We're about 2/3 through the year - what have been your favourite albums?

My Top 25 (at present!)

Usually I'd probably only do a Top 10 at this point, but I think it's been a particularly strong year.

1. Luke Combs - The Way I Am

2. Zach Bryan - With Heaven On Top

3. Noah Kahan - The Great Divide

4. Nia Archives - Emotional Junglist

5. Gorillaz - The Mountain

6. Harry Styles - Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.

7. Olivia Rodrigo - you seem pretty sad for a girl in love

8. Paul McCartney - The Boys of Dungeon Lane

9. PRESIDENT - Blood Of Your Empire

10. American Football - American Football (LP4)

11. Train - Mad Dog in the Fog

12. Motionless In White - Decades

13. Charli xcx - Wuthering Heights

14. DON BROCO - Nightmare Tripping

15. The Strokes - Reality Awaits

16. Loathe - A Stranger To You

17. ROLE MODEL - Chuck Timely & The Hourglass

18. Niall Horan - Dinner Party

19. Yard Act - You’re Gonna Need A Little Music

20. Muse - The Wow! Signal

21. Charli xcx - Music, Fashion, Film

22. Weezer - Weezer (Gold Album)

23. Bring Me The Horizon - Count Your Blessings | Repented 

24. No Pressure - NP Style

25. Jungle - Sunshine

Attempted a top 25 as well:

01 Slayyyter - WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA

02 Mandy, Indiana - URGH

03 Olivia Rodrigo - you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love

04 TOMORA - COME CLOSER

05 Fcukers - Ö

06 Charli xcx - Music, Fashion, Film

07 Gorillaz - The Mountain

08 Phoebe Bridgers - Lost Weekend

09 Charli xcx - Wuthering Heights

10 hemlocke springs - the apple tree under the sea

11 Cannelle - CINNA

12 Kelela - New Avatar

13 Ariana Grande - petal

14 Overmono - Pure Devotion

15 CFCF - L.U.V.

16 Mitski - Nothing's About to Happen to Me

17 Eartheater - Heavenly Body: If I'm The Bottle You're The Message

18 Vioflesh - Melancolia

19 Grace Ives - Girlfriend

20 James Blake - Trying Times

21 Cobrah - Torn

22 deary - Birding

23 mary in the junkyard - Role Model Hermit

24 The Twilight Sad - It's The Long Goodbye

25 ADULT. - Kissing Luck Goodbye

I couldn't make a top 25 even if I tried as I've only listened to 21 new albums this year 🙃

Looking through my list on RateYourMusic, in no particular order my favourites would probably be:

Boards of Canada - Inferno

Tori Amos - In Times of Dragons

James Blake - Trying Times (maybe)

Kelela - New Avatar

Eartheater - Heavenly Body: If I'm The Bottle You're The Message

Puma Blue - Croak Dream (maybe)

My Top 25:

1 Midnight Sun: Girls Trip - Zara Larsson 10/10

2 Petal - Ariana Grande 10/10

3 Pareidolia - Erin LeCount 10/10

4 Scars To Prove It - Hailey Picardi 10/10

5 Paraglider - Olivia Marsh 10/10

6 Daughter From Hell - Gracie Abrams 10/10

7 Cruel World - Holly Humberstone 10/10

8 Hades - Melanie Martinez 10/10

9 Locket - Madison Beer 9.5/10

10 The Chronicles Of A Serial Idealist - Charley 9.5/10

11 Porcelain - Peach PRC 9.5/10

12 Wor$t Girl In America - Slayyyter 9.5/10

13 You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love - Olivia Rodrigo 9/10

14 Valley Girl Problem's - Kylie Cantrall 9/10

15 Heavenly Bodies - Alex Amor 9/10

16 My Lover - Claire Rosinkranz 9/10

17 My Roots - Clara Mae 9/10

18 Middle Of Nowhere - Kacey Musgraves 9/10

19 My Ego Told Me To - Leigh-Anne 9/10

20 This Music May Contain Hope - Raye 8.5/10

21 Kismet - Matilda Mann 8.5/10

22 Superbloom - Jessie Ware 8.5/10

23 Chuck Timely & The Hourglass - Role Model 8.5/10 (has the rare honour of being the only man on the list)

24 Lover Girl - Lexi Jayde 8.5/10

25 Yours - Phoebe Ryan 8.5/10

Madonna's Confessions II. What an album!

