Over 1,000 new full-length record albums will be released domestically in 2025, with an average of 120,000 new tracks uploaded to streaming services daily. Projections suggest more than 43 million new tunes will be available for listening to anyone with internet access. That’s a lot of music!
There’s no better time to listen to new recordings in Iowa than winter. Weather conditions deter non-local acts from touring, and audiences are better off staying at home than risking travel on icy roads. Trying to decide what to hear is an overwhelming task, considering the plethora of new releases. Therefore, I offer this guide to the best albums of 2025.
This was an overwhelming task—how does one compare artists working in different genres? So I narrowed down the pool of artists to women. It’s been a banner year for female performers—again. In the interest of exposing audiences to relatively unknown musicians, I have left out the best-selling records by star performers such as Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, SZA, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, and Doja Cat. They put out some great music this year and deserve attention.
And there were many wonderful albums by male musicians this year, such as Jason Isbell, Wilco, Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny, The Weeknd, Patterson Hood, and many others. They are also worth enjoying. I suggest you check them out online and relish their talents.
My list focuses on records that are well-known to fans of specific genres but not the general public. Please explore their contents. Buy them if you can. Give them as presents. The artists could use the money!
Neko Case, Neon Grey Midnight Green. This is Neko’s eighth solo album in more than 30 years. She continues to improve with age. She has a powerful voice, a keen sensibility, a droll sense of humor, and tuneful instincts that make her earworms a necessary anodyne for living in contemporary times.
Mavis Staples, Sad and Beautiful World. The 86-year-old Mavis Staples has a remarkable voice. There is a sweetness that comes across even as she sings about war and injustice as well as joy and happiness. The adjectives from the title of her latest opus, Sad and Beautiful World, could easily describe her singing on this batch of wonderful songs written by everyone from Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen to Hozier and Allison Russell.
CMAT, Euro-Country. Ireland’s Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson (CMAT) makes many European references that may be confusing to American audiences, such as a song that mocks food maven Jamie Oliver, who has a massive presence in the UK, but her railings against the excesses of capitalism and consumption cross borders. She writes shiny pop songs with a double-edged pen that cuts deep as one dances to the boneyard.
S.G. Goodman, Planting by the Signs. The Kentucky woman sings tales of country life in an achingly strong voice that suggests one must be tough to survive small-town life. Her songs are short stories that spring right out of the Flannery O’Connor tradition, in which desire, sin, and eccentric behavior spring from the same matrix in the gothic American South.
Addison Rae, Addison. The Lafayette, Louisiana, TikTok star has captured lightning in a bottle on her debut full-length album. Her songs are full of quirky pop synthesizers and intimate personal observations that work as well on a crowded dance floor as they do on headphones in an empty bus. Her tunes about Diet Coke, forbidden cigarettes, and backseat love share an equal footing as part of our quotidian experiences.
Ken Pomeroy, Cruel Joke. The youthful Oklahoman found inspiration in the music of John Denver. She unabashedly pens and sings tunes rooted in emotional themes where spirit and feeling are united in the heart. They are as dramatic as the western landscapes of her red dirt cowgirl country life.
Wet Leg, Moisturizer. There is something seriously fun about the Isle of Wight duo Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. Their songs are simultaneously full of angst and pleasure, as befits romantic themes and being young. The music bounces with energy and charm, even when it gets heavy.
Margo Price, Hard Headed Woman. When Margo Price declares she’s a hardheaded woman, it doesn’t mean she’s coldhearted. The opposite is true. She’s hardheaded in the sense that she’ll stubbornly stand up for the things she believes in. Her emotional warmth pervades her worldview and artistic sensibility. However, don’t mistake her compassion for weakness, or she will kick your butt down the street and back again. Price is one tough cookie.
Cate Le Bon, Michelangelo Dying. Welsh chanteuse Cate Le Bon sings of heartbreak and loss to odd instrumentation that catches the sharp edges most music cushions out. Pain can bring comfort because it reminds one how important it is to feel and reflect. After self-examination, she finds herself wanting in all senses of the word.
Big Thief, Double Infinity. Brooklyn-based band Big Thief has always prided itself on being “Incomprehensible,” as the first song on their latest album attests. The folk-rock indie band mixes singer-songwriter Adrianne Lenker’s warm vocals with Buck Meek’s odd guitar lines to create strange fables about the weirdness of everyday life that go straight to the heart and make one laugh.
Blondshell, If You Asked for a Picture. Manhattan born and raised Sabrina Teitelbaum, now based in LA and Californian by way of her persona as Blondshell, reveals her bicoastal personalities in conflict with each other. Sometimes she’s LA cool and during the same song turns into a New York badass. These contradictions keep her music consistently interesting as the dichotomies form a compelling whole. She’s the girlfriend you wish never left you and are grateful is gone.
Molly Tuttle, So Long Little Miss Sunshine. Molly Tuttle has been the biggest star in bluegrass for several years. On her latest album, she decided to branch out into country and pop. Like career changes by Alison Krauss (and Sarah Jarosz, and even Taylor Swift), the results are largely positive. She bravely explores new grooves and creative outlets by expanding her palette.
Madi Diaz, Fatal Optimist. Madi Diaz may be depressed, but that doesn’t get her down. She sings her pain and acknowledges the silver lining inherent in heartbreak in achingly stark, personal terms. This album may make you cry, but in a good, cleansing way.
There were many other terrific discs by women released in 2025, including those by Jade Bird, Hailey Whitters, Maria Muldaur, Betty Soo, Grey DeLisle, Japanese Breakfast, FKA Twigs, Kali Uchis, Sunny War, Sierra Hull, and I’m With Her. The 13 listed are the proverbial tip of the iceberg and my personal faves. But I know how subjective it is. Go out and explore for yourself, or better still—stay inside, keep warm, and listen.