2025 isn’t just the approaching new year; it’s also the midpoint in a seemingly never-ending, chaotic decade. We’re sure the past month inspired reflection not only on the best albums of the year, but of the music that artists have constantly been releasing since the first month of the 2020s. And while it’s always fun to reminisce on the past and hit “Replay” on old favorites, it’s also important to get excited for a future brimming with artistic excellence. Here are some of the records we can expect (and wish for) in 2025:

Ethel Cain – Perverts (1.08.25)

Ethel Cain finds great beauty in the grotesque, making the obscenest acts (cannibalism, homicide, violence, you name it) a delicate matter. “Punish,” the first single off her upcoming project Perverts, is an excellent example. Ethereal, hypnotizing, and gentle, this long, ambient-inspired track marries her soft vocals with a light touch of the piano and wispy reverberations, complete with the visceral imagery of divine punishment and bodily mutilation conveyed by the lyrics. While it may not continue the fictional story of “Ethel Cain” laid out in Preacher’s Daughter, Perverts will still highlight Cain’s haunted yet vibrant imagination, exploring the
themes of shame, guilt, and punishment. To promote the new album, the artist published a short story “The Consequence of Audience” to her Instagram.

FKA Twigs – Eusexua (1.24.25)

An indie pop album that aims to capture the spirit of European techno warehouse raves and electronica? One that created the perfect word to encapsulate a previously-indescribable psychological feeling of total euphoria from profound human connection? One that pairs the art-pop legend FKA Twigs with artists of the likes of Eartheater and Koreless? One that is complemented by alien-like, dominatrix visuals that both tell you to quit your desk job and succumb to the joys of nightlife? Eusexua has been one of my most anticipated albums of 2025, but to call it an album feels like an understatement, given how monumental Twigs has portrayed it in her promotions. In her words, “EUSEXUA is a practice. EUSEXUA is a state of being. EUSEXUA is the pinnacle of human experience.”

Squid – Cowards (2.07.25)

There is no music scene that excites me more than the wave of post-punk bands coming from the UK and Ireland, dubbed by fans as “The Windmill Scene” after the tiny Brixton music venue these artists frequently play (think Geordie Greep/black midi, Black Country, New Road, English Teacher, etc.). Squid’s upcoming album was introduced in November with their first single “Crispy Skin,” dizzying blend of electronic and live rock instruments that plunks and whirls around for an impressive 6 minutes and 19 seconds. Knowing the band that gave us “Houseplants” and Bright Green Field (2021), and knowing the scene they’re associated with, I’m going to predict Cowards will be an experimental, unique delight.

Biig Piig – 11:11 (2.07.25)

This Irish artist has been on the rise for the past four years. After touring with Glass Animals in 2021, collaborating with popular indie artists of the likes of Metronomy and Matt Maltese, and releasing her wavy, drum and bass-inspired mixtape Bubblegum in 2023, Biig Piig is now set to release her debut album early next year. “4 AM,” “Decimal,” and “Favourite Girl,” the first three singles off the new record, already show an impressive evolution in her music, shifting into a louder, more club-ready sound. Get ready to dance!

Horsegirl – Phonetics On and On (2.14.25)

There’s something melancholic and vintage about Horsegirl that always pulls me to their music. Their debut album Visions of A Modern Performance captures a bit of that early 2000s garage rock, sort-of riot grrrl-inspired spirit in their bleeding heavy guitars, droning vocals, buzzing production, and explosive drumlines. From the two singles off their upcoming sophomore record, the band is seemingly adding a folksy charm to their grunge style, featuring a prominent use of the banjo and fiddle (“2468”), or minimal flourishes of an electric guitar one might hear in a classic Americana/country song (“Julie”).

Lana Del Rey – The Right Person Will Stay (5.21.25)

You never know what to expect from American singer-songwriter, truly an original, Lana Del Rey’s tenth album The Right Person Will will drop via Polydor/Interscope. Her gift for writing the sad or romantic hook, is truly unique. The artist has come away since her single “Video Games” and “Ride.” Collaborators on include Luke Laird, Jack Antonoff, Drew Erickson, and Caroline “Chuck” Grant, and more.

venturing – Ghostholding (2.14.25)

Jane Remover’s side project (and NOT a concept of a fictional 90s band, as she clarified) venturing is set to release her debut album Ghostholding on Valentine’s Day. The first three singles “Famous girl,” “Halloween,” and “Sister” were released together on December 5, hinting that the new record would opt for a more indie rock vibe and sound. Stripping back the raucous hyperpop production and design one might hear in Jane Remover’s main work, venturing will give us an album stuffed with dreamy, shoegaze-y guitars, quiet and haunting vocals, and a Midwest Emo-influenced vibe.

SASAMI – Blood on the Silver Screen (3.07.25)

Balancing pop lyricism with a glittery indie rock edge, SASAMI’s upcoming third studio album Blood on the Silver Screen is already a sonic departure from her last record Squeeze, a gritty and heavy-metal inspired feat. The three released singles “Slugger,” “Honeycrash,” and “Just Be Friends” offer a diverse range of sounds, promising a record that will speed up, slow down, explode, and linger in quietude. Blood on the Silver Screen also pulls in big-name collaborators, with Rostam and Jenn Decilveo credited as producers, as well as Clairo as a featured artist on “In Love With A Memory.”

Japanese Breakfast (anticipated)

After the critical success of Jubilee (2021), as well as the popularity of her memoir Crying At H-Mart, Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast quietly moved to South Korea, aiming to reconnect with her heritage and family, write a new book, and improve her language skills. That is, until she spoke with GQ Korea and announced that she wrote her fourth studio album, which will be released at some point next March. Not much is known about it: it’s apparently going to be a dramatic tonal shift from the bright, bubbly joy of her last record, and most of it was already written before 2024, according to Zauner.

LCD Soundsystem (anticipated)

Maybe it’s about time to romanticize the Meet Me in the Bathroom-era of indie rock in New York. Maybe after efforts spearheaded by The Dare and Charli xcx this year, a strong demand for proper electroclash and nu-disco music has returned, and the people yearn for James Murphy. LCD Soundsystem finally broke their long streak of silence with “x ray eyes,” the first single since 2022’s “new body rhumba,” which was the first piece of new music since american dream (2017). This single—a plucky track reminiscent of the band’s Self-Titled (2005) sound—will be featured on the new album, which the band announced this past fall. As of November 1, the
upcoming album is still in development, but it will be coming soon, according to LCD Soundsystem’s Instagram.

Tunde Adebimpe (anticipated)

2024 saw a big return for Tunde Adebimpe’s band TV On The Radio, as they celebrated the 20th anniversary of their debut album Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes with a remastered album in November, and they played their first show together in five years in September. For Adebimpe, even more exciting plans were developed in 2024. He signed to Sub Pop records and released “Magnetic,” his first single as a solo artist. Expect to hear his solo LP in 2025.

Wish List

My Bloody Valentine
Pulp
Black Country, New Road
Sky Ferreira
Mitski
Clipping
Backxwash