The best of 2025

Rolling Stone UK’s Album of the Year for 2025 is a record built around a made-up word that became a binding principle.

- BY NICK REILLY, WILL RICHARDS & RICHARD BURN

FKA TWIGS
EUSEXUA

Eusexua, to FKA twigs, feels like “when everything moves out the way, everything in your mind is completely blank and your mind is elevated”. In musical terms, it’s presented on a third album that’s a dizzying whirlwind of techno beats, pop hooks and pure euphoria. Without sacrificing one bit of her musical depth or artistry, twigs makes her most accessible record yet.

WILL RICHARDS

THE LAST DINNER PARTY
From the Pyre

There’s no signs of the feared difficult second album syndrome here. Instead, The Last Dinner Party smash that notion out of the park entirely with a record that contains songs that sound as big as the themes within them. ‘The Scythe’ is a soaring slice of arena rock, but its frank discussion of mortality could well break your heart. Arriving only 18 months after their debut record, in striking while the iron was still hot, they’ve found solid gold.

NICK REILLY

LITTLE SIMZ
Lotus

Little Simz’s latest record is one that thrives on energy, anger and needle. The greatest UK rap lyricist of a generation has some scores to settle on Lotus, and brings her friends along for the battle. Obongjayar, Michael Kiwanuka and Sampha all add new textures to the singer’s sharpened verses, while her increasingly diverse sonics set a fitting and evocative backdrop for this emotionally conflicted record. It’s Simz’s most honest and frank record yet, with power and resilience in abundance.

PULP