2025 has been a huge year for indie and alternative music. We’ve seen comebacks from major bands, new stars rising into the public eye, and pop and R&B mainstays cementing and evolving their signature styles through albums released this year. If you’re someone whose listening isn’t neatly defined by a single genre, we’re with you. So without further ado, these are our picks for the top indie standout albums of 2025.
Who Let The Dogs Out – Lambrini Girls
January 10, 2025
Brighton-based feminist punks Lambrini Girls released their debut album Who Let The Dogs Out, and they came in loud. They’re fierce, funny, and completely unapologetic, and this album reflects that from the first second. It’s full of jagged riffs and a real sense of anger — an energetic mix of riot grrrl and UK punk. They’ve been compared to the likes of Amyl and the Sniffers, but their attitude in this album feels very much their own.
EUSEXUA – FKA Twigs
January 24, 2025
Few albums this year felt as singular as EUSEXUA, FKA Twigs’ third studio record and one that immediately earned a Best New Music accolade from Pitchfork. The title, a blend of “euphoria” and “sexual,” signals the album’s obsession with desire, transcendence, and rave culture. It stands as one of 2025’s boldest records.
People Watching – Sam Fender
February 21, 2025
People Watching was a big moment for Sam Fender in 2025, especially with the album winning the Mercury Prize in his hometown of Newcastle. It marked a shift from his earlier work — it’s more introspective, with themes of hope, grief and the pressures running through everyday life. It didn’t chase the big hits, but it held together as a consistent, well-written record, with lyrics that landed in that understated way he does so well.
MAYHEM – Lady Gaga
March 7, 2025
Pop icon Lady Gaga’s MAYHEM reminded us why we love her so much. It’s camp, it’s uniquely Gaga, and you can feel every version of her we’ve met over the years coming together here — her evolution in full technicolour. It’s reminiscent of her dance-pop roots, with flashes of ’80s synth-pop and even some Prince-like influences. It was truly one of the top releases of 2025.
SABLE, fABLE – Bon Iver
April 11, 2025
Looking back at 2025, this Bon Iver record really stuck with us. We’ve always known him for making some of the most heartbreaking music ever, but SABLE, fABLE felt a bit lighter — still very Bon Iver, just with a hint of hope that caught us off guard.
For Emma, Forever Ago is one of my favourite albums of all time, so anything he releases feels personal to me. This one was warm, full of soul, and quietly emotional in a way that made it feel like an important moment for his career.
Fancy That – PinkPantheress
May 9, 2025
“My name is Pink and I’m really glad to meet you” ended up being a fitting opener, because 2025 was the year PinkPantheress really met America. Fancy That pushed UK garage into the mainstream through TikTok and beyond, and it finally felt like her sound crossed over properly. The album is nostalgic and flirty, pulling from ’90s raves, jungle and that bedroom-pop edge she’s known for, with the funny ad-libs that always cut through. It was a very solid 2025 release.
Hers – Matt Maltese
May 16, 2025
An album dedicated entirely to yearning, Hers is Matt Maltese at his most dreamy and deliberate. As always, his work is rooted deep in love and heartbreak, carried by poetic songwriting that blends emotion with his signature dry wit. Jazz flourishes, soft-pop warmth, and gentle orchestral touches run through the record, creating something tender and quietly sweeping. It’s a clear standout of 2025.
Lotus – Little Simz
June 6, 2025
In the two and a half years since her last release, NO THANK YOU, Little Simz returned with Lotus, a genre-blending, emotionally vulnerable and raw sixth studio album. Simz reportedly attempted to create a new record four times before landing on this one, and it shows: Lotus feels more experimental than her previous work, full of new sounds, hooks and beats, while still cementing her classic Simz signature.
Addison – Addison Rae
June 6, 2025
Addison Rae pulled off one of the most perfect rebrands of 2025. Addison became the album of the summer, perfectly capturing ’90s trip-hop and ’80s synth-pop, with production full of lush soundscapes. It drew comparisons to Lana, Britney and Madonna — and with her friendship with Charli xcx in the mix, the pop universe around her felt suddenly very intentional. For someone so often dismissed or not taken seriously, Addison is a refreshing piece of pure pop.
More – Pulp
June 6, 2025
24 whole years since their last release, Pulp returned in 2025 with More — and we really have been wanting more. Jarvis Cocker is still one of the most influential names in Britpop, and this album proves why. Dedicated to former bassist Steve Mackey, who passed away in 2023, More feels like classic Pulp, but matured. It’s nostalgic yet new, exactly what you’d hope a Pulp comeback would sound like.
with all due respect – KWN
June 20, 2025
East London R&B artist KWN had a very important year in 2025, and with all due respect, her debut studio album, captured that moment perfectly. She’d already been noted as one to watch, and her popularity sky-rocketed around the album’s release. With its lush, layered production and sensual sounds and themes, it’s a record that shows exactly why KWN is effortlessly cool.
Reminiscent of Melodrama, Virgin infuses electronic styles and dark synthetic pop with themes of gender identity, adulthood and trauma. It’s such a personal insight, like you’re hearing something not entirely meant for you. The tracklist is crafted in a perfect order — it’s an album you really need to listen to all at once to hear her story properly. Virgin is an experience as a whole: perfectly put together, cohesive, and one of her most intimate works.
moisturizer – Wet Leg
July 11, 2025
The second studio album from Wet Leg is full of earworms. Incredibly fun and energetic, it’s packed with catchy hooks, raw guitars, thick bass and punchy drums. There’s a real step up in their songwriting too, and their playful, witty lyricism shines through. It’s a fantastic listen.
