WASTER Staff | Photo Credit: Clem Onojeghuo
While so many blogs are ranking 2025 records by number, over here, we don’t believe that a ‘best album of the year’ truly exists. Why set limits when there are so many great artists from various genres to put on repeat? Instead, we do have a lot of ‘favorites’ that got us through the past twelve months.
In no particular order, please enjoy Our Favorite Albums of 2025, chosen by our faithful Waster staff…
Geese – Getting Killed
The third studio release from Geese has garnered significant praise, as has Cameron Winter’s lyrical skill from powerhouse artists like Nick Cave, who like Winter, share a sensibility to write from a place where anything is possible, and everything is real. There’s a level of madness, unbounded freedom, and danger that comes through in this music. If you’re looking to be knocked out of your trance, listen to the latest from Geese, it does not disappoint.
Getting Killed offers something for listeners exhausted but persisting in today’s embattled climate while trying to find new music with a personality. In a period where so many feel inclined to ask if rock n’ roll is dead or defunct, this album makes you feel like, “Do we really have to go there right now?” It’s not perfect, shiny, or formulaic, it’s just good ole’ new messy rock.
Some highlights off the album for me: “Islands of Men,” “Taxes,” and “Long Island City Here I Come.” The latter, clearly the highlight of the album, nods to music greats Buddy Holly, Pete Seeger, and Don McLean: “You were there the day the music died, I’ll be there the day it dies again.” The song bursts with energy and makes you wonder if it will end in a mammoth explosion as the cavalcade of percussion piles larger and larger.
With Getting Killed, the Brooklyn based group maintains their inventiveness and shows fans their ability to evolve, if not just slightly. Winter’s vocals bring so much to the table and tie the band’s obscene musical compositions together in a way that can feel like a religious experience. Catch Geese on tour in Europe and the UK early 2026.
– Steve Melone
Florence + The Machine – Everybody Scream
Florence + the Machine’s “Everybody Scream” is as cathartic, pensive, and evocative as you think it would be. Coming from the rock-and-roll powerhouse that is Florence + The Machine, this album is therapy for the soul.
The title track “Everybody Scream” starts slow, almost methodic and angelic, with the beginning verse. The piano, soft vocals, and building guitar make you feel like you are frolicking through a field. Then, the chorus breaks through with punchy guitars, and well, screaming.
Screaming throughout the album is used as an expression of trauma and triumph. It is an acceptance of where you are and where you are going. It is taking the female experience and transforming it into art. Very Salem Witch Trials-esque.
Welch’s vocals are the highlight of any Florence + The Machine Project, across historic songs like “Dog Days Are Over”, “Shake It Out”, and “Cosmic Love”, just ot name a few, her vocals are some of the best in the game. These songs from the album “Lungs” are award-winning, guttural, and historic.
Similar to “Everybody Screams” the song “One of the Greats” plays into the theme of fame. The lyrics transport the listener into a dingy motel lobby, which represents the trials and tribulations of being “One of the Greats”.
What differs Welch’s usage of this theme from her colleagues is her usage of building metaphors, which are scattered throughout the album. This is just an example of how the band uses conventional topics in unconventional ways.
Overall, “Everybody Scream” is dynamic and enthralling. Drawing on the best parts from the expansive career of Florence + The Machine.
– Haley Papeo
Couch – Big Talk
I’ve written about Couch’s debut album Big Talk before. But why not write about it again? If I had to pick an album of the year, this is it. It has everything that makes a great album: killer hooks, fantastic melodies, and topics that resonate with almost everyone.
This is one of those debuts that doesn’t sound like a debut. It has the polish and maturity you’d expect from a band on their fourth or fifth record. Lead singer Tema Siegel’s vocals and storytelling hold everything together as she explores growing up, toxicity, and love. It’s an intimate look at relationships, what makes them work, and what breaks them down.
What sets it apart is its honesty. Siegel describes big talk as the opposite of small talk, about digging deeper and being bolder. That philosophy runs through every track. The album is catchy and danceable but never shallow. For a band that started long distance with members scattered across the world, they’ve created something that sounds effortless and cohesive. Couch formed on a couch, and with Big Talk, they’ve made their statement.
– Anthony Abu-Hanna
The Hives – The Hives Forever Forever The Hives
When I first commanded my phone to play this album in my car, I chuckled. The instant response went, “Playing The Hives Forever Forever The Hives, by The Hives,” I had a good giggle before being enraptured by the latest studio release from the Swedish rock royals. There’s a lot of ego and pride coming from The Hives as of late (and always). They’ve discussed that they’re at the peak of their powers and enjoying it. And let’s be honest, they’re right. This is an excellent rock album. If you could fall out of time just a little, it kind of feels like 2005 at times. Aside from some of the lyrics, maybe.
