different genres and she basically fails at all of them thanks to her really squeaky and nasal voice. On vocal delivery alone, this is atrocious through and through, such as the stab at traditional pop on "1965" where she sounds like Lewis Capaldi at his most agonizing! Or take the failed attempt at an Amy Winehouse imitation on "Touch Me Like A Gangster" where Jessie Murph cannot remotely sell sexiness. Or take "Donuts" with Gucci Mane, where Jessie Murph sounds like she's trying to do an Eminem type flow and failing!! And I could also highlight how Jessie Murph might be a Gucci Mane stan considering her profile pic on YouTube was at one point literally a picture of Gucci Mane and there's a song on the album literally called "Gucci Mane" and it's not the song with the Gucci Mane feature, but these wild leaps across genres with low quality production at every genre make me question what Jessie Murph's management even wants her to be! I mentioned in my worst list how "Blue Strips" is genuinely top half on this album and that's the reason why; as horrendous as "Blue Strips" might be on sound, it at least sounds like it has a proper budget. I'm not gonna talk much about the controversy surrounding the lyrics of "1965" because honestly to me I'm more inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt that it's supposed to be satirical (and why should I even address the lyrics when on vocals alone the song is fucking horrendous?). I could also say that "1965" has the single worst music video I've ever seen showing a literal porn scene that happens right after a scene of a child walking in on it which raises questions for me of how no one on her team raised their heads and questioned this idea, but the real concern came with "Best Behavior" with Lil Baby, where Lil Baby drops a verse where he's straight up lusting over Jessie Murph, who's A FULL DECADE YOUNGER THAN HIM! I don't know about y'all, but Murph being so close in age to me makes that verse hit in a way that makes me uncomfortable. And it got me thinking that this was literally a thing on Murph's breakout hit, "Wild Ones" with Jelly Roll, where Jelly Roll sing-raps about being madly in love with her while being DOUBLE HER AGE!! Yeah, if Jessie Murph were an A-lister, I feel like there'd be waaaaaaay more discourse about this. Similar case for "Forever" with 6LACK, which is a song about how Jessie Murph and 6LACK wanna fuck forever. Again, 6LACK is over a decade older than Jessie Murph!! But one thing stood out about this album when I was reconsidering if this was really the direction I should take this review; it was the final track on the deluxe edition—"Certain Kind Of Love"—which goes into rather dark places including suicidal ideation. I saw a TikTok Murph posted that she doesn't identify with any one particular genre and is just "her". But that track really made me wonder if this is really the authentic version of Jessie Murph she wants us to see. A prominent emotional throughline of the deluxe tracks is Jessie Murph's clear love for her mom, which are very heartfelt and I really wish I liked them more but often either the production or the vocals are just complete shit and kills any sincerity. "Wildflowers And Wine" is the obvious tribute to her mom saying she's grateful for all she sacrificed to get Jessie Murph to where she is and that she deserves the world. Yeah, this is a horrendous album, I can't quite say it's the worst album of the decade when the album where Kanye West destroys his legacy to tout being a Nazi like it's a trophy exists, but look, if I have any real anger (and honestly I don't even have that much anger) here, it's more at Jessie Murph's management than the girl herself. How much of this I’m overthinking, I’m not sure—I can acknowledge that this may all be nothing more than performance art—maybe Jessie Murph is perfectly happy being a popstar, I just connected dots through the content of this album. Guys, there's way better artists in my age group that y'all can check out over this, one example will be coming up soon in this article actually!! In the meantime I’d skip this album, by far the worst album of the year, but again I’m not even that angry at this. I’m just concerned.
“Best” track: Wildflowers And Wine
HM: i genuinely can't
DM: too much to choose
WORST TRACK (tie): 1965, A Little Too Drunk, Touch Me Like A Gangster, Sex Hysteria, Donuts, Blue Strips, Best Behavior (well tbh this'd be the absolute bottom but there are just so many 0/10s here that a tie felt like only way to to express that), Ur Bill Is Big As Fuck, Easy Sunday Living, Forever, No Chance, Outside
22. JID - God Does Like Ugly - 8/10
Genres: Conscious Hip Hop, Trap, Neo-Soul, Hardcore Hip Hop, Southern Hip Hop
I was first introduced to JID from his feature on Imagine Dragons’ “Enemy”, a song that’s really not aged well. Even back in 2022 when I liked it though, I knew JID was the strongest part of that song—a rapper who had tons of potential to release special songs but had weak pop features in the Kendrick Lamar vein. I really like “Surround Sound” to this day so this was enough to create expectations for God Does Like Ugly. So does Fire like this album? Well, an immediately obvious strength is that JID has a delivery and flow that conveys tons of intensity and makes even the heavier songs feel like bangers. “Community” with Clipse is the sort of stalking, murderous, and dark song where JID’s venom feels earned based on the force of JID’s delivery and the intimidating production alone. It also helps that Clipse step in for a huge assist while still making JID’s intensity the star of the show. With all that in mind, I feel a bit silly for my favorite song here being the most commercial one, “Sk8” with Ciara and EARTHGANG. But I can’t help it, if that song is JID’s “Rich Baby Daddy”, EARTHGANG is Sexyy Red, JID is Drake, and Ciara is SZA. That’s the best way I can think of to explain why I love that song so much. And hey, a Drake-free version of one of Drake’s best hits this decade is very welcome. More than anything, I feel like “Sk8” proves that JID can easily play for commercial crossover without sacrificing artistic integrity. One thing I will say is a bit of a weakness on this album is that I don’t think slower songs in an R&B lane really flatter JID’s strengths. Not that he’s bad, but they don’t feel like a great use of your JID, “No Boo” feels like he’s struggling to slow down his flow to keep with the tempo even if Jessie Reyes does help carry the song to good. “VCRs” lacks a lot of the intensity that characterized some of my favorite songs on this album even if Vince Staples can sell the somber tone better. That said, this album is great and highly recommended. 2025’s charts could’ve really used some of these songs crossing over.
Best track: Sk8
HM: Community
“D”M (tie): VCRs, No Boo
Worst track: And We Vibing - Interlude (I kinda have to put the interlude as the worst here lol)
23. JoJo - NGL - 7/10
Genres: Contemporary R&B, Pop, Dance-Pop
My exposure to JoJo before this EP kinda starts and ends with her 2000s hits. However, I do love “Too Little Too Late” and I like “Leave (Get Out)” a lot, so hearing JoJo as an adult made me curious as to how she would sound in a more mature stage in life. Well, I’ll keep this short since I don’t really have much to say about this EP. The album is loose and fun and JoJo is a very expressive singer, especially on “Nobody” and the darker “Too Much To Say” or the quick patter of “Porcelain. Yeah, I really don’t have much else to say. This EP is a quick fun listen and if you have 20 minutes, check this out.
Best track: Nobody
HM (tie): Too Much To Say, Porcelain
DM: N/A
Worst track: N/A
24. Justin Bieber - SWAG - 6/10 for standard, 5/10 for SWAG II
Genres: Contemporary R&B, Pop, Pop Soul, Alternative R&B, Bedroom Pop, Sophisti-Pop, Alt-Pop
I know, SWAG and SWAG II are “officially” two separate albums, but as far as I’m concerned, if SWAG II is just the original SWAG tacked onto the back end of a whole new album, it’s a deluxe. But anyways...Justin Bieber’s first album since 2021, I really didn’t know what to expect because on one hand, “Ghost” is one of my favorite hits of the decade. On the other hand, I heard this was an R&B leaning album, and do y’all remember the last time Bieber tried R&B? We got “Yummy”, still an atrocious song that probably was a warning sign of the pandemic that would start in the following months. So much to my surprise, SWAG is pretty decent. It certainly helps that now in his early 30s, Bieber sounds more mature, even free and happy, and that helps him sell the R&B cuts much better. It also certainly helps that the production is very strong too, the sophisti-pop production helps Bieber sound like this is the final form of his sound, like he’s the most mature he’s ever been. It’s common opinion that the sentiment that Bieber is best able to sell is confusion at mixed signals, hence why “DAISIES” was the biggest hit from this album. That said, I do think Bieber is able to sell most of the songs on here, an underrated favorite of mine from SWAG II being “LOVE SONG”, with the best sophisti-pop production on both projects and an endearing sentiment of Bieber struggling to write a love song to his partner. I still don’t like “YUKON” because of the chipmunked vocals that make Bieber sound like his 2009 self, who only worked for me at all because his inability to project coolness spun around to being cute for me. And hearing 2009 Bieber’s vocals in 2025 Bieber’s cadence feels jarring. But if you want the real problem with the entire SWAG project, it’s SWAG II, which takes the entire original project and tacks it onto the back end of a whole new album, creating a bloated 44-song album that really tests my patience. Especially since SWAG II’s new songs take everything that worked in the original album and makes them not work. What was the point of having an 8-MINUTE SERMON that barely even qualifies as a song on SWAG II? That genuinely surpasses “Yummy” as the worst thing Bieber has ever made, NOBODY ASKED FOR THAT. In summation, SWAG is a decent album that showcases what Bieber has matured into, with possibly his most successful ever stab at R&B. As for SWAG II, check out “LOVE SONG”, skip the rest.
