From Central Cee to Mogwai, via Lady Gaga and Lana Del Rey, the already announced releases of 2025 sound mighty promising. Here are the 10 albums we’re looking forward to the most in the first half of the year.
2025 has a lot to live up to when it comes to music, as last year was a banner one – as evidenced by the difficult choices we had to make for our Best Albums of 2024 roundup.
Last year was dominated by the likes of Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and a whole lotta country sound, so it’s fair to say that the pop and country genres will continue to thrive – especially female-led pop, with new albums by Sky Ferreira, Grimes, Lorde, Miley Cyrus and Tate McRae coming our way.
Then there are big releases by Franz Ferdinand, Ringo Starr, Manic Street Preachers, The Darkness and maybe, just maybe Rihanna might decide to make a comeback.
Speaking of comebacks, are we the only ones thinking that Céline Dion might surprise us with a new album in 2025? From the top of the Eiffel Tower, she moved the whole of France with her memorable performance of ‘L’Hymne à l’amour’ last year for the Olympics. Plus, there have been rumblings that she may be preparing something for September, with new songs written by her long-time accomplice Jean-Jacques Goldman. Watch this space.
Now, keeping up with the latest new releases is a bit like trying to stay on top of all the TV series that are threatening to pummel us into submission. Indeed, with countless new projects being released on a daily basis, it can be very overwhelming. Especially when many artists have decided to release their new projects on the 24 January… More on that in a bit.
So, for this list, we’ve streamlined our picks and largely kept to the first quarter of 2025. Without further ado, here are the 10 albums we can’t wait to get into our ears.
The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow
Release date: 24 January
Not long to go until Abel Tesfaye aka: The Weeknd drops his sixth album, a round-off to his chart-dominating trilogy which started with ‘After Hours’ in 2020 and continued in 2022 with the conceptually rich ‘Dawn FM’. Teaming up once more with producers Max Martin and Oscar Holter, Tesfaye has added Pharrell Williams to the roster. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, he’s pairing the album with a Lionsgate-acquired psychological thriller of the same name, directed by Trey Edward Schults and co-written by Tesfaye and Reza Fahim. Due out in May, it’ll star Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan, and will no doubt be based on themes from the album. As for the LP itself, we’ve already had tasters with 80s-pop single ‘Dancing in the Flames’, the trippy ‘Timeless’ and ‘São Paulo’ – with the last two featuring Playboi Carti and Anitta respectively. Here’s hoping it’ll impress just as much as the first two parts of his trilogy, as Tesfaye is calling it “his last hurrah” under the Weeknd persona. No pressure then.
Central Cee – Can’t Rush Greatness
Release Date: 24 January
This one has been a long time coming and the eagerly anticipated debut album from the West London rapper has a lot riding on it. After several mixtapes and a handful of hits (we’ll exclude the dire collab with Ice Spice and focus more on the huge success of ‘Band4Band’), Central Cee has gained the reputation of being the new prince of UK rap. Still, without a full-length LP to fully validate his meteoric rise to fame, it’s all to play for. Just look at what happened with the aforementioned Ms. Spice, whose 2024 debut ‘Y2K’ was a tragic letdown… Regarding Central Cee, we’re keeping optimistic and with his debut’s braggadocious title, it’s fingers crossed the wait has been a sign that he has finessed his first record and proven the value of taking one’s sweet time.
Mogwai – The Bad Fire
Release Date: 24 January
We told you that the 24 January was going to be a busy day… It’ll also see Scottish post-rockers Mogwai release their eleventh studio album, the follow up to 2021’s ‘As The Love Continues’. Prefaced by the synth-heavy single ‘God Gets You Back’ and the announcement of a world tour in 2025, we’re very excited about what Mogwai have in store for us. If the album cover (a volcanic crater that doesn’t seem too stable), the title (the working-class Glaswegian term for Hell) and the track names are anything to go by (‘Hi Chaos’, ‘Fanzine Made of Flesh’, ‘Hammer Room’ and ‘Lion Rumpus’), there’s every reason to believe listeners are in for a stirring and ominous treat…
FKA twigs – Eusexua
Release Date: 24 January
After celebrating the 10-year anniversary of her debut album ‘LP1’ last year, the constantly innovative and always sonically surprising Tahliah Barnett returns with the suggestively titled ‘Eusexua’. Apparently inspired by rave culture, Prague’s underground electro scene and Mozart, it sounds like we’re in for a wild ride with this one. The title track is quite the trip, as is her euphoric second single ‘Perfect Stranger’. As for the pounding percussions of ‘Drums of Death’, they signal that this third studio album from FKA twigs promises to be an exhilarating blast. 2025’s moodier and more experimental successor to Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’? We’re counting on it.
