A Sunnyvale 2025
My top 100 releases for this year in music
Here’s my top 100 releases (all non-single formats bunched together) from this year, loosely ranked. Slightly weaker year in my book, but lots of great music to be found. Here we go!
#100: Rhun - Burial PactRelease Date: Mar 14th
Genre: Black Metal/Ambient
#99: Maruja - Tir na nOgRelease Date: Feb 21st
Genre: Post-Rock
#98: The Chameleons - Arctic MoonRelease Date: Sep 11th
Genre: Post-Punk/Gothic
#97: Home Is Where - Hunting SeasonRelease Date: May 23rd
Genre: Emo/Alt-Country/Punk
#96: Windswept - The Devil’s VertepRelease Date: Dec 12th
Genre: Black Metal
#95: Acopia - Blush ResponseRelease Date: Sep 12th
Genre: Dream Pop/Indie Rock
#94: Hammock - NeverthelessRelease Date: Jul 11th
Genre: Ambient/Post-Rock
#93: Divorce - Drive to GoldenhammerRelease Date: Mar 7th
Genre: Indie Rock
#92: Jonathan Hulten - Eyes of the Living NightRelease Date: Jan 31st
Genre: Psychedelic/Rock
#91: Teardrinker - Killing the Flowers Will Not Delay SpringRelease Date: Apr 14th
Genre: Screamo/Post-Hardcore
#90: The Exit Bags - A Fear of Open WaterRelease Date: Aug 8th
Genre: Folk/Slowcore/Ambient
#89: Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band - New Threats from the SoulRelease Date: Jul 25th
Genre: Alt-Country/Americana/Rock
#88: Phoebe Rings - AseuraiRelease Date: Jun 6th
Genre: Dream Pop/Indie Pop
#87: The Stargazer Lilies - Love PedalsRelease Date: Aug 22nd
Genre: Shoegaze/Psychedelic/Noise Pop
#86: Bruce Springsteen - Tracks II: The Lost AlbumsRelease Date: Jun 27th
Genre: Heartland Rock
#85: Beirut - A Study of LossesRelease Date: Apr 18th
Genre: Indie Folk/Chamber Pop
#84: Lily Seabird - Trash MountainRelease Date: Apr 4th
Genre: Indie Folk/Alt-Country
#83: Athletics - What Makes You Think This is How it All Ends?Release Date: May 30th
Genre: Emo/Post-Rock
#82: Surgeon - Shell-WaveRelease Date: May 2nd
Genre: Techno/Birmingham Sound
#81: Alfa Mist - RouletteRelease Date: Oct 3rd
Genre: Jazz
#80: Dutch Interior - MoneyballRelease Date: Mar 21st
Genre: Indie Rock/Alt-Country
#79: Indigo De Souza - PrecipiceRelease Date: Jul 25th
Genre: Indie Pop
#78: Trha - lact’ebenRelease Date: Jun 30th
Genre: Black Metal
#77: Ruston Kelly - Pale, Through the WindowRelease Date: Sep 12th
Genre: Americana/Country/Folk
#76: Vanishing Earth - The BoundlessRelease Date: Jun 17th
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Folk
#75: Grandbrothers - ElsewhereRelease Date: Sep 26th
Genre: Post-Minimalism/Ambient
#74: Just Mustard - We Were Just HereRelease Date: Oct 24th
Genre: Shoegaze/Post-Punk/Alternative
#73: Snowpoet - HeartstringsRelease Date: May 23rd
Genre: Jazz/Folk/Indie
#72: Vulture Feather - It Will Be Like NowRelease Date: Feb 14th
Genre: Post-Punk/Emo/Alternative
#71: Ken Pomeroy - Cruel JokeRelease Date: May 16th
Genre: Folk/Americana
#70: Elder - Liminality / Dream State ReturnRelease Date: Sep 2nd
Genre: Stoner Metal/Heavy Psych
#69: Sanam - Sametou SawtanRelease Date: Sep 19th
Genre: Post-Rock
#68: Emily Yacina - VeilfallRelease Date: Sep 26th
Genre: Indie Folk/Rock
#67: StoneBirds - Perpetual WastelandRelease Date: Oct 10th
Genre: Sludge Metal/Heavy Psych
#66: Port Ross - Nighttime at Gardner HallRelease Date: Dec 5th
