Hey everyone, happy holidays! I was wondering what everyone’s favorite album of 2025 was as the year is abruptly coming to an end. My favorite record this year has to be Slow Crush’s LP “Thirst”. Hoping to hear everyone’s and possibly dive into some albums I haven’t listened to yet.
Hope you all have a great holiday season!
greet death's 'die in love' was my most anticipated album of the year and it delivered in every way, absolutely outstanding work. just recently found 'LOTTO' from TAGABOW and can't put it down.
Total Wife - Come Back Down
The best, by far, how is no one talking about this album more? I get they're small but pitchfork completely ignored it
not shoegaze but i bet gaze fans would enjoy its attention to immersive texture: amor de encava by weed420. unreal record.
gazewise:
Downward 2
Animal Ghosts - Alexandra’s Band
Greet Death - Die In Love
forever ☆ - Second Gen Dream
Fawn - Paper Thin EP
fawn paper thin is such a shout i loved that record
Trevor is such a good lyricist on top of them having a kickass sound. can’t wait to see them live again
all my favorites that are at least shoegaze adjacent:
Just Mustard - ENDLESS DEATHLESS
Maria Somerville - Luster
James K - Friend
Asian Glow - 11101011100000011001110111101100100101111001000011101100100001001001 EP
Total Wife - come back down
Wednesday - Bleeds
Whirr - Raw Blue
Greet Death - Die in Love
Bleary Eyed - Easy
Money - Stovepipe
They Are Gutting a Body of Water – LOTTO
Total Wife - come back down
Glazyhaze - Sonic
Slow Crush - Thirst
Glare - Sunset Funeral
nabeel (نبيل) - ghayoom - غيوم
terraplana - natural
los membrillos - Distimia
Supertriste - Bloop
High. - Come Back Down
Fawn - Paper Thin
Dreary - Wilt
Wisp - If not winter
Cigarettes for Breakfast - Slow Motion
Vivienne Eastwood - Take care
Just missing Cloakroom- Last Leg of the human table
I really tried to love cloakroom's new album, just didn't click with me
Its definitely its own thing, but it's such a beautiful and brilliant genre bending album. Every track almost sounds like it could be from a different band. Not much at all like anything else on your already really great list of albums.
I know what you mean. Maybe it was the wrong time or mood, it might hit me at some other time.
This is quite a large list. What would you say were your top five out of these?
Whirr, greet death, slow crush, glare, TAGABOