Albums Of The Year 2025
2025 has been another bold, restless year for the underground — and there is perhaps no better guide to this chaotic, magical terrain than the 52‑week voyage of Postcards From The Underground. Since its beginnings in 2018, PFTU has operated by a simple but powerful mantra: “If we like it, we’ll play it.” That democratic openness — to new releases, DIY labels, and sounds that defy easy genre tags
Across 2025, we’ve seen PFTU dive deep into shoegaze haze, post‑punk grit, dream‑pop melancholy, psych‑rock swirl, lo‑fi intimacy, late‑night electronica, raw indie rock, fuzzy bedroom pop, rippling synth‑led atmospheres or haunted folk.
So — this Top 100 is a reflection of what what was heard on Postcards From The Underground, The albums here are a map of a year spent searching, discovering, and celebrating the fringes: the fringe that became beautiful, bold, and unforgettable. Whether you’re a longtime listener of PFTU or are stumbling across this world for the first time — consider this list a set of postcards.
1. Baxter Dury - Allbarone
Baxter Dury’s ninth studio album, Allbarone, produced by Paul Epworth, is a masterclass in reinvention and sonic precision. Following a serendipitous meeting at Glastonbury 2024, Dury and Epworth embarked on an intense, daily studio collaboration at North London’s Church Studios, stripping back everything to craft Dury’s most direct, futuristic collection yet. Eschewing old songs and familiar structures, Epworth’s conceptual, dance-infused backdrops forced Dury into rapid-fire lyrical invention, resulting in some of his sharpest, most incisive writing.
Tracks like the title cut, a witty tribute to posh wine bars, and ‘Return of the Sharp Heads’, a night-time Shoreditch satire, demonstrate Dury’s dual genius for biting social commentary and self-reflective humor. ‘Mockingjay’ turns the Hunger Games rebel archetype on its head, exploring modern-day Instagram performativity, while ‘Schadenfreude’ pairs an irresistible dance groove with reflections on life’s guilty pleasures.
The album pulses with energy and clarity, revealing Dury at the peak of his lyrical and melodic powers. Bold, contemporary, and unshackled by expectation, Allbarone is not just his finest work—it’s a reinvention that blends wit, humanity, and dance-floor brilliance into a nine-track triumph. Dury has never sounded so alive, or so essential.
2. Lily Lyons - Re-Open The World
With Re-Open The World, her Fiction Records debut, Lily Lyons steps forward as a songwriter of rare emotional clarity. Produced by Joel Pott (Athlete, George Ezra, London Grammar), the album’s ten tracks feel both impeccably crafted and deeply lived-in, drawing together the disparate pieces of a young life spent between London and Somerset and stitched together by long car-ride soundtracks. Lyons’ voice—warm, luminous, unmistakably her own—guides listeners through vignettes that hold contradiction with grace: love and loss, anger and tenderness, hope and disquiet.
Lead single “Look At You” announced her arrival earlier this year, but it’s the follow-up, “Can’t Be The One,” that crystallises Lyons’ gift for emotional multiplicity. Over bright, nimble finger-picking, she embraces the complicated truth of walking away from someone you still love, capturing the simultaneous sting of fury and the softness of lingering affection. It’s a testament to her refusal to flatten real feeling into a single register.
Influenced by Simon & Garfunkel, Nick Drake, and Joni Mitchell—and inspired by Lisa Marchiano’s The Vital Spark—Lyons explores selfhood with a refreshing, quietly defiant perspective. Re-Open The World is ultimately an album about possibility: the healing power of music, yes, but also the courage to claim a life that is fully your own.
3. Gwenno - Utopia
Gwenno Saunders’ fourth solo album, Utopia, is a masterful chronicle of self-discovery and artistic evolution, spanning 25 years of her life. Known for her Welsh and Cornish-language albums, Saunders steps into English for the first time, capturing a different side of her identity with remarkable intimacy. The album navigates the spaces between girlhood, independence, and motherhood, reflecting on formative experiences—from her teenage years performing in Las Vegas’ Lord of the Dance to club nights in Dalston, and the chaos of early Noughties London.
