Here are some of Digital Medias favorite releases from 2025!
1. The Passionate Ones – Nourished by Time
Since the album’s release in August of this year, I haven’t been able to shake my love of this synth heavy bedroom R&B masterpiece. The Passionate Ones by Nourished by Time is a truly unique take on R&B, combining what we traditionally think of with R&B with the modern sounds of synth heavy bedroom pop. Taking clear inspiration from the jazz and gospel background of R&B, with layered harmonies and consistent use of scat singing throughout. I could not recommend this album enough.
– Z Marik
2. Forever Howlong – Black Country, New Road
If you keep up with my articles, then you probably would have guessed that I would put this at number one, as I have two articles relating to the release of this album, but it’s a close second. Releasing in April, Forever Howlong is a divisive album amongst BCNR fans, some love it, some hate it, but me, I’m firmly in the first category. Showcasing a more whimsical and theatrical sound that emphasizes collaboration while giving the spotlight to the incredible female members of the band. If you would like to read a more flushed out review of this album please read link.
– Z Marik
3. Lucre – Dean Blunt & Elias Rønnenfelt
This is a weirder pick for my favorite albums of 2025, as it’s not exactly an album. The unlikely collaboration between singer-songwriter and producer Dean Blunt and lead singer of the Danish punk band Iceage, Elias Rønnenfelt, brought us this stunning indie rock EP (Extended Play). With songs named, or rather numbered 1 through 7, Lucre sits at just 16 minutes, making it incredible accessible.
– Z Marik
1. Burnout Days – Flipturn
Flipturn has been paying their dues in the indie rock sphere for a number of years, starting with their first hit, the acoustic heartwringer “August” before pushing into the indietronica space a bit more after adding a keyboardist for their acclaimed 2024 album Shadowglow. Just a year later, they returned with the aptly named “Burnout Days”, a new LP that turns their psych-pop influences to the max. Where their last record focused on the romantic gloom of naïveté and early 20’s troubles, Burnout Days turns every bit of angst, confusion, and a hint of psychedelics into rocket fuel. It’s an unrelenting mix of emotional ballads, funky guitars, and space-aged keyboards that matches the twenty-something mantra “just keep going” that has been keeping the band on a constant tour over the past two years.
– Jake Bennett
2. Electric Hour – Sword II
A DIY band to its core, Atlanta band Sword II have been crafters since the beginning, starting with blending the buzz of glitchcore and underground electronica with gritty shoegaze on Spirit World Tour. With Electric Hour, they have a new invention in their sights, a rusted refrain on 90’s garage rock, the product of a 30 year old disillusionment, which is only further fueled by their members active, well, activism in their home city. The record takes the shared traumas, hopes, and passions of its three members (Certain, Travis, and Mari) and ages them into one of, truthfully, the best stripped-back, raw rock albums…ever (i have never known recency bias). And the decision to focus on structure and songwriting first pays off for the trio, allowing their talents to harmonize in the strongest way we’ve seen for the band, not only in regards to the vocal tracks (which are covered by each member across the LP) but also in their independent perspectives and tones. From the feelings of apocalyptic siren songs on Sentry and Sugarcane, to the wit of Passionate Nun, and the electricity of Disconnection, Electric Hour seems like a syzygy of the most fascinating and heartfelt sentiments of its members.
– Jake Bennett
3. All of Your Anger is Actually Shame (and I bet that makes you angry) – Gloin
It’s tough for a band like Gloin to come up with an album title more fun than their name. What’s even harder is putting together a record which somehow sounds like both. AOYAIAS(AIBTMYA) is the Canadian punks’ second LP, and while it maintains some of the industrial, post-punk edge of We Found This, there’s a stronger dance influence here; vocalist John Watson’s simplified refrain’s and Victoria Byers baselines form a groove for the body to follow, while the noise-rock backing tracks are just loud enough to shake your skull around a bit. It feels a bit on the nose to let yourself loose to the lyrics “Please. Don’t. Make. Me Think.”, but at least I know me and Gloin are in the same boat. In between these looser moments, the band keeps things interesting with spacey electronic passages and Viagra Boys-esque moments of self interrogation and assurance, which help round out the record and bring it to the top of my list by giving just a few brief walks outside of the nervous mind.
