Just like that, another year in music has come and gone. While 2025 won’t be remembered as an all-time great year for landmark albums, there were plenty of bright spots. Longtime favorites like Stereolab and James McMurtry delivered some of their strongest work in decades, while scenes closer to home were well represented, with moe. and Galactic collaborating alongside bandmates and local legends to further cement their legacies. Overseas, The Tubs (pictured) made their familiar brand of jangly guitar-pop feel newly urgent, and Annie and the Caldwells performed as if the stakes were nothing short of apocalyptic.
So, let’s get to it — here is the Glide 20 for 2025, along with 20 honorable mentions (all in alphabetical order).
Annie and the Caldwells – Can’t Lose My (Soul)
Six songs might qualify for an EP for some, but at 35 minutes of fluid gospel grooves that summon artists like William Onyeabor and The Staples Singers. With Annie Caldwell at the helm and her family by her side, the record drops you right into the front row of a church service, where the music carries both the weight of survival and the joy of celebration.
The Belair Lip Bombs- Again
Their fusion of 90s alt-rock grit, post-punk attitude, and power-pop melodies sits nicely between raw rock energy and tuneful catchiness. 90s indie nods to Pavement, and The Breeders merge, where pop hooks meet raw coolness that even toys with Sonic Youth at their most infectious.
Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power
This marks a return to the band’s weight and intensity after their more melodic/softer detour on their previous album, while the guitar-driven presentations are still as thought-provoking and vigorous as those that made Sunbather such a still-talked-about epic. There is a twist on black metal here for listeners who like a bit of shoegaze dipped in from their own Infinite Granite, while building upon their rich foundation.
Florry – Sounds Like…
Florry doesn’t force itself into any tidy genre corners; instead, it lets things unfold at their own pace, somewhere between country rock, indie fuzz, and unvarnished live-session energy. The unpolished group sounds more confident and unrestrained than ever, delivering a record that feels both deliberate in its songwriting and completely uninterested in polish for its own sake.
Galactic & Irma Thomas- Audience With The Queen
Galactic and Thomas set their sights on crafting vibrantly funky protest music and it triumphs, Bass and drums lead the hard-grooving charge around dynamite horn arrangements as Thomas lays down the wisdom, questioning if these are the end of days during “People” while “Lady Liberty” is the best of the bunch with shimmering guitar, powerful brass and funky beats around righteous vocals/lyrics. Both efforts are reminiscent of Allen Toussaint’s knack of bringing the problems he saw every day in New Orleans into mainstream music via a funky R&B route.
Geese – Getting Killed
After cementing themselves as modern-day sonic trapeze artist with releases like the aggressively twangy 3D Country, and vocalist Cameron Winter establishing an undeniable range on his solo debut, Heavy Metal, Geese are slowly proving to be less of a band and more of a living organism held together by creative chemistry and unwavering passion. Getting Killed is wonderfully weird, unabashed, and filled with color alongside the execution of off-kilter tactics, and immersive vocal performances
Hannah Cohen- Earthstar Mountain
This mood-setting album drifts between psych-folk, soft rock, and ambient pop. It’s he arrangements that are so inviting – built from gentle guitars, analog synths, brushed percussion, and warm, open space. Cohen weaves in the most unobtrusive hints at nostalgia yet never careens into obvious tropes that obscure this chill palette.
James McMurtry – The Black Dog and The Wandering Boy
Ever the renowned storyteller, these new songs on The Black Dog and The Wandering Boy are memories from his family’s past, an old poem by a family friend, confronting old age, outlaw sagas, and both blatant and well-disguised political rants. While his songwriting is always brilliant, McMurtry’s vocals rise with a potent urgency wrapped within crisp but never overdone production.
McKinley Dixon – Magic, Alive!
If Dixon’s past releases were more bop-era jazz, Magic, Alive! is the start of the artist’s spiritual jazz era. The concept of the LP, centered around three friends trying to bring their fourth friend back to life, is delivered through varied emotions, cartoonishly passionate vocals, and complex jazz production. Rather than viewing his past successes as a blueprint, Dixon sees them as a stepping stone towards fully realizing his visions, and those high-minded concepts are executed beautifully throughout Magic, Alive!.
Mclusky – The World Is Still Here and So Are We
Mclusky, the post-hardcore titans, have lain dormant since the release of their 2004 LP, leaving behind three incredible punk LPs that positioned the band as one of the next great hopes for the genre. This album is more than the band’s past. This is simply and purely refreshing punk from a band who knows the genre as well as anybody a s they craft an album, not for the sake of cashing in the currency of nostalgia but to unleash the ideas that the band has stored for nearly two decades.
moe. – Circle of Giants
Always on the verge of their true prog album, yet never fully realized, moe.’s 14th studio album stuns with keys, flutes, and lengthy guitar passages, while hinting at a Canterbury sound. The band has expanded the immediacy of their rock anthems, where their seasoned musicianship has made this their most adventurous and relevant album since the early aughts. Ambition is celebrated here in perhaps one of the most listenable albums to date.
