It’s that time of year again, when everything we’ve consumed since Jan. 1 gets separated into subcategories of excellence, bestowed with every superlative under the sun, and in extreme cases, ranked from best to worst. That’s right, it’s list season. Up next: albums.

These lists are never easy to make, but if we’re being completely honest, 2025 was a particularly challenging year for music. In an era when the highest-selling records also tend to make the least cultural impact, the stockpile of clean-cut “best” albums to choose from becomes quite scant. (That may explain why we came in a little under the customary 15-plus albums with our list this year, or maybe it’s because team NYLON’s median Spotify listening age is 40.) Then again, it wasn’t a total wash — in a sea of mediocrity, 10 albums managed to rise above the noise, with plenty of hits, bops, and bangers that we’ll take with us well into 2026 and beyond. So, without further adieu, put your headphones on and enjoy.

Mayhem by Lady Gaga

Who cares if she’s reheating her own nachos when the nachos are this good? Mayhem features some of Mother Monster’s best work in years, and a return to form that, for most artists, would seem like a tired retread of old ideas. But when you’re Lady Gaga, revisiting the sound you popularized actually feels authentic. Yes, it’s impressive that she’s still able to tap into the well of her artistic core after all these years, but the real feat of Mayhem is that it never feels like a flagrant cash grab or a cheap nostalgia play. — Jillian Giandurco, editorial associate

Fancy That by PinkPantheress

We've known PinkPantheress had hits in her, but this year was when we discovered she had a British pop diva living inside her. The album is rife with samples and references to Anglomania (see: Basement Jaxx, tartan everywhere) and moves the needle forward where other British acts stayed their course. Besides, the talk that we didn't have an official song of the summer is rendered moot when you consider how ubiquitous "Illegal" was. Best of all, she gave us a few songs over three minutes long. Change is possible — just leave your purse offstage. — Kevin LeBlanc, style editor

Getting Killed by Geese

The title alone deserves a round of applause. While its harsh naming pairs perfectly with the jolting “there’s a bomb in my car!” shriek just 50 seconds into the album, Geese’s frontman Cameron Winter can and will get warm with heartfelt threats of intimacy immediately after. Even setting the lyricism aside, the band’s erratic instrumentation makes one thing clear: Getting Killed is the definition of beautifully controlled chaos. — Katherine Diermissen, social editor

Lux by Rosalía

Sometimes greatness transcends language. Whether or not you choose to listen to this album with the English translation in front of you (which I highly recommend, BTW), the impressiveness and massiveness of Lux is undeniable, slapping you across the face with one-of-a-kind mix of gorgeous orchestral arrangements, left-of-center production choices, and lump-in-throat-inducing vocal performances with every song. — Giandurco

Addison by Addison Rae

Who can you recall in recent pop history with a singles streak that holds a candle to Rae's debut-album run? The bar was set impossibly high with "Diet Pepsi," the greatest pop song of the 2020s thus far, and Rae showed why the industry's top stars are obsessed with her by delivering unique sounds at every turn on her 11-track self-titled album. Her all-female production team and her have honed in on a Picnik-filtered, Madonna-and-Björk-indebted sound that feels like the future of pop; that is, effortful, referential, and singular. She also made visuals with a stacked roster of creatives that other girls wish they could pull. — LeBlanc

West End Girl by Lily Allen

Forget a Saturn return. This year, just a few months after her 40th birthday and nearly 20 years after her debut album, Lily Allen returned with a career best. An immediate entry to the greatest breakup albums of all time, Allen created a cultural phenomenon with her no-holds-barred confessional lyrics and signature unparalleled wit. Whether she's going full scorched-earth on "4Chan Fan" or looking inwards on the album's deeply poignant moments ("Sleepwalking;" "Ruminating"), West End Girl scratches every itch you didn't even know you had. — Lauren McCarthy, editor-in-chief

Big City Life by Smerz

If “Baby, can I see you naked? / Even though I love how you dress” isn’t one of the greatest lyrics of modern music, I don’t know what is. Big City Life is gentle enough to listen to in the early morning while you stare at your bedroom ceiling, yet exciting enough to soundtrack walks down dark city streets as you head into a long night out. Smerz will pull you down with ballads like “A Thousand Lies,” then bring you right back up with their upbeat sounds and cool-girl lyrics that, to say the least, are a bit feisty. From cuddling to clubbing, this album covers all the bases. — Diermissen

Through The Wall by Rochelle Jordan

A deep house album that never takes its foot off the gas while still creating space for listeners to catch their breath, this project is just as transcendent through headphones as it is in a dark, sweaty club at 3 a.m. Jordan’s dulcet tones are a vessel for ‘90s-inspired dance beats and sticky hooks, making for a seamless, immersive listening experience that goes down sweeter than candy. — Giandurco

So Close To What by Tate McRae

The snarky comment section loves to point out that Tate McRae’s sound is derivative and half-baked, but they’re forgetting one thing that makes a pop star pop: undeniable hits. McRae has them in droves off this album alone (“Sports car,” “2 hands,” “Revolving door,” “It’s ok I’m ok”) that have crept up the charts — and they each honor a pop queen before while arriving as fresh and dancerly. In a pop landscape where nostalgia and schticks rule, McRae is defining her own moment by leaning into what makes her stand out: that is, classic pop songs about betrayal, heartbreak, and getting downright nasty in a moving vehicle. — LeBlanc

It’s A Beautiful Place by Water From Your Eyes

Deadpan vocals have never been so exciting. Water From Your Eyes duo Rachel Brown and Nate Amos keep you on your toes on It's A Beautiful Place. One minute you’re floating in ambient harmonies and the next you’re bopping up and down, ready to go out to a club and — as Brown sings — “shake it.” In the midst of it all, you're startled with Amos’ explosive guitar riffs and freaky noises, which are all rounded out by Brown’s calm voice. — Diermissen

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