I hesitated a bit before I put Antidepressants at the top of my best/favorite albums of 2025, probably because I’m not always sure if I have a good critical distance regarding Suede. They have been a favorite band since their first album in 1993, so there’s always a chance that I’m succumbing to nostalgia whenever encountering a new album from these Britpop survivors. The thing is, Antidepressants doesn’t seem caught in the past: it’s music that addresses the current moment, music made by a band that isn’t afraid to embrace their age and scars.
The same could be said about Willie Nelson’s remarkable tribute to his old friend Merle Haggard, as well as any number of records on this list. I’ve always been interested in musicians who are in it for the long haul, musicians who either adapt to the times or stubbornly stick to the style that’s always worked in the past. That can be as compelling as listening to albums from artists who are still figuring things out.
What follows are the 99 albums I liked best from the past year. As always, I heard a lot more than this, and I am sure I missed just as much. Similarly, I didn’t write about everything I liked this year, either. If there’s a link in the album title, it’ll link to the review that I wrote, either here (please consider subscribing if you don’t already!) or elsewhere.
Suede—Antidepressants
Tyler Childers—Snipe Hunter
Turnpike Troubadours—The Price of Admission
Pulp—More
Sabrina Carpenter—Man’s Best Friend
Charley Crockett—The Lonesome Drifter/Dollar a Day
Kesha—(Period)
Willie Nelson—Working Man’s Blues
Julien Baker & Torres—Send a Prayer My Way
Lifeguard—Ripped and Torn
Ty Segall—Possession
Wet Leg—Moisturizer
Blondshell—If You Asked For A Picture
Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory—Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory
Big Thief—Double Infinity
Stereolab—Instant Holograms on Metal Film
The Waterboys—Life, Death, and Dennis Hopper
Renee Rapp—BITE ME
Jonathan Richman—Only Frozen Sky Anyway
James Brandon Lewis—Apple Cores
Robert Plant—Saving Grace
Sloan—Based on the Best Seller
Joshua Hedley—All Hat
Hayley Williams—Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party
Nels Cline—Consentrik Quartet
Saint Etienne—International
Lilly Hiatt—Forever
Public Enemy—Black Sky Over the Projects
Greg Freeman—Burnover
Margo Price—Hard Headed Woman
Paul Weller—Finding El Dorado
Mavis Staples—Sad and Beautiful World
Wednesday—Bleeds
Marc Ribot—Map of a Blue City
Lady Gaga—Mayhem
Snocaps—Snocaps
Sunflower Bean—Mortal Primetown
The Minus 5—Oar On, Penelope!
Eric Church—Evangeline Vs. the Machine
The Hives—The Hives Forever Forever the Hives