– Jake Bennett
1. Hurry Up Tomorrow – The Weeknd
Hurry Up Tomorrow by The Weeknd is my favorite album of 2025 because of its vulnerable lyrics as well as its fantastic production. The cinematic synthpop and R&B instrumentation still carries that 80s nostalgia The Weeknd has been working with this decade, but on this album, it’s incredibly lush and detailed throughout. So many of these songs sound clean, beautiful and well-made, even when the subject matter is dour. Many of the subjects The Weeknd tackles lyrically, such as addiction, self-doubt, regret, and spiritual healing, feel personal and powerful even with the grander production, and they bring a vulnerability that I find very comforting. Hurry Up Tomorrow is an ambitious and compelling project that both expertly sends off The Weeknd’s persona and delivers my personal favorite album of 2025.
– Brian Mignogna
2. The Good The Bad The Dollar Menu – Ray Vaughn
This is my second favorite album of 2025 because of the hard-hitting lyrical content and the fun and dynamic West Coast style rap production. On his debut mixtape, Vaughn’s lyrics often go deep into his feelings of loneliness and depression, his family’s struggles, and his personal trauma, and he conveys them in a way that feels very vulnerable and understandable. I really appreciate how straightforward Vaughn’s lyrics are on here; he comes across relatable, which is part of why I like his writing. The jazz-influenced West Coast production is also really engaging. Though it can be somber when it needs to be, it can also be catchy and direct, elevating the album’s bright spots where Vaughn shows a more positive side of himself. The Good The Bad The Dollar Menu is a versatile album in terms of its mood, and I find myself gravitating toward all of it.
– Brian Mignogna
3. Vanisher, Horizon Scraper – Quadeca
This is my third favorite album of 2025 because of the artful production and consistently gorgeous sound of the project. Vanisher’s instrumentation is unique and abstract, taking influence from folk and electronic music, but it comes across colorful and beautiful in its own way. Quadeca’s voice, which often sounds shy and understated, also shines through the instrumentation, and so many of these songs are emotionally moving and powerful because the two work together so well. As a whole, the album is an immersive and cohesive experience that I would be more than happy to return to.
– Brian Mignogna
1. The Art of Loving – Olivia Dean
This album beautifully blends all of my favorite corners of music—the warmth and depth of jazz and soul alongside the brightness of pop and modern R&B. Olivia Dean has been on my radar since her debut, and this album feels especially intimate and intentional. It’s emotionally thoughtful without being heavy; the perfect collection of songs to close out an exciting year while gently nudging you toward whatever comes next in 2026.
– Oswin Colley
2. Pur Jus – Orions Belte
It’s incredibly easy to describe this album in just three words: honest, organic, and alive. Pur Jus blends what I love most in music: rich, textured sounds that shift from dreamy indie psychedelia to propulsive, warm rock-infused pop. I am a sucker for instrumentals, and this album has a real feeling of musicians in the same room, which gives the whole record this raw, immediate energy that feels both reflective and uplifting. No extra production flourishes, just pure music.
– Oswin Colley
3. AIN’T NO DAMN WAY! – KAYTRANADA
When I was ten, I spent hours playing Forza Horizon 3 on my older brother’s Xbox, aimlessly driving through the virtual Australian outback with the in-game house music station on. That was my first real experience with house music, and I give Forza complete credit for my love of the genre and Kaytranada. AIN’T NO DAMN WAY! is confident and effortless, full of grooves that breathe and move without trying too hard, a reminder that house music, at its best, is all about feel. I’ve been a lover of Kaytranada’s music for years, so putting this album in my top three was a very easy decision.
– Oswin Colley
Authors
My name is Z Marik, and I am the Digital Media Director at WVUA-FM. I am a Junior, majoring in Operations Management with a minor in Supply Chain Management.
My favorite album is 69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields.
Thanks for reading my articles!