Best track: LOVE SONG
HM: DAISIES
DM: WHEN IT’S OVER
Worst track: THE STORY OF GOD
25. Kali Uchis - Sincerely, - 8/10
Genres: Pop Soul, Smooth Soul, Bedroom Pop, Psychedelic Soul, Sophisti-Pop, Dream Pop
ORQUDEAS was my first proper listen to Kali Uchis’s work—I wasn’t really familiar with her otherwise outside her biggest hits like “Telepatia” and “See You Again” with Tyler, The Creator—and I thought that album was great, and I find this album to be just about as great! Kali Uchis is a very talented singer with an elegant voice that can just melt into the languid production. The production all across Sincerely, is soaked in dreamy textures and Uchis is able to ease into the relaxed vibes effortlessly. I especially love the dreamy percussion and Uchis’s gentle cooing on “It’s Just Us” that makes me feel like I’m slowly driving off into the prettiest sunset ever, they make it my favorite song on this album. “Silk Lingerie,” is another highlight thanks to Kali’s gorgeous vocals sinking into the humid atmosphere. I also love the bassline on “Fall Apart,” and the traditional pop-leaning “All I Can Say” that meshes seamlessly with the dreamy R&B textures for a song that genuinely feels timeless. And “ILYSMIH” is a really beautiful love letter to Uchis’s partner. “Daggers!” is the only good but not great song here because it doesn’t quite soak in its dreamy textures the way the other songs do. Overall though, this is a really relaxing album, highly recommended!
Best track: It’s Just Us
HM (tie): Silk Lingerie,, Fall Apart,, All I Can Say, ILYSMIH
DM: N/A
“Worst” track: Daggers!
26. Kesha - . [Period] - 7/10
Genres: Dance-Pop, Electropop, Nu-Disco, Alt-Pop
Honestly after Gag Order in 2023, I didn’t know what direction Kesha would go on her next album. I mean, that album was just devastating and the sort of album that feels hard to follow up. But anyways, Period is intended as a victory lap album in the same way It’s Not That Deep was a victory lap for Demi Lovato, to the point where Demi even got the same producers who worked on this album for theirs. But now for Kesha’s album...I hate to say it but I’m with the general consensus that this album feels underwhelming even if I do think this is good. The problem I can angle out is that the production doesn’t really flatter Kesha’s voice. It’s certainly fun enough, but it’s also perhaps a bit too “pure electropop”. According to Kesha stans online, what made Kesha’s brand of electropop stick out was her crosspollination of it with other genres, namely punk. And thinking of some of my favorite Kesha hits from the early 2010s—”Die Young”, “Blow”, even “We R Who We R”, they fall into that category. It’s probably why “RED FLAG.” is my favorite song on this album; the synthpop groove combined with making all the bad decisions and running straight into, well, red flags despite yourself at least comes close to the energy of those older hits. Similar logic applies to “BOY CRAZY.”, which might have a great guitar-driven groove but just lacks a lot of the firepower that made those earlier hits so iconic. The obvious lowpoint on this album is “YIPPEE-KI-YAY.” which everyone seems to agree is a thudding, stodgy song that doesn’t really earn its anthemic swell. Kesha’s voice feels so stilted in the mix on the track with not enough instrumental power backing her up. So in short, obviously Kesha’s happiness is the most important thing and I’m relieved things finally seem to be looking up for her, but it’s hard not to feel disappointed by this. The production as is is good across most of the album but it doesn’t flatter Kesha’s vocals or artistic strengths all that well. If you’re a fan, maybe you’ll get more out of this than me, though even then from what I’ve seen even her fans seem to be disappointed by this. And if you’re not a fan, she’s done way better. Still fun enough for what it is, though.
Best track: RED FLAG.
HM: BOY CRAZY.
DM: N/A
Worst track: YIPPEE-KI-YAY.
27. Lady Gaga - MAYHEM - 7/10
Genres: Dance-Pop, Electropop, Pop Rock, Nu-Disco, Synthpop
This might be a hot take, but MAYHEM, at least in my circles, was probably the closest we had to a true “event album” of 2025. A lot of people I talked to IRL at the start of the year were ecstatic about this album and/or had gotten tickets for the MAYHEM tour. And thus...it’s a bit awkward for me to say that while I do like this album, I don’t quite love it. I still don’t like the harsh industrial-leaning “Disease” very much (even if it’s grown on me) and ending the album with 3 ballads (including “Die With A Smile” getting tacked onto the album) just halts the momentum for me. “The Beast” and “Blade Of Grass” are trying to be cinematic in their productions but they just don’t feel like they go anywhere; they really feel like diet “Shallow”. And while I like “Die With A Smile” a lot, it (and the other two aforementioned ballads) feels really out of place on this album. The production on the club tracks is, paradoxically, much grander in sound than the ballads. Like compare the closing tracks to say, the darkly magical “Abracadabra” or the understated gurgle of “LoveDrug” and “Shadow Of A Man” or even the blatant Taylor Swift influence of “How Bad Do U Want Me” (quite frankly it surpasses everything Taylor Swift herself released in 2025), they just feel so much weaker in comparison. Overall, I’d say on production alone, this album is quite good for a nostalgic throwback, but it is absolutely frontloaded.
Best track: Abracadabra
HM (tie): LoveDrug, How Bad Do U Want Me, Shadow Of A Man
DM (tie): The Beast, Blade Of Grass
Worst track: Disease
28. Laufey - A Matter Of Time - 8/10
Genres: Traditional Pop, Singer-Songwriter, Bossa nova, Folk Pop, Chamber Pop
Laufey is an artist I’ve been meaning to check out more of—in my freshman year of college my CS professors were obsessed with her—and I generally liked the snippets of her songs that I would hear in chart videos. The first song I properly checked out from her was “A Night To Remember” with beabadoobee for a Pulse Music Board game where I had to send a bossa nova song for one round and I loved it. So all that set up some expectations for me here. And...yeah, this album is great. I absolutely love Laufey’s voice—it’s elegant, playful, and inviting to near perfectly fit the traditional pop production. This traditional pop sound is very apparent on songs like “Lover Girl”. But Laufey proves to be a solid fit for chamber pop on “Snow White”, where she has a commanding control of the atmosphere and truly wrings out every drop of sadness as she compares herself to the societal archetype of a woman and how she feels like she failed herself by failing society. She makes a line like this:
“Sometimes I see her, she looks like Snow Whitе
She's everything I am, but my wrongs arе turned to rights”
Cut like a knife. I also love the subtle simmering of anger on “Tough Luck”. But my favorite song here is the folk poppy “Clean Air”. I love how sunny and optimistic that song is. The song kinda feels like a bit of a reset after tough times, where you can just breathe in the clean air, which might say a lot about the kind of year I had, but I still find it incredibly charming.
Best track: Clean Air
HM (tie): Snow White, Tough Luck, A Cautionary Tale
DM: N/A
Worst track: Cuckoo Ballet - Interlude (well, duh lol)
29. Lights - A6 - 8/10
Genres: Alt-Pop, Synthpop, Post-Punk, New Wave, Coldwave
I was first familiar with Canadian Lights for her 2017 single “Giants”, which had a brief run on Hot AC radio and I loved it instantly. In hindsight, being a bit more familiar with Lights’s other work, “Giants” is a bit of a sellout song, but it’s one I do still love to this day, enough for me to occasionally check out some of Lights’s other songs. And I’ll say it, up until JADE’s THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!, this was the frontrunner for my album of the year. Lights surprised me with how well she rides synthpop grooves. Take the coldwave “ALIVE AGAIN” and “SURFACE TENSION”, Lights holds her own and the album feels really drivable. I could also point to the darkwave “GHOST GIRL ON FIRST” perfectly capturing the desperation coming from a fading connection making it my absolute favorite track on the album. But one thing stood out to me when I was listening to the album on a flight that hadn’t clicked for me on my first listen—this album is queer as fuck. Once I noticed the queer-coded lyrics on the tight sex jam “CLINGY”, it honestly boosted the entire album for me. All of a sudden songs like “GHOST GIRL ON FIRST” read like a queer relationship fizzling out, and that does make the song pick up more pathos, even if I’m as straight as an arrow. The album reads to me as being about a woman experimenting with another woman who sees the whole thing as just a fling while she catches feelings. But yeah, this album is super underrated, I highly recommend it!!
Best track: GHOST GIRL ON FIRST
HM (tie): DAMAGE, ALIVE AGAIN, SURFACE TENSION, YOU’RE KILLING ME, WHITE PAPER PALM TREES, DRINKS ON THE COAST, OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR
“D”M (tie): N/A
Worst track: INTRO (lol)
30. Lil Baby - WHAM - 6/10 (for both extended and standard versions)
Genres: Trap, Gangsta Rap, Pop Rap, Southern Hip Hop
God, it’s really not hard to feel like Lil Baby is wasting his potential. I wish he could return to what made him so special in 2020. The production on WHAM is very generic and Lil Baby’s flow doesn’t do much to elevate it to being memorable. Young Thug and Future heavily carry “Dum, Dumb, and Dumber” but nothing here measures up to being a “The Bigger Picture” or even an “Emotionally Scarred”. I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by Lil Baby’s ability to keep up with the fast clicking percussion on “F U 2x”, even if it can’t even run for 2 minutes. Travis Scott’s knack for crafting a heavy and compelling atmosphere also really helps carry “Stuff” into being the best song on this album. And 21 Savage brings that low intensity that elevates “Outfit”. But as I was literally listening to that song to write that previous sentence, that’s when it clicked—Lil Baby’s features are often what give this album its best moments. Honestly the only song here that I outright dislike is “By Myself” with Rod Wave and Rylo Rodriguez thanks to the very wiry high-pitched synth and Rod Wave’s continued inability to evolve his sound and Rylo Rodriguez being utterly inessential and sounding like a constipated Future. I’ll call this album decent because the bones of quality are scattered across this album, but it’s ultimately too samey to be worth a revisit.
