This was another noteworthy year for the best rock music. We saw a number of artists follow a promising debut with a stunning second LP to the point where we have to question whether the “sophomore slump” is really a thing. Other mainstays either demonstrated a return to form or went in a different direction that proved equally compelling. Most notable was how a few flourishing acts finally came into their own. They received widespread acclaim throughout the year and are featured prominently here.
As with any other year, there were a number of honorable mentions that had to be left off the list (Tunde Adebimpe, Flock of Dimes, Hotline TNT, Bartees Strange, and Wet Leg, to name a few). Some brilliant indie adjacent albums are also omitted, most notably Hayley Williams’ phenomenal Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party, which we considered more pop-rock than indie rock. In addition, the alternative country band Fust made some lifelong fans with their breakthrough Big Ugly, but the record fits better elsewhere.
We hope you take some time to revisit (and enjoy) these rock gems from the past year, as we certainly did. – Patrick Gill
30. Bob Mould – Here We Go Crazy (Granary Music / BMG)
It can become easy to take artists like Bob Mould for granted. He returns every few years with another stellar set of songs that are, in the best possible way, just what was expected. But that would be a mistake, especially on Here We Go Crazy. With many of us trying hard to find our bearings and the energy to take up another four-year fight, Mould delivers a clear-eyed, but not despairing, song cycle that might help you get through the next four years. He can’t help but be a true believer, even when everything seems so wrong. – Brian Stout
29. Street Eaters – Opaque (Dirt Cult)
The punk movement that swept across the United States and the United Kingdom was a revolution based on nerve, power chords, and swagger. Under that paradigm, the 2025 record Opaque by Street Eaters strives to create a compelling throwback: a tactic that works for the majority of the album. Themes like alienation, frustration, youthful abandon, and lust are merged with newer, more adult content. The guitar-heavy “Tempers” speaks to the female audience, recalling a difficult birth through sparky guitar hooks and shimmering drums. – Eoghan Lyng
28. Ty Segall – Possession (Drag City)
For Possession, Ty Segall again teams up with friend and filmmaker Matt Yoka, who helped with brainstorming and setting the overall vibe. The music is jangly and freewheeling, but Segall incorporates orchestral arrangements and horns into the mix. Listeners cannot escape a range of influences from the broader universe of 1960s and 1970s rock, but Segall is still able to achieve a mostly unified sound. Considering his larger body of work, the record is surprisingly palatable. Even if the LP is a relatively straightforward rock statement, the music mostly slays. – Patrick Gill
27. Raveonettes – Pe’ahi II (Beat Dies)
Few bands can kick my synesthesia into high gear like the Raveonettes. Their sound is coated in glorious contradictions: Shoegaze static spilling forth from the guitars, keyboards twinkling like bright, blinding stars, booming bass and drums, rapturous harmonies that allude to the Everly Brothers and girl groups, and evoke nostalgia for a time you may never have inhabited, but suddenly feel immersed in. The luscious layers flood the senses.
Whereas the first Pe’ahi reveled in a cleaner palette (employing harps and xylophones in addition to the usual rock instruments), Pe’ahi II exults a bit more in the cacophony-meets-euphony ethos that makes the Raveonettes so mind-blowing. The incongruous clashing of sounds yields both visceral and blissful thrills. – Alison Ross
26. Sports Team – Boys These Days (Bright Antenna)
Make no mistake, Sports Team are a 21st-century British alternative rock band, just as Wikipedia says they are. However, the music on their new album, Boys These Days, makes it clear that the six members of Sports Team must collectively own an impressive CD collection of the best and brightest Britpop bands from 1985 through 1995, along with a healthy selection of bands from earlier eras. That’s not a bad thing: Sports Team are a smart group that incorporate bits and pieces of past music they love into their modern sound and dryly funny lyrical point of view. – Rich Wilhelm
25. Sam Fender – People Watching (Polydor)
This time around for People Watching, Sam Fender made some deliberate decisions that make the album feel bigger than his previous works and more dialed in. Part of that has to do with production choices that allow him to deliver songs that would seem appropriate for pop radio and yet not draw the ire of indie rock purists. Appropriately, the record comprises two studio sessions, one with Markus Dravs (Coldplay, Arcade Fire) and the other with War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel. With his previous efforts, Sam Fender was an exciting up-and-coming artist; on People Watching, Fender has now established himself as a generational talent requiring your attention. – Patrick Gill
24. The Beths – Straight Line Was a Lie (Anti-)
The Beths’ latest album, Straight Line Was a Lie, is a record full of catchy hooks, big guitar riffs, and often introspective lyrics. The New Zealand quartet are at the top of their game. The melodies will grab the listener first, but Elizabeth Stokes’ inventive, thoughtful lyrics will stick around after multiple spins of the record. This record is an absolute pleasure to listen to. Each song has its own distinct feel. However, the band’s commitment to letting Stokes’ singing be out front and to buttress her with harmonies and backing vocals throughout provides the continuity that might not be there instrumentally. – Chris Conaton
23. Viagra Boys – Viagr Aboys (Shrimptech Enterprises)
Viagra Boys crack open their new self-titled album with a howl and a stomp, hurling us right back into the gaping maw of their signature cartoon hellscape—a world as grotesque as it is musically precise, as absurd as it is emotionally intelligent. “Man Made of Meat” sets the tone: part Hieronymus Bosch, part Ren & Stimpy “gross-up” close-up, and, crucially, all in good fun. It’s a gleefully unhinged feat of epic silliness, just as willfully brutal as carefully constructed, and lucky for us, it’s just the beginning.
For all their grotesque spectacle—and whether they mean for us to see it or not—Viagra Boys are far too emotionally attuned to settle for cheap bitterness. Instead, on Viagr Aboys, beneath the grime, the gags, and the chaos, they’re not giving up on meaning. They’re daring us to find it where we least expect it. – Emily Votaw
22. The Waterboys – Life, Death & Dennis Hopper (Sun)
Although the Waterboys’ past efforts, This Is the Sea and Fisherman’s Blues, were underpinned by emotional undercurrents, Life, Death & Dennis Hopper goes one step further, concocting a conceptual album that details the highs, lows, and smirks enjoyed by the eponymous actor. One of the tracks, “Memories of Monterey”, is more of a sound collage than pop, as bandleader Mike Scott utilizes a collection of vocal effects to paint a picture of the end of the 1960s.
The record boasts 24 songs, but mercifully none push the boundaries of their listeners; only a handful surpass the three-minute mark. Scott’s ambition has resulted in a musical vehicle that’s blindingly good at times, and Life, Dennis & Death Hopper is a singular addition to the Waterboys’ impressive canon. – Eoghan Lyng
21. U.S. Girls – Scratch It (4AD)
With the release of Scratch It, U.S. Girls—the experimental pop project of musical artist Meg Remy—follows the existential ruminations set to a shimmering dance track of 2023’s Bless This Mess with a retro twist. The new album picks up the caramel smoothness of sequin-clad lounge singers of the 1960s and analog warmth in place of the former album’s cyborg materiality and machine melding. Along the way, Remy’s project artfully offers performative utterances in the opening track’s bridge that embody the ongoing U.S. Girls project: Stretch. Move. Pose. Groove.
Scratch It speaks to our urges, to the surface that hides and reveals the depths of things, and to the way that looking back provides little clarity into the past, but helps us to attend to the future breaking into the present. It’s another remarkable development in the U.S. Girls’ artistic portfolio. It invites and rewards deep, repetitive listens. In the midst, we too stretch, move, pose, and groove. – Rick Quinn
20. The Lathums – Matter Does Not Define (Modern Sky)
While firmly operating within the guitar-pop-rock realm, the Lathums have proven adept at crafting tunes with a variety of distinct moods. This year, the group proved this by treating fans to four teaser singles from Matter Does Not Define, showcasing a different side of their musical personality. “Stellar Cast” is a jittery, ska-influenced tune with lyrics hinting at romantic confusion, while “No Direction” is a driving rocker. “Long Shadows is a brooding, twangy guitar ballad that now serves as the haunting closing track of Matter Does Not Define, and “Heartbreaker” is an instant pop sing-along with upbeat and life-affirming lyrics. These four tracks gave fans a sense of what to expect, but the whole album offers even more variety. – Rich Wilhelm
19. Pulp – More (Rough Trade)
In the 1990s, Pulp could be sentimental: “Something Changed” is a succinct account of coup de foudre, or love at first sight. Thirty years later, Jarvis Cocker spells the word L-O-V-E during the Northern soul-inspired anthem “Got to Have Love”. It not only echoes Them’s “Gloria” but finds Cocker reprimanding and exhorting himself in a self-referential monologue. Upon first listen, it could be Pulp in their 1990s heyday, but, in 2025, it hits differently: more urgent, more sincere, more poignant. Yes, More is about the supremacy of love. Cocker, the rakish and rangy 61-year-old frontman of Pulp, is, in effect, saying on More, Pulp’s eighth studio album, that without love, we cease to exist. – Jack Walters
18. Tortoise – Touch (International Anthem)
Tortoise‘s Touch feels like the space between places; it is an alien, nighttime world. The record, like a Tolkien novel, conjures a universe and makes you feel like you’ve been there. It is, in a word, miraculous. Humble in its concepts, minimalist in its execution, and pristinely recorded by drummer and producer John McEntire, Touch eschews the ambition and grandiosity of many post-rock LPs and focuses on simple structures.
Each song tries to do only one thing; the result is ten fully coherent ideas that urge you to listen closely for each small detail. Each track is immediately distinct from the one that came before, creating a sense of unfamiliarity in the first few bars. The sounds are otherworldly but become comfortable quickly, so the slow changes feel monumental. – Jeremy Levine
17. The Ophelias – Spring Grove (Get Better)
Spring Grove is the defining statement the Ophelias have been steadily working toward, a convergence of the best songwriting and production in their impressive discography. Everything is just a little better this time out. Peppet’s hooks have never been stronger, and her voice has a new confidence in it, even in the most delicate moments.
Her lyrics are full of vivid images of clouds hanging around as the things that went unsaid, unsettling images of eating organs, and out-of-body experiences. These more propulsive songs give Mic Adams opportunities to shine, and together with bassist Jo Shaffer, they ground the songs and deliver some of the record’s most rewarding new wrinkles in the Ophelias’ sound. – Brian Stout
16. Goose – Everything Must Go (No Coincidence)
While Goose‘s previous releases (aside from the Ted Tapes) are curtailed in one way or another, Everything Must Go features 14 tracks at an hour and a half, which feels significant. All of it is fully formed, and nothing feels excessive. The jams are tight but intricate, something that will avoid the ridicule of diehards without alienating newcomers. The LP will appeal to a variety of tastes yet reinforces the band’s lofty ambitions. By celebrating the past, Goose can move forward to unlock new possibilities. That is not to mention how Everything Must Go works surprisingly well as a cohesive whole. Considering the limitations of the form, it’s the best possible outcome anyone could have hoped for. – Patrick Gill
15. Racing Mount Pleasant – Racing Mount Pleasant (R&R Digital)
Racing Mount Pleasant (formerly Kingfisher) hail from Ann Arbor, Michigan, but they don’t sound like your typical college band. Their ambitions are broader in scope, no less grand in scale than the distant cityscape featured on the cover of their self-titled record. Imagine if the Antlers contributed to San Fermin’s debut, while harnessing the intensity of Gang of Youths. Racing Mount Pleasant sounds something like that, even if their exceptional qualities should be considered on their own terms.
The horns and free jazz elements will draw comparisons to Black Country, New Road, but the intensity sounds more measured. The vision the band employs on this first proper release cannot be understated. They bookend the album with complementary tracks (“Your New Place” and “Your Old Place”) and position “You” and “You Pt. 2” in the middle as one sentimental centerpiece. For a band just starting their journey, they show a ton of promise and offer a masterclass on how to calm our universal disquiet. – Patrick Gill
14. Car Seat Headrest – The Scholars (Matador)
Over the past decade, Will Toledo has done the opposite of what helped him build a solid fanbase early in his career. After Teens of Denial (2016), his first set of original recordings on Matador, the music became overindulgent. Toledo developed a full backing band and played his instruments less, not to mention he began wearing a gas mask and hazmat suit while on stage, which “allowed him to share with the audience more freely”. If fans were pleading for a return to form, it certainly wasn’t a rock opera, but Toledo and company somehow pulled it off.
The main reason Car Seat Headrest sound more grounded is that they have become more egalitarian as a band. In terms of performance, The Scholars finds the group firing on all cylinders, offering nods to some rock and roll heavyweights (the Beach Boys, the Ramones, and David Bowie) along the way. Even if the tale itself is somewhat involved, Car Seat Headrest simplify matters and hit all the right notes. The now-tight-knit collective lean into what they do best: taking listeners on a messy but enlightening rock-and-roll journey. – Patrick Gill
13. Suede – Antidepressants (BMG)
Thirty-odd years since Suede’s heyday, a feeling of disconnect, though a different kind, persists. Antidepressants, Suede’s tenth studio album, is a cri de coeur for connection in an ever-increasing technological world that, paradoxically, is becoming more disconnected. It showcases a band maturing gracefully and at the top of their game, unafraid of taking risks. Where does Antidepressants sit in Suede’s canon? Whereas Autofiction is a chiaroscuro world of introspection, Antidepressants is the equivalent of tenebrism—dramatic, intense, and dark. Put differently, the record looks outward, proving more expansive than its predecessor, with a gothic grandeur that is part Dog Man Star, part Seventeen Seconds. – Jack Walters
12. The Royston Club – Songs for the Spine (Modern Sky)
Everything about Songs for the Spine is big, and some of it is even huge. Big crunchy guitars. Big catchy choruses. Big emotional lyrics. Big, powerful singing. Even some big videos to promote the big songs. With all this bigness, it’s unsurprising to discover that the Royston Club have covered Taylor Swift‘s “You Belong With Me”, and that it rocks, while adding interesting new dimensions to the song.
The Royston Club may have tightened up their songwriting and playing on the Songs for the Spine, but they’ve done so while maintaining the energy of Shaking Hips and Crashing Cars. That is apparent right away on the opening track, “Shivers”, which starts with menacing bass and a few scattered guitar chords before exploding into a full-blown anthem 24 seconds into the song. – Rich Wilhelm
11. Bon Iver – SABLE, fABLE (Jagjaguwar)
Bon Iver purists may feel a familiar sense of frustration upon hearing Justin Vernon’s fifth studio album, SABLE, fABLE. On the one hand, the record includes the SABLE EP (2024), which features three strong tracks, including the unmatched “S P E Y S I D E”. That offering hinted at a return to form; however, that is only half of the equation, as the LP contains lush arrangements and celebrates Bon Iver’s affinity for R&B over the sparse folk that put him on the map.
In the face of such critiques, the quality of his craft cannot be denied. The influences on SABLE, fABLE include Prince, Michael McDonald, and 1990s crossover hits, meaning the entire record inspires new possibilities instead of closing them off. Repeated listens soften the impact and help normalize what’s unfamiliar, underscoring Vernon’s genius. The resulting statement proves as enjoyable as it is personal, perhaps as close as Vernon will ever get to what he hoped to become. – Patrick Gill
10. Heartworms – Glutton For Punishment (Speedy Wunderground)
Heartworms’ Glutton For Punishment is a series of tight switches and feints. The beat on “Jacked” whips the air in dry circles before one of the best lead guitar riffs of the past few years, and then we’re onward to pure steel tones underpinning a breathy, doubled vocal that grows into all manner of sharp spitting or drawn-out syllables as the words demand.
