Updated: Mar 11
Hey, my name is Ash, commonly known as NewYorker45. I started listening and collecting vinyl at a very young age, and I've been hooked ever since. 2025 was most certainly a year for music with bop albums like Chram by Clairo and pop anthems like The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, so grab a cuppa and sit with me as I drive through all my faves from last year.
So starting strong at number 10 is the tortured poets department and the anthology by Taylor Swift.
Now, as a fellow Swiftie, this album is phenomenal. I was truly blown away when I first listened to it; although it wasn't what I expected, I thought it was going to be a folk album like Evermore and Folklore (if you haven't listened to them, you definitely should). It is still up there with all my favourite Taylor albums. I will always love Taylor for the way she inspires new pop musicians and pop producers. She's always doing something unique with each album, and it's so, so cool. Now you are going to see this name a lot in the blog, but this album was produced by Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner, Oli Jacobs, and the Blue Nile. I would say that their collaborative efforts have truly elevated her sound to new heights. Each track showcases an interplay of rich melodies and thoughtful lyrics, making it an album that resonates on multiple levels. This album was made by the pop music legends 10/10 SADGIRLSTUDIOAPROVED!! This album has so many hits on it! Songs I would recommend are...
But Daddy, I love him.
fortnight
LOML
the black dog
and the whole album to be quite honest with you: DDDD
Coming in strong at 9 is Short N' Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter.
The pop princess herself has blown us away this year with her hit song Expresso, which won her the Pop Solo Performance award in 2025. If you aren't familiar with Sabrina, I have one question. WHY NOT??
She's amazing, and I've been obsessed with Short n' Sweet since it came out. I'm not going to lie to you; every song off this album is a hit with songs like Bed Chem and pop bangers like Juno (the producer in me wants to flex about my knowledge on Juno synths). I seriously rate this album so much, and I think everyone should listen to it.
My faves from the album are...
- Juno
-bed chem
-taste
- Slim pickings
written and produced by:Julian Bunetta, John Ryan, Ian Kirkpatrick, and Jack Antonoff
Coming in strong at 8 is: for crying' out loud! - Finneas
Now where do I even start? I've been a Finneas fan for years and years, and if I'm being honest with you, he is the reason I got into music production. This album was released after his sister Billie Eilish's album hit me hard and soft (we are going to talk about that later). I had high expectations for this album due to his other productions being amazing. Now let me tell you. It did not disappoint. This album is phenomenal with bangers such as What's It Gonna Take to Break Your Heart, which has cool jazz vibes, to hot bangers like Sweet Cherries and "What Went Wrong? We Don't Talk About. Well, there's nothing wrong with being completely obsessed with this album, that's for sure. I would say this is my favourite thing Finneas has ever worked on, and it's an album that needs more credit. You can laugh and cry to this album. An example of this is you have Cleats, which is a fun pop song about being in love. The whole song feels like a daydream, and then after that you have Little Window, which is soul-destroying.
Songs I recommend...
- What's it going to take to break your heart?
-sweet cherries
-cleats
-little window
- for crying out loud
7) Hit Me Hard and Soft—Billie Eilish
I mean, where do I even begin? I waited so, so long for a new Billie album, and she did not let me down with bangers such as LUNCH, which is about, well... I'm going to leave that for you to figure out, and synth bops like CHIHIRO, which is based on the movie Spirited Away. This album blows me away every single time I listen to it. And if you haven't heard it, you really should go listen to it. It is the perfect album for every occasion, whether it's a late-night car drive or a sunny walk on the beach. This album suits every single mood, and I think this is one of my favourite albums. Myfavourite from this album is The Diner. It has a whole Killing Eve vibe, and I'm so, so, SO obsessed.
Song I recommend...
-lunch
-blue
-the dinner
-CHIHIRO
- the greatest
One of my favourite things about this album is the production. The roaring guitars on the greatest will blow you away. I'm still in shock because of this album. SADGIRLSTUDIOAPPROVED!!!!! written and produced by: Billie and Finneas
6) Bright Future—Adrianne Lanker
Adrianne Lanker Whoa, what an artist she is! Now, if you aren't familiar with her name, you will know her music. With a hit album of songs that feature heartbreaking songs like Not Slot, Just Forever," and Half Return, the most popular song off that album is Anything, which is an acoustic love song. She is also in a band called Big Thief. AHGGGG, don't even get me started. One of my fave bands, and what I love about Adrianne, is that she never drifts away from the acoustic vibe, and it shows that you don't need all these expensive synths to make amazing things happen. I love this album so much!! I would say Adrianne Lanker is the songwriter of our generation. I truly feel like she could never write a bad song, and all her songs have a heart in them. You can tell she pours her heart out in every song she does.
Songs I'd recommend from this album...
-sadness is a gift.
-evolve
-ruined
- Vampire Empire (I also recommend the Big Thief version.)
I just want to give credit to the song Ruined. This song is so, so beautiful, and it truly deserves more attention. Every time I listen to it, my heart shatters. Such an amazing song.
produced by:Philip Weinrobe
Coming in at number 5 is The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess Chapel, Roan.