Best track: Stuff
HM: F U 2x, Outfit
DM: Listen Up
Worst track: By Myself
31. Lil Durk - Deep Thoughts - 5/10
Genres: Pop Rap, Trap, Gangsta Rap
Anyone remember when Lil Durk felt like the credible torchbearer to carry drill into the mainstream? I still maintain that Lil Durk showed a ton of promise in the early 2020s with his ability to convey intensity against his drill beats, but I think the cracks started to show with Almost Healed, which produced two hits—”Stand By Me” with Morgan Wallen and “All My Life” with J Cole—and somehow it’s the J Cole song that aged worse! Almost Healed was the sort of messy album where Lil Durk tried and failed to pull off a balancing act of mainstream-friendly pop crossovers and hardcore drill bangers. And Deep Thoughts isn’t much better, it feels more focused on Lil Durk’s struggles but the production feels considerably cheaper—probably because Lil Durk apparently recorded this album from jail—and that’s to this album’s absolute detriment. “Keep On Sippin’” has the most blatant copy-paste vocal track I've heard in some time. And the trap percussion on “Turn Up A Notch” clips the mix in a distracting way. And that’s not to mention the mildly gross “Late Checkout” where Lil Durk is bitching about sex not feeling the same when he’s in love. And while I do like “Soul Bleed”’s more solemn pianos and the strings, Lil Durk’s delivery, particularly when he really overemphasizes his r’s just undercuts any emotion that the song could wring out. It doesn’t remotely compare to a song like “What Happened To Virgil”. Even a collaboration with Jhene Aiko, “Can’t Hide It” should've just been given to Jhene Aiko with Lil Durk out of the equation. Jhene Aiko is putting so much work into making the song feel inviting and Lil Durk just doesn’t match her energy. “Vanish Mode” isn’t great by any means, but it’s still my favorite song on the album because at least the minor key piano notes are in a similar ballpark to the production that made Lil Durk work in the first place. In short, Deep Thoughts is an album that shows why we no longer need to keep Lil Durk around. When the album doesn’t feel like budget quality, Lil Durk doesn’t put anything into it. In other words, this is really mediocre. At best.
Best track: Vanish Mode
HM (tie): Soul Bleed, Can’t Hide It
DM (tie): Late Checkout, Alhamdulilah, Turn Up A Notch
Worst track: Keep On Sippin’
32. Lil Nas X - Days Before Dreamboy - 6/10
Genres: Pop Rap, Contemporary R&B, Trap, Dance-Pop, Southern Hip Hop
Anyone else feeling a bit concerned for Lil Nas X right now? Last year his only notable song was a feature on Camila Cabello’s C,XOXO which already screamed “Trainwreckord” for Camila. And this year, he was making headlines for...hospitalization from face paralysis and then getting arrested for streaking at night. It doesn’t really sound like Lil Nas X is in a very good place right now. And C,XOXO feels like an apt comparison because while Lil Nas X isn’t really doing anything all that different from his previous hits, it just isn’t hitting as strongly. I like the early 2000s-influenced “HOTBOX”, the choir sample on “RIGHT THERE!”, and the Jersey Club “need dat boy”, which does make this quite a bit better than C,XOXO. But these shifts across genres make this feel like an identity crisis like Camila’s album last year was. The songs all have Lil Nas X’s trademark provocativeness, but this time it feels like there’s considerably less focus and that Lil Nas X doesn’t know how best to evolve his sound. The album is decent and I don’t think it’s a career-killer by any stretch, but I just hope Lil Nas X can get his shit sorted out and return to get back into a good place.
Best track: need dat boy
HM (tie): HOTBOX, RIGHT THERE!
DM: N/A
Worst track: BIG DUMMY!
33. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter VI - 4/10
Genres: Pop Rap, Trap, Dirty South, Gangsta Rap, Rap Rock, Chipmunk Soul, Southern Hip Hop
Full disclosure, I haven’t listened to any other albums in the Tha Carter series, so I’m judging this album purely as a standalone body of music. And given that the buzz for this album is that it's pretty terrible, I didn’t exactly have very high expectations. Lil Wayne’s autotuned frog voice is very hit or miss to me and yeah, it’s more miss than hit on this album. Possibly the worst culprit of this is “Island Holiday”, which is straight up unlistenable with Lil Wayne’s autotuned caterwauling and the dated and cheap beat. “Peanuts 2 N Elephant” is also atrocious for sounding like a leftover from 2005 musically and lyrically and Lil Wayne sounding like he’s choking on his own tongue. The only good song here is “Hip-Hop” and even then I’d attribute its quality more to BigXThaPlug’s really good hook than anything Lil Wayne contributes. Yeah, Tha Carter VI is bad—Lil Wayne’s rapping is lousy and the production and hooks suck. I’d skip it if you haven’t heard it, but let’s be real, you’ve probably already made up your mind on that front.
Best track: Hip-Hop
“H”M: Bells
DM: Peanuts 2 N Elephant
Worst track: Island Holiday
34. LISA - Alter Ego - 6/10
Genres: Pop Rap, Pop, Dance-Pop, Contemporary R&B, Trap [EDM]
At the beginning of the year I was really looking for an artist to define my year and I checked out a number of different albums, including the debut solo albums of two BLACKPINK members. Despite the fact that I’ve rarely liked BLACKPINK as a group before “JUMP” earlier this year, checking out the solo albums from some of the members would provide me an opportunity to see their individual personalities. And...I’m not sure LISA really displays any distinct personality. Don’t get me wrong, I do really like the arrogance of “Your Woman” and “Lifestyle” and even the elegance of “Moonlit Floor (Kiss Me)” and “Dream”, but I’m left with the impression that anyone could sing these songs and display more personality. It’s a bad sign that even my favorite song here, “Born Again”, I think Doja Cat and Raye are more of the reason I love it than anything LISA contributes. And if you think that that first part of the review was almost directly pasted from my JENNIE review, well, you’d be right. And I know I’m not the first person to make this joke either. But there’s not much to highlight about Alter Ego that wasn’t highlighted with Ruby. Both albums show two BLACKPINK members displaying little distinct personality to make these songs their own. They really only have enough personality when they’re annoying like on Alter Ego, “Thunder” and “BADGRRRL”, which sound like regular BLACKPINK songs except instead of the whole group it’s just LISA. In other words, similar to Ruby, keep “Born Again”, skip the rest.
Best track: Born Again
HM (tie): New Woman, Moonlit Floor (Kiss Me), Lifestyle, Dream
DM (tie): BADGRRRL, Rapunzel (Kiki Solo Version)
Worst track: Thunder
35. Lorde - Virgin - 8/10
Genres: Alt-Pop, Electronic, Indietronica, Electropop, Singer-Songwriter, Future Garage
At this point Lorde has proven that she’s too good for the charts. Hell, the fact that “Green Light” wasn’t one of the biggest hits of 2017 should be enough proof of that. But for someone who hasn’t had much chart success since the early to mid-2010s, Lorde has been influential to many new mainstream household names, from Olivia Rodrigo to Gracie Abrams. So what was next for her? I’ll admit that I never got around to listening to Solar Power back in 2021—I was too busy at the time and the generally negative reception didn’t give me any motivation to listen to it in the years since—I only heard the title track from that album, which I thought was pleasant enough. Now for Virgin, I do think this is pretty great, but at the same time I get why people were underwhelmed by this. I really like the future garage soundscape across this album, it gives the album a sort of mysterious grandiosity. At the same time, a song like “Hammer” kinda forces you to compare it to “Green Light” and it doesn’t measure up to the magic of that song. I may think “Hammer” is incredible, but there’s no denying that the garage influences don’t make the adrenaline rush that came with “Green Light” coalesce. I love the lyrics that depict the pressure Lorde is under to make her parents happy on “Favourite Daughter”. But my favorite track here is probably “Current Affairs”, which is probably the most EDM-leaning song on the album—I love the quietly muted synth that aches with anger and fear that really allows the song to hit a quiet payoff on the final chorus. It’s not a loud release of catharsis, it’s just a quiet acceptance, because she knew the relationship was doomed to fail from the start. So overall, this is a great album, but if you’re a Lorde fan, this doesn’t do much that Lorde hasn't done before.
Best track: Current Affairs
HM (tie): Hammer, Favourite Daughter, David
DM: N/A
“Worst” track: Clearblue
36. Maren Morris - D R E A M S I C L E - 7/10
Genres: Pop, Country Pop, Alt-Pop, Pop Rock, Folk Pop
The first thing I saw about this album was that it was Maren Morris’s star-crossed. That gave me some reservations about this album because while star-crossed isn’t Kacey Musgraves’s worst album, it’s definitely her most underwhelming. Now for D R E A M S I C L E, yeah, star-crossed is definitely the most appropriate comparison, because this isn't a country album in the slightest. It’s more of a pop album, and in that vein, I think I actually like this more than star-crossed (don’t take away my Kacey stan card please)? I feel like part of it is that Maren Morris has dabbled in pure pop music before so this didn’t feel like too big of a swerve for her. It also helps that Maren’s production here is definitely better than the production on star-crossed. I especially like “cut!” with Julia Michaels for its darker synthpop sound contrasting Maren Morris’s higher notes really well. Hell, it might be the best I’ve ever heard Julia Michaels sound. “people still show up” is kinda a dud because it sounds like an actual Kacey Musgraves ripoff, and a really bad one too, with the weird wub-wubs ruining what could’ve been a really solid bassline. Maren Morris’s delivery also feels like it’s trying to copy an early Kacey Musgraves cadence and she doesn’t remotely have the attitude or even the songwriting chops to pull it off. Overall, I do like this album for what it is, but I absolutely understand if you’re underwhelmed.
Best track: cut!
