Cam’s Top 10 Albums of the Year 2025

This year, several elusive artists I love, or have a parasocial relationship with, released albums. In other words, this year was a dream. A few surprises came out of the woodwork too, as they always do. They are a patchwork of new and old, but carry a thread of earnest, cathartic release. Enjoy and, most importantly, send me your own list.

10) DON’T TAP THE GLASS - Tyler, The Creator

I have never kept a Tyler album off of my top ten, and his surprise release in July is no exception. The whole thing is an ode to getting off your phone and on to the dance floor. He wrote, produced, and recorded it on tour, so naturally the songs sounded great when I saw him perform them a few weeks later at Hinterland. An exhausted Tyler took the stage, proclaimed how tired he was, and proceeded to jump five feet in the air rapping at full force. And he will stay on my list for as long as he makes music.

9) Paradise Now - Obongjayar

Obongjayar’s Some Nights I Dream of Doors was my 2022 album of the year, so Paradise Now was highly anticipated in this household. While it didn’t quite stand up to his previous masterpiece, this album is different: bumpier, catchier, and an all-around blast to listen to.

8) Earthstar Mountain - Hannah Cohen

Seeing Hannah Cohen at the Sound & Gravity festival in September was the best thing that could have happened for her album. Her ethereal performance stopped the casual crowd in their tracks, and you could hear a pin drop in that room. The album itself is infused with twang and Sam Evian’s signature synths—the two make a great team. I wasn’t familiar with Hannah Cohen’s dreamy country-indie-rock before Earthstar Mountain, but I can’t wait to anticipate her next album.

7) A RUPTURE A CANYON A BIRTH - Jane Inc.

If you need a cathartic dance break, throw on some Jane Inc. I picture her working tirelessly in her bedroom on a laptop, creating electronic production that builds and builds underneath her sweeping vocals. Her third album is her most mature and developed body of work, bringing in elements of house music and more personal lyrics. Jane Inc. works hard, and I’m excited to get sweaty at her show in February.

6) Dog Eared - Billie Marten

Appearing on my screen one summer morning, Dog Eared reminded me of my younger summer days lazing in the backyard and listening to Norah Jones. Of course, anything with even a drop of nostalgia pulls me in and I can’t put it down. Listen to this one on the train or at the park with an italian ice in hand.

5) Pilot Light - Liam Kazar

Liam Kazar has been playing guitar with Chicago acts from his sister Sima Cunningham to local legend Jeff Tweedy for a decade, pursuing a quiet solo career on the side. Kazar is an understated guy, and Pilot Light is an understated album, but its lyrics pack a punch. The cherry on top of this delightful album came when Kazar began posting accompanying recipe videos set to his first singles, packaging plum preserves and kale salad made out of the back of a touring van with snippets of songs from the album. The result is evidence of a life lived with ultimate nonchalance.

4) Dreamwalker - Sorry Girls

Sorry Girls were not on my list of most anticipated releases this year, but they came through with an incredibly groovy dance pop album in June, just in time to enjoy it the whole summer. The duo’s sticky hooks blend with their infectious grooves and expert sequencing to create an album that feels fresh with every listen. This one persisted deep into the year and will pull me out of the darkest days of this winter, I’m sure.

3) Straight Line Was A Lie - The Beths

I became a casual fan of the Beths in college, but only got hooked after a revisit to their 2022 album Expert In A Dying Field last year. The singles preceding Straight Line Was A Lie only made me more excited for the album’s release in August. The Beths’ energy is palpable on the opening track, setting the listener up for a surprisingly varied tracklist. Bangers like the title track trade off with guitar ballads like “Mosquitos” and “Til My Heart Stops,” a purposeful choice that isn’t obvious until you look for it. The storytelling is off the charts, the guitars are out to play, and lead singer Elizabeth Stokes—as is the trend this year, apparently—brings her signature crisp vocals in what appears to be their final form. Seeing The Beths live in November only sealed the deal for me, these Kiwis are no joke.

2) Lost & Found - Free Range

Sofia Jensen, the singer and songwriter behind Free Range, has always been a mature songwriter. At 21, however, their second album’s songwriting is years beyond their age and noticeably more fleshed out than their first album, Practice. There is not much that is more satisfying than watching one of your favorite artists grow, and seeing Free Range at a house show in 2023 then snagging tickets to see them at the Vic next year is as close as I’ve gotten to witnessing superstars in action. Lost & Found scratches the nostalgic itch that I sought out this year, with Jensen’s reflective and raw lyrics, and that familiar Chicago scene guitar sound. The band brings some more energy too, lifting from their sleepy homeostasis every few songs. The hometown heroes prevail once again.

1) Love and Fortune - Stella Donnelly

Stella Donnelly’s 2022 album Flood was the soundtrack to my post-college graduation, working world existentialism. In October, Love and Fortune became the soundtrack to my walks to the train and leafy runs amidst grad school life. The album is a departure from Flood, clearly a breakup album. Palpable nostalgia for a previous, but no longer needed, life is a feeling that everyone keeps shamefully held to their chest. Donnelly scratches that itch and then some, encouraging the listener to step out of their shame and dance; to appreciate where their old silly choices have led them; to be kind to the people around them and, most importantly, to themselves. The music itself is the same bounding, piano and guitar-driven foundation for Donnelly’s voice, which continues to mature as she explores more of her range. Each song builds and breaks, cascading into the next. Donnelly is as developed as she’s ever been, and I can only hope she’ll continue to get the credit she deserves.