Geese – Getting Killed

The production is uniquely rhythmic and layered, the instrumental performances are all pretty bulletproof, and Cameron Winter’s writing is just ridiculously good. He is able to show us beauty and despair, and the beauty in despair and the despair in beauty. The best track to me is Islands of Men, which builds over this hypnotic instrumental while Winter sings about isolation and self-illusion. Other highlights would be the title track and Half Real, which feels like a dizzy, intoxicated folk song. Geese are the next big thing. Freddie, 18, Surrey

Lily Allen – West End Girl

I loved the wordplay, delivery and melody. The slightly detached layered vocals really sounded like a person in shock recounting what has happened to them. So good to hear an imperfect person tell their own stories. And I forgot how funny Lily Allen is! More imperfect women, please. Alison 37, Ireland

Picture Parlour – The Parlour

The Liverpudlian rock outfit’s debut EP was worth the wait. Singer and front-woman Katherine Parlour has such a distinctive voice and guitarist Ella Risi leads the charge with infectious riffs and ripping solos. With an almost baroque and art-rock feel, the album is both uplifting and nostalgic, with plenty of reflection on the journey which has got this under-appreciated duo (and their backing band) to this point. Having seen them in the tiny Windmill in Brixton, I think it is only a matter of time before they are commanding far larger venues. Eddie, London

Self Esteem – A Complicated Woman

This album has been on constant rotation. Rebecca Lucy Taylor’s lyrics are full of honesty, humour, sincerity and despair, set to snarly synths, gorgeous choral arrangements and sing-along stadium belters. I was lucky enough to see Self Esteem in concert earlier this year and this album is made for live performances. The drama and emotion evoked from songs such as The Deep Blue Okay and Focus Is Power hits harder live, with a room full of people shouting along through smiles and tears. Rebecca and her incredible family – and they really do feel like they’re a family – of singers, dancers and musicians are so relatable, funny, raw and empowering. She deserves to rule the world. Jacqui Martin, 50, Exeter, Devon

Brooke Combe – Dancing on the Edge

This album has been on constant repeat since its release in January 2025. So much talent in the performing and songwriting. British soul has never sounded so good. The album has a brilliant 70s vibe throughout with no filler tracks. This Town and LMTFA are outstanding songs. James McElhoney, 65, Halifax

Ninajirachi – I Love My Computer

This album is like a modern day Phil Spector Wall of Sound creation – except it’s mostly an Australian woman and her computer. She imagines what a computer would like and desire, and builds a sonic world around that – complete with throwback disk drive sounds. The listener comes to feel actual emotion and, at the same time, nostalgia, for the beeps and boops of the titular computer. Anthony D’Orazio, Pennsylvania, USA

Dijon – Baby

Dijon is a truly unique artist who is stretching the boundaries of what maximalist R&B can be. He uses texture, imperfect samples, time changes and layering to brilliant effect on his second album. This is a sonically glitchy and cracked yet deeply melodic record that almost takes pleasure in trying to hide the hooks that are, in fact, everywhere on tracks such as Yamaha, Baby and Higher! Recent co-writes with Justin Bieber and Justin Vernon – and snagging bass legend Pino Palladino to help out on most of the tracks on Baby – shows just how high Dijon can go. Christian Gibson, South Coogee, Australia

Florence and the Machine – Everybody Scream

I’ve played this almost obsessively since its release. Initially I was captured by Sympathy Magic, which channels Dead Can Dance’s Lisa Gerrard, and The Old Religion, featuring the kinds of soaring vocal hooks Florence Welch is known for. But on re-listens, I particularly like the storytelling around a couple revealed in Music by Men and One of the Greats with its angry take on the music industry. The album explores power, the supernatural and the concerns of people in relationships. One of her best creations. Sara, 43, Melbourne, Australia

Taylor Swift – The Life of a Showgirl

I nearly chose Florence + the Machine’s Everybody Scream or Wolf Alice’s The Clearing (their best album yet). But who am I kidding? There is one album I have been obsessed with for the last two months and that is Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl. I wake up singing “Elizabeth Taylor!” I dance throughout the day to an ear worm of Opalite. I shed a tear to Ruin the Friendship whenever I think about it. The Fate of Ophelia has been the song of the year and a viral sensation – quite rightly. Anna Harries, Oxford

Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out

The album starts with an emotional, hard-hitting song about the recent deaths of their parents and the album continues to build from this, with excellent production by Pharrell and great bars from Malice and Pusha T. The album also has incredible features from artists such as John Legend, Tyler, the Creator and Nas. Overall, the album is one of the best rap albums of the decade, showing the immense talent of Clipse more than 15 years after their previous album. Lewis Johnstone, 22, Scotland

El Michels Affair – 24 Hr Sports

Clairo producer Leon Michels’ diverse and genre-bending project blends soulful hip-hop beats and classic soul, with a dusty production that at times recalls the likes of MF Doom and J Dilla. Clairo returns the favour by providing guest vocals on one of the album’s highlights. A real gem. Sean, Manchester

Lord Huron – The Cosmic Selector Vol 1

I only discovered Lord Huron last year and quickly fell in love with their very unique style of music, which blends storytelling and atmosphere to create a true listening experience. Sometimes listening to their albums almost feels like a podcast considering how well they are constructed and how seamlessly each song transitions into another. The accompanying extra media also often hints at a greater story that weaves through every one of their albums. On listening to their previous albums, I also noticed recurring motifs, or little melodies that returned on this record, which gave me a whole new appreciation of music that I already thought was amazing to begin with. Juliet Gentle, 21, Aldershot

CMAT – Euro-Country

My favourite was a vinyl copy of Euro-Country by CMAT. It is a lament of a time in Ireland when we thought there would be no end to the prosperity – the Celtic Tiger. How wrong we were and how well Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson captures the highs and lows of that era in a poppy, heartfelt non-nostalgic way. A pure joy. Ger Thunder, Dublin, Ireland

Loyle Carner – Hopefully!

The songwriting is certainly the gem of this project; parenting and its dynamic with being an artist are major themes, and Carner impresses yet again with the rawness of his words. There are highs and lows that show the beauty and joy of being a father, while also revealing the doubt and self-criticism that arise after we forget that this is our first time on this rodeo, too. The instrumentals complement the message beautifully, creating a rich and wonderful soundscape: smooth and soft breakbeats, hints of synths, and dreamy pianos chirping in at all the right moments. It’s quite pleasing to listen to. Akram, 23, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Jerskin Fendrix – Once Upon a Time… in Shropshire

For his second album, Joscelin Dent-Pooley crafted a beautifully emotional masterpiece that weaves nostalgia for simpler childhood times with current grief and future anxiety. The sound is both baroque and folksy, simple and complex, from the wonderful opening salvo of Beth’s Farm to the skronky skat of Jerskin Fendrix Freestyle, to the sadness-cracked baritone of Mum & Dad. It’s no wonder he is Yorgos Lanthimos’s go-to man for his soundtracks. That it all holds together as a cohesive and involving whole is a masterful tightrope walk. The emotional heft is deeply personal but also universal, celebrating family, friendship and the wonders of life should you take the time to look around. Tom Bristow, 49, Blandford Forum, Dorset

Black Country, New Road – Forever Howlong

Every time these guys have released an album it’s been my album of the year – which never happens: not even Björk managed that. I love that they’ve changed style again and now sound almost nothing like the band from For the First Time. I love the harmonies. I love how hard the songs hit once they hit. I love watching a band grow. I love how even now, I can hear new bits in the songs. I want to be friends with this band but I’m not cool enough. James, Croydon

Big Thief – Double Infinity

Double Infinity cemented itself to my soul and became the soundtrack to my trip of a lifetime to Minneapolis. It slotted into a retro 70s houseboat on the Mississippi, it cheered along to No Kings day. Adrianne Lenker’s voice is treacle, reminding me of how precious love is. I felt loved by Minneapolis and I only need to hear the first few bars of this album to be immediately transported back there. Sue Cattanach, 65, Brighton

Oklou – Choke Enough

Oklou’s Choke Enough has been my No 1 ever since I first heard it. It’s the album I keep going back to. So catchy, so joyously uplifting, I’m never not in the mood for it. Highlights include ICT, the greatest song ever about an ice-cream truck, and Harvest Sky, a witchy dancefloor-filling banger. Chloe, 40, Perth, Australia

YHWH Nailgun – 45 Pounds

I was reading Pitchfork’s weekly album summary and they described the use of rototom on this record, I immediately knew I had to listen to it. I turned it on in the kitchen, and my wife immediately asked: “What is this crap?” The album is beautiful and the percussion is so wild. Just when you think you’ve caught the rhythm it all collapses in on itself. I saw them at Green Man in the summer, and it’s impossible to dance to, but there were some young kids singing along to every unintelligible word ... Matt Jollands, 40, Taunton