HM (tie): lemonade, bed no breakfast, dreamsible, because, of course
DM: this is how a woman leaves
Worst track: people still show up
37. Miley Cyrus - Something Beautiful - 8/10
Genres: Pop Rock, Art Pop, Electro-Disco, Dance-Pop, Soft Rock, Art Rock, Neo-Psychedelia
Miley Cyrus has had a career trajectory like very few, if any, artists have had. And I’ll be honest, I had absolutely no clue where she would go next because I thought 2023’s Endless Summer Vacation was her commercial peak—I definitely overrated it at the time—with “Flowers” becoming by far her biggest hit despite being one of the most aggressively mid songs she’s ever made. Well, Something Beautiful certainly feels like a very ambitious album, with Miley dabbling into elements of art rock, art pop, psychedelia, and disco for an album that feels eclectic through and through. If anything, this album honestly feels like a culmination of what Miley’s career has amounted to. Throughout her career, she has evolved rapidly, from being a Disney girl to almost immediately shedding that image to basically making whatever she’s feeling at the current moment. When Jessie Murph said that she doesn’t identify with any one particular genre and is just “her”, I imagine that she was seeing herself as Miley. Miley truly feels like an artist who doesn’t identify with any one genre and is just being “her” because she’s able to pull off almost any genre she tries, showing tons of respect for the genres she attempts. Her voice has always been very distinctly sharp and here it really shines, from the europop of “End Of The World” to the hazy psychedelia of “More To Lose” to especially the hi-NRG/disco of “Walk Of Fame”. Yeah, this album is great, highly recommended!! As for where Miley Cyrus goes from here, I’m not sure but I think it’ll be...something beautiful, alright.
Best track: Walk Of Fame
HM (tie): End Of The World, Reborn
DM: N/A
Worst track (tie): Prelude, Interlude 1, Interlude 2
38. Morgan Wallen - I’m The Problem - 5/10
Genres: Contemporary Country, Country Pop, Bro-Country, Soft Rock
So 2025 was arguably the year of Morgan Wallen, for better but mostly for worse, considering this album takes up 9% of Billboard’s 2025 YE list. And look, when you name the album after one of the worst songs in your catalog, I had rock bottom expectations for this, especially considering I grossly overrated One Thing At A Time in 2023. But going back to that review, I said that that album could’ve been legitimately good if Wallen just removed half the tracklist. I think that criticism is more apropos for this album. With 37 songs, this is less an album and more a boring feature film. I will concede that this album has some of Wallen’s most heartfelt songs to date like “Superman”, “20 Cigarettes”, and even “Love Somebody”, but I can only stomach so many songs about heartbreak and misery without fatigue starting to dock points in my ratings. And when this album isn’t heartfelt, it’s Wallen wallowing in his douchiness and painting himself to be a thoroughly toxic person to be around, such as “What I Want” or “I’m The Problem” or especially the douchey as fuck “Kiss Her In Front Of You” which is genuinely bottom of the barrel in this man’s absurdly bloated discography. And then there’s the glassy pitch-shifted Keith Whitley sample on “Miami” where if I was more connected to Whitley’s music I might be tempted to call that the absolute worst song Wallen has ever made. And don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely up there because the reference to “Sand In My Boots” does plenty to piss me off as a reminder that Wallen used to actually be good! But anyways, all the douchey songs and the heartfelt ones...they come together to make a narrative arc that’s compelling on paper at least. The album is trying to highlight the recovery arc from a breakup and/or alcoholism. Wallen goes as far as to depict every backslide/relapse he faces. And honestly that angle is kinda what makes “The Dealer” such a standout not just on this album, but in Wallen’s entire discography. After 20+ songs of misery and toxicity, “The Dealer” feels like a ray of sunshine peeking through the rain clouds because it highlights Wallen finally breaking the cycle by, yes, praying to God, which can feel a bit dramatically inert, but it’s a moment where Wallen realizes he shouldn’t worry about things out of his control and taking the cards he’s dealt one at a time—this sentiment coupled with the best melody on the album made that song one of my personal songs of the summer. But despite how much praise I’ve given this album so far, there’s one huge, obvious issue—this album DID NOT need to be 37 songs. That type of length makes this feel more like an endurance test than a true artistic statement. Again, Wallen could’ve just as easily conveyed this narrative by trimming down all the bloat to a lean 10-15 song album, keeping only the very best songs. So ultimately, I’m The Problem, well yes, you are Wallen, but keep “The Dealer” and maybe “20 Cigarettes”, the rest can go.
Best track: The Dealer
HM (tie): Superman, Skoal, Chevy, and Browning, Kick Myself, 20 Cigarettes, Number 3 and Number 7, Love Somebody, Drinking Til It Does, Crazy Eyes, LA Night
DM (tie): I’m The Problem, Miami
WORST TRACK: Kiss Her In Front Of You
39. NF - FEAR - 3/10
Genres: Singer-Songwriter, Pop Rap
One of my many dark secrets is that I used to kinda like NF’s music when I was 13 or 14, when I was in my “I only listen to real rap” phase. Thankfully over the years, his music has worn on me significantly. I’ll still admit that I think “HAPPY” is a good song but everything else I used to like from him now ranges from mediocre to outright terrible in my eyes. I think the straw that broke the camel’s back was when I heard “MOTTO” in 2024, which is a pitifully insecure spew of unearned anger. So leave it to the year of our lord 2025 for NF to actually get an album bomb with this EP. And...okay, NF is a pretty mediocre rapper and that makes his hardcore rap stuff really not work for me. “GIVE ME A REASON” in particular is trash for NF demanding us to put him down because it serves as his fuel to keep going and it reminds me of modern Imagine Dragons in a really bad way. NF is also not a great singer and when he piles a garbled chipmunk effect on his voice on “WHO I WAS” with mgk, it might genuinely be the worst thing I’ve ever heard from him. I generally think NF’s sad-boy ballads are better but even then because of his weak singing voice they don’t work. “SORRY” with James Arthur is the “best” song on this EP, but even then as someone who unironically likes “Say You Won’t Let Go” Arthur’s mushy and mumbly delivery against the borderline stomp clap production doesn’t work. “FEAR” is also pretty terrible because it sounds like NF is copying AJR’s cadence with a vocal timbre that sounds like Twenty One Pilots; it’s basically an AJR song. Yeah...this EP is pretty terrible, we have no need for NF in 2025.
“Best” track: SORRY
HM: N/A
DM: GIVE ME A REASON
Worst track: WHO I WAS
40. Nightbirde - Still Got Dreams - 5/10
Genres: Pop
So when I reviewed It’s OK by Nightbirde last year, even though I thought it was a great album, it was posthumous and thus I was really hoping against hope that we wouldn't get a 2nd posthumous album from her. Like one posthumous album? sure, it's likely to be out of a place of honoring the artist's legacy. But a second? While it could still honor their legacy, a few wrong missteps could make it out to be a cash grab. And....sadly, Still Got Dreams proved my worst fears true because this feels questionable at best and outright gross and exploitative at worst. I’ll start by saying that an absolutely fair critique of Nightbirde’s music is that it might be too overly optimistic and/or cheesy. I don’t think it’s a weakness, mainly because if you’ve ever been through a life-changing adversity, you’re more tempted to cling onto any positivity you can. I mean I’m the guy who loves “Soda Pop” from Kpop Demon Hunters, I’ve never made it a secret that I like shiny and happy pop. But Still Got Dreams feels like an attempt by Nightbirde’s management to evolve her sound, but it’s done so poorly that most of the songs don’t feel like songs that Nightbirde wanted to release. The most glaring example of this is “Empire” with Konata Small, which there was a comment on its YouTube audio asking if it was AI-generated because it doesn’t sound like something she would make. And let’s get this out of the way, “Empire” is terrible in a really gross way. Nightbirde is singing over a trap beat about how she’s building an empire, which sonically is a direction that Nightbirde never went in on the first posthumous album. And given how Konata Small’s rap verse feels very haphazardly slapped onto the song, it feels like the most blatant of cash grabs. And just as importantly, Nightbirde’s music has never been about her boasting about leaving a legacy!! It’s always been about her emotional journey battling cancer—no mention of her ever leaving behind a legacy. And when you tack on the fact that on that YouTube audio, there was a comment that said something along the lines of “Nightbirde wouldn't have wanted this. Please stop exploiting her” that suspiciously disappeared a few weeks later (whether from the commenter deleting it themselves or Nightbrde’s management deleting it), it makes me super suspicious that there is some exploitation of Nightbirde’s artistry happening. “All I See Is You” is a tad closer to the ballpark of the music Nightbirde was making before she passed, but it’s still really dark in a way that feels out of character for her. And when you analyze the album from this angle of exploitation, suddenly the interludes feel...wrong. I thought the number of interludes on It’s OK was a problem, but at least there they flowed into the next song pretty well! That doesn’t happen on Still Got Dreams. You can’t have an interlude of her saying that “we don’t have control over how hard life is” and then cut to her boasting about her legacy on “Empire”!! If there is any one song on this album, though that feels like it came from a genuine place, it’s “Gold”, which feels like a natural step Nightbirde would’ve taken in her music if she were still alive—it’s darker synthpop that doesn’t stray too far away from what she did in the past where the illusion of positivity cracks. Nightbirde is actively asking for her pedestal as an inspirational figure to be taken away, feeling like she doesn’t deserve it. And that, to me, makes the song one of the best songs in Nightbirde’s short discography and easily the best song on this album. Overall though, I’ll say it again, this album is questionable at best and outright gross and exploitative at worst. In the meantime, I’m begging Nightbirde’s management—do not make a 3rd posthumous album, let the poor woman rest in peace.
Best track: Gold
HM (tie): Better Days, Get Up
DM: All I See Is You
Worst track: Empire
41. Olivia Dean - The Art of Loving - 8/10
Genres: Pop Soul, Smooth Soul, Soft Rock
Despite the fact that I wasn’t familiar with Olivia Dean prior to 2025, I was honestly genuinely excited to hear this album. I fell in love with “Man I Need” from the first listen as an impeccably produced and written, charming and playful tune. And...yeah, The Art of Loving is legit great and Olivia Dean is a star. I should get the obvious out of the way—Dean has an absolutely beautiful soulful voice. She seems to have the best possible knack of finding subtle earworms that catch your attention. Take the “talk to me”’s on “Man I Need” punching in with perfect timing every time you think the song is too “boringly” perfect. The production across this album feels super organic and helps flatter Dean’s subtle inflections to create a very inviting and intimate atmosphere. It gives the album a sense of universality. I feel like even if you’re not really into this type of music, it’s very easy to like. So overall, this album is great and very easy to like, highly recommended, there’s definitely at least something for you to like here. And with how much chart success this album is starting to see on the Hot 100, I think Dean could be seeing a breakthrough in 2026 like Chappell Roan did in 2024, and we’d be better for it.