Now all I can say is, as a woman who loves other women, THIS ALBUM IS PERFECT!!!!! I have nothing but good things to say about this album. Chappell, damn, if you ever read this, you deserve all the credit I can give! The pop production and the songwriting in this album are just out of this world, with hit songs like Casual, which took TikTok by storm, and that's not the only song that had the world on its knees for Chapel. H-O-T-T-O-G-O Now this song, where do I even begin? It took me a while to learn the dance due to being majorly dyslexic, but where there's a will, there's a way. This album explores sexuality in such a beautiful way, and I can only say thank you for creating an album so painful but yet so amazing. It's funny because I did a social experiment the other night. I played Picture You and sobbed my little eyes out, and then I played My Kink Is Karma, and I don't think I've ever switched up that fast. I actually scared myself; I'm not going to lie.
songs I'd recommend
-casual
-H-O-T-T-O-G-O
-kaleidoscope
- Pink Pony Club (Ahhhgggggg, you need to listen to this one.)
produced by : Dan Nigro (winner of producer of the year 2024)
At number 4 we have CHARM. - Clairo
Oh gosh, where do I even begin? Clairo, Clairo, Clairo—all I can say is, "You make me want to go dancing." This album is just cool, and that's all I can say. I know the Clairo fans have my back on this. You guys are all just so cool. Add Up My Love, which is a song off Charm, is just amazing; like, you can generally groove to every song on this album. It's crazy to me because every time I think Clairo won't blow us away more, she does. Every time I play Second Nature, I whip out a little Snoopy dance. This whole album is so Snoopy and Charlie Brown coded, and I can't explain it; it just is. DEFFO is one of my most listened-to albums of 2024 and early 2025. I do not doubt that it will be my top album in my Spotify Wrapped. Now, if you haven't heard any of Clairo's other albums/EPs, I definitely recommend you do. There's an album called Sling, and I would say that is currently my favourite Clairo project, and it has been for a while. It's just a beautiful acoustic album that specialises in real instruments and in a world full of MIDI (I'm guilty of this too, by the way; no shade). You do lose that old style of production, but Clairo is definitely bringing that back in Sling and Charm.
produced by:Clairo and Leon Michels
Songs I recommend...
-nomad
-sexy to someone
- Juna
-echo
-glory of the snow
3) The Secret of Us—Gracie Abrams
Now I'm not going to lie to you; I wasn't aware of who Gracie was until my friend told me to listen to This Is What It Feels Like, which is a song made wayyyyyy before this album, but ever since then I've just been obsessed. Now what I love about Gracie and this album is that I see myself in her a lot, like I know she's written all these songs the way that I do and how most songwriters do. sitting on a sofa and writing and pouring our soul out on paper. And with this album, you can really tell. With a calm, mellow acoustic guitar and roaring lyrics, Gracie really captures our attention with lyrics that are heartbreaking. You just have to listen to the album 20 billion times; it's too real. My faves of this album and bangers I would recommend are...
-risk
- I love you. I'm sorry.
- Us with Taylor Swift, aghhhhh.
-free now
- Tough love
produced by: Aaron Dessner
At number 2 we have Alligator bites never heal"—DOECHII.
Doechii, Doechii, Doechii, Doechii, sorry, just getting that name in your head. Aghghh, what an amazing artist. I can't lie, this album is no skips. Whenever I start this album, I will always play it from start to end. Now this isn't Doechii's first rodeo; she also has a bop of an album that was released in 2020 called "Oh the Places You'll Go. ' Although that album was amazing, I wasn't expecting her new album to be that fly. Like, I knew it was going to be amazing, like, duh, come on, it's Doechii, but when I heard the opening track STANKA POOH, I FLEW TO THE WALL. I was like, Okay, Miss, going to win rap album of the year ' , and she did actually win that award, which is so, so, so, so deserved. My faves from this album are definitely...
-BULL FROG
-BLOOM
-STANKA POOH
-DENIAL IS A RIVER
-BOOM BAP
This whole album gives off MF DOOM and early Lauryn Hill vibes, and I'm so, so here for it.
produced by :Andreas Banser Banshee The Great Camper Childish Major DJ Miss Milan Devin Malik Dylvinci Henry Was IanJames AaronMac Zaybans Joey Hamhock Kal Banx KND Malik Ninety Five Mike Hector Monte Booker Peyote Sader Stoic & Mai Super Miles
Now coming in strong at number one is Bleachers by BLEACHERS.
Now this might be a tad biased because bleachers are everything to me, but this album changed me in so, so many ways, and it is definitely my album of 2024. The whole album explores this vulnerability, whether that's from being in love or losing someone you love, and this will always be something that I carry very close to my heart, with opening tracks like I Am Right on Time and Track with a Roaring Sax that just feels like entering the gates to heaven, for example Modern Girls, which is about going out on a Saturday night and being with the band, which is something I relate to, being a roadie and a musician who's in a band. This album is just too incredible to sit and type about.
songs I would recommend.
- I am right on time.
-tiny moves
- Me Before You
-self-respect
-Ordainy Heaven (personally, this is my fave).
- Call me after midnight.
produced by:Jack Antonoff Patrik Berger Lana Del Rey Florence Welch Kevin Abstract Romil Hemnan
So that's it. I hope you enjoyed reading my reviews. If you are interested in seeing me doing vinyl/CD reviews, my TikTok is @ashajoans, and I post them every day. To anyone who reads this, you are really cool, and if you agree with me, you have really, really amazing taste. Stay cool, guys, and I hope you all have a lovely day/night. - NewYorker45 ASH xxxxx ;DDDD