I’m a big believer in the idea that you can learn everything you need to know about someone just by their taste in media. You may think people’s choice in movies or music is random; they like it because “they just do.” But notice how quickly you ask “what’s your favorite movie” or “who’s your favorite artist” next time you go on a first date, and think about that one more time.
2025 was an…interesting year for most. Other than obvious issues, I personally had my fair share of hardships. And as someone who looks to media during times like this, you can definitely find similarities in what media I was consuming and what was happening in my own life. In a more general sense, though, I’d like to take a look back at three of my favorite albums released during 2025. A bit of reflection now and then is always good.
While I personally preferred 2024’s lineup, 2025 was still an incredible year for music. With many rising artists in the mix now, like Olivia Dean, Katseye, etc., and older artists making their comebacks like Lady Gaga, the field has been busy and vibrant with life. As for my picks for my favorite albums of 2025, 3 solid recommendations of mine would be: The Crux by Djo, Liqourice by Hatchie, and Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party by Hayley Williams.
Three very different situations for the artists: Djo, aka Joe Keery, ventured out from his Stranger Things journey to pursue music, and has been exploding in the field recently with his massive hit, End of Beginning.
Hayley Williams, lead singer for rock group Paramore, is also venturing out into a solo career, but has been in the music industry since 2005, a seasoned artist indeed.
Meanwhile, Hatchie, who you most likely heard of for the first time just a few moments ago, has less than 200,000 monthly streamers on Spotify, and only has about 5 songs that have passed one million streams. I HIGHLY recommend checking her stuff out, she’s like if you could understand what Cocteau Twins was saying.
However, all three artists released very similar albums in 2025. Each album, while approaching the themes in the artist’s unique ways, deals with very introspective and personal topics: self-worth, life purpose, human connection, etc.
The Crux is a post-breakup album, where Keery delves into topics relating to his self-image and worth after losing someone so important in his life.
Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party deals with exactly what it sounds like: Hayley Williams experiencing ego death. The album also deals with self-worth, but in a much more existential way, as Williams wonders what her career has meant to her up until this point in her life, 36-years-old when the album dropped.
Liquorice is definitely the most different of the three, a much happier-sounding album than the other two, but also deals with deep themes, mainly regarding the ache and bittersweetness of nostalgia like Keery’s The Crux.
So, what’s our connection here? Well, we can see here that DEFINITELY I have an affinity for deeper lyricism in the songs I listen to, with a more rock or techno based instrumental. And in a year where many people expressed feelings of loneliness, confusion, and nostalgia, my music taste reveals that I fell right into the crowd.
Music has an almost mystical way of comforting me. Listening to people pour their passion into the art they make, letting themselves be vulnerable in front of millions of billions of people. It’s an act that does not go unnoticed by me. 2025 was absolutely a roller coaster, but listening to people express how they’re going through something even remotely similar helped me, and millions of other monthly streamers, feel a little less alone in it.