Best track: Man I Need
HM (tie): Lady Lady, So Easy (To Fall In Love), Let Alone The One You Love, Something Inbetween, Baby Steps
DM: N/A
Worst track: The Art of Loving (Intro)
42. PinkPantheress - Fancy That - 8/10
Genres: Dance-Pop, UK Garage, 2-Step, Contemporary R&B, Liquid Drum and Bass, Bassline, Speed Garage
PinkPantheress’s sound is very sugary pop that’s pretty easy to like, even if it could take a bit to fully love. It may have taken a while, but I finally came around to finding “Boys A Liar Pt 2” great. And really, Fancy That isn’t an album that gives me much to say because like Olvia Dean’s album, its appeal is very straightforward. I really like the garage beats and the bitcrushed synths throughout. They flatter PinkPantheress’s hushed cooing delivery really well. “Tonight” is probably my favorite song on this album thanks to the percussion feeling a tad more developed with a cleaner melody. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy the busier synths on “Girl Like Me”, another highlight, but the more developed percussion and the pleasant melodies make tracks like “Tonight” or “Nice To Know You” or even the very brat-reminiscent “Stateside” and the synthpoppy “Romeo” standouts to me. So yeah, overall, I’d say this album is pretty great, it’s a cute listen, definitely recommended!
Best track: Tonight
HM (tie): Girl Like Me, Nice To Know You, Stateside, Romeo
DM: N/A
Worst track: Intermission
43. Playboi Carti - MUSIC - 5/10
Genres: Trap, Hardcore Hip Hop, Pop Rap, Rage, Cloud Rap, Experimental Hip Hop
Before the 2020s, I was really only familiar with Playboi Carti for “Magnolia”, a song that I still really like to this day. But it feels like ever since then, Carti’s quality has plummeted off a cliff, with him seeing chart success with some of the worst songs I’ve ever heard from him, including a #1 hit on...that atrocious Kanye West song “Carnival”. And look, I’ve tried to understand the appeal of Carti’s current material, and my best understanding is that Carti works best when he himself acts as an instrument dropping an adlib the same way there could be an instrumental flourish. That’s at least the best guess I can make because when Carti is the solo credit on the song, I find this album incredibly grating, such as the borderline unlistenable noise “POP OUT” where every part of the mix feels grainy and clipping as Carti screams over the beat sounding like a hoarse frog. Even as a song purely for curating the vibe, it doesn't work at all. Stuff like “PHILLY” with Travis Scott or “BACKD00R” with Kendrick Lamar and Jhene Aiko or especially “GOOD CREDIT” with Kendrick Lamar, where he essentially lets the guest stars steal the entire song while acting as little more than an instrumental flourish are indeed the songs I like most here. And then there’s the length of this album...the bloat here isn’t nearly as bad as on Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem, but that really isn’t saying much when the album is THIRTY SONGS. And at least on Wallen’s album the songs sounded finished, however miserable they may have been! But when the songs feel really slapdash and undercooked, the entire album becomes a slog. In short, this is mediocre as all hell—if you’re not a Carti fan, you’re really not missing much and if you are, I don’t know, maybe there’s some hidden genius that I’m missing. And if that's the case, you can keep it.
Best track: GOOD CREDIT
HM (tie): PHILLY, BACKD00R
DM (tie): COCAINE NOSE, JUMPIN
Worst track: POP OUT
44. Renee Rapp - BITE ME - 7/10
Genres: Pop Rock, Alt-Pop, Adult Contemporary, Alternative Rock, Singer-Songwriter, Power Pop
Honestly I most associate Renee Rapp with her song “Not My Fault” with Megan Thee Stallion, which if I recall correctly was one of the most played songs on pop radio to never touch the Hot 100. I did really like “Not My Fault”, but at the same time, it largely felt ignorable—not her fault (no pun intended), 2024 was just the most blockbuster year of my lifetime for pop music so of course it was gonna get lost in the shuffle. All that’s to say that I didn’t know what to expect out of BITE ME. I really wasn’t that familiar with her outside of “Not My Fault” but I did see this getting some acclaim...so that’s an indicator of some promise, so what did we get? Okay, this is an album that’s definitely not targeted for me but I can acknowledge the quality as I hear it. The album is really lesbian in its content and the rock-leaning musical elements help the themes feel anthemic. I saw comparisons for this album’s sound range from Sabrina Carpenter to Taylor Swift to Olivia Rodrigo to Kesha...but I’m not sure any of these artists are apt comparisons. Sure, there are parts where Rapp switches into sing-talk delivery similar to what Kesha did in the early 2010s and you could be tempted to compare the rock sound to Olivia Rodrigo, but I feel like Rapp stands out as her own artist here. Obviously, some of the songs are very reminiscent of the artists I listed off just now, especially “Sometimes” which falls into a 1989 era Taylor Swift sound, but the themes of the album are where I feel like Rapp’s artistry shines. The real standout to me on this album is “You’d Like That Wouldn’t You”, which sonically is a very anthemic power pop breakup song which feels like a Kelly Clarkson song from the 2000s that seems to indicate that she may have been in the wrong. And yet that moral ambiguity doesn’t compromise the anthemic nature of the song thanks to the guitar-driven groove. The only song that I don’t really like all that much is “That’s So Funny”, which has a forgettable melody that doesn’t help accentuate any emotions Rapp is trying to elicit and it kinda fades into the background for me as a result. But overall, yeah, this album is quite good and if you fall into the album’s target demographic, you’ll likely enjoy this way more than me. In the meantime, some of these songs could be hits in the mainstream, come on!
Best track: You’d Like That Wouldn’t You
HM (tie): Leave Me Alone, Mad, Sometimes, Kiss It Kiss It, Good Girl, Shy, At Least I'm Hot, I Think I Like You Better When You're Gone
“D”M (tie): Why Is She Still Here?, I Can't Have You Around Me Anymore
Worst track: That's So Funny
45. Ruston Kelly - Pale, Through the Window - 8/10
Genres: Singer-Songwriter, Contemporary Country, Americana, Soft Rock
I most know Ruston Kelly as Kacey Musgraves’s ex-husband. And...you know me, I’ll link any artist to Kacey somehow. But for real, I was first introduced to him through a duet with Kacey when I was doing a discog dive of her. Immediately Ruston Kelly struck me as a very talented guy—he has a really good voice that can command melancholy excellently. And that’s really the story of why I think this album is great. I really like Kelly’s voice and he proves that he can hold his own on different genres, whether it be the Southern rock groove of “Wayside” or the truly heart-wrenching tribute to his mentor Kyle Jacobs on “Half Past Three”, my favorite song here. I can also really appreciate the more exuberant “Me and You” and the straightforward rock of “Pickleball” and “Great Wide Open”. Kelly’s vocals also have a stunning beauty as they sit starkly on the spare closer, “All In”; it’s genuinely fantastic command of the atmosphere. The only song here that I don’t really love is “Still”, which is a very good song, but isn’t quite great because Kelly’s voice doesn’t feel quite as aching as the mix does. Overall though, I’d say Ruston Kelly absolutely lived up to the potential I saw on that collaboration with Kacey. This album is pretty great, highly recommended!
Best track: Half Past Three
HM (tie): Wayside, Me and You, Pickleball, Great Wide Open, All In
DM: N/A
“Worst” track: Still
46. SABAI - Fuck It, I’m Alright - 6/10
Genres: Pop Rock, Future Bass
So I wasn’t exactly kind to SABAI’s debut album North Star last year due to it being extremely formulaic. So I didn’t exactly have high expectations for this EP named after a pretty bad song. It also didn’t really help that just minutes before I listened to this EP, I heard his terrible remix of “Free” from Kpop Demon Hunters which already put me in a bad mood. So...how is this EP? Well, the title track is still absolutely the worst song on it, where the synth bursts have no impact or power to make it feel like a proper release of catharsis. Olivia Ridgely may not sound bad on it, but she has no chemistry with either SABAI or Miles Away, which is wild to me because in the past some of my favorite songs from Ridgely were collaborations with either one of them!! How do they fumble the chemistry so badly here? Also, no one on that song seems to have a proper idea of how to drop an f bomb—they curse like they’re 10. The intro has a neat idea of acting like an overture for the EP, but Olivia Ridgely just cannot put any impact behind the traces of the title track. “Say It To Me” feels like SABAI’s trying to move in a slightly different direction sonically, but that drop is just a goopy plop of synths with no impact. ANDe and HALIENE have very little chemistry with each other and it’s ultimately quite mediocre. But that takes me to my main point—this EP is incredibly backloaded. The first 3 tracks are all mediocre to bad but the last 4 are all pretty great!! Even “Same High” with Trella, which has a rather wonky electric guitar drop, somehow works because it shows SABAI finally evolving from his chipmunked future bass drop that he really leaned on too hard on his debut album!! But my favorite song on the EP is probably “I Miss You” with Somna and RUNN, which has a really satisfying build up and rather unique drop. I especially really like the drum-and-bass leaning percussion, it feels super fresh coming from SABAI. “Lucid Eyes” with Rival and Jay Mason is a bit closer to SABAI’s signature sound, but it is a sound that I generally like. And he probably had to include at least one song like that to make any attempted evolution feel natural. The closing track, “Friendship” with BOTCASH and Olivia Ridgely is another comfort zone-ish song, but it’s also not so comfort zone territory that it feels completely indistinguishable from SABAI’s other material. The chipmunked future bass drop has been swapped out for a future bass drop that’s infused with piano keys and it just feels delightful. Overall though, after a rough start, I’ll say it—SABAI’s sound makes a noticeable improvement from his debut. The reason it’s decent instead of great is because it is an incredibly backloaded project, but still if this is an indication that he’s FINALLY gonna evolve his sound, I think I’m back on board.
Best track: I Miss You
HM: Friendship
DM (tie): Intro, Say It To Me
Worst track: Fuck It, I’m Alright
47. Sabrina Carpenter - Man’s Best Friend - 6/10
Genres: Pop, Dance-Pop, Urban Cowboy, Soft Rock, Country Pop
Okay, maybe it’s my fault. After 2024’s Short n’ Sweet and Sabrina Carpenter’s cultural and commercial breakthrough where it felt like she topped every song she released just a bit later, I was wrong for assuming she would continue that trajectory into the next album. Man’s Best Friend was rushed out just a bit under 8 months after the deluxe of Short n’ Sweet dropped, and yeah, this album really feels like one that should’ve been left in the oven for more time because the more I listened to this album, the more it feels like Sabrina lost sight of what made her music so incredible in 2024. What makes “Juno” still her best song is the flagrant horniness being accentuated by the sweet production. And Short n’ Sweet is a great album because of Sabrina’s goofy persona masking even the meaner sentiments with that wink at the audience. Man’s Best Friend as an album is just Sabrina jerking a dumb guy around for 40 minutes and the production is largely not catchy enough to make any irony apparent and that makes the album feel really unlikeable quickly. The biggest culprit of this is “Nobody’s Son”, with the thudding percussion just constantly bashing you over the head. That track’s bridge really sours me on the song, where Carpenter starts to throw a temper tantrum at her boyfriend dumping her and then takes her anger out on the guy’s mom saying that she “didn’t raise him to love [her]”. There’s no irony in her delivery here or a wink at the audience and once I noticed it, the song became my least favorite from her since “Skin”. Then there’s “Never Getting Laid”, where the bitterness of wishing her ex “a lifetime full of happiness and a forever of never getting laid” on “Never Getting Laid” doesn’t translate as remotely clever or credibly angry rather than just really cringey. And that’s when it clicked for me—as much as I do like “Manchild” for its solid galloping groove, it’s really indicative of the album’s problems. That song is Carpenter saying “she likes her men all incompetent” and “her boys playing hard-to-get” and then the rest of the song is her jerking the guy(s) around and being kinda mean. That’s basically what this album is, even on its great tracks. I kinda love the idea of Carpenter encountering a guy she knew in the past who she overlooked but is taken aback by how hot he is now on “When Did You Get Hot?”, but her outright saying “you were an ugly kid” prevents me from liking it as much as I want to. It’s a real shame because I think sonically, the album has some good ideas, being a grab bag of different musical styles of the 70s, from the Urban Cowboy of “Manchild” to even the soft rock of “Sugar Talking”. That said, the standout here is “Tears”, a really fun disco throwback where Carpenter’s humor at her taste in guys actually lands really well. Overall though, this album is decent, but definitely a downgrade from Short n’ Sweet. I just hope that Carpenter takes a breather before pushing out the next album. Maybe then she’ll rediscover what made her a big reason for 2024 being such a blockbuster year for pop music.
Best track: Tears
HM: When Did You Get Hot?
DM (tie): Sugar Talking, Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry
Worst track: Nobody’s Son
48. Selena Gomez & benny blanco - I Said I Love You First - 5/10
Genres: Pop, Bedroom Pop, Singer-Songwriter, Alt-Pop, Dance-Pop
I was genuinely stunned near the beginning of the year that Selena Gomez and benny blanco managed a small album bomb. It feels like they’re both past much mainstream relevance. Sure, “Calm Down” was Selena’s biggest hit in years in 2023, but I’d argue that was more because it was an Afrobeats song with an American singer rather than Gomez’s starpower. But for this album, recorded when Gomez and blanco were engaged...I’ll say it, when I was listening to this album, the spoken word opening “I Love You First” being just a minute of Gomez crying gave me a sinking feeling that this album was gonna be a trainwreck. And...well yeah, this album is a bit of a mess, but it does have more good songs than I expected. I really like the hazy keyboards of “Ojos Tristes” with The Marias where Gomez and Maria Zardoya have great interplay—it certainly helps that Gomez sounds really great singing in Spanish. Hell, I’ll even stick up for the upbeat pop of “Call Me When You Break Up” with Gracie Abrams, even if the vocal mixing is admittedly a bit iffy. I even like the smoky beat on “Don’t Wanna Cry” and the kinda hilarious vision of Gomez daydreaming of blanco running nude on “Sunset Blvd”. The problem though is that when this album doesn’t work, it really doesn’t work like “Cowboy”, which is trying to be sexy, but winds up creepy instead and on top of that has a random outro from GloRilla that doesn’t match with anything else in the song!! Another big misfire is the brat reject “Bluest Flame” that highlights Gomez’s limited at best expressiveness. And I especially am not gonna stick up for “I Can’t Get Enough” being tacked onto this album despite not even being from this decade!! I didn’t like that song back in 2019, and it sounds considerably worse 6 years later! Overall though, I Said I Love You First is a very inessential album that showcases why Gomez isn’t really a household name anymore. Keep “Ojos Tristes”, the rest isn’t anything you’re missing out on.
Best track: Ojos Tristes
HM (tie): Call Me When You Break Up, Don’t Wanna Cry, Sunset Blvd
DM (tie): Bluest Flame, Cowboy
Worst track: I Can’t Get Enough
49. Sleep Token - Even In Arcadia - 5/10
Genres: Alt-Pop, Alternative Metal, Djent, Alternative R&B, Trap Soul, Trap [EDM]
I’d like to think that I’m pretty open-minded when it comes to music—I have my genre preferences, of course, but generally I try to be open to anything and everything. But I can’t lie, Even In Arcadia makes me feel super out of my element. But as possibly the first metal album to ever land an album bomb on the Hot 100, maybe this signals a wave of metal crossing over to the Hot 100? Well, take my opinion on this with the tiniest grain of salt because I’m not really a metalhead. The opening track, “Look To Windward”, already turns me off because I’ve never liked death metal screaming, it sounds like a demon getting sucked into a black hole. The biggest thing I’ve seen this album described as is a gateway album for pop fans to get introduced to metal. And I’d say that’s a rather fitting description, especially on songs like “Emergence” where frontman Vessel hops on a drill flow as the metal composition feels really grand. Then there’s “Past Self”, which I kinda like in spite of myself, a straightforward trap song where Vessel indulges in flexing. There’s really no metal in that song and I totally see why people don’t like that song. It just appeals heavily to the pop side of my taste to the point where I can’t help but like it. And then there’s “Caramel”, the worst song on this album, which feels like a swerve in two different directions. Vessel’s trap flow on that song feels clunky and the metal instruments clash with that obnoxious music box sound. Honestly, my favorite song here is actually “Damocles”, which yes, does take its time to build up, but it creates a sense of grandeur that makes the payoff feel earned. So overall, if you’re a metal fan already, I don’t think this album will do much for you. But if you aren’t, it’s certainly a gateway that will make you feel out of your element, but there are some pretty impressive moments here worth checking out.
Best track: Damocles
HM (tie): Emergence, Past Self (yes, I’m fully serious with the latter lol)
DM (tie): Look To Windward, Provide, Gethsemane, Infinite Baths
Worst track: Caramel
50. sombr - I Barely Know Her - 8/10
Genres: Pop Rock, Big Music, Alt-Pop, Indie Rock
If Jessie Murph was the first artist in my age group to break through in the mainstream, sombr is the 2nd (he’s 5 months younger than me). And based on the singles alone, I was way more excited to hear what sombr had to offer—”undressed”, “back to friends”, and “12 to 12” were all shining bright spots in a dismal year for pop music. And after giving this album a listen, yeah, sombr is a pop star in the making. I Barely Know Her lyrically reminds me a lot of Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR—kinda one-dimensional in processing the artist’s first heartbreak. But what makes this album so great is its sound. I’m far from the first person to point this out, but sombr self-produced this entire album and it shows that if he doesn’t have a future as a pop star, he definitely has one as a producer. The album is clearly sonically drawing from indie rock sounds of the 2010s like The 1975 on “undressed” or “i wish i knew how to quit you”. But I also really enjoy “back to friends” entrenching itself deep into psychedelic rock or especially the borderline Michael Jackson throwback on “12 to 12”. The only song I don’t love is the ballad “canal street”, which is still good thanks to it being very influenced by an artist like Billy Joel, but I don’t think it’s great because I don’t think it really flatters the lyrics that well, which can come off as a tad whiny and overly angsty. That said, this is an absolutely great album and if sombr diversifies his content on his next project, I think he has the potential to be one of the best artists of the decade. With any justice, we keep sombr around for 2026! And in the meantime, maybe I should get started on my pop career if artists younger than me are already starting to get traction...
Best track: 12 to 12
HM: come closer
DM: N/A
“Worst” track: canal street
51. Spanish Love Songs - A Brief Intermission in the Flattening of Time - 8/10
Genres: Indie Rock, Big Music
I’m not sure I’ve mentioned it before, but I think Brave Faces Everyone by emo band Spanish Love Songs is one of the best albums of the decade so far—I really wish I found time to give it a proper review this year. The short version is that that album is a masterclass in heart-wrenching songwriting and guitar riffs that are built to just hit you like a freight train. That all was enough to create some expectations for this EP. I didn’t end up listening to No Joy so I had no real context of where Spanish Love Songs took their sound or content after Brave Faces Everyone. But now for this EP...it is pretty great, but I also can’t help but feel kinda underwhelmed. Let’s get this out of the way immediately—this is nowhere near as good as Brave Faces Everyone; the compositions don’t hit with as much intensity and the songwriting just doesn’t feel as heart-wrenching. I do love the fast tempo on “Heavenhead” with illuminati hotties, but the standout to me is the least emo song here, “Berlin” with Tigers Jaw, which falls more into dreamy textures that highlight frontman Dylan Slocum’s desperation at trying to cling onto the memory of a loved one on the brink of death, trying to remember every little thing about that person in the event that they pass away. It’s a really heart-wrenching song that maybe doesn’t hit with as much impact as Brave Faces Everyone does, but still remains achingly sad. And honestly, I’m struggling to figure out why I was underwhelmed by this. It might be from the fact that the compositions have shifted away from emo and thus don’t hit with the same impact as Brave Faces Everyone did. But maybe it’s the fact that this EP is only 4 songs and thus is too short for any proper emotional impact to coalesce. Either way, it’s a bit of a step down from one of the best albums of the 2020s, but it’s still a really enjoyable listen.
