How is it possible that we’ve reached the halfway point of the year? But as that’s the case, here are my favourite albums released in 2025 so far.

Indie / Rock / Post-rock

A new Richard Dawson album is always cause for celebration, and End of the Middle is as wonderfully as anything he’s delivered, and a great deal more accessible than his early work, palatable even to my family when played in the car. I’m particularly spoiled with a wonderful new album by Herman Dune, too – Odysseús is the best work the band has released in years, and contains some spot-on observations on ageing. Moin continues its rattling, Sonic-Youth-esque good work with EP Belly Up. Displaying his best songwriting since the death of his wife and Low bandmate Mimi Parker, Alan Sparhawk teams up with Trampled by Turtles in a heartfelt self-titled album. On The Bad Fire, Mogwai pull their usual trick of their new tracks sounding straightforward, then worming into the mind over time. Perhaps inspired by last year’s Gastr Del Sol retrospective, David Grubbs’ new release Whistle from Above sounds more like that band than most of his solo work. The self-titled OSMIUM is pounding, industrial and intense, as you might expect when Emptyset pairs with Hildur Guðnadóttir.

Weird / Beats

Am I remembering this wrong, or did Darren Cunningham announce the retirement of his Actress alter ego years ago? Regardless, he’s been producing more than ever recently. Grey Interiors is an Eraserhead-esque 20-minute EP, whereas Tranzkript1 contains more familiar clacks and bubbles. Dawuna also teases with a short EP, Love Jaunt, which contains one of his least tampered-with vocal lines, sounding uncannily like Sly Stone. Vicki Bennett aka People Like Us ropes in the always amazing Ergo Phizmiz for vocals on Copia to create a more coherent mash of 1950s samples and found sounds than in her past work, and while it’s often headache-inducing, it’s genuinely incredible stuff.

Drone / Modern composition

After a detour into swoony vocal performances, Ellen Arkbro returns to her roots with the hypnotic organ drones of Nightclouds. The ever-dependable Oren Ambarchi, this time with Eric Thielemans, produces two more slabs of antsy skittering on Kind Regards. Abul Mogard reappears with his first full-length album in years, Quiet Pieces, featuring soundscapes that burrow under the skin.

Hip hop / Rap

aya seems to have been a poster child for UK hip hop recently, and deservedly so – hexed! is utterly brilliant, and gloriously abrasive; ‘off to the ESSO’ is one of my favourite tracks this year so far. Similarly scrappy and catchy is 80’z by Bb trickz, though I’ve no idea what the Spanish raps are actually about. The same applies to much of the French Violence Gratuite on Baleine à Boss, which sounds ace all the same. John Glacier continues to impress with the downbeat Like a Ribbon, and Doseone and Steel Tipped Dove have raucous fun on All Portrait, No Chorus, and clipping. channels righteous anger on Dead Channel Sky.

Compilations / Reissues

My favourite multi-artist compilation so far this year is micro-house collection Pattern Gardening from Wisdom Teeth, featuring artists all unfamiliar to me. The Arthur Russell archives have been opened again, and this time Open Vocal Phrases, Where Songs Come In and Out provides insight into Russell’s development of his key album World of Echo. Another compelling glimpse into the creation of classic album is provided in Madvillainy Demos by Madvillain aka MF Doom & Madlib, which in some cases have become my preferred versions of their tracks. In terms of more straightforward rereleases, I’ve been hooked on The Amateur View (Expanded) by To Rococo Rot and the still bonkers cLOUDDEAD by cLOUDDEAD. I also love three rereleases that are entirely new to me: baby, it’s cold inside by the fun years, SYR5 by Kim Gordon, Ikue Mori and DJ Olive, and the 2001 Peel Sessions by The Locust.