New Music: Anticipated Albums of 2025
Published on 07 January 2025
How is 2025 looking to you so far? Are you excited about any forthcoming releases? We are!
It’s bizarre: with streaming now the normal way to consume music, we all have the entirety of musical history available to us 24/7, but a great deal of us stick to our old favourites, and don’t check out new music. That seems odd to me. It has never been easier to try out new music, whether by more contemporary artists or simply new work by established names.
Today, I want to talk about some of the music we at guitarguitar are excited to hear. So far, there have been a bunch of announcements for forthcoming music, so this is based on what we know circa January 6th, 2025: I bet there are a ton of surprises in store for us afterwards! So, here’s what is making us at guitarguitar look forward to the music of this forthcoming year!
Most Anticipated Albums of 2025
Blanck Mass - The Rig Season 2 OST
Jonathan Hulten - Eyes of The Living Night
The Waterboys - Life, Death & Dennis Hopper
Architects - The Sky, The Earth and All In Between
Lana Del Rey - The Right Person Will Stay
Blanck Mass - The Rig Season 2 OST
My first choice for albums of 2025 is actually here already! Released only days ago, this follow up soundtrack to the tense oil rig-set supernatural drama has some of the best sounds I’ve heard in months. Blanck Mass has been on my radar since his incredible Dumb Flesh record back in 2015 and is the perfect musical fit for this frosty and spectral TV show.
The year is off to a good start!
Jonathan Hulten - Eyes of The Living Night
Ethereal Swedish vibemaster Jonathan Hulten returns this January with the follow up to his incredible Chants From Another Place album. We’ve already had two singles from Eyes of the Living Night, including one of our Songs of the Year 2024, Afterlife. What an epic!
The album’s out on Jan 31st, and there's an exclusive interview on the way!
The Waterboys - Life, Death & Dennis Hopper
Whether you only know them from their hit Whole of the Moon (best song EVER?) or are better acquainted with their repertoire, Scots rockers the Waterboys are making quite a splash (come oooon) with their 2025 album release. Entitled Life, Death and Dennis Hopper, the new longplayer features a supporting cast that is solid gold: how about Bruce Springsteen, Fiona Apple and Steve Earle? Exactly!
Sam Fender - People Watching
The people's new champion Sam Fender has been going about business the old school way: by writing undeniably excellent tunes that speak to the masses, and by going out and touring them. You folks also voted him as one of our 40th Anniversary most popular and influential guitar-playing artists out there today!
He’s earned himself the career he now enjoys, and he’s at that pivotal point now where this next album - out on 21st February - will determine whether or not he can secure entry to the upper cloisters of stardom. Go for it, Sam!
Spiritbox - Tsunami Sea
Spiritbox have taken over the world these last two years. Firmly owning that ‘Deftones-influenced’ hinterland that bridges accessible rock with contemporary djent, Spiritbox sound like a band that belongs in 2025. They’ve mastered that difficult blend of being easy to listen to without having their sound diluted, and 2025’s Tsunami Sea (released on March 7th) will hopefully show that their sound has only developed more. Fingers crossed!
Mogwai - The Bad Fire
With a title like ‘The Bad Fire’, I’m hoping that Morgwai are going to unleash as much of their rascal side as possible. Nobody can cook up a tempest quite like these Glaswegians when they get going. Expect the unexpected, but within reason: there will be moody arpeggios and epic crescendos aplenty when this is released at the end of January!
Ethel Cain - Perverts
Ethel Cain has quickly established a name for themselves for writing direct, confessional indie music, and with a title like ‘Perverts’, one can only imagine what to expect!
An office favourite, I expect this one will be on long-term rotation once it drops later this year.
Ringo Starr - Look Up
Ringo is going Country! This new album will be out next week so don’t miss it! On top of the fact that Ringo is playing drums and singing on every track, he’s also fired through his enviable rolodex and roped in some friends for the record. When I say friends, I actually mean Molly Tuttle, Billy Strings, Larkin Poe and Alison Krauss, a veritable who’s who of all-star Alternative Country talent! T-Bone Burnett’s producing too, so this one is going to be a real joy to listen to.
Songhoy Blues - Heritage
The boys from Mali just keep getting better and better! Their second album, Resistance, had guests like Iggy Pop on board, though Songhoy Blues don’t need anyone but themselves to be able to throw down with both authority and sass. If you like rock music with a high dose of funk and haven’t tried this lot, then don’t skip Heritage when it lands later this month!
Check out the mulit-part documentary now, starting below with Part one.
Architects - The Sky, The Earth and All In Between
UK Metalcore heavyweights Architects return in 2025 with their eleventh album, The Sky, The Earth and All In Between. They’ve outlasted many of their scene compatriots to become a real force in contemporary British metal. Indeed, they’ve incorporated progressive elements into their sound before, so where they're going next is anyone’s guess. We’ll be paying attention on February 28th, when the album is released!
Dream Theater - Parasomnia
Dream Theater fans have been champing at the bit for this new release from Petrucci and co. Their particular blend of dextrous prog metal is a religion for those who feel the pull, and each new record is another chapter in the story. This new release will be their 16th studio album, and the faithful will rejoice at the fact that drummer extraordinaire Mike Portnoy is firmly back in the fold!
With a creepy cover and song titles like Midnight Messiah and Night Terror, this could be a real return to form for a band who’ve never really lost it.
Lana Del Rey - The Right Person Will Stay
Iconic songstress Lana Del Rey sees no end to her prolific work ethic, with this new album being her tenth. Again, she is collaborating with Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff, a partnership that has already proven to strike gold for the pair.
The new record drops in May, just in time for her stadium shows across the UK. Did you get a ticket?
It’s Already a Good Year for Music
Phew! It’s already shaping up to be a vintage year for music, and we’re only a week into 2025! There’s so much to anticipate, but there’s more! Here’s a brief list of artists who are on our wishlist for 2025: they’re either strongly hinting at new music, definitely releasing new music, or there are rumours flying of future hits a-coming!
We take no responsibility for our predictions here…
- FKA Twigs - Eusexua is out on Jan 24
- Henric De La Cour - new music this year! How about a UK tour, Henric?
- Larkin Poe - Bloom, coming very soon we hope
- Chappell Roan - will there be new music this year? We’ve heard rumours…
- Oasis - will the Gallagher bros litter their stadium tour with new offerings for the masses?
- SATCHVAI - Will Joe and Steve drop even more collabs on us when they head out on tour?
- DJ Koze - Music Can Hear Us will be getting heard by us soon, hopefully!
Enjoy 2025! Listen to new music, write some yourself, and go to local gigs!