Genre: Indie Folk
#65: James McMurtry - The Black Dog and the Wandering BoyRelease Date: Jun 20th
Genre: Americana/Alt-Country/Folk
#64: Laura Stevenson - Late GreatRelease Date: Jun 27th
Genre: Indie Folk/Alternative
#63: Matt Berninger - Get SunkRelease Date: May 30th
Genre: Chamber Pop/Indie Rock
#62: Ichiko Aoba - Luminescent CreaturesRelease Date: Feb 28th
Genre: Ambient/Folk/Dream Pop
#61: Havukruunu - TavastlandRelease Date: Feb 28th
Genre: Black Metal/Heavy Metal
#60: Arm’s Length - There’s a Whole World Out ThereRelease Date: May 16th
Genre: Pop-Punk/Emo
#59: The Lions Constellation - New Moon RisingRelease Date: Nov 21st
Genre: Shoegaze/Alternative
#58: Pelican - Flickering ResonanceRelease Date: May 16th
Genre: Post-Metal
#57: MF Tomlinson - Die to Wake Up From a DreamRelease Date: Jul 11th
Genre: Alt-Country/Chamber Pop/Psychedelic
#56: Craig Finn - Always BeenRelease Date: Apr 4th
Genre: Heartland Rock/Folk
#55: Ada Lea - When I Paint My MasterpieceRelease Date: Aug 8th
Genre: Indie Folk
#54: Raein - Forme SommerseRelease Date: Oct 24th
Genre: Screamo/Post-Hardcore
#53: Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by Turtles - Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by TurtlesRelease Date: May 30th
Genre: Indie Folk/Bluegrass
#52: Obscure Sphinx - EmovereRelease Date: Jan 6th
Genre: Post-Metal/Sludge Metal
#51: Amble - ReverieRelease Date: May 23rd
Genre: Celtic Folk/Pop
#50: Turnpike Troubadours - The Price of AdmissionRelease Date: Apr 11th
Genre: Country/Americana/Folk
#49: Faetooth - LabyrinthineRelease Date: Sep 5th
Genre: Doomgaze
#48: Weft - The Splintered OarRelease Date: Dec 19th
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Prog Metal/Folk
#47: Hotline TNT - Raspberry MoonRelease Date: Jun 20th
Genre: Shoegaze/Alternative
#46: Saya Gray - SAYARelease Date: Feb 21st
Genre: Indie Folk/Art Pop
#45: Djrum - Under Tangled SilenceRelease Date: Apr 25th
Genre: IDM
#44: Voices From the Lake - IIRelease Date: Dec 5th
Genre: Ambient Techno
#43: Skullcrusher - And Your Song is Like a CircleRelease Date: Oct 17th
Genre: Indie Folk/Ambient
#42: Paradise Lost - AscensionRelease Date: Sep 19th
Genre: Doom Metal/Gothic Metal
#41: Modern Nature - The Heat WarpsRelease Date: Aug 29th
Genre: Indie Pop/Rock
#40: Tobacco City - HorsesRelease Date: Mar 7th
Genre: Alt-Country/Americana
#39: Samia - BloodlessRelease Date: Apr 25th
Genre: Pop/Indie Rock/Folk
#38: Floodlights - UnderneathRelease Date: Mar 21st
Genre: Indie Rock/Alternative/Post-Punk
#37: Insecure Men - A Man for All SeasonsRelease Date: Nov 7th
Genre: Indie Pop/Psychedelic/Alt-Country
#36: The Antlers - BlightRelease Date: Oct 10th
Genre: Indie Rock/Art Pop
#35: Veilburner - Longing for Triumph, Reeking of TragedyRelease Date: Nov 14th
Genre: Black Metal/Death Metal
#34: Joshua Burnside - Teeth of TimeRelease Date: Feb 28th
Genre: Folk/Alternative
#33: Drudkh - Shadow PlayRelease Date: Mar 21st
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
#32: Ethel Cain - Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love YouRelease Date: Aug 8th
Genre: Slowcore/Folk/Ambient
#31: Joan Shelley - Real WarmthRelease Date: Sep 19th
Genre: Indie Folk/Americana
#30: Friendship - Caveman Wakes UpRelease Date: May 16th
