Nathan’s Top Albums of 2025

I could wax, poetically, about the meaning of year-end lists and how they turn us onto great tunes to create our playlists, but instead, I feel like this is my sort of last gasp post of the year, in what seems like a last gasp moment for blogs. I instilled some silly rules on myself in crafting this list…but if I disclose that, it could ruin your fun of jamming to all these records. So here’s a list…put whatever meaning into it you can, and just remember, I love to do this…even when its tough to string words together…so please keep coming back and we’ll keep doing this.

These are in no particular order — there’s no Number One Album

The Cords – S/T (Slumberland/Skep Wax)

Telephone Numbers – Scarecrow II (Slumberland Records)

The Laughing Chimes – Whispers in the Speech Machine (Slumberland Records)

Possible Humans – Standing Around Alive (Hobbies Galore)

Sharp Pins – Balloon Balloon Balloon (K Records/Perennial)

Creative Writing – Baby Did This (Meritorio Records)

Optic Sink – Lucky Number (Feel It Records)

Living Hour – Internal Drone Infinity (Keeled Scales/Paper Bag)

Little Mazarn – Mustang Island (Dear Life Records)

Comet Gain – Letters to Ordinary Outsiders (Tapete Records)

Artificial Go – Musical Chairs (Feel It Records)

Dumb Things – Self Help (Self Released)

Horsegirl – Phonetics On and On (Matador)

Ryli – Come and Get Me (Dandy Boy Records)

Cate Le Bon – Michelangelo Dying (Mexican Summer)

The Mary Onettes – Sworn (Welfare Sound)

I Was a King – Until the End (Hype City Music)

Mythical Motors – Travelogues and Movie Stills (Repeating Cloud)

Now – Now Does the Trick (K Records/Perennial)

Good Flying Birds – Talulah’s Tape (Rotten Apple/Carpark/Smoking Room)

Magic Fig – Valerian Tea (Exploding In Sound)

Massage – No North Star (Mt St Mtn/Bobo Integral/Prefect Records)

Pop Filter – Trade Place Tape (Bobo Integral/Osborne Again)

Pulp – More (Rough Trade)

Teethe – Magic of the Sale (Winspear)

Nihilistic Easyrider – Deluxe Edition (Run for Cover)

Tropical Fuckstorm – Fairyland Code (Fire Records)

Robert Forster – Strawberries (Tapete Records)

Winter – Adult Romantix (Winspear)

Paper Jam – This and That (Self-Released)

Nation of Language – Dance Called Memory (Sub Pop)