2025 has been a strong year musically with many great albums. A lot of people may have missed some of these great albums that they should definitely check out. so, here are some hidden gems and mainstream releases that you should check out in your free time.

Mac Miller – Balloonerism

Balloonerism by Mac Miller, while released posthumously, is one of his best works and shows how creative he was. This record has a very chill vibe and is easy for anyone to listen to. Songs like “Stoned” and “Funny Papers” are easily some of the best songs this year. The beats are top notch and Mac Miller’s performances on this album are amazing.

Kool Kat – USUAL SUSPECTZ

USUAL SUSPECTZ by Kool Kat is a boom bap rap project. He is like the Metro Boomin of the boom bap sound, as he is a producer. The difference is with this that while Metro uses big names and has trap hits, Kool Kat has underground rappers like Tha God Fahim and Al Divino. The grimy boom bap beats are some of the best of the year so far, and the features do amazing on their respective songs.

Ichiko Aoba – Luminescent Creatures 

Luminescent Creatures by Ichiko Aoba is a japanese folk album that makes for a really chill vibe. Throughout the album there is phenomenal singing and beautiful instrumentals. Songs like “SONAR”, “tower” and “Luciférine” show the beauty in this album. this album makes for a great listen and can introduce many people to music of a different culture.

Black Country, New Road – Forever Howlong

Forever Howlong is an album that pushes the boundaries of country and rock, in a way that hasn’t been done before, other than on Black Country, New Road’s previous album. After the departure of Isaac Wood, the band still found a way to make quality music, with lyrics on par to their previous albums and the singing is still amazing. the instrumentals are top notch, and songs like “Besties” show why this album is great.

The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow

Hurry Up Tomorrow is the final album from canadian singer, The Weeknd. On this final project, The Weeknd decides not to play it safe on this album and he decides to go on an experimental road. Songs like “Timeless” with Playboi Carti have such mainstream appeal for casual listeners, while songs like, “Cry For Me” and “São Paulo” push the mainstream with sounds most probably haven’t heard before. songs like “The Abyss”, not only show what Abel can do as a writer but also shows how great the features are on here too.

SUPERCOLLIDER & lua trilogy! – 新​​​​​​​世​​​​​​​紀​​​​ Sunbelt Princess

While, lua trilogy! releases five or more albums a year alone, this collaboration of a complete instrumental project has some amazing sounds. with this album only having four songs and a runtime of 34 minutes, it’s a quick album of complex instrumentation and unique sounds that anyone can appreciate and enjoy.

Saba & No I.D. – From the Private Collection of Saba and No I.D.

This album is easily on of the best hip hop albums of the year. Saba has top tier lyricism on this project which you can see on songs such as “How to Impress God”. No I.D., who made the beats, has some of his best beats on here and they complement Saba’s rapping so well. There’s something for everyone, as many songs are bangers and they have some introspective songs to make you think. This album has something for every mood.

viagr aboys – viagr aboys

This album is very different compared to normal punk albums. This albums has instrumentals that will make you dance, on songs like “Uno II”. The lyrics can be odd, but that adds to the fun of the album. Each songs has an enjoyability factor that will stick with you for the rest of the year.