Musically, Utopia marks a return to piano-led songwriting, with one track on harp, privileging human experience over electronic production. Collaborations with Cate Le Bon and H. Hawkline, alongside references to William Blake and Edrica Huws, imbue the album with intellectual and emotional depth. Tracks like “London, 1757” and “St Ives New School” explore heritage, creativity, and family, while “Dancing on Volcanoes” channels the exhilaration of nights out and formative friendships.
Utopia is Saunders’ most revealing work yet—raw, reflective, and celebratory. It honors the past without nostalgia, balancing tenderness with revelry, chaos with clarity. A record of adulthood, memory, and self-determination, it cements Gwenno as a songwriter of rare honesty and vision.
4. Constant Follower - The Smile You Send Out Returns to You
Constant Follower’s The Smile You Send Out Returns To You is a quietly astonishing testament to resilience, renewal, and the strange alchemy of creativity. Written in solitude during a pandemic residency in a remote cabin near Callander, the album carries the stillness of the Scottish landscape and the emotional weight of a life rebuilt. Drawing on the crystalline simplicity of Norman MacCaig’s poetry, these songs unfold like fragments of memory—gentle, unadorned, but profoundly affecting.
Rooted in dream-folk textures and sparse, meditative arrangements, the record carries a hushed emotional gravity — soft acoustic guitars, gentle harmonies, The record’s sonic palette is delicate yet daring, channeling something both deeply personal and universally human. Lead single “Whole Be” stands out as a meditative reflection on identity, while “All Is Well” offers a fragile but essential message of healing.
Completed in Austin alongside producer Dan Duszynski, the album expands into subtle, luminous textures without losing its intimate core. Each song feels necessary shaped by a writer who knows the cost of silence and the value of expression. Ultimately, The Smile You Send Out Returns To You is a beautifully wrought reminder that honesty, patience, and kindness can reshape a life, one note at a time.
5. Sophia Hansen-Knarhoi - Undertow
On Undertow, Sophia Hansen-Knarhoi delivers a debut that is both fragile and ferociously alive. Centered around her cello and voice, the album flows like water—swelling, receding, and carrying a constantly shifting emotional current. Each track feels meticulously hand-carved, stripped of excess, and guided by an intuitive understanding of space and silence. The cello is never mere accompaniment; it bends and bows through moments of tension and release, partnering with her voice to create a dialogue that is at once intimate and expansive.
The emotional weight of Undertow comes from its restraint. Hansen-Knarhoi eschews grand gestures, instead building intensity through texture, tone, and the interplay between breath, string, and silence. The production is cinematic yet unpolished, leaving every crack, whisper, and imperfection intact, which only deepens the sense of presence. Lyrically, the album navigates memory, loss, and healing, but the prevailing sensation is one of quiet resilience—a tremor after the storm, eyes fixed on the emerging light.
Undertow announces Sophia Hansen-Knarhoi as more than a promising new artist; it marks her as a storyteller whose music moves like a living force, pulling listeners into its ebb and flow with both vulnerability and power.
6. Faith Eliott - Dryas
On dryas, Minneapolis-born, Scotland-based artist Faith Eliott (they/them) crafts a lush, strange, and magnetic world where poetry and sound intertwine. Their background as a devoted “poetry nerd,” nurtured in the wholesome corners of early online communities, pulses through every lyric. The record’s imaginative scope stretches from Pleistocene volcanoes to cursed memes, from hagfish to mythological bears high on hallucinogenic honey—yet nothing feels whimsical for whimsy’s sake. Instead, dryas forms a coherent sonic menagerie, each creature and artifact employed in service of larger themes: resilience, curiosity, and the awkward sweetness of letting go of shame.
Created in collaboration with longtime musical partner Robyn Dawson at The Big Shed in Perthshire, the album’s textures are rich and meticulously sculpted. Strings, synths, trumpets, recorders, percussion, and found sounds swirl around Eliott’s voice, which remains the calm, incisive center of these miniature worlds. The arrangements—part orchestral, part electronic, part folkloric—mirror Eliott’s fascination with ancient history and archaeology, particularly the album’s namesake arctic flower that thrives in inhospitable landscapes.
dryas feels like an invitation to wander: a series of lyrical dioramas that reward repeated visits. It’s a work of generosity and imagination—one that expands with every listen, offering new curiosities to uncover.
