2025 was a good year for music across all genres. Though there haven’t been many outstanding projects in the decade so far, the year definitely revived the art of cohesive albums and extended plays that sound solid collectively. Some were good, some were bad and some were quite mediocre. This, however, is my list of 2025’s 10 most outstanding projects in no specific order.
Olivia Dean, The Art of Loving (Capitol Records/Polydor Records)
A solid sequel to Messy, her debut studio album, British neo soul songstress Olivia Dean perfectly shows evolution musically and personally. Messy is a depiction of the aftermath of leaving a relationship, basically saying that it is okay to be “a little bit messy”, while The Art of Loving shows her moving on and narrating all that she has learned about the rabbit hole of love, with the standout tracks from this album being “Man I Need,” “Nice To Each Other” and “So Easy (To Fall In Love)”. Through her soulful vocals and the completely pure instrumentation, Dean and her team of producers were able to create a new, refreshing sound reminiscent of 60’s Motown artists and go down in history as one of the most outstanding artists of this decade.
Kaytranada, AIN’T NO D*MN WAY! (RCA Records)
From Kaytraminé, his collaborative project with Portland, Oregon native Aminé to his feature-packed adventure Timeless, prolific Haitian-Canadian DJ and producer Kaytranada recently added to his outstanding 2020’s catalog with this year’s Ain’t No D*mn Way! and completely took the world of house music by storm with the album’s all-instrumental lineup. It starts off with “Space Invader” which has a very infectious, outer-space-esque beat and a catchy sample of “My Life” by Latrelle and Kelis, living up to its name by creating an otherworldly environment with the alien-like vocals and the repeated lyrics, “gotta get away sometimes.” Despite the repetitive instrumentations in all of the tracks, Kaytranada is still able to create sounds worthy of recognition, especially in “Don’t Worry Babe / I Got You Babe” where the repeated lyrics of the song and the percussion-heavy instrumentation combined create a groovy, danceable tune.
PartyOf2, Amerika’s Next Top Party! (Def Jam Recordings)
With already a few years of experience in the music scene, alternative hip-hop duo PartyOf2 originally started as a quartet in 2019, known as “grouptherapy,” at the time, making this their second rebranding. Elijah Johnson, who was also a member of the popular boy band Mindless Behavior, left in 2020 and Tyrel Jackson Williams (known as TJOnline), best known as a child actor in Disney Channel TV shows like “Lab Rats” and “Mighty Med”, left in 2024 before the group joined Def Jam after being independent. The remaining duo, Coy “SWIM” Stewart and Jadagrace Gordy-Nash, released We owe you an explanation, an extended play earlier in March of 2025 to establish their rebranding. They then released Amerika’s Next Top Party! in October and really put the alternative in alternative hip-hop. They collaborated with a myriad of producers like Kaytranada and Al Hug to skillfully blend hip-hop with rock, house, EDM and soul on this record to officially start a new era, thus establishing this new duo as a force to be reckoned with.
Jon Batiste, Big Money (Verve Records/Interscope Records)
To end the summer, multi-talented Metairie, Louisiana native Jon Batiste released Big Money 9 months after his full-on piano album Beethoven Blues. This is his first project in the Americana genre and he is nothing short of impressive. From soulful romantic ballads to messages and life lessons, Batiste delivers heart and allows his listeners to feel what he is feeling. Featuring the talents of fellow singer Andra Day, Batiste creates a new, romantic anthem with “Lean On My Love.” This album is full of messages; in the title track, he iterates that money isn’t everything, as “you can buy a house, but you can’t buy a home.” In “Maybe”, he questions life by asking himself if he is “wasting his time” and if life is just some “strange design”, which is a question that us college students ask ourselves daily. Batiste is able to revive an old genre and revamp it for modern-day listeners, especially people our age. This is authenticity. This is Big Money.
Burna Boy, No Sign of Weakness (Spaceship Records/Atlantic Records)
Nigerian singer Burna Boy returned to the music scene with his eighth project after keeping us anticipated with the singles “Bundle By Bundle”, “TaTaTa (feat. Travis Scott)”, “Sweet Love” and “Update,” which perfectly samples 1980’s hit “Back to Life” by British R&B group Soul II Soul. “Love”, the album’s standout track, chronicles only prioritizing the people who prioritize us, or in Nigerian pidgin, “Na who love us we go love.” Blending afroswing, R&B, dancehall, hip-hop and country, Burna Boy once again shows us listeners why no one can “touch his energy” on a normal day, thus showing no sign of weakness and solidifying himself once again as the African Giant.