Best track: Berlin
HM: Heavenhead
DM: if I gave this or a Worst Track literally the entire EP would be here so no lol
Worst track: see DM
52. Summer Walker - Finally Over It - 6/10 for both standard and Afterparty editions
Genres: Contemporary R&B, Trap Soul, Pop Rap
I don’t know where to place Summer Walker in the broader context of R&B. They have a technically really good voice but I wouldn’t consider them the most expressive singer working in R&B as opposed to artists like SZA or even Tyla. And given how strong of a year R&B has had in 2025, Walker had an uphill battle to stick out as a highlight of this year. And...I’ll say this; this album is decent, but in the broader context of R&B in 2025, this’ll likely get overlooked. The obvious problem is that this album is a double album and when Walker isn’t expressive enough to carry the songs on their own, it can get really tedious fast. It also doesn’t help that I don’t think Walker really made good use of their guest stars, such as Mariah The Scientist being held off from singing until the end of “Robbed You” and being far more expressive than Walker. Latto shouldn’t have been called at all for “Go Girl”. And speaking of “Go Girl”, the song is way too slow to flatter Doja Cat at all, you can tell she’s trying to rap her ass off at points but the song’s slow tempo just halts her. Likewise, Chris Brown shouldn’t have been called for “Baby” with the bastardization of Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby”!! But the low point on this album is “Baller” with GloRilla, Sexy Red, and Monaleo, where GloRilla’s blunt flow doesn’t work at all against the slow production, Monaleo feels inessential, and Sexyy Red’s over-the-top delivery clashes awkwardly with the production. With all that said though, the highlight on this album is “FMT”, which does kinda sound like a SZA song, but shows Summer Walker’s delivery at its most expressive. The aching sadness really shines through. Overall though, keep “FMT”, the rest is inessential. There are occasional moments of greatness, but more often than not it’s not because of Walker.
Best track: FMT
HM (tie): 1-800-Heartbreak, Heart Of A Woman, Situationship, Number One, Finally Over It
DM: Baby
Worst track: Baller
53. Tate McRae - So Close To What - 7/10 for both standard and deluxe editions
Genres: Contemporary R&B, Dance-Pop, Alt-Pop, Trap
You know, Tate McRae is an artist who I tend to like more than others do. She’s consistently good but admittedly not as consistently great. And that mostly describes how I feel about So Close To What. The songs are generally good, but very few songs really knock me out of the park. McRae feels like someone who’s struggling to find a distinct identity in her music career, which is probably why we see her try so many different sounds on this album. From the Britney Spears throwback on “sports car” to the muted trap on “Like I do” (the worst song on the album) to the Jersey Club of “Revolving Door”. Now, I don’t think McRae’s voice is nearly as bad as people tend to say it is, but on the weaker songs on this album, you can tell she’s floundering for an identity. “TRYING ON SHOES” sounds like she’s ripping off her own song “purple lace bra” and she just cannot make a trap flow work on “ANYTHING BUT LOVE”. Overall though, McRae’s voice is tolerable enough to me for there to be a floor of quality, but the album doesn’t really go higher than that floor. If you hate McRae’s voice, I’d skip this. But if you can tolerate it, the album won’t wow you, but it is a good enough listen.
Best track: sports car
HM (tie): bloodonmyhands, purple lace bra
DM (tie): TRYING ON SHOES, ANYTHING BUT LOVE
Worst track: Like I do
54. Taylor Swift - The Life Of A Showgirl - 4/10
Genres: Pop, Pop Rock, Alt-Pop, Dance-Pop, Contemporary R&B
I’ve wondered for the past year whether or not I was too harsh on THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT in 2024. And to keep it short, I revisited it because of this album and yeah, I was too harsh on it—I still don’t quite think it works that well in practice but I absolutely get why people like it now. But anyways, The Life Of A Showgirl was hyped up as Taylor Swift’s return to making bops, including returning to working with Max Martin. And after one of the bleakest summers in pop music of my lifetime, I was also excited. So...what did we get? I’m not gonna lie, I’ve flip flopped on this album more than any other this year. I started off thinking it was decent, then I thought it was mediocre, and then it was my 4th listen where I realized that no, this is ass. The production is about as boppy as what you’d get on your average Hot AC station. And the lyricism is genuinely some of Swift’s worst. I only think “The Fate Of Ophelia” is barely great because the minor key melody is at least able to make her wordier lyrics feel natural, even if it doesn’t seem to grasp its own metaphor. I’ve already gone off on how Swift comes out worse for wear on “Actually Romantic” in my worst list and yet, it’s not even the worst song on this album. That would be “CANCELLED!”, and I’ll be blunt, I had a sinking feeling when I first listened to this album and saw a song by Swift called “CANCELLED!”, and somehow it was even worse than I was imagining. “Did you girlboss too close to the sun?” is the worst lyric of her career, try to change my mind. And that song is the worst song she’s ever made. There’s also the title track, which wastes Sabrina Carpenter for a song that jacks the chord progression of only the 3rd worst Jonas Brothers song of their 2019 comeback!! The closest we get to an actual bop on this album is “Wood”, which sounds like a Jackson 5 reject and feels super flimsy, which doesn’t help the corny lyrics describing Swift’s trance-like state at Travis Kelce’s dick. There’s also “Father Figure”, which has the clunky lyric where Swift says that she has a big dick. Like even some of the good songs on this album, like “Opalite” just sound like a knockoff of other songs. “Opalite” sounds like “Circles” by Post Malone from wish.com!! And while I like “Ruin The Friendship” for a song where Swift remembers a crush she had in her past who passed away wondering what might’ve been if she kissed him uninvitedly, if you compare the introspective songwriting on that song to anything from Speak Now or even “so High School” off THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT, it’s hard not to feel that Swift’s writing isn’t taking command of the atmosphere. But ultimately, for The Life Of A Showgirl, comfortably her worst album. She might be living the life of a showgirl right now, but no one likes talking about what happens when the showgirl’s time in the spotlight runs out. I’m not off the Swiftie train quite yet, but I’m getting worried.
Best track: The Fate Of Ophelia
HM (tie): Opalite, Ruin The Friendship
DM: Father Figure
WORST TRACK (tie): Actually Romantic, CANCELLED!
55. The Weeknd - Hurry Up Tomorrow - 7/10
Genres: Alternative R&B, Synthpop, Synthwave, Dance-Pop, Trap Soul, Progressive Electronic, Art Pop, Trap
Ah, I remember at the start of 2025 when this album seemed to signal that the year’s music would be way better than it actually wound up being. But seriously, Hurry Up Tomorrow is a very good album. Framed as The Weeknd’s last album before retiring his stage name, Abel directly contemplates the legacy he’s leaving behind. The album is musically very strong, especially gurgling synthpop on “Open Hearts” where the cascading synths create a sense of grand finality that feels apropos for this album’s metatext. That song should’ve absolutely been a single—it would’ve probably been one of the biggest and best hits of 2025 if it were. There are a few songs I like but don’t love that prevent me from fully loving this album though—the empty “I’m back bitch”-ness of “Cry For Me” and “Timeless”, the slow chipmunked “Enjoy The Show”, the lumbering “Big Sleep”, and the wonky synth-inflected R&B of “Red Terror”. And even then, all of those songs I just listed are still good thanks to the album itself having a high floor of quality on production. That said, the worst non-interlude track, “I Can’t Wait To Get There”, is admittedly a bit sleepy and falls too close to filler track territory for me to fully like. Overall though, this is a very good album and if Abel is hurrying up that tomorrow, I’m intrigued to see what his next venture as Abel Tesfaye will bring!
Best track: Open Hearts
HM (tie): Baptized In Fear, Take Me Back To LA, Drive, Hurry Up Tomorrow
DM: I Can’t Wait To Get There
Worst track (tie): I Can't Fucking Sing, Until We're Skin and Bones (yes, just the interludes lol)
56. JACKBOYS & Travis Scott - JACKBOYS 2 - 5/10
Genres: Trap, Pop Rap, Rage, Cloud Rap, Southern Hip Hop
Remember when Travis Scott debuted at #1 back in February and then the next week broke the record for the biggest fall off the #1 spot in Hot 100 history? Me neither. Anyways, JACKBOYS 2, I didn’t know what to expect given Travis Scott these days is less good or bad than kinda inconsistent. Occasionally, he’ll release a banger like “LOOOVE” or filler like “4x4”. And that’s mostly the story of this album, it’s not bad but you can kinda tell that these are Travis Scott’s leftovers. “ILMB” is the big lowpoint for being really repetitive and boring, but that’s not to forget how awful “DUMBO” is for sounding like a bad Playboi Carti reject in production and flow. There are two songs that I find legit great on this album though—“CHAMPAIN & VACAY” works as a pretty fun hype anthem and GloRilla kinda steals the show on “SHYNE”. Overall though, I’ll say this album is pretty mid and I wouldn’t say you’re missing much if you miss this album, whether you’re a fan or not. It’s largely an album of leftovers and it sure sounds like it.