This album starts out beautifully blunt, taking its time before stating, “Everyone’s A Little Fuckin’ Bitch! And I’m getting sick and tired of it!” Just a lovely amount of fuck-you-ness that I sure could use these days. The group avoids playing it safe, letting the music sound overmodulated, and raw right out of the gate.
Produced by Pelle Gunnerfeldt and Mike D from the Beastie Boys, the band’s seventh studio release, The Hives Forever Forever The Hives, pulls a lot of rebellious punches. With Josh Homme of QOTSA contributing as well, that’s even less of a surprise. — A meaty album, with tracks like, “Enough is Enough,” “Legalize Living,” and “Paint A Picture” that have lots of protein. The title track closes out the album in true Hives fashion, though I’m sure it’s meant to also be crowd-pleasing experience in person. See the band perform live on the East coast this Spring.
– Steve Melone
Hayley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party is versatile and visceral, drawing the best parts from alternative rock, rock, and even hip hop. It is an eclectic album, stitching elements of loneliness, rage, love, and her experience in “Showbiz”. Her thread is her voice, guitar, and 90s-inspired beats.
Hayley Williams is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter and the frontwoman of the Grammy Award-winning band Paramore. Her newest album, “Ego Death at a Bachlorette Party,” is nominated for four Grammys. Including: Best Alternative Music Album, Best Rock Performance “Mirtazapine”, Best Alternative Music Performance “Paracute”, and Best Rock Song “Glum”.
Williams originally released this album as a collection of 15 singles, accessible via a code on a limited-edition hair dye color from her brand, Good Dye Young. A week later, those singles were released to the public on streaming platforms separately on August 1st. All together, this culminated in her third album, “Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party”.
Her first two solo albums, “Petals for Armor” and “Flowers for Vases”, were created after lockdown. As a result of the singles’ popularity, Williams asked fans to create playlists of their tracklist on social media, and she then chose someone’s tracklist and released the album on August 28th. Leading up to the physical release, Williams then released three more songs for the November 7th release date.
The songwriting speaks to the human soul. It draws on emotions and real-life experiences that are often unheard of in the spotlight. It’s not every day you hear a rock star talk about how her depression medication “makes me eat” (Mirtazapine). And in the same album, she discusses how racism is still embedded in southern culture today (True Believer). It is sporadic and all over the place; somehow, it works.
Influences from PJ Harvey, Debbie Harry, and mewithoutyou bring out the best in complex songwriting and storytelling weaving. In the production, Williams draws from the likes of David Byrne, Beyoncé, and the Bloodhound Gang. Overall, it brings out a vibrant yet dark, resonant sound across the album that allows the listener to get lost in Williams’ inner world.
Ego Death is an anthology of experience; it showcases her time as Paramore’s frontwoman while adding reflection and depth to her perspective on the past. What started as a code on a box of hair dye became a Grammy-nominated, vibrant piece of music that solidifies her future in the music industry.
– Haley Papeo
David Byrne – Who Is The Sky?
In case you had a tough year, David Byrne’s new record Who Is The Sky? served up many reasons to be joyful. The Talking Heads co-founder returned in September with his eighth solo album, sharing all his endearing quirks and eccentricities in equal measure. Recorded along with Brooklyn ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra, Who Is The Sky? offers up a tracklist of rich, multi-layered grooves that create a direct path to a good mood.
From the start, the vibes are light and bouncy on ‘Everybody Laughs’, and, soon, it becomes apparent – this is a gratitude journal in musical form. Throughout the album, Byrne’s lyrics celebrate the big things (‘My Apartment Is My Friend’) and the little things (‘I Met The Buddha at a Downtown Party’). Things that make him curious (‘Moisturizing Thing’), and things that confuse him (‘She Explains Things To Me’). It’s a homage to living a ‘passionate life’, wherever your path leads.
Byrne’s accompanying tour in support of Who Is The Sky? (including four sold out shows at Radio City) featured live debuts of the new tunes, like ‘What Is The Reason For It?’, a definite highlight of the album that showcases special guest Hayley Williams on vocals. Picture the ‘untethered’ style of the American Utopia tour, but with a brand new set-list, curated multimedia visuals, and of course, even more sweet dance moves.
Who Is The Sky? finds a veteran songwriter still being creative, and still being himself after over four decades in the business. Whether he’s biking around NYC, writing new material, or captivating crowds, at 73, David Byrne forever remains in motion.
–Audra Tracy
TheWaster.com | Best of 2025
12.18.25