Baby marked a major step up for Dijon in 2025, earning him some of the strongest critical support of his career. The album moves between alt-R&B and neo-soul, anchored by production that feels raw, experimental and deliberately unpolished.
The Clearing – Wolf Alice
August 22, 2025
Wolf Alice’s long-awaited return earlier this year came in the form of The Clearing, a record that marked a new step for the band. Rich, lush ’70s soft-rock analogue textures run through the album, reflecting a sense of maturity and growth in their songwriting. It’s a slower, more intimate set of “song-y songs,” as Joff Oddie told NME, and though Wolf Alice are known as a rock band, this doesn’t necessarily play like a rock album. With Ellie Rowsell’s stunning vocals and the band’s confident shift in direction, it became one of our favourites of 2025.
Man’s Best Friend – Sabrina Carpenter
August 29, 2025
Just a year after Short n’ Sweet, Man’s Best Friend ended up being a playful, innuendo-filled album that still carried a lot of self-awareness. Lyrically, it leaned into her quick wordplay and was full of catchy hooks, showing off her funny personality throughout. It has a 70s-inspired sound and live instrumentation, with touches reminiscent of ABBA and Fleetwood Mac. And when criticism came her way, she responded to it head-on, saying, “The album is not for any pearl-clutchers.”
Essex Honey – Blood Orange
August 29, 2025
Dev Hynes returned after six years with Essex Honey. It’s a nostalgic, mature album that gives us an insight into his experience navigating grief, loss, and growing up around London and Essex in the UK. The record feels overall reflective, with hazy, melancholy soundscapes running through it. He worked with collaborators such as Lorde, Caroline Polachek, Daniel Caesar and Zadie Smith, who all help shape the world of the album.
EURO-COUNTRY – CMAT
August 29, 2025
Irish star CMAT truly had a year in 2025. The “woke macarena” TikTok dance from Take a Sexy Picture of Me went viral, pulling huge attention toward her third studio album. EURO-COUNTRY blends country, pop and Irish influences, and it’s full of humour, social commentary and surprising emotional depth. The album received widespread critical praise, with several outlets calling it “one of the best albums of the year.” It went on to earn a Mercury Prize nomination and a standout set at Glastonbury — a real breakthrough moment for CMAT this year.
Double Infinity – Big Thief
September 5, 2025
Another deep-cut favourite returned this year with Double Infinity. It’s dreamy and a bit otherworldly, with that stripped-back writing style Big Thief do so well. The songs feel twisty and windy in a way only Adrienne Lenker can pull off — simple on the surface, but absorbing.
I’m Only F**king Myself – Lola Young
September 19, 2025
Looking back at 2025, Lola Young really leaned into being the “messy” queen. This album was pure chaos in a way that felt refreshing. “d£aler” was our big standout. She’s unpolished, she’s open, and she doesn’t pretend to be anything else — which honestly made her one of the more interesting UK artists this year. It’s experimental, a bit all over the place, and completely her.
The Art of Loving – Olivia Dean
September 26, 2025
Olivia Dean’s success might be the best thing to have come out of 2025. The Art of Loving cemented her as a true household name, and the album has been absolutely everywhere. It’s easy-listening, earwormy pop wrapped in beautiful soundscapes and her dreamy image, all while diving into the dimensions of modern love. With close-to-perfect production and an impressively cohesive feel, it’s the kind of record that quietly takes over the entire year.
Getting Killed – Geese
September 26, 2025
Getting Killed ended up being one of the best-reviewed records of the whole year — Pitchfork gave it Best New Music. It’s cinematic, unpredictable, and strange, exactly why it’s so captivating. Geese bounce between punk, funk, country and indie rock, almost like traditional rock getting reshaped through a Gen Z brain. There are little flashes of Radiohead or even Rolling Stones energy in there.
West End Girl – Lily Allen
October 24, 2025
Lily Allen’s West End Girl stands as one of the most compelling records of the year. Announced just four days before its release, the album took the internet by storm thanks to her raw, brutally honest lyricism. She explores themes of love and loss with absolutely no sugar-coating, moving from acoustic to electronic soundscapes in a way that feels like listening to her diary firsthand.
Everybody Scream – Florence + the Machine
October 31, 2025
“There was basically an urgency to this record. It came out of me in this furious burst,” Florence Welch told Zane Lowe — and you can hear that all over Everybody Scream. It’s a return to those big, emotional, full-body feelings she manages to capture so well. The album looks at shaking off fear and tension, physically and emotionally, and the raw, messy parts of the female experience.
LUX – ROSALÍA
November 7, 2025
ROSALÍA delivered some of the most stunning vocals of the year with LUX. The album explores divine femininity, with this idea of God or holiness living in her chest running throughout. She sings in multiple languages across the record, backed by huge orchestral arrangements, and you don’t need to understand every word to hear how beautiful it is. The whole thing feels like a full listening experience — operatic vocals, big symphonic moments, and Rosalía pushing her voice into completely new places.
