Written by Sam Cohen
With every new year comes an increase in album speculation and excitement. Last year, fans were lucky enough to hear new albums by dozens of pop and rock stars–and the artists who weren’t dropping new music were spending their time on tour. 2025’s biggest challenge will be to match the output artists dropped last year and see if anything comes close to Brat. In 2025, some iconic artists must make their return to make the year comparable to the previous. Only a few of the albums on the list are confirmed, but aren’t the ones without an official date the ones to be most excited about?
10 Albums in 2025 I’m Looking Forward To
10. Japanese Breakfast – The Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women)
After a breakout album in 2021, Michelle Zauner, author and the lead of Japanese Breakfast, has remained mostly silent. Zauner’s 2021 was one for the books as she scored a Grammy nom for Jubilee while releasing her first book and NYT-bestseller Crying in H Mart. On January 7th, Zauner announced her first album in four years, The Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women). What a title! Along with the album announcement, “Orlando In Love,” the lead single was released on streaming. Zauner is going back on the road in North America and Europe to support The Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women), which will be available on March 21, 2025. Japanese Breakfast’s return will be one of the many exciting comebacks to look forward to this year.
9. LCD Soundsystem – TBD
These days, music from LCD Soundsystem is rare, and their presence in pop culture is not like it once was. In 2017, the group dropped american dream, and since then they’ve been relatively quiet outside of a few singles. One of those singles, “x-ray eyes,” could be the first sign of a new LCD LP. It was released last November, along with this mysterious note from lead James Murphy.
With the confirmation of a new album, fans can only hope Murphy keeps his word, unlike some of the other names on this list. (Photo Credit: Kat Manos – This Ain’t No Picnic 2022 for The Pop Break).
8. Wednesday – TBD
2024 marked the first year since 2019 without a project from frontwoman Karly Hartzman’s Wednesday. Much of that can be attributed to co-collaborator MJ Lenderman’s success, thanks to his breakthrough album Manning Fireworks. MJ is spending most of the first half of 2025 on the road; however, there’s a strong chance we will see new music from Wednesday. The group struck indie gold in 2023 with Rat Saw God, one of the year’s most inventive albums. We’re lucky every time Karly’s voice and MJ’s guitar find a way to assemble, and with both of them coming off their hottest album yet, their next meeting may be their best.
7. Andre 3000 – Untitled Rap Project
Andre 3k will always do whatever his thing is– the only problem is we never know what his next thing will be. After dominating the rap world with Outkast, he entered film until he flipped his career upside down and dropped an entire LP of him playing the flute in 2023. Track titles like “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time” and “Ants To You, Gods To Who ?” surprised pretty much everyone. Fans were happy Andre had returned to music; however, they wanted rap, not a 90-minute flute performance. Andre has listened and said that new music (with vocals) could be coming soon, but you never really know when it comes to Andre 3000.
6. Horsegirl – Phonetics On and On
The first confirmed album on the list is Chicago’s own Horsegirl. Their second LP, Phonetics On and On, will be released on Valentine’s Day this year. The trio of Penelope Lowenstein, Nora Cheng, and Gigi Reece entered the indie world in 2021 after signing with Matador Records. The following year, the group dropped Versions of Modern Performance and became the name-to-know amongst indie rock heads. Jeff Tweedy of Wilco took a liking to the group and slotted them for Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival. Two singles for the new album have been released, promising a fresh sound to please early fans and welcome new ones.
5. Chappel Roan – TBD
Chappel Roan’s meteoric rise is still progressing with word of new music in 2025. As a musical guest on SNL last fall, she debuted a new song, “The Giver,” a country tune with a Chappel twist. Although the first impression of CR2 may be country, Dan Nigro, a long-time collaborator of Chappel’s, has said the next album will include pop, ballads, and rock sounds. She owned 2024, from her large festival crowds to the chart-topping “Good Luck, Babe!” and now everyone’s favorite Midwest Princess has her eyes on capturing 2025.
4. Pavement – Pavements Soundtrack
Last fall, Pavements, a whacky, slackerish, avant-garde half bio-pic, half documentary surrounding the band Pavement, was released at select screenings across major film festivals. It’s one of recent history’s most interesting takes on the music documentary genre; nevertheless, the music is the best part. On the surface, a soundtrack may seem like a compilation of greatest hits; however, last December, guitarist Spiral Stairs confirmed that the soundtrack would include one new song. This will be the band’s first new song since 1999 and is enough to get Pavement fans on their feet.
3. Tame Impala – TBD
Kevin Parker, aka Tame Impala, has been lying low since 2020’s The Slow Rush. Parker couldn’t tour the album until 2022 due to the pandemic, but since then, there has been no new music, not even a whisper of a new album. Recently, he excited fans with the unveiling of Telepathic Instruments, the company behind The Orchid, an advanced chord-generating synthesizer. The instrument matches Parker’s experimental vibe and sound–the only problem was fans wanted a new album, not a new instrument. At this point, Parker has not said anything about his next LP; however, a five-year gap is far too long without music from Tame Impala. (Photo Credit: Kat Manos – Shaky Knees 2019 for The Pop Break)
2. Doechii – TBD
The final few months of 2024 were Doechii’s deserved time in the sun. She has been proving herself since 2018, and last year’s Alligator Bites Never Heal was her final push to stardom. However, with all the success she’s come across in recent years, there is still no Doechii debut album. She has plenty of music on streaming, but one of the biggest excitements of 2025 is that we will likely be receiving Doechii’s first full-length studio album. Based on Alligator Bites Never Heal, the debut will be raunchy, angry, and powerful.
1. A$AP Rocky – Don’t Be Dumb
Last year marked the sixth year without an A$AP Rocky album, showcasing his slow fade into Frank Ocean territory. A place in the music world where artists like Frank and Rocky’s partner Rihanna live–artists that haven’t released an album in years. Rocky has avoided the level of attention Frank receives because Rocky has consistently dropped singles since 2022. Last summer, Rocky promised the album would be out on August 30, 2024; however, the week before the 30th, Rocky delayed the album’s release, and months later, we are still waiting. Don’t Be Dumb will be Rocky’s fourth studio album, and based on his most recent singles, his time off has had no deficient impacts on his sound, and it could be his best work yet.
