The Albums We Couldn’t Stop Playing in 2025

Last week, we asked our contributors to each name their favourite album of 2025 and shared their picks with our followers on Instagram. You listened along, weighed in and helped us put those choices to the test. After a week of voting, debating and replaying tracks, the results are in — and one album has emerged as the ultimate favourite.

1.Even in Arcadia by Sleep Token

Even in Arcadia is masterfully crafted — not only in its audio design and mixing but also lyrically. It’s a listening experience that boldly embraces experimentation and genre shifts while maintaining a rare, precise cohesion. Proudly intimate yet grand in scale, the album stretches from the explosive opener ‘Look to Windward’ to the crushing breakdown of ‘Infinite Baths’.

It doesn’t shy away from vulnerability, with tracks like ‘Caramel’ and ‘Damocles’ revealing the band’s personal struggles, while remaining firmly rooted in their sonic identity through songs like ‘Emergence’ and ‘Provider’. The album’s central motif explores finding solace amid turmoil — uncovering destructive energy and darkness even in a paradise like Arcadia, allowing the illusion of perfection to fracture at the very moment fulfillment is reached.

Even in Arcadia embodies personal reflection, mysticism and meticulous musical craftsmanship. It’s lightning in a bottle: a boundary-breaking experience that halts the eclipse within us, reminding us that even when lost in a war of attrition, we’ll keep dancing to the rhythm. This is an offering worthy of repeat listens.

2. Corporation P.O.P by Hot Milk

Hot Milk returned this year with ‘Corporation P.O.P’, a fierce and politically charged album that feels perfectly timed for a world shaped by war, economic instability and growing social unrest. More than just a rock record, it’s a direct statement — urgent, confrontational and deeply rooted in the band’s Northern British identity.

‘Corporation P.O.P’ was created with a strong emphasis on physical performance and minimal digital polish. The result is a cohesive, dynamic album designed to be experienced live, flowing naturally from genre to genre while remaining unmistakably Hot Milk. Written in an intense two-week period, the lyrics make no compromises, tackling consumerism, media control, nationalism and imperialism with striking clarity.

The album’s title, inspired by what vocalist Han Mee’s grandad calls tap water, becomes a metaphor for how pain and consumerism run through everyday life. Visually and sonically, the band looks close to home — filming around Manchester and reflecting the social issues they’ve witnessed firsthand. ‘Corporation P.O.P’ is bold, restless and unafraid: a wake-up call wrapped in raw energy, proving that activism in music is no longer optional.

3. Sanguivore II: The Mistress of Death by Creeper

With ‘Sanguivore II: The Mistress of Death’, Creeper fully embrace their gothic mythology and push it to theatrical new extremes. Serving as both a sequel and a bold expansion of 2023’s ‘Sanguivore’, the album plunges headfirst into a blood-soaked fantasy where goth rock, ’80s metal and synth-driven spectacle collide. Rather than simply picking up where the first record left off, Creeper construct an immersive new chapter in their self-made universe — one filled with lust, violence, paranoia and decadent rock ’n’ roll excess.

Guided by William von Ghould’s dramatic vocals and Hannah Greenwood’s commanding presence, the album plays like a lost soundtrack from an alternate 1980s where vampire rock bands ruled the night. From glittering hard rock anthems to sleazy ballads and ominous synth passages, Sanguivore II balances storytelling and sonic ambition with remarkable confidence. Grand, theatrical and dripping in gothic flair, it feels both like the climax of an era and proof that Creeper’s creative evolution is far from over.

4. FADED INTENTIONS by False Reality

Emerging as one of the most compelling new voices in alternative music, False Reality have returned with a debut album that more than lives up to the promise of their 2024 EP ‘Path of Self Destruct’. When the single ‘Mirror’ was released in October, anticipation grew even more, as it immediately set expectations and reinforced just how strong this album would be.

The album hits exactly where it needs to, blending raw emotion with precision and control. The vocals sit perfectly within the mix, sharp and expressive without ever overpowering the instrumentals. Every element feels intentional, especially the drums, which remain tight, relentless and perfectly locked in throughout.

