Music had a major comeback for Pop Break in 2025. Interviews, reviews, concert coverage and editorials abounded on the site en masse for the first time since before the pandemic.
And maybe there was a good reason for this … there was some great music that came out!
So to commemorate The Best Albums of 2025, we gathered an all-star team of writers, editors and podcasters to give there choices. Our panel includes:
- Bill Bodkin – Editor-in-Chief of Pop Break + Co-Host of Socially Distanced, Bill vs. The MCU & TV Break
- Amanda Rivas – Staff Writer + Co-Host of Socially Distanced & Anime x Pop
- Taylor Memoli – Staff Writer + Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Underground Edit
- Andrew Howie – Senior Music Writer
- Sam Cohen – Staff Writer + Host of Slanted & Enchanted Radio on WRSU
Album of the Year: Mayhem
Artist: Lady Gaga
Chosen by: Amanda Rivas
Surprise! I’ll bet you all thought everyone’s favorite goth fiancee would choose a goth album as my album of the year. Honorable mentions to AFI and Nine Inch Nails, who also delivered bangers this year restoring my soul.
But…
The one album on my rotation the most this year was Mayhem because Lady Gaga beautifully channeled the elements that brought her to the dance — the trashy/grungy guitar sounds, nonsensical chanting, her authenticity reflected in her lyrics. She also dove into her goth side, which has always been there, but came more to the forefront with this album. She channeled David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails while bringing the bops that made you want to hit the dance floor hard.
Two of my favorite tracks off “Mayhem” are “The Dead Dance” and “Perfect Celebrity,” but you really cannot go wrong with any of these tracks. This album is both a glorious return to form while showcasing Lady Gaga’s evolution as she revisits her past.
Album of the Year: Debi Tirar Mas Fotos [DtMF]
Artist: Bad Bunny
Chosen by: Nynoshka Vazquez Suazo
I was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico. My first language is Spanish, and one of the most prideful things I carry within me is my culture. This year’s music scene was absolutely beaming with that pride.
At the very beginning of this year, Bad Bunny released Debi Tirar Mas Fotos [DtMF] with no real understanding of the impact it would have on the music industry. It is a love letter to his tierra, to the island. It honors some of the most recognized rhythms and songs from Puerto Rican culture. Songs like “Nueva Yol” and “Baile Inolvidable” became anthems, not just for Boricuas but worldwide, and songs like “Lo que le paso a Hawaii” were music turned into political resilience.
Speaking on the real-life issues happening within the country and to its people, which were never getting the attention they deserved. It also served as a warning, one that brought tears to my eyes as the world has finally begun to realize our importance, our impact, and our culture.
As we are reaching the end of the holiday season, I must honor my favorite track off the album, “Café con Ron.” Harnessing the country’s standing holiday tradition of una parranda! It is fun, festive, yet still perfect for a girls’ night out!
DtMF accumulated 8 billion streams in under a year, continuously breaking streaming records, and is Bad Bunny’s third most-streamed album. As a result, Bad Bunny is the most-streamed artist on Spotify as of this year, and is set to be the Superbowl Half Time headliner in February 2026, where he will again break records.
Album of the Year: Getting Killed
Artist: Geese
Chosen by: Taylor Memoli
It’s hard for Geese to make a bad album. But with Getting Killed, they truly outdid themselves. Even with a late-year release, the album helped define 2025, cementing Geese’s place in musical conversation. Getting Killed is the Brooklyn-based band’s fourth studio album that explores themes of confusion in the modern age, backed by mixed-genre instrumentals and powerful, hard-to-forget tracks.
The band’s frontman Cameron Winter leads this album in a way that feels random, but also insanely intentional. His vocals bounce between detached muttering and explosive urgency, mirroring the album’s constant push and pull between chaos and control. Lyrically, Winter captures the disorientation of existing in the modern era, delivering lines that are messy, yet often unforgettable. Paired with jagged guitars, unexpected tempo shifts, and mixed-genre arrangements, Getting Killed thrives in its unpredictability, turning confusion into its strongest asset.