Not ready to put them in order just yet, but these are my favourites of the year so far:

• The Singer In My Band - This Is Lorelei

• Believer - Angela Autumn

• Who Loves The Sun - Chat Pile

• Bloodwork - Rubber Band Gun

• Punching The Clown - Lambchop

• It Goes On - Westside Cowboy

• Lost Weekend - Phoebe Bridgers

• Cannonball - Man/Woman/Chainsaw

• I Can See  - Nick Hakim

• MY SKYSCRAPER - Nirosta Steel

• Role Model Hermit - mary in the junkyard

• you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love - Olivia Rodrigo

• Highway To Hell - Star Moles

• Inferno - Boards of Canada

• Beauty Land - Greg Mendez

• Lavender Networks - Fire-Toolz

• Train On The Island  - Aldous Harding

• Something Worth Waiting For - Friko

• My New Band Believe - My New Band Believe

• It’s The Hope That Kills You - The Itch

• WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA - Slayyyter

• Written Into Changes - Avalon Emerson

• Girlfriend- Grace Ives

• U - underscores

• Big Disgrace - Haute & Freddy

• Trying Times - James Blake

• The Mountain - Gorillaz

• Blame The Clown - Twisted Teens

• the apple tree under the sea - hemlocke springs

• URGH - Mandy, Indiana

• Singin’ To An Empty Chair - Ratboys

• IT’S THE LONG GOODBYE - The Twilight Sad

On 16/09/2026 at 10:19, Jade said:

Attempted a top 25 as well:

01 Slayyyter - WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA

02 Mandy, Indiana - URGH

03 Olivia Rodrigo - you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love

04 TOMORA - COME CLOSER

05 Fcukers - Ö

06 Charli xcx - Music, Fashion, Film

07 Gorillaz - The Mountain

08 Phoebe Bridgers - Lost Weekend

09 Charli xcx - Wuthering Heights

10 hemlocke springs - the apple tree under the sea

11 Cannelle - CINNA

12 Kelela - New Avatar

13 Ariana Grande - petal

14 Overmono - Pure Devotion

15 CFCF - L.U.V.

16 Mitski - Nothing's About to Happen to Me

17 Eartheater - Heavenly Body: If I'm The Bottle You're The Message

18 Vioflesh - Melancolia

19 Grace Ives - Girlfriend

20 James Blake - Trying Times

21 Cobrah - Torn

22 deary - Birding

23 mary in the junkyard - Role Model Hermit

24 The Twilight Sad - It's The Long Goodbye

25 ADULT. - Kissing Luck Goodbye

Love to see Tomora in there, a hidden gem for me too!

In alphabetical order:

Ax and the Hatchetmen - So Much to Tell You

Bebe Rexha - DIRTY BLONDE

Cavetown - Running With Scissors

glaive & kurtains - God Save the Three

Harry Styles - Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.

Melanie C - Sweat

Michael Aldag - The Carousel

Natalie Imbruglia - Algorithm

The Kid LAROI - BEFORE I FORGET

The Runarounds - The Runarounds (Prime Video Original Series Soundtrack)

Included a couple of 2025 albums that I've only discovered this year!

Still yet to listen to this week’s albums but so far

#1 RAYE - THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.

#2 Olivia Rodrigo - you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love

#3 Amma - Middle Child

#4 Absolutely - Paracosm

#5 FLO - THERAPY AT THE CLUB

#6 Zara Larsson - Midnight Sun: Girls Trip

#7 Ariana Grande - petal

#8 Slayyyter - WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA

#9 Tyla - A*POP

#10 Madison Beer - locket

HMs: A Matter Of Time: The Final Hour, My Ego Told Me To, girl in stem, Hopeless Romantic

By the end of the year I expect MNEK, Tinashe & Becky Hill to be here

Leighanne- my ego told me to

Alex warren - wildchild

Charli xcx - music fashion film

Noah kahan- the great divide

Melanie C - sweat

Madonna - confession II

Gracie Abrams- Daughter from hell

Olivia rodrigo you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love

Ella Langley Dandelion

Matt cardle the great escape