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\n\tYou never know what you\u2019ll find out if you ask someone who works at Rolling Stone<\/em> what they\u2019ve been listening to lately. Our team enjoys music of all kinds, from the biggest blockbuster releases in pop, country, reggaeton, hip-hop, R&B, rock, and more to more personal picks that just happen to define someone\u2019s entire year. It\u2019s all here on display in this annual post, where Rolling Stone<\/em> staffers from across departments share their choices for the 10 best albums released in 2025. Give it a read, and you just might discover a new favorite. (As always, these lists reflect staffers\u2019 individual tastes in music, in all their variety; for Rolling Stone<\/em>\u2018s official list of the year\u2019s 100 best albums, go here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Photographs in Illustration<\/p>\n Maria-Juliana Rojas; Griffin Lotz; Adali Schell; Maya Dehlin Spach\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\tHearing Bad Bunny<\/a>\u2018s Deb\u00ed Tirar M\u00e1s Fotos<\/em> for the first time was such a joyous cultural experience, making it my favorite of 2025 by far. Released in January on the eve of D\u00eda de los Reyes (Three Kings Day), this album served as the quintessential year-long soundtrack for celebrating with friends and loved ones, while the title track \u201cDtMF\u201d offers a sincere reminder (and warning) that these special moments are fleeting, so let\u2019s try our best to be present, appreciate, and capture them while they\u2019re still here. Several of the albums I gravitated toward explored themes of redefining self-identity amidst turbulent life changes. Lady Gaga<\/a>\u2018s Mayhem<\/em> highlighted her return to the Fame Monster<\/em>-era sound her Little Monsters had been craving. Lorde\u2019s Virgin<\/em>, Rosal\u00eda\u2019s Lux<\/em>, <\/em>Lily Allen\u2019s West End Girl<\/em>, Haim\u2019s I Quit<\/em>, and Sombr\u2019s I Barely Knew Her<\/em> all processed self-transformations and relationship grief in unique ways that gifted us with some of the most impressive albums of the year. (Honorable mention: So did Teyana Taylor\u2019s Escape Room<\/em>.)<\/p>\n \n\tThis year I loved hiding in the crevices and cracks of my favorite albums, relishing in the beauty of their small moments: Fust turning a song named after a type of table (\u201cGateleg\u201d) into one of the year\u2019s most soothing anthems; the utter power of the quiet-verse, loud-chorus dynamics in Avery Tucker\u2019s \u201cBig Drops\u201d; the groove Liz Vice\u2019s rhythm section locks into during \u201cThe Other Side\u201d; the way Olivia Ellen Lloyd sings the words \u201cI will go see live loud music\u201d; the perfect pop chorus in \u201cFun at Parties,\u201d Caroline Spence\u2019s mea culpa<\/em> about bumming people out over cocktail chatter. These records made me laugh, snicker, smile, relax, and rejoice just as they challenged me to think, reflect, and feel. \u201cI just want music in my life,\u201d as Florist, whose 2025 masterpiece Jellywish<\/em> just as easily could have made this list, put it this year. \u201cI just want us to sing along.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\tYaasmiyn Alam, Executive Assistant<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n
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\n\t\tJonathan Bernstein, Senior Research Editor<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n
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