Panda Bear – Sinister Grift
Noah Lennox employs live instrumentation to shape the breezy yet downtrodden yacht-rock-esque melodies that drive these songs, creating a stark difference between the artist’s previous solo material. Despite this being a new side of Lennox’s artistry, these songs are undeniably Panda Bear. Even with this new direction, the artist is still crafting nimble, quaint ballads accented by his soaring vocals, marrying his past releases with lessons learned through years of daring collaborations.
Post Animal – IRON
IRON finds Post Animal leaning fully into their love of classic rock bombast and shape-shifting psychedelia while still sounding unmistakably like themselves. The Chicago band has always flirted with glam, prog, and stoner rock, but here they really let those influences sprawl. The result is dense, riff-heavy, and theatrical—less dreamy than their early work and more muscular, almost arena-minded at times.
Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band – New Threats from the Soul
This ambitious 7-song album mixes plainspoken word presentation alongside complex and interesting southern rock tropes mixed with nods to Drag City artists and Jason Molina. Davis heads down another path, building expansive tracks with enigmatic, epic lyrics that create their own realities.
S.G. Goodman – Planting By Signs
Goodman’s distinctive Kentucky drawl also gives us one of those singular voices. Few write and sing with the combination of vivid detail, empathy, and relativity, and her captivating narratives rank her in the upper echelon of Americana artists. The album sits at the crossroads of roots rock, country soul, and indie folk, though Goodman rarely settles into any one sound for long. Her writing recalls the piercing honesty of Lucinda Williams and John Prine, while certain moments carry the sweep and urgency of Patti Smith or early Dylan.
Stereolab – Instant Holograms on Metal Film
There’s a noticeable lightness to Stereolab’s 11th record that makes for their most unpretentious listen to date. While Stereolab has always played in cerebral territory, Instant Holograms on Metal Film carries an almost pop-like accessibility in places — sunny harmonies, airy arrangements, and shows Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier are still relevant.
The Tubs – Cotton Crown
The way The Tubs transition from gothic anthems to breezy tales of heartbreak can be jarring, but even at its most unpredictable, these songs have a captivating atmosphere that references Richard Thompson in the best ways. Despite featuring infectious anthems like the Cure-inspired “One More Day” and the pop-punk powerhouse “Chain Reaction,” Cotton Crown is a complex yet highly rewarding listen.
They Are Gutting a Body of Water – Lotto
Philadelphia’s They Are Gutting a Body of Water is becoming one of the most innovative and forward-thinking acts in contemporary shoegaze, and their latest album already feels like a defining moment from the promising band. LOTTO is a dense, intricately crafted slice of refreshing shoegaze that recontextualizes TAGABOW’s songwriting for a captivating LP. The highlight, “sour diesel,” is only a preview of what makes LOTTO have such an immediate impact. The chugging guitars make just enough room for the ethereal vocals to deliver detailed imagery.
Turnstile – Never Enough
Never Enough doesn’t abandon Turnstile’s roots — it expands upon them, blending hardcore energy with alternative, jazz-inflected, ambient, and even dance-oriented textures. While connecting hardcore to a broader rock and alternative audience without completely abandoning their roots, might upset some, Never Enough still remains experimental, accessible, and confrontational in its own unique way.
Wednesday – Bleeds
Bleeds is a full cathartic release for both Wednesday and the listener, as the band creates a jam-packed tracklist that sheds raw honesty, imaginative imagery, and artistic maturity over warped distortion. The band is performing as if writing and recording these songs were the only way to differentiate dreams from reality, the only way the members of Wednesday can feel any real emotions during a tumultuous yet celebratory time.
20 Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)
Babe Rainbow- Slipper Imp and Shakaerator
Bon Iver- SABLE, fABLE
Craig Finn- Always Been
Dean Johnson- I Hope We Can Still Be Friends
Deftones – private music
Foxwarren – 2
Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist – Alfredo 2
Friendship – Caveman Wakes Up
GECKØS – GECKØS
Guitar – We’re Headed To The Lake
Hotline TNT- Raspberry Moon
Jeff Tweedy- Twilight Override
Kassi Valazza – From Newman Street
Lonnie Holley- Tonky
Mavis Staples- Sad and Beautiful World
Robert Plant – Saving Grace
Slow Motion Cowboy – Wolf of St. Elmo
Sudan Archives – The BPM
Water From Your Eyes- It’s A Beautiful Place
Youth Lagoon- Rarely Do I Dream
One Response
That new moe. album is amazing! Those guys play like they have telepathy. Circle of Giants is a worthy listen!