The Clearing (2025) by Wolf Alice
If Blue Weekend was a hint that Wolf Alice are a different beast now, their fourth album is a great big neon sign. An inventive, jaunty and occasionally heartbreaking record, The Clearing has been far and away my favourite thing to listen to this year, and seeing them revel in their new music live last month was the icing on the cake.
The first Wolf Alice records to be built around a piano, The Clearing reveals the quartet's flair for the theatrical. It's the first thing we hear on the album's bombastic lead single 'Bloom Baby Bloom,' and lays the foundation for more intimate moments like 'Safe in the World' and the gorgeous, Broadway-worthy 'Play It Out'.
The band have cited Fleetwood Mac's Rumours as an inspiration for this record, and I can see the connection musically and aesthetically, but they have brought none of the dysfunction of the latter's relationships into the music. This album features thoughtful, unguarded explorations of motherhood, self-identity, societal expectations and female friendship. I wouldn't be surprised if this album has gained Wolf Alice many new female fans; they've certainly retained the admiration of this male one.
My highlights: Bloom Baby Bloom; Just Two Girls; Passenger Seat; The Sofa
The Crux - Deluxe (2025) By Djo
It's hard to tell what's a bigger surprise - Steve from Stranger Things becoming one of Spotify's 200 most streamed artists, or the release of another dozen tracks to an album already jam-packed with bangers. As good as the vanilla album is, I'm not sure it would have made this list. The deluxe version gives the record a more intelligent, well-rounded sound that makes for a sublime 90 minutes of music.
This album is a positive feedback loop: it's so clear from moments like the rhythm-switching 'Purgatory Silverstar' and the rowdy crowd vocal on 'Mr Mountebank,' how much fun everyone is having making every track; and it's this playful energy that makes The Crux such a fun, rewarding listen. But there is a deeper side to the record - the slower, stripped-back laments woven throughout tell the story of a doomed relationship, lending a subtlety and authenticity to the album as a whole.My highlights: Purgatory Silverstar; Lonesome Is A State of Mind; Delete Ya; Back On You
A Matter of Time (2025) by Laufey
From piano-sprawling ballads to toe-tapping earworms, this polished third album truly cements Laufey as the intelligent, off-beat ingénue the 2020s needed. As expressive and theatrical as it is intimate, A Matter of Time puts Laufey's skyscraper vocal range, aptitude for orchestration, and melodies Irving Berlin would be proud of, on full display.
Fittingly for its title, A Matter of Time's pacing and tight themes make the album fly by. There's a universality to the album's ballads - not self-pitying laments, but songs of solidarity with women who dare to date in today's world of body-shaming and gendered hypocrisy. And there's always a witty bossa nova about the trials of modern dating waiting just around the corner. Laufey's willingness to expose her own foibles, as well as the subjects of her songs, gives this record a charm that keeps me coming back.
For existing Laufey fans, this record is a luxuriant showcase of her mastery over her trademark jazz-pop. (This is especially evident in 'Cuckoo Ballet', a twinkling entr'acte that takes a whistle-stop tour through all the musical themes of the album). Though she has taken to this genre like an art-deco duck to a gaudy fountain, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Laufey's next album saw her exploring another avenue entirely. And I, along with the many fans of her virtuosic versatility, will be waiting with bated breath.
My highlights: Lover Girl, Snow White, Cuckoo Ballet, Tough Luck
The Fox and the Bird (2023) by OK Goodnight
As a fan of the intricate prog of 20th Century acts like Camel, Yes and Genesis, I'm often sceptical of the 'progressive metal' label - a subgenre that can tire quickly as volume and complexity are prioritised over subtlety and craft. But I couldn't be in safer hands with OK Goodnight; this considered, immersive album is a treat from start to finish - especially through a decent pair of headphones.
Indeed, the most impressive thing about The Fox and the Bird - apart from the spotless production not common to a self-released LP - is its careful control of the gas pedal. The album charts two animals' journey through a drought-stricken land to bring back the rain; beginning in the forest of shifting rhythms and carefully layered keyboards, the sound growing slowly heavier and more guitar-centred as their journey wears on and they meet creatures corrupted by the ravaged land.
This foursome - who formed the band while at Berklee College of Music - are at the top of their game. Casey Lee Williams' vocals, which sometimes feel like an afterthought in modern prog, are stunning throughout. Both she and guest vocalist Elizabeth Hull rise to the record's challenges with aplomb - from the escalating scream of 'The Snake' to the wispy croon of more elegiac numbers. The guitars and drums pick out the most complex riffs and fills with ease, changing key and style at the drop of a Slash-inspired top hat. A stunning concept album that I urge you to listen to in a single sitting.
My highlights: The Fox and the Bird; The Falcon; The Bear; The Bird
Virgin (2025) by Lorde
Lorde has never had to look too far from home for inspiration - whether it's her rocketing to fame from antipodean obscurity on her debut home, or the death of her childhood dog on Solar Power. Giving voice to her exploration of gender and sexuality, her gift for turning introspection into art sparkles more than ever on this fearless fourth LP.
As someone who didn't really connect with the languid stoner vibe of her last record (she herself described Solar Power as her 'weed album'), it's nice to see Lorde returning to the more stripped-back, angular style of Pure Heroine. From the swelling violins of 'Shapeshifter' to the vulnerable, percussion-led 'Favourite Daughter', every track has both a powerful punch and a glass jaw.
This unsettled, but expertly executed, musical landscape is the perfect backdrop for Virgin's lyrical adventures. Confessing in the opening track that she's "ready to live like I don't have the answers," Lorde spends the rest of the record both revelling in the freedom that gives, while also exploring the relationship between her present self, the people closest to her, and indeed the different people she has been throughout her life. An intricate album that sees Lorde return to her roots musically, but develop lyrically; I look forward to exploring it more in 2026.
My highlights: What Was That, Favourite Daughter, Current Affairs, If She Could See Me Now
Honourable mentions (Normally I'd give a recommended starting point for each of these albums, but honestly just start at the beginning every time)
- Falling Farther In (1995) by October Project
Recommended by a close friend, this is an album I've come back to often this year. With elements of prog and symphonic rock, but more accessible than either, this is a twisting record full of intelligent songwriting and musical surprises.
- THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! (2025) by JADE
If you're a fan of Rina Sawayama, I can't recommend this album enough - it hits that same sweet spot between sweeping theatrical pop and crunchy electronic R&B. Equally defiant and nostalgic, this album is a clear line in the sand as Jade sets off on what is sure to be a sparkling solo career.
- Fall Back (2025) by Florence Road
With support gigs for Wolf Alice and Olivia Rodrigo under their belt already, Florence Road are one to watch going into 2026. At once satisfyingly grungy and melodically compelling, this debut mixtape - along with the singles they've released since - portends great things to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment