Snooper might not be having fun on Worldwide, but they make alienation served with an absurdist wink sound more entertaining than it has in some time.

Pushing the quartet onto yet another exciting path of artistic and creative evolution, Silver Bleeds the Black Sun is a fully committed, thematic foray into the darker corners of the AFI experience.

Considering the extended album drought, Here for It All is surprisingly concise like Caution, though the number of directions it takes is reminiscent of the singer's hourlong statements.

Nothing is simply a banger, a vibe, or a mood, however, as Jordan continues to put as much into her verses as she does her hooks. These are fully developed songs, not one of which is reliant upon a groove.

With its artful use of nostalgia and fantasy, not to escape reality but to inspire a better one, Purity Ring is an undeniable level-up.

Cuts like the opening "Relentless Love," "Vertigo," and "Stay On Me" are utterly scrumptious anthems, showcasing Ellis-Bextor's wry brand of dancefloor elan, her cooly posh accent set against pulsing disco grooves.

Without losing any of their crisp, rock-infused edge, they explore a more nuanced sonic atmosphere, even coating Goodwyne's vocals in moody, Imogen Heap-esque vocoder on the title track.

As a final album, Mulatu Plays Mulatu stands with his very best work and is a bittersweet joy to celebrate.

2025's Based on the Best Seller is Sloan's 14th album, and it has everything you could ask for from a pop-leaning rock band – killer tunes, plenty of swagger and spirit, guitar crunch for days, expert harmonies, a first rate rhythm section, and production that captures their many virtues with clean concision and no excess treacle.

Dim Probs is vintage Gruff Rhys and the very simplicity and directness of the album sets it off from the many concepts and schemes of his other, bigger records. Sometimes less truly is more.

Confidently bookended by two of their most compelling tracks, "A Little Love" and "Two People in Love," Futique is a gloriously straightforward and pop-oriented production, even as it retains all of the kinetic riffs and stadium rock enthusiasm of their best work.

While these songs rarely sound like they're brimming with joy, they act as an affirmation of life and hope even as they acknowledge the shadows, and it's his best and most rewarding solo album to date.

Neon Grey Midnight Green finds her challenging herself and adding enough new elements to make it a genuine standout, and is a reminder she's one of the most gifted singers and songwriters of her generation. Each of her albums is a gift, and this is no exception.

Refreshing honesty and reflective insight might not be as exciting as the immediate pop bangers, but they help elevate Midnight Sun to something more refined and graceful. Short and sweet, this catalog highlight benefits from its length, offering just enough of what Larsson does best to have listeners craving more of this endless bliss.

["Jealous Type" is] a savvy throwback banger, thrillingly evoking Janet Jackson at her most physical. Yet, as with all of Vie, it underscores Doja Cat's power as the diva who's in control here.

While its backstory is conspicuous in its lyrics and title, the album doesn't play like an accommodation or something that's lacking, even if its quietly haunting, dramatic character was born of necessity.

It continues the deepening specificity of Le Bon’s creative personality, with these songs representing the next notch of all of her various and unlikely components gelling into something that’s simply hers alone.

It's a more subtle record with a comfortable, stripped-down feel that adds new shades to Plant's global folk fusion.

It's a clearer-than-usual sonic landscape from the band, one that invites the listeners to get lost in the details, where they can see how truly separate this chapter is from the rest.

A representative mix of personal and political atrocities, All That Is Over is far from a grim headbanger, rather offering a cathartic, frustrated call to action that seems timely as ever in its blunt demands for care and safe spaces in a world on fire.

It's a record that doesn't just offer warmth -- it invites you to enthusiastically participate in it and find comfort in the quiet spaces.

So while this sophomore set is not as immediate as her star-making Invasion of Privacy, it delivers on high expectations with fine production, bars for days, and Cardi's persona itself.

A relaxed and hooky sophomore album with 2025's Hickey.

A lush and finely rendered follow-up to her Grammy-winning breakthrough album, 2023's Bewitched.

It seems like her songs have more repetitive hooks and direct lyrics than they did before. Her voice is still cloaked in effects which give it a supernatural tone, and she's evolved as a beatmaker, constructing tricky rhythms which guide the songs along, only stepping out in front on a few occasions.

The opening trilogy of "Disintegrate," "Dancing with the Europeans," and the title track alone are some of the most thrilling moments in Suede's discography, especially since their 2013 reunion on Bloodsports.

Between the quality of the album and Nation of Language's new label home, the project is on course to continue its upward climb.

Better Broken is an ideal late-era set that warrants the term "comeback" and adds an unexpectedly beautiful installment in her catalog when fans thought there might not be another.

The world will always need songs about heartache, revenge, and bidding good riddance to someone; though Young delivers them with style, there's a sense that she's got more to offer.

While some of the songs on Oh Snap are as poetic and musically engaging as her best work, others -- including the vocoder-steeped, house-infused number "A Little Bit More" and her brief, off-the-cuff a cappella take on the Commodores' "Brick House" -- though intriguing, never fully transcend the feeling that she's just having some fun in the studio.

Visceral, engaging, and potent enough to warrant the Nine Inch Nails name, Tron: Ares is one of the standout soundtracks in the Reznor/Ross catalog, one that mirrors its subject by taking something digital and transforming it into something very human and emotional.

Tyler's parents worked as songwriters in Nashville. 41 Longfield Street Late '80s is informed by this nostalgia, but it's also a forward-thinking record that pushes its influences into another realm.

Sheeran knows how to please his fans and Play doesn't veer far from his usual formula, shaking things up just enough with the invigorating addition of a couple internationally spiced highlights.

Arctic Moon is a solid comeback from a group whose sound is so influential that it feels like they never left.

For any critics who complained that Hail to the Thief was just too long, bloated, and disjointed, this is the course correction that'll give that album the justice it has always deserved.

This record plays like his shot for glory, and with tracks as hooky and well-constructed as "Mockingjay" or the title track, there's no reason he shouldn't hit the big time.

A far jollier ride than its angsty predecessor, 2023's Other One, Metal Forth leans hard into the group's kawaii metal aesthetic, delivering ten potent sugar rushes that evoke Babymetal's dizzying, confectionery debut.

On Hard Headed Woman, Price might be a stubborn artist who doesn't feel like she owes "the bastards" anything, but she feels like she's keeping a promise, both to her fans and to herself.

Though there's an element of dark humor to the album -- note "Gamma (need the <3)"'s lyrical reference to Michael Haneke's home invasion satire Funny Games -- there's still a lot of sincere joy expressed in these songs, even if it isn't always obvious on the surface.

If Departures and Arrivals: Adventures of Captain Curt has flaws, they don't change the fact it's an audacious bit of record-making that succeeds far more often than it fails, and once again confirms Harding is a major artist whose talents deserve a far wider audience.

Joni's Jazz functions as a kind of sublime playlist, providing a stellar grounding of her work in folk, rock, and pop, while almost constantly reflecting jazz's musical vocabulary and influence.

International is beautiful and painful in equal amounts. Beautiful because one of the great pop bands of the modern era has left such a moving, inspired, and special artifact, painful because it's not fair for them to quit when they can still make records like this.

Ultimately, Carpenter feels like she's writing from her own relatable experience on Man's Best Friend and while her tongue remains firmly planted in her cheek, the album has plenty of pop bite.

These songs are so fun, so triumphant, so full of life that it's easy to feel reassured by them, even when they investigate difficult realities.

While Double Infinity is an album more likely to wash over listeners than stick, its collaborative, impromptu spirit has infectious qualities of its own, and it's interesting to hear that the band expanded outward instead shrinking with the first departure of a member.

The arrangements, often filled with close-miked acoustic instruments and clanging percussion, feel as intimate as the lyrics, yet they're also disarmingly trippy, with electronic effects and processing twisting the sounds into unfamiliar and unconventional textures.

The album balances more violent, hardcore material (the Clipse-featuring "Community") with songs primed for the club (the Miami bass-influenced "WRK" and "Sk8"), with the nostalgic coming-up story "For Keeps" being a highlight.

With JACKBOYS 2 delivering nothing to really bite into, all there is to do is chew on it awhile and spit it back out.

While it's highlighted by evocative tracks like "Fuck Me Eyes" and its mix of smooth synths and dissonant fuzz, and the more intimate "Dust Bowl" ("I knew it was love/When I rode home crying"), like any concept album worth its salt, Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You is best heard in its (73-minute) entirety.

Star Line is vibrant and energetic, with his signature blend of mellow, friendly hip-hop, gospel, neo-soul, and jazz gracing the instrumentals and his voice as high-spirited and charismatic as ever.

An album of big alternative pop tracks which are confused, confusing, and impressively hard to enjoy.

Last Missouri Exit is a thoroughly entertaining debut from a band that knows how to make the most of that most uncommon of musical virtues, modesty.

This sounds like it could be her best album to date, and a strong candidate for "Best of 2025" lists.

With Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party, Williams has crafted an album about letting go and finding a way to move forward honestly, and perhaps most importantly on her own terms.

Everest never strays far from the hard rock and heavy metal foundation that has propelled Halestorm to the upper echelons of the modern rock scene. Instead, it expands their sonic palette, proving that evolution doesn't have to mean compromise.

A remarkable album with more gateways than a knowing mixtape, Essex Honey shows that Hynes is as ingenious as a would-be DJ, A&R, and talent connector as he is as a songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and singer.

When Rodney Crowell feels like rocking a bit, Airline Highway gives him all the swagger he needs, and even when he doesn't, he confirms he's nobody's fool and remains one of the best songwriters in the Americana community.

While this album isn't quite as adventurous as The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons, it's among the Hives' most consistent. Like its title suggests, The Hives Forever Forever the Hives is a potent reflection of their blunt force, sharp wit, and refusal to sit still.

Despite its frequently overcast tone, Straight Line Was a Lie is, in typical Beths fashion, dependably catchy and sweetly harmonic.

Choppy alternation between spoken and sung parts continues through much of the program's second half, as Taylor and her guests wrangle with the power dynamics of prospective new love and (with an especially apt Jill Scott appearance) delight in magnetic physical attraction. The erotic slow jams, led by the finely wrought "Bed of Roses," tend to fade out sooner than necessary as well.

This set reveals their mature, fully developed musical language expanded by sonic and harmonic invention.

He has certainly harnessed the zeitgeist.

As a major development from Duffy's early, solitary bedroom recordings, it might be reasonable to expect a bit less of that meticulous complexity here, but they manage to retain that sensibility and arguably bring it to new levels by including the participation of instrumentalists like Blake Mills; Daniel Aged (Frank Ocean, FKA twigs); Tim Carr (Perfume Genius); and Gregory Uhlmann, Josh Johnson, and Anna Butterss from the improvisatory supergroup SML.

Given the multitudes within It's a Beautiful Place, it's not surprising that it can take a while for all of its pieces to click together. Nor is it a surprise that this album is more of a grower than Everyone's Crushed -- Water from Your Eyes aren't interested in smoothing out their edges or repeating themselves. They're compelled to imagine it different

Like most of Yorkston's best work, Songs for Nina and Johanna succeeds not only because of his talents as a songwriter, but by his choices as a collaborator. He knows when to step back and let others shine.

The Collapse of Everything is a powerful, sometimes harrowing work that lives up to Sherwood's lofty standards.

A triumph of ambition and heart, each of its songs feels like an epiphany.

Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years (John's Version) is a potent reminder of how many great songs Fogerty wrote in his salad days with CCR, and shows he still has the energy and spark to give them life, but he might have done a better job of demonstrating the latter if he'd come up with a good batch of new tunes.

Going two for two in the 2020s so far, Deftones maintain their position as one of the greatest bands of their generation. Throw on a pair of headphones and get lost with Private Music.

Songs in the Key of Yikes is proof that Superchunk hasn't lost a step and remains a one-of-a-kind band.

It's not a fun listen by most metrics, but investing some time in its lonely chill eventually reveals a deeper side of DeMarco's musical vision, one of slow rumination that's just as valuable as the combustible spark of his earlier days.

Love Is Like is a return to the core soul and R&B influences that marked the band's early albums, a change that finds singer Adam Levine and bassist Sam Farrar largely taking the productions reins, along with contributions by JKash, Federico Vindver, Elof Loelv, Bobby Love, and Rio Root. The group also wrote a handful of the songs together for the first time in many album cycles. All of this lends the record a unified vibe.

Together, the ten pieces combine to create a surprisingly cohesive whole.

It’s good to see Tyler having some real fun with it, but for a 28-minute project that should be all killer no filler, DON'T TAP THE GLASS warrants more bite.

For all his weariness, Gibbs remains compelling and cogent. This time, JID, Larry June, and Anderson .Paak are the guests, and the track with Paak is (no surprise) both the hookiest and most in tune with Gibbs' heavy ambivalence.

Wishbone is a complete arc, capturing both the elated, tidal-wave euphoria of falling in love and the bittersweet comedown off that wave. And it's not just the feelings of love, but the tastes, the smells, and the thrilling sweaty intimacy of being close to another person in every sense that Gray embodies.

Atmospheric Hammond organ and country-styled guitar help set a sunny stage for songs such as the sultry "Rope You In"; the lusher "Contact High," with its acoustic and 12-string electric guitar, Ace Tone organ, and rim clicks; and the breezy and lilting "Hot Headed," an affectionate tune that regrets giving in to anxiety sometimes.

Molly Tuttle has always had smarts and talent to spare, and on So Long Little Miss Sunshine, she's using her gifts in ways that are new to her, and the risks pay off handsomely; this may not make her into the next Taylor Swift, but by all rights it should win her the larger audience she certainly deserves.

The album may not offer the radical reinventions of Goldfrapp's duo work, but it doesn't need to -- Alison Goldfrapp pioneered these sounds, and on Flux, she's still doing them with effortless elegance.

"Bad Dreams Summertime" is a standout among a truly immersive set, thanks largely to ghostly girl group-type backing vocals, shifting tonal centers, and lyrics that confuse time, imagination, and reality ("False recollections, the wrong soundtrack").

Interior Live Oak is both a little more moving than the wry songwriter's typical output and a little on the long side (among the 16 songs are a handful of six- and seven-minute tracks), although it may be just the thing for a contemplative Sunday afternoon.

ABOMINATION isn't only textbook Osees, it's a bracing reminder to wake up and rock out, channel anger into riffs and drumrolls, and be as punk as punk can be.

It's a marvel of design and execution that registers mostly as activated, unrelenting noise pop and invites listeners to discover something new and joyfully befuddling every time they listen back.

The 13-song set, which includes the streaming hits "Oneida" and "Nose on the Grindstone," combines Childers' alchemical blend of country, bluegrass, and folk with rich gospel harmonies and immersing ambient field recordings.

One of those songs, "Daisies," also involves the unmistakable Mk.gee, and for Bieber it's a career highlight, a gentle rocker conveying an ultra-rare combination of anticipation, patience, and empathy. More often, Bieber's direct and inelegant wordplay is at odds with the hazy sonics.

Berenyi has been an expert at pairing delicate sonics and pointed lyrics since her Lush days, but Tripla's experimentation and revealing songwriting make it a compelling highlight within her body of work -- and a testament to her drive to keep creating, no matter what.

It's not always an easy listen, but These New Puritans have made a career out of challenging themselves and listeners, a worthy pursuit that they continue here.

Without diminishing her legacy as the mainstream bounce ambassador to the world, this gospel turn ends up being the most meaningful and powerful album of her career to date.

If there's a knock on when i paint my masterpiece's 200-to-16 approach, it's that the album's recording style is its most cohesive trait, with the track list sometimes seeming like a Bob Dylan exercise, followed by a Frankie Cosmos op, a quasi-tango study ("dogs playing in the backyard"), etc. -- even if that playful, adventurous spirit is also part of its charm.

There aren't many surprises here, for better or worse, and it's a pleasant, straightforward collection of reliably rocking jams.

As a whole, it extends not only Younger's musical reach, but also readily reflects the influence of her mentors in this, a music that could only be born in the 21st century, and as such, it's a gamechanger.

With this album, Neale manages to translate existential torment into strange and beautiful sounds, yet again progressing with the chimerical vision of rock & roll that's uniquely her own.

Lonely People with Power finds Deafheaven incorporating the most successful parts of that album into their usual sound, resulting in one of their strongest works.

Headlights is his most unassuming, back-to-basics (Neil Young, Elliott Smith) record in years.

The slightly dubby and distorted "What We Are and What We Are Meant to Be" is the band's own acknowledgement that they're challenging themselves and pushing themselves forward.

The producer expertly incorporates space and silence, with dramatic pauses capturing the listener's attention, and when he does go full throttle with intense beat patterns and distortion, the impact is maximal.

Stylistically, Friday remains as hard to pin down as ever, but in terms of ambition and drive, she's never been more focused.

The eclectic set is built around the concept of a convergence of multiple realities administered by a mystical jukebox.