Little Simz, Lotus (AWAL)
Coming out with her first project after parting ways with longtime collaborator Inflo and his wife Cleo Sol, Little Simz released Lotus, which seems like it was heavily influenced by this recent event. She references this in “Flood” where she talks about being aware of the people who will screw you over, or in this case “hyenas” and “Lion” where she compares her experiences to Lauryn Hill in her prime; Obongjayar, the feature, continually chants, “We don’t care for what they say, that’s my superpower” affirming that she will continue to press on, despite the industry’s dark sides. Despite the serious and personal aspects of the album, there is a lighthearted side to it: “Only”. Featuring member of British indie pop band Jungle Lydia Kitto with a soulful chorus and well-put-together verses, the poetic persona ensures their lover that they are the “only love in her heart.”
Dave, The Boy Who Played the Harp (Neighbourhood Recordings)
Referencing the well-known Biblical figure, British rapper Dave comes out with a concept album reminiscent of JAY-Z’s American Gangster, contrary to his previous album We’re All Alone in This Together. Throughout the record, Dave covers themes of religion, anxiety and substance abuse. On “175 Months,” he has a conversation with God about the life he’s lived. He mentions his friends he has lost and his “making out with drugs”. “Chapter 16” features UK hip-hop legend Kano, who has a conversation with Dave about the rap game and life in general. This might be a possible reference to 1 Samuel Chapter 16, where Samuel anoints David as the next King of Israel, similar to how Kano, in a way, is passing on his crown to Dave. There is an adequate amount of features that help convey the emotion of the album, especially on “Raindance”, which features well-known Nigerian artist Tems in a soulful romantic track. Dave is slowly cementing his place brick by brick in the UK rap game through this album.
Kokoroko, Tuff Times Never Last (Brownswood Recordings)
British jazz fusion septet Kokoroko has been in the game since 2019 and they continue to show why they are contenders to be the next big name in the industry. According to the band themselves during their NPR Tiny Desk concert, this album had been in the works since 2022 after Could We Be More and they wanted to make a feel-good record contrary to their previous project. With the help of upbeat jazz funk beats, Kokoroko successfully creates a collection of songs worthy of being turned into a live symphony. Arguably the best track of the album, “Sweetie” was, according to the percussionist Onome Edgeworth, was inspired by a meme and that beauty comes from challenges and difficulties, thus connecting to the album’s title, Tuff Times Never Last.
Tyler, The Creator, Don’t Tap the Glass (Columbia Records)
Coming off of the success of Chromakopia, the album and the world tour of the same name, Tyler, The Creator came out with a surprise announcement of this project through many Twitter/X posts that said “July 21st” and statues of a life-sized distorted version of himself, one at his concert and the other at the World Trade Center, similar to Michael Jackson’s promotion for his 1995 album HIStory; the photo also appears on the album’s cover. The artist described this album in an open letter on Twitter/X that it was made for dancing or in his own words, “Dancing, driving, running, any type of movement is recommended to maybe understand the spirit of it. Only at full volume. DON’T TAP THE GLASS.” He was right. Blending hip-hop, dance, house, funk and techno, all 10 tracks on Don’t Tap the Glass are danceable tunes. Listening to any one of the tracks naturally gives the urge to stop whatever you’re doing and dance. This album is much more lighthearted compared to Chromakopia which was more personal; Don’t Tap the Glass was mostly braggadocious. It was full of memorable samples, with Crime Mob’s “Knuck If You Buck” being sampled in “I’ll Take Care Of You” and Too $hort’s “Dope Fiend Beat” being sampled on “Don’t Tap That Glass / Tweakin” to name a few.
Zara Larsson, Midnight Sun (Sommer House/Epic Records)
Swedish-born Zara Larsson took the world of electronic music by storm with this new release. With the help of renowned producer MNEK, Larsson created a 10-track adventure that is capable of keeping the average listener engaged throughout. It features the pink pilates princess aesthetic, along with different themes from enjoyment and finding a rare kind of love to cheating and being braggadocious about one’s beauty. Through this record, Larsson makes a new name for herself in the EDM department and will hopefully continue to bless the world with her prowess.
2025’s releases really caught my attention because it teaches us that the art of making albums as a body of work sounds solid and cohesive as a whole and not just a random collection of tracks – an art slowly coming back. Now that I have seen what artists are capable of, especially the lesser known, I am even more excited for what is to come in 2026.