Genre: Americana/Alt-Country/Indie Rock
#29: Teethe - Magic of the SaleRelease Date: Aug 8th
Genre: Slowcore/Indie Rock
#28: Of Monsters and Men - All is Love and Pain in the Mouse ParadeRelease Date: Oct 17th
Genre: Indie Folk/Pop
#27: Unreqvited - A Pathway to the MoonRelease Date: Feb 7th
Genre: Blackgaze/Post-Rock/Ambient
#26: Flock of Dimes - The Life You SaveRelease Date: Oct 10th
Genre: Indie Folk/Dream Pop
#25: The Ophelias - Spring GroveRelease Date: Apr 4th
Genre: Indie Rock/Folk
#24: Big Thief - Double InfinityRelease Date: Sep 5th
Genre: Indie Rock/Folk/Alt-Country
#23: Red River Dialect - Basic Country MustardRelease Date: Nov 14th
Genre: Folk/Psychedelic
#22: Press Club - To All the Ones That I LoveRelease Date: May 2nd
Genre: Indie Rock/Power Pop/Punk
#21: Great Grandpa - Patience, MoonbeamRelease Date: Mar 28th
Genre: Indie Rock/Folk
#20: Jason Isbell - Foxes in the SnowRelease Date: Mar 7th
Genre: Country/Folk/Americana
#19: Deafheaven - Lonely People with PowerRelease Date: Mar 28th
Genre: Blackgaze
#18: Kauan - WayhomeRelease Date: Nov 7th
Genre: Post-Rock/Folk/Doom Metal
#17: Marissa Nadler - New RadiationsRelease Date: Aug 15th
Genre: Folk/Gothic/Americana
#16: Motorpsycho - MotorpsychoRelease Date: Feb 21st
Genre: Psychedelic/Hard Rock/Prog Rock
#15: Der Weg einer Freiheit - InnernRelease Date: Sep 12th
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
#14: life - demo elevenRelease Date: Sep 4th
Genre: Screamo/Midwest Emo/Metalcore
#13: Chris Eckman - The Land We Knew the BestRelease Date: Jan 24th
Genre: Country/Americana
#12: Messa - The SpinRelease Date: Apr 11th
Genre: Doom Metal/Heavy Psych
#11: Pile - Sunshine and Balance BeamsRelease Date: Aug 15th
Genre: Indie Rock/Post-Hardcore/Noise Rock
#10: Geese - Getting KilledRelease Date: Sep 26th
Genre: Indie Rock/Art Punk
#9: Wednesday - BleedsRelease Date: Sep 19th
Genre: Alt-Country/Shoegaze/Indie Rock
#8: Saintseneca - Highwalllow & Supermoon SongsRelease Date: Oct 31st
Genre: Indie Folk/Americana
#7: Boneflower - ReveriesRelease Date: Jul 25th
Genre: Screamo/Post-Hardcore/Post-Rock
#6: oldstar - Of the HighwayRelease Date: Mar 7th
Genre: Alt-Country/Americana/Slacker Rock
#5: Adrianne Lenker - Live at Revolution HallRelease Date: Apr 24th
Genre: Indie Folk
#4: Rapt - Until the Light Takes UsRelease Date: Feb 21st
Genre: Indie Folk/Slowcore
#3: Watchhouse - RitualsRelease Date: May 30th
Genre: Bluegrass/Americana/Indie Folk
#2: Moving Mountains - Pruning of the Lower LimbsRelease Date: Jun 27th
Genre: Emo/Post-Rock/Indie Rock
#1: Fust - Big UglyRelease Date: Mar 7th
Genre: Americana/Alt-Country/Indie Rock







































































































DROPPIN HUNNIDS ON EM
Also thank you for introducing me to Rapt, was my #4 release of the year as well!
Awesome post, so glad to see it up in full! May have to appropriate this format for a similar list dropping soon. 82 and 81 were a nice surprise (didn't know either was on your radar), as was seeing Marissa Nadler and Messa so high
Also glad to see I'm not the only one who struggled to find a high res image for the new Ethel Cain (they're out there, but SEO has not been kind to them for some reason :/)