Getting Killed isn’t just an album; it’s an experience shaped by the listener.
Album of the Year: Lemon Borealis
Artist: KILN
Chosen by: Andrew Howie
When I think about my favorite albums of this year I get a little bit of mental paralysis, as 2025 has been perhaps the best year for music in recent memory. Across all genres, these past twelve months have seen an explosion of extraordinary work. Whether it’s a longtime favorite artist or a new name to me, I’ve listened to close to 700 new albums this year (and by “new” I mean from 2025), and suffice to say the thought of picking an album of the year in such a stacked field fills me with a certain dread.
All of this is to say you really need to listen to Lemon Borealis by KILN.
I hadn’t even heard of KILN before this album breezed in through my door via some Bandcamp recommendations. The title Lemon Borealis is just delightful, so I dove right on in with a listening party (one of my favorite things about Bandcamp are the listening parties that let you hear a record typically a bit before its release). Before the album was over I had bought the physical LP.
Golden and luminous, dense and textural, organic electronic with some of the most delicious, chewy effects you’ve ever heard. Perfect for sunset-viewing, leaves falling, beach-walking, or even watching snowfall with a cozy fire blazing bright.
I really can’t recommend this one enough. I could wax poetic about the sounds and feels for a thousand years, but that would ruin the gift of experiencing this music for yourself. Do yourself a major favor this holiday season and gift your mind-brain Lemon Borealis.
Album of the Year: Heavy Metal
Artist: Cameron Winter
Chosen by: Sam Cohen
Music fans will always try to force the next it-boy. Regardless of whether an artist is deserving, once they are chosen, their contained legacy is cemented. Only the artists who achieve meteoric stardom naturally, deserve to stay relevant past their five minutes of fame. Cameron Winter is the most singular and expansive artist to receive this type of it-boy attention in the last two decades. The lore surrounding him is partly created by his band, Geese; however, he’s no indie phenom without his striking solo debut, Heavy Metal.
Unlike Geese’s sound or the album title suggests, Winter’s solo work is fit to play live in cathedrals with minimal lighting. Songs like “$0” and “Drinking Age” are cavernous and written in the darkest areas of Winter’s mind. Rather than backing his murky wisdom with a wishful piano, Winter doubles down, creating some of the most soul-crushing pieces of his age. He can write generational love songs as well. “Love Takes Miles” might as well already be regarded as a modern-day “In My Life.” Cameron Winter is not an industry plant. He is everything a major label was once scared of signing. But now, thanks to his genius on Heavy Metal and with Geese, Winter is a reminder of why passionate art conquers all.
Album of the Year: Horizons
Artist: Daniel Donato’s Cosmic County
Chosen by: Bill Bodkin
What a tough year to choose album of the year. Yellowjackets by Dispatch, Sinner by Robert Randolph, For the People by Dropkick Murphys, Feed the Fire by Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and a boatload of others could have taken the spot as the Best Album of the Year for this writer, and at one point they all did occupy this spot.
However, the album that has stuck with me most, is Horizons by Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country. This absolutely sublime blend of old school Americana, outlaw country, evergreen psychedelia, and tinges of jam and classic rock make for one of the most unique and unforgettable sonic journeys of the year. The album kicks off with “Blame The Train” which feels like it was recorded in 1912 is a throwback to classic Americana and country, while the closing track “Down Bedford” thrusts us forward into the cosmos with its psychedelic and surreal vibes.
The standout track here is “Valhalla” which feels like it was lifted off a Grateful Dead album and reinterpreted through the ether of Nashville country and Sprinsteen-ian storytelling with a spike of breezy psychedelia. It’s the most wonderful song to listen to on a drive in the fall with the leaves changing colors in front of you — but it’s also a timeless song of peace and happiness — something we all could use these days.
