Top 7 Albums of the Summer

 Summer has just passed, and what an eventful season it was for the music industry. With it came several blockbuster album releases, many of which could be in contention for the best of the whole year. Without further ado, here are seven of the best albums released over the summer.  

7. Live Laugh Love – Earl Sweatshirt 

With a short runtime of 24 minutes, you’d expect an album that leaves much to be desired. However, Earl has mastered the art of leaving you satisfied with short albums. One of his previous albums, the critically acclaimed Some Rap Songs, was an abstract rap record that explored Earl’s psyche, giving an insight into his deeply depressive state at the time. This record, in comparison, keeps all the abstract production but substitutes the nihilistic subject matter with lyrics of hope. He is a father now and is living his best life, and that is, in summary, what the album is about. 

Top 3 Songs:  

1. Heavy Metal aka ejacto seato! 

2. exhaust 

3. INFATUATION 

6. Racing Mount Pleasant – Racing Mount Pleasant 

The debut album from this art-rock outfit is 2025’s answer to Isaac Woods era Black Country, New Road. But they take an altered approach to the sound, opting for a softer and more intimate soundscape rather than a grandiose spectacle of instrumentation. However, the lack of power in the vocal performances don’t take away from the emotion of the record. The soft-spoken poetry from frontman Sam DuBose and subtle chord progressions are the album’s driving emotive factors. 

Top 3 Songs: 

1. Emily 

2. Call It Easy  

3. Your New Place 

5. Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You – Ethel Cain 

Ethel Cain returns, yet again, with one of the most poignant records of the year. Through heartbreaking storytelling and drawn-out ambient arrangements, this is one of the more difficult records to understand if you aren’t already used to it. It’s long, expansive and uncomfortable at points, but cathartically rewarding. 

Top 3 Songs: 

1. Nettles 

2. Waco, Texas 

3. Janie 

4. Baby – Dijon 

This is the sophomore effort of alternative-R&B singer and producer, Dijon. His debut album, Absolutely, was a fun 31-minute sprint of catchy melodies; however, some believed that with more adventurous and chaotic production choices his music could take that next leap. This album is the remedy to that issue. It’s safe to say there is not a corner of this record that doesn’t have you grooving or bopping my head. It isn’t that much longer than his previous effort, however his artistic vision feels fleshed out to the max in comparison. 

Top 3 Songs: 

1. Yamaha 

2. HIGHER! 

3. Rewind 

3. Let God Sort Em Out – Clipse 

This iconic underground hip-hop duo took a 16-year hiatus from making music, only to return with ... their best album yet? Executively produced by Pharrell Williams, who was their go-to producer while they were on the rise, and it’s clear he saved some of his best instrumentals for them. This record has some of the most killer verses of the entire decade, spat over the grimiest beats of the year. Some of the songs on this record physically repulsed me based on how filthily cool they were. 

Top 3 Songs: 

1. So Be It 

2. M.T.B.T.T.F 

3. Chains & Whips 

2. Vanisher, Horizon Scraper – Quadeca 

By far the most ambitious record of the year, producer/songwriter Quadeca created an absolute spectacle with this one. This is a concept record about a manic sailor with an untreatable desire to reach the sea’s horizon, which eventually leads to his demise. Within this concept breathes a record that is a rollercoaster of emotions and a masterclass of musicianship. Making an album that is a blend of art-pop, folktronica, experimental hip-hop and ambient sounds in itself is incredibly daring, but having such a strong, well-told concept on top of that is just pure brilliance.  

Top 3 Songs: 

1. FORGONE 

2. THUNDRRR 

3. AT A TIME LIKE THIS 

1. Magic, Alive! - McKinley Dixon 

Jazz-rap is a sub-genre of hip-hop that is known to be very low-fi and mellow in comparison to others. However, Dixon is an artist that thrives off maximalism in hip-hop. He takes what’s meant to be a very gentle form of hip-hop and flips it on its head, getting some of the most hectic jazz compositions as instrumentals for his rapping. He is no slouch on the mic either. With a real knack for rhyming and one of the smoothest flows currently around, he might just be one of the most technically proficient rappers in the world. 

Top 3 Songs: 

1. We’re Outside, Rejoice! 

2. Magic, Alive! 

3. Run, Run, Run Pt. II