Best track: SHYNE
HM: CHAMPAIN & VACAY
DM: DUMBO
Worst track: ILMB
57. Twenty One Pilots - Breach - 8/10
Genres: Alternative Rock, Alt-Pop, Pop Rock, Post-Punk Revival, Indietronica, Emo-Pop, Rap Rock
I was pleasantly surprised when I listened to Clancy last year so I’m a bit lost as to why I didn't feel as excited to listen to Breach. I guess part of it was the fact that I saw the album was getting negatively received by people who felt it terribly ended the lore this band had been building. But as someone who really never gave much of a shit about the overdesigned lore Twenty One Pilots have been building even back in my TOP stan days, maybe I could find more to like with this? Well, I’ll say this: Breach is a bit of a step down from Clancy. The production feels a bit less impressive than it did on Clancy and the songs are just not that returnable in comparison to, say, “Navigating” from Clancy. I do like the drum work on the aptly titled “Drum Show”, the paranoid vibes on “The Contract” where Tyler Joseph has a decent flow in comparison to other white rappers, the light surf rock groove on “Robot Voices” and Joseph’s hollering on “Days Lie Dormant”, but I just never felt compelled to return to any of these songs the same way I felt with “Navigating” last year. And I’ll admit that part of it may have to do with where my headspace was in 2025—I wasn’t all that focused on music this year the same way I was in 2024, but the special spark that I saw on Clancy just isn’t here. Overall, it’s a technically great album, but they’ve done better, that’s all.
Best track: Days Lie Dormant
HM (tie): Drum Show, Robot Voices
DM: N/A
Worst Track: City Walls
58. TWICE - THIS IS FOR - 6/10
Genres: K-Pop, Contemporary R&B, Dance-Pop, Pop Rap, Trap
I was first introduced to TWICE for their song “The Feels” in 2020 or 2021 and I really liked it. So I was intrigued to see what else they had to offer. And...THIS IS FOR feels like a bit of a mess. “FOUR” is a pretty generic K-pop song that I feel like I could hear from any other girl group and nothing would change. Really, the songs I like most on this album are the most poppy, like the nu-disco-ish “OPTIONS”, the synthpop “MARS”, or “LET LOVE GO”. When the album tries to pivot into the more abrasive side of K-Pop, it falls flat for me. I already mentioned “FOUR”, but there’s also the irritating staccato horns and rapping on “BATTITUDE”. When the girls in TWICE are trying to play into a more flashy BLACKPINK-esque persona, they really can’t pull it off. I already mentioned “BATTITUDE”, but “DAT AHH DAT OOH” is another example of this, same with the excruciatingly repetitive “TALK”. In short, THIS IS FOR is an album where TWICE seemingly lose sight of what made them special as they desperately try to trend-chase to little success. Even as someone who's a bit unfamiliar with them, I kinda feel disappointed. Spare moments of quality keep this decent, but it's really nothing special.
Best track: MARS
HM (tie): OPTIONS, LET LOVE GO
DM: BATTITUDE
Worst track: TALK
59. Tyler, The Creator - DON’T TAP THE GLASS - 8/10
Genres: Pop Rap, Dance, Synth Funk, Miami Bass, Neo-Soul, Electro, Contemporary R&B, Hardcore Hip Hop, Dance-Pop, West Coast Hip Hop
With CHROMAKOPIA last year, Tyler, The Creator proved that he can make some deep and insightful commentary on his life in his art. Some of the bangers on that album like “Sticky” or “Thought I Was Dead” also showed that he has the potential to make fun and empty bangers. So for an album full of simple bangers, what did DON’T TAP THE GLASS give us? Well, Tyler, The Creator is loose and funny which helps elevate the fun nature of the album. We start with an outright crunk banger in “Big Poe” with Pharrell Williams and the rest of this album stays consistently fun thanks to Tyler riding the fun productions really well. I will admit though that I don't really love the higher notes on the beat of “Mommanem”. And clocking in at barely over a minute it doesn’t really do much beyond that. I also don’t think “Tell Me What It Is” is upbeat enough to be that fun. But outside of that, this album is certainly a ton of fun and proof that Tyler can absolutely play the mainstream pop game, highly recommended!!
Best track: Big Poe
HM (tie): Stop Playing With Me, Don't Tap That Glass / Tweakin'
“D”M: Tell Me What It Is
“Worst” track: Mommanem
60. Various Artists - KPop Demon Hunters (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) - 8/10
Genres: K-Pop, Film Soundtrack, Dance-Pop, Trap [EDM], Pop Rap, Contemporary R&B
It’s a pretty scathing indictment of how awful pop music was this year that I consider a kid’s movie soundtrack the genuine saving grace of this year. That’s not to say this soundtrack or the movie are bad, it’s just a damning observation. The movie’s soundtrack can be essentially split into A) the recognizable fixtures of the movie and B) the scores that aren’t as memorable or recognizable. And within group A, the songs are largely split into A1) The HUNTR/X songs and A2) the Saja Boys songs, with the exception of “Free” (my favorite song on the soundtrack), which kinda bridges A1 and A2 together both on the soundtrack and the context of the movie. And really, the songs in group A all work well both in the context of the movie and on their own. I discussed in one of my Chill Pick articles earlier this year that “Soda Pop”, as cheesy and weapons tested for 5th graders as it may be, is really cleverly written so that in the context of the movie it’s about how the demon boyband quite literally wants to consume the public’s souls and on its own it’s a corny but fun bop. But one of the real standouts here is “What It Sounds Like”, which is incredible as a song alone and in the context of the movie it’s a very well-earned climax to the movie. Really it’s the songs in Group B that are the weakest songs here because without the context of the movie, they really don’t stand very well as songs alone for me and they just don’t stick out as being part of any memorable scenes in the movie. Like if you asked me to listen to “Path” and name the moment of the film it’s associated with, I couldn’t do that at all. And that’s especially the case with “Score Suite”, which I think is supposed to be a piece that’s meant to tie the entire movie’s plot and its songs together—I can appreciate it as a symbol of the film (that I don’t remember hearing at all in it unless it was in the credits or something lol), but as music alone, I don’t really have any use for it. So overall, if you haven’t seen the movie (and you’re likely in the minority there), you won’t have much use for the last few songs on this album, but if you’ve seen it, you’ll probably like this album as much as you did the movie.
Best track: Free
HM (tie): Soda Pop, Golden, What It Sounds Like
DM (tie): Love, Maybe, Path
Worst track: Score Suite
61. Various Artists - Wicked: For Good – The Soundtrack - 7/10
Genres: Film Soundtrack, Show Tunes, Cinematic Classical, Adult Contemporary
When I reviewed the Wicked soundtrack last year, I kept things pretty brief because the songs worked best in the context of the movie rather than on their own. And that applies here as well. Like the movie itself, Wicked: For Good’s soundtrack was only a very slight downgrade from the original Wicked’s, thanks to more songs that only really make sense in the context of the movie. But honestly, the songs themselves are just weaker than the ones in the first film. Granted, if you’re a theater kid who loves the original Broadway musical, you’ll probably get more out of this soundtrack than I did. But as someone who isn’t a theater kid, I look at my favorite song on this soundtrack, “For Good” and I feel forced to compare it to “Defying Gravity” from the original movie and it just pales in comparison; there’s less grandeur and the interplay between Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande doesn’t hit the same emotional peak. If you’re more of a theater kid than I am, you’ll likely find a lot more to appreciate here. As it stands, it’s a good soundtrack—but still a noticeable step down from the original film’s.
Best track: For Good
HM: No Good Deed (I could do a tie here if I wanted to but ultimately I appreciated the dramatic production and vocals on this most)
DM: N/A
Worst track: N/A
62. Zara Larsson - Midnight Sun - 7/10
Genres: Dance-Pop, Electropop, House, Electro House, Nu-Disco
I feel like Zara Larsson falls into a bit of a Carly Rae Jepsen vein of pop girls making incredibly accessible mainstream-friendly music who should absolutely be way bigger than they are right now. If “Never Forget You” was Larsson’s “Call Me Maybe”, “Lush Life” is probably her “Run Away With Me”. I’ll admit though that while I’ve liked everything I heard from her, after her brief run in the mid 2010s, she kinda fell off my radar almost entirely. That said, one evening I heard “Crush” on my pop station where the radio hosts plugged that this album was dropping that night and I was quite impressed by the song. So in checking out Midnight Sun...yeah, this album is very good. The first thing I was reminded of was Miley Cyrus’s Endless Summer Vacation from 2023, where the vibe the album curates is a never-ending summer in a great way, only this time more soaked in EDM-adjacent sounds. I love the house patter on “Midnight Sun” and the 2-step garage beat on “Blue Moon”, where the melodies (and titles for that matter) serve a pretty nice contrast between the brighter melody on “Midnight Sun” and the more chilly nighttime energy of “Blue Moon”—whether it was intentional or not, it's a nice touch I liked a lot. I also love the summer europop of the aptly named “Eurosummer”. The rest of the album largely follows the same template of being summery dance-pop with influences from EDM sounds and largely winds up being great. And the shorter length of this album keeps the summery vibes fresh by the end. But one song here keeps me calling it great, “Pretty Ugly”. I can see in a way how one might find it camp, but I’m sorry, Larsson’s shouting on the hook is irritating to me. Overall though, this album is very good, borderline great and if you’re looking for an album that should’ve soundtracked the summer of 2025 instead of the nothingness we actually got, I’ve got one for you!
Best track: Blue Moon
HM (tie): Midnight Sun, Eurosummer
“D”M: Girl’s Girl
Worst track: Pretty Ugly
And that’s about it! Yeah, this article definitely ran long, if you somehow made it to the end, thanks for not knowing what grass is!! Okay but all jokes aside, I’m grateful for you if you’ve read all the way here! And as for what’ll come in 2026, I’m not sure, but whatever happens, I assure you that I’m gonna work my hardest to deliver the best articles I can!! So until my next article, remember to keep it Fire!!
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