Released in November, this debut quickly establishes False Reality as a band to watch. It’s the kind of record that rewards repeated listens, revealing new layers each time. With precision, passion and a clear vision, False Reality have set a high bar for what’s to come.

5. Everyone’s Talking! by All Time Low

All Time Low’s ‘Everyone’s Talking!’ has every right to be a solid contender in this year’s top album roster. Packed with a well-rounded and mature sound, and accompanied by playful and emblematic anthem-like touches, it’s a record that resonates with the band’s desire for evolution in a more independent way (‘Everyone’s Talking!’ is the group’s first-ever release through their own imprint, Basement Noise Records). The album delivers all that you might fancy – from melancholic mid-tempo tracks and thoughtful reflections, to energised boundary setting statements and bold turns towards the fun-and-games side of life. Its recent performance on the charts also serves as a testament to its qualities, with the second single off the album, ‘The Weather’, scoring the band’s third No. 1 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart at the start of December. While this is a wonderful feat to celebrate, we hope that the album will bring even more good news for All Time Low and their fans. If the album has somehow fallen through the cracks in your playlist, make sure to check it out!

6. Are We All Angels by Scowl

When Scowl emerged from Santa Cruz’s hardcore scene with ‘How Flowers Grow’ in 2021, their blistering intensity made them impossible to ignore. Four years later, ‘Are We All Angels’ marks a bold evolution. The album sees the band stepping beyond hardcore’s strict boundaries, trading constant aggression for melody, vulnerability and a more nuanced kind of fury.

At the center is vocalist Kat Moss, whose shift toward clean singing reveals a new emotional depth without fully abandoning Scowl’s raw edge. Her voice carries quiet power — less about technical perfection, more about honesty and presence.

Lyrically, ‘Are We All Angels’ pushes back against expectations, identity pressures and scene conventions, particularly through Moss’s reflections on gender and selfhood. The album moves fluidly between heaviness and restraint, never settling into one lane. It’s a challenging, divisive and deeply human record— proof that Scowl aren’t interested in repeating themselves, but in growing, even if it means unsettling the ground they came from.

7. God Save The Gun by Militarie Gun

In a scene where punk and alternative rock often collapse into the same blur, Militarie Gun continue to sound unmistakably like themselves. Their new album, ‘God Save The Gun’ is a record that takes personal disorder and reshapes it into something forceful, immediate and unexpectedly affirming.

From the opening moments, ‘God Save The Gun’ sounds restless and exposed. Frontman Ian Shelton doesn’t position himself as an observer this time; he’s right in the middle of the chaos, wrestling with his own mistakes, impulses and fears. This album turns inward, documenting a mind struggling to regain control while still lashing out at the world.

Musically, Militarie Gun sound locked in and powerful. The songs hit hard with thick guitars, driving rhythms and a sense of urgency that feels unpolished in the best way. Produced with scale but not gloss, the album feels big without losing its intimacy. ‘God Save The Gun’ is loud, uncomfortable and strangely uplifting — proof that honesty, even at its darkest, can still offer a way forward.

8. I’ve Felt Better by Dinosaur Pile-up

After six years break, Dinosaur Pile-Up finally returned this year with ‘I’ve Felt Better’, an album that carries far more weight than a standard comeback record. Following the success of 2019’s ‘Celebrity Mansions’, which pushed the Leeds band onto international stages and US rock radio, everything went quiet as frontman Matt Bigland faced serious health issues that threatened the band’s future. This album exists because they made it through that period, and you can hear that fight in every track.

From the opening moments, ‘I’ve Felt Better’ makes it clear Dinosaur Pile-Up aren’t interested in easing back gently. The record is loud, rough-edged and emotionally open, balancing thick, fuzzy riffs with choruses that linger long after the songs ends. There’s humour here, but it’s dark and self-aware, often masking frustration, exhaustion and resilience in equal measure. Songs move between breakneck chaos, heavy mid-tempo grooves and slower, more worn-down moments, capturing the push and pull between anger, doubt and release.

