With the ‘Best of 2025’ lists now flooding in, I thought it might be nice to have a thread where we can talk about some of the older albums we discovered this year.
So: what non-2025 releases made your 2025? These could be amazing releases from last year that you didn’t hear until January, or they could be classic records from decades ago that you only got around to last week. If it was new to you, it belongs here!
To kick things off, here’s an album from 2024 that didn’t find me until spring 2025. A friend recommended Gnome after hearing about them on a podcast — the two of us went to see them in Swansea back in May and had a great time watching the rows of red gnome hats bobbing along with all the sick riffs.
Not discovered but rediscovered Mutyumu’s Il Y A from 2008 after it was finally put on Spotify.
Still no idea how to describe it, somewhere between soaring post rock, neo-classical, Mars Volta-esque wig outs and forays into jazz, black metal and j-pop, sometimes all at the same time;
First track is ridiculous and the second is possibly my favourite post rock crescendo
Fronted by Hatis Noit who is now on Erased Tapes
only discovered Chappen Roan this year
looking in my streaming accounts, no other album jumps out even tho I don’t think her album is that strong (still think she’s a genius and her next album might an all timer)
Between Better Man back in January and that @TKC thread more recently, 2025 has been the year of me getting properly into Robbie Williams. I was previously familiar with only his biggest hits, but after seeing the monkey film in the cinema I decided to check out one of his albums. I went with Escapology because it’s the one with Come Undone on it — turns out there’re many other good songs either side of it. This one’s brilliant:
Discovered Miharu Koshi while researching a 1984 ML round, just the best synths of the era on account of the Haruomi Hosono production. What a jam.
Also for reference:
Discovered The Magnolia Electric Co/Songs: Ohia this year.
Largerly through people comparing it to 2024 MJ Lenderman releasewhich I don’t really get.
One is a collection silly songs with surreal turns of phrase. That touches on some darker themes but is mostly wry observation.
The other is a highly personal, devastatingly self critical, but sneakily optimistic, take on self development, self destruction and depression
I dig both, and there is some influence. But not that clear for me. Anyway listened to it a lot and it’s really helped me deal with some shame and guilt I have been going through these past 2 years
Ignored Clap Your Hands Say Yeah for two decades because they were called Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Gave the self titled album a listen off the back of one of those Stereogum 20th anniversary pieces earlier this year and absolutely loved it.
Just steer clear of their current press releases and enjoy!
What’s happened? Tell me they haven’t gone MAGA or summat
Nah I guess everyone ditched cause there wasn’t room for them and the front man’s ego, and his PR sounds like it.
Horrible Occurrences by Advance Base. It came out at the start of December last year so I only really gave it some space in January.
I’ve been a fan since his Casiotone etc days but have been pretty up and down on his material since he ditched that moniker. But this one is absolutely beautiful and imo one of his finest records - a really sparse and sad (even by his standards!) collection of interlinking songs with a subtle narrative thread running through. Definitely a wintertime record as well, most of the songs feel cold and dark. If I listen to it, chances are I put it on again straight after.
I should really get an actual copy of it…
Introduced to Big Special this year and have ended up giving them a lot of listening time in recent months. While they have released an album in 2025, it’s their 2024 album, Post Industrial Hometown Blues, I’ve gone back to more frequently.
That first CYHSY album is a classic. I think Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth was my most listened-to song bar none for quite a few years there.
I went to see John Grant in late 2024 and Big Special were supporting. I arrived late so only caught their final song, but that one song (Dig!) was good enough to make me an instant fan. The album that came out this year is pretty good but I agree that the first one is better.
From the C86 thread, The Charlottes, a shoegaze album from 1991. If you told me it was released last week, I’d have believed you. Brilliant stuff.
Only appeared on my radar in January, despite being on loads of end of year lists last year
Randomly had never heard of Julie Christmas before January this year. I’ve rinsed this all year, it’s spectacularly good. Would love to see her live. Grunge-inflected post hardcore. Have heard her described as “metal bjork” which fits given some of her vocal style.
I saw Julie Christmas live a couple of times in 2024 at the Garage and at Arctangent. Both were brilliant shows, so I’d definitely recommend seeing her. So much energy in her performances.
I got to know her via this collaboration with Cult of Luna, which is also brilliant. The lead singer performs on Ridiculous And Full Of Blood and was in her live band.