While each song moves through distinct sections, it never feels like a streaming service playing previews; everything fits and grows intelligently out of the previous moment, with endless movement, continuous drama, and provocation – in a world of songs built like basic boxes of 2×4 timber, this is next-generation nanotech engineering. – Nick Soulsby
9. Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory – Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory (Jagjaguwar)
For the first time, Sharon Van Etten wrote a record in collaboration with her backing band, now known as the Attachment Theory, and the music sounds different from what we have come to expect. She described finding a certain freedom in relinquishing control; paradoxically, that liberation comes through in synth-heavy, manufactured sounds. While the sonics are dark and gloomy, the group achieves moments of colossal scope, like the outstanding “Southern Light”.
The influences the band draws upon include New Order and Thin White Duke-era David Bowie, but Van Etten’s powerhouse vocals remain front and center, exemplified by the unlikely hit “Idiot Box”. While the record drives forward at a certain velocity, Van Etten’s stable presence keeps things consistent throughout. After hitting play, listeners may find themselves transported to the depths of a gothic cabaret, but they will eventually emerge into the familiar light of day. – Patrick Gill
8. SPRINTS – All That Is Over (Sub Pop)
“Swimming” is such a kick-ass song, and like much of what SPRINTS have made in their first six years, its lyrics are deeply personal, but the garage-rock heft of guitarists Chubb and Zach Stephenson, bassist Sam McCann, and drummer Jack Callan pulls everyone in. SPRINTS’ excellent new album, All That Is Over, surprisingly moves beyond this communal bodily response and appears more interested in the individual spirit. SPRINTS remain emotive but more polished and reflective, questioning rather than acting—though often admitting defeat as the songs grow louder and Chubb’s voice grows rawer. The result is an album still rooted in a sinking city, but instead of swimming, it’s reaching for the stars. – John Lennon
7. Big Thief – Double Infinity (4AD)
On Big Thief’s sixth studio album, Double Infinity, Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek, and James Krivchenia return as a three-piece, which does not include the host of studio musicians that contribute to the LP. The recording was marked by long bike rides from Brooklyn to the Power Station, the renowned Hell’s Kitchen studio, which allowed them to bond in new ways.
Throughout the album, the band maintains their egalitarian approach, which extends beyond songcraft to encompass their worldview. Maybe it’s because they are now a trio, but their interplay sounds freer. As always, Lenker conveys deep feelings about the world around her, not to mention the vitality that courses within her. After a decade since their formation, Big Thief continue to reach for the sublime, capturing moments that suggest the impossible is almost within reach. – Patrick Gill
6. Horsegirl – Phonetics On and On (Matador)
Horsegirl, those promising students of indie rock, formed in Chicago while in high school (in a School of Rock program, no less). Their debut album nodded to 1980s and 1990s luminaries, such as Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, Belle & Sebastian, Pavement, and bands from Australia’s acclaimed Flying Nun label. Since then, they have relocated to New York, and Phonetics On and On is the natural progression for their second full-length release. It sidesteps the stereotypical “sophomore slump”, often hindered by a contrived attempt to replicate success.
The songs are well-crafted, demonstrating a deep understanding of classic indie rock, while the subtle experimentation (e.g., violin, Gamelan, bells, and organ) keeps things fresh and engaging. The band has already proven their authenticity, and with Phonetics On and On, they move beyond their influences, carving out a distinct identity shaped by time and life experience. The album finds the students blossoming with confidence, beginning to define themselves as more than an imitation act. –
Brandon Miller
5. Greg Freeman – Burnover (Transgressive)
It’s hard to believe Greg Freeman started off as a run-of-the-mill Modest Mouse devotee. On Burnover, his sophomore effort, the Burlington, Vermont musician proves he’s more than ready to take his craft to the next level. The songs are rooted in New England, and that sense of place grounds the work. It allows for more mature themes to take hold, eventually gripping listeners and refusing to let go.