Rather than reinventing themselves, Dinosaur Pile-Up double down on what they do best: turning raw feeling into something cathartic and strangely uplifting. ‘I’ve Felt Better’ captures a band that’s weathered the worst, made it out the other side and returned sounding tougher, louder and more open than ever before.

9. private music by Deftones

With the release of ‘private music’, Deftones reach their tenth studio album without sounding settled, safe or tied to any era. Tthe record feels deliberately understated on the surface, yet unmistakably Deftones at its core. There’s a quiet confidence here — the sound of a band that no longer needs to prove anything, only to exist on its own terms.

Trying to pin any Deftones album to a moment in time has always been pointless, and ‘private music’ continues that tradition. It doesn’t sound like 2025, or like a response to trends around it. Instead, it sits in the same strange, floating space the band have occupied for decades, where heavy music dissolves into atmosphere and emotion matters more than structure.

Chino Moreno’s vocals and lyrics move like fragments of half-remembered thoughts — suggestive rather than direct, emotional rather than literal. Songs don’t rush toward conclusions; they hover, stretch and seep in slowly. There’s a sense of transition running through the album, something dark but cleansing, like shedding old skin.

‘private music’ doesn’t demand understanding. It invites immersion. Listen front to back, let it unfold and allow the meaning to shift as it settles — the way Deftones records always do.

10. The Hives Forever Forever the Hives by The Hives

Swedish punk rock icons The Hives have once again delivered a record that reminds us why they remain one of rock’n’roll’s most exhilarating forces. Known for their razor-sharp hooks, breakneck riffs and infectious punk choruses, the band hasn’t lost an ounce of their signature energy. Following the triumph of ‘The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons’, expectations were sky-high, but this album more than rises to the challenge.

Tracks like ‘Paint a Picture’ nod to late ’70s punk, channeling the spirit of The Undertones and Buzzcocks, while subtle twists, like a half-time chorus, keep it feeling modern. Across the record, the band shows remarkable consistency, with every track offering riffs to shout along with and hooks that stick long after the music stops. The closing pair, ‘Path of Most Resistance’ and The Hives Forever Forever the Hives, venture into synth-rock territory, proving the band can still surprise while staying true to themselves.

In a year stacked with rock releases, The Hives remind us why they’re still at the top: loud, relentless and undeniably fun.

11. Hostile Design by Black Eyes

Two decades after their abrupt disappearance, Black Eyes have returned with ‘Hostile Design’, and it’s nothing short of a revelation. Known for their fearless collision of post-punk, free jazz and noise, the band immediately reasserts their identity — two drummers creating controlled chaos, dual vocalists vying for attention, saxophones shrieking, guitars feeding back and bass offering the faintest anchor of melody. From the opening salvo of ‘Break a Leg’, it’s unmistakably Black Eyes: anarchic, unpredictable and magnetic.

The album doesn’t just replay old tricks. Tracks like ‘Burn’ build slowly, blending hypnotic synths, groovy backbeats and chant-like vocals before erupting into brutal, scream-laden passages. Even their shorter pieces, ‘Pestilence’ and ‘Yeah, Right’, carry the same intensity, proving that the band can compress chaos as expertly as they expand it.

This album is a triumphant return and a testament to patience. Abrasive, challenging and thrilling, it’s both a continuation for longtime fans and a striking entry point for newcomers. Black Eyes have not only reclaimed their place in the noise-punk canon — they’ve elevated it.

2025 has been a strong year for heavy and alternative music, with plenty of standout releases beyond the ones we’ve covered. French metalcore act Landmvrks impressed with ‘The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been’, delivering raw emotion and intensity. British veterans Architects returned with ‘The Sky, The Earth & All Between’, a ferocious, tightly crafted album pushing their sound forward. Meanwhile, Baltimore hardcore band Turnstile made waves with ‘Never Enough’, blending high‑energy hardcore with adventurous, genre‑stretching ideas.

There were many great albums this year and these honourable mentions highlight just a few of the records that helped make 2025 so memorable — each bringing something unique, powerful and worth revisiting.