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory – Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory
Release Date: 7 February
The wonderful Sharon Van Etten has been working with her backing band for a while now, and this year, they’re making it official with a new, self-titled record that’s produced Björk and Bon Iver collaborator Marta Salogni. The record marks the first time Van Etten has written new songs from the ground up with drummer Jorge Balbi, bassist Devra Hoff and keyboardist Teeny Lieberson. “For the first time in my life, I asked the band if we could just jam,” said Van Etten in a press statement. “Words that have never come out of my mouth – ever! But I loved all the sounds we were getting. I was curious — what would happen?” The lead single ‘Afterlife’ is a tantalizing teaser that already answers that question: Bloody damn good things, that’s what’s happening.
Lady Gaga – LG7
Release Date: Unknown – Rumoured ETA: February
2024 was a mixed bag for Lady Gaga, as the disastrous Joker: Folie A Deux and the tie-in album ‘Harlequin’ didn’t impress much. However, the flipside to that coin was the chart-topping bounce-back single ‘Die With A Smile’, a duet with Bruno Mars that rekindled our faith in Mother Monster. Her eagerly awaited seventh album, currently dubbed ‘LG7’, has many hoping it’ll be a pop homecoming, following the Americana sounds of 2016’s ‘Joanne’. Granted, 2020’s ‘Chromatica’ did deliver the house-pop goods, but ‘LG7’ seems to hark back to her early days, with the dark-pop single ‘Disease’ and its growled vocals promising much. She’s described the album as “true chaos.” Bring it on.
Bartees Strange – Horror
Release Date: 14 February
We’re big fans of English-born American musician Bartees Strange. Ever since his 2020 debut ‘Live Forever’ and its propulsive singles ‘Mustang’, ‘Boomer’ and ‘Kelly Rowland’, as well as his excellent follow-up ‘Farm To Table’ (2022), the genre-hopping songwriter has never failed to impress. His new album, reportedly inspired by the realization that everyone is navigating their own fears and sense of doom, sounds like it’ll be a continuation of his savvy genre-blending, but with a darker spin. Pretty apt that he’s titled it ‘Horror’ – and releasing it on Valentine’s Day. You’d also do well to cast your eyes over that cover art, featuring blood smears and a drippy title font that recalls the very best of gothic horror. It’s stunning. Previewed by the emotive singles ‘Lie 95’ and ‘Sober’, this is definitely one of 2025 releases we’re the most excited about.
The Horrors – Night Life
Release Date: 21 March
British band The Horrors broke out during the 2000s indie explosion and while many of their NME-championed neighbours have since faded into obscurity, the dark quintet has managed to keep releasing new and interesting music which disproves the ‘flash-in-the-pan indie sensation’ label. Led by Faris Badwan, they’ve continued to delve into their garage rock / shoegaze / goth sound which started in 2007 with ‘Strange House’. Now on their sixth album, ‘Night Life’ seems to beckon a new goth revival. One that’s mixed with some krautrock for good measure, as evidenced by the new single ‘Lotus Eater’. Dark ballads with a bittersweet helping of synth pop and hefty dollop of psychedelia? Yes please.
Clipping – TBA
Release Date: TBA
Another band we absolutely can’t get enough of… Experimental hip-hop trio clipping. are back. And yes, that is how the name is properly stylised. After a concept-heavy diptych centred around horror films (the stunning horrorcore double-tap of ‘There Existed An Addiction To Blood’ and ‘Visions Of Bodies Being Burned’), they’re turning their abrasive stylings towards Cyberpunk. Indeed, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes seem to be heading to the dancefloor with a new concept album that combines hip-hop and dystopian futurist raves. Their new singles ‘Keep Pushing’ and ‘Run It’ sound like the band are on an Aphex Twin / Squarepusher trip that may provoke relentless panic attacks and compulsive dancing. Who says we can’t have nice things in 2025?
Lana Del Rey – The Right Person Will Stay
Release Date: 21 May
The prolific Lana Del Rey is not showing any signs of slowing down, as her tenth album in 15 years is due out this May. After the excellent ‘Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd’ (2023), the queen of vintage Hollywood melancholia seems to be ditching the dream pop for some country. Collaborating with Jack Antonoff, Drew Erickson and country songwriter Luke Laird – who has written hits for Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton and Little Big Town – here’s hoping that this pivot towards the currently ubiquitous genre will deliver moody southern gothic sounds that distinguish her efforts from other chart-topping western swings.
There we have it. That should keep us busy for the time being. At least until Kendrick Lamar decides to surprise drop another masterpiece.
What albums are you most looking forward to? Let us know – and in the meantime, check out our Cultural Look Aheads with the Most Anticipated Books and TV Shows of 2025. Stay tuned for our ongoing 2025 previews, with Films, Fashion and Art on their way.