7. The Cords - The Cords
Skep Wax Records/Slumberland Records
Scottish sister duo The Cords deliver a debut that feels instantly classic yet thrillingly alive, a record that reaches back to the heyday of indiepop while sounding entirely their own. Drawing inspiration from C86 touchstones like Dolly Mixture, Shop Assistants, Heavenly and Tiger Trap, the pair channel that jangling, DIY spirit with a freshness that makes these songs burst from the speakers. Their self-titled debut is a shot of pure vitality—energetic, bright, and brimming with youthful confidence.
Produced by Jonny Scott (CHVRCHES) and Simon Liddel (Frightened Rabbit), the album remains true to the band’s minimalist ethos. Bass and keyboards appear only when necessary, adding texture without ever stealing focus. Instead, the spotlight stays firmly on the duo’s remarkable chemistry: Eva’s fluid, melodic guitar lines and warm, silky vocals intertwine effortlessly with Grace’s clattering, expressive drums. Together, they create the feeling of a spirited musical dialogue, two musicians pushing one another toward ever more exuberant hooks and perfectly formed pop moments.
Each track radiates a sense of joy and discovery, making the album feel both timeless and urgently present. The Cordsstands as one of the most vibrant indiepop debuts in years—an irresistible, kaleidoscopic burst of melody and heart.
8. The Horrors - Nightlife
The Horrors’ sixth studio album, Night Life, marks a bold evolution for the band as they approach their 20th anniversary. Out now via Fiction Records, the album introduces a refreshed lineup: the core duo of Faris Badwan and Rhys Webb are joined by Amelia Kidd on keys and Jordan Cook on drums, making this the first Horrors record without all five original members. This new formation brings a fresh sonic palette, allowing the band to explore weight, space, melancholy, and euphoria in equal measure.
Night Life is less about nightlife in the traditional sense of bars and clubs, and more about the inner journeys that happen when the world sleeps. It’s a contemplative, nocturnal exploration, where Faris Badwan’s signature vocals navigate sprawling soundscapes, underpinned by Webb’s basslines and Kidd’s ethereal keys. The album balances the instinctive energy of their early work with a mature, expansive approach, creating a sense of both intimacy and grandeur. Standout tracks like the new single ‘LA Runaway’ showcase the band’s ability to marry disparate ideas, fusing melancholy with ecstatic release.
With Night Life, The Horrors reaffirm their place as masters of reinvention, proving that even two decades in, they can still surprise, haunt, and enthrall. It’s a record that lingers long after the night has ended.
9. Cutouts - Snakeskin
Alex MacKay, known for his work with Nation of Language, ventures into darker sonic territories with his debut Cutouts LP Snakeskin. Melding psychedelic darkwave with indie, industrial, and electronic textures, MacKay crafts a universe that’s simultaneously eerie and intoxicating. Tracks like “Cowgirl” featuring Tomberlin and “Paw of the Monkey” showcase his knack for blending sardonic lyricism with immersive, textured production, while “Bloodsucker” offers a laidback, vampiric charm—what MacKay playfully calls “a piece of Halloween candy for you all.”
Having begun Cutouts just before joining Nation of Language, Snakeskin marks MacKay’s first full-length exploration of this shadowy soundscape. Co-produced with Abe Seiferth, who also worked on NOL’s debut LP, the album benefits from meticulous studio craft, balancing atmospheric depth with clarity. MacKay’s experience as a sought-after indie producer—most recently on CHAI’s Sub Pop release—shines through in the layered arrangements and precise mixing. The album’s live debut in NYC, which sold out quickly, hints at the compelling energy these tracks carry off-record.
Snakeskin is a hauntingly inventive journey, where introspection meets theatricality, firmly establishing Cutouts as a project that thrives in the intersection of the sinister and the stylish.
10. Sorry - Cosplay
Sorry’s third album, COSPLAY, is a twisting, unpredictable ride that balances melancholy with exhilaration. From the opener’s dead‑pan vocals layered over restless rhythms, it’s clear the band is refusing to settle, drawing listeners into a space that feels equal parts mirror‑maze and confession booth. Across the record, themes of identity, illusion, and emotional limbo weave through sharp, playful instrumentation, giving the songs a sense of both detachment and intimacy.