The album is consistent and mature, not qualities previously associated with the burgeoning songwriter. There is still a D.I.Y. element to his style, but that quality is far surpassed by the consistency of his music, which ranges from blistering rock (“Gulch”) to barstool meanderings (“Curtain”), not to mention one sweeping epic (“Burnover”). Once listeners get past his voice—or come to fully appreciate it—there’s plenty of substance here, a number of legendary tales worth unpacking. – Patrick Gill
4. Courting – Lust for Life, Or: How to Thread the Needle and Come Out the Other Side to Tell the Story (Lower Third)
The Liverpool quartet Courting return with their third album in three years. Lust for Life covers a lot of ground in just over 25 minutes. Most of these songs are the same strong pop-rock that is their wheelhouse, but the more unusual choices are fascinating. Courting pack a lot of superb material into such a short running time. Every one of Lust for Life‘s eight tracks is interesting, and most are unique. Their slightly off-kilter take on guitar rock is rewarding, and the way the end of the album matches up with the beginning is very successful.
The middle of Lust for Life features three tracks that align with Courting’s primary sound. “Namcy” is bright and upbeat, with Murphy-O’Neill speaking and singing his way through a song about new love and getting way ahead of yourself with future plans. Guitarist Joshua Cope strings roughly three different catchy riffs through the track, while the vocal declarations of “Get me away from here, I’m dying” and “French exit, Irish goodbye” are very sticky. – Chris Conaton
3. Wednesday – Bleeds (Dead Oceans)
Wednesday, along with guitarist MJ Lenderman (who will no longer be touring with the band), have been on a steady upward trajectory that makes it almost impossible to live up to the hype. Still, Wednesday deliver another remarkable record that showcases Karly Hartzmann’s gift for storytelling and wry, dark humor. Case in point, the loose and rambling “Phish Pepsi” includes one of their most memorable lines to date: “We watched a Phish concert and Human Centipede / Two things I now wish I’d never seen.”
Notwithstanding “Elderberry Wine”, the subdued, country-tinged lead single, this is the group’s most adventurous set to date. Bleeds can be open-hearted at times without sacrificing any of their more potent calling cards. They showcase a seemingly effortless mix of country, indie rock, and shoegaze that proves utterly irresistible. Hartzmann remains one of the most compelling vocalists and storytellers in music, and the rest of the band has never sounded better. – Brian Stout
2. Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band – New Threats From the Soul (Sophomore Lounge)
He did it again. To our collective surprise and delight, Ryan Davis’ sophomore effort matches the brilliance of the Louisville singer-songwriter’s unheralded debut. New Threats From the Soul, which he performs with the Roadhouse Band, features another seven jam-packed tracks that require ample time for listeners to fully appreciate.
Davis will forever be compared to David Berman, but his songs are bursting with ideas to the point that it can be hard to parcel out the meaning of each (leading to revelations when you finally do). His arrangements go beyond simple alt-country structures. Pedal steel and fiddle are present, yes, but also flute, tape loops, programming, and strings. If New Threats From the Soul asks for a little more work on the part of his fanbase, that’s OK. Davis is ultimately carrying the torch for those still trying to make sense of this banal yet transcendent existence. – Patrick Gill
1. Geese – Getting Killed (Partisan)
On their third album, the buzzworthy Brooklyn band, led by Cameron Winter (who released an impressive solo album earlier in the year), finally made the splash everyone had been waiting for. Since they hit the scene, Geese’s music zigzagged from brilliant to unlistenable and back to brilliant again. Often regarded as too clever for their own good, they lead with abrasive elements that tend to alienate listeners, no doubt convincing some pretty hip people they are just too old to give them a go.
Fear not, because while their latest record hits with the same intensity as previous works, the band have finally come into their own. The offering features horns, tribal beats, and funky grooves, while being palatable enough for late-night TV and mass consumption. They incorporate soothing moments (“Au Pays Du Cocaine”) to counterbalance the unbridled fervor for which they have become known (“100 Horses”). Finally, their abstract leanings have coalesced into a singular vision. Not since Can has a band sounded so ahead of their time and yet indebted to the styles that came before, making Getting Killed a key contribution to the zeitgeist. – Patrick Gill