The album’s sonic palette is thrillingly unpredictable: sly electronic flourishes, warped guitars, and sudden genre detours keep the listener off-balance, yet in a deliberate way. Cynicism lurks beneath the surface, but it’s tempered by an earnest desire to connect, to pierce through the masks we wear. The chaos feels purposeful, the lyrical ambiguity a form of clarity, revealing a band more confident and ambitious than ever.
Despite its twists and turns, COSPLAY is surprisingly cohesive. It’s a record that invites movement and introspection simultaneously: you can bob along, mosh, or brood, and still sense a deeper substance beneath the playful confusion. Hard to categorize and impossible to predict, this is Sorry at their most daring and textured — a record that challenges, unsettles, and ultimately rewards in equal measure.
11. The Joshua Hotel - Rapture Party
The Joshua Hotel’s debut album Rapture Party is a compelling indie-pop exploration of growing up in a rapidly changing world. Fronted by multi-instrumentalist Joshua Mackenzie, the trio blends shimmering guitars, intricate percussion, and emotive vocals to navigate themes of love, friendship, self-identity, mental health, and mortality.
12. Nell Smith - Anxious
Nell’s Anxious is a tender, bittersweet debut that channels raw teenage emotion—love, grief, ambition, and joy—into vivid, heartfelt songs. From whimsical angst in the title track to psychedelic warmth in Boy in a Bubble and poignant closure in Split in the Sky, her voice resonates with honesty, wonder, and a quiet, understated beauty.
13. Lucy Dacus - Forever Is A Feeling
Forever Is a Feeling hits like a quiet revelation. Dacus distills longing, memory, and self-reckoning into songs that feel both intimate and monumental. Her voice glows with restraint and emotional precision, while the production wraps everything in warm ache. It’s a stunning, slow-burn triumph that lingers long after it ends.
14. Austra - Chin Up Buttercup
Chin Up Buttercup blends hypnotic Eurodance beats with raw heartbreak. Katie Stelmanis’ operatic voice guides a grief-fueled, danceable journey through longing, loss, and emotional chaos. Offstage vulnerability meets onstage power, creating an anti-heroic narrative that’s both cathartic and euphoric—an album where heartbreak has never felt this electrifying.
15. Dilettante - Life Of The Party
Life of the Party sees Dilettante refining her art-pop sound with bold confidence and emotional honesty. Synth-driven and lushly arranged, the album delves into neurodivergence, identity, societal pressures, and unconventional love. With sharp lyrics, infectious hooks, and moments of introspective vulnerability, it’s a compelling portrait of an artist coming fully into her own.
16. Wet Leg - Moisturizer
Wet Leg’s moisturizer channels the band’s sharpened live energy into a bolder, wilder second album. Co-written by all five members, it swings between caustic dance-punk and giddy, messy love songs. Led by the frenetic “catch these fists,” the record feels louder, raunchier, and more self-possessed—an exuberant evolution.
17. Former Champ - I Saw You In Paradise
Former Champ’s debut I Saw You in Paradise is a sparkling power-pop triumph. Melodic, witty, and emotionally rich, the album blends bittersweet reflections on love and life with sun-drenched guitars and addictive hooks. Produced by Julie McLarnon, it balances effortless charm with thoughtful craft—a perfect, joyful pop record.
18. Automatic - Is It Now
Automatic’s Is It Now? delivers sharp political bite wrapped in sly, dance-floor-ready minimalism. With producer Loren Humphrey sharpening their synth-punk edge, the trio stretches into dub-tinged grooves and glossy pop touches while skewering consumerism, automation, and oil-soaked politics. It’s their most adventurous and darkly playful album yet.
19. The Beths - Straight Line Was A Lie
Straight Line Was a Lie finds The Beths pushing deeper than ever, dismantling ideas of progress with sharp, vulnerable songwriting. Elizabeth Stokes turns creative struggle, mental health shifts, and nonlinear growth into hook-packed indie rock that’s both cathartic and clear-eyed. It’s their most introspective, emotionally resonant record yet.
20. Firestations - Many White Horses
Many White Horses is a quietly hypnotic, sea-soaked collection from Firestations’ Mike and Laura, born on a sailing residency in the Hebrides. Stripped-back acoustic arrangements, open-tuned guitars, and field-recorded textures evoke wind, memory, and return. Meditative and intimate, it’s a beautifully elemental detour that deepens the band’s reflective side, understated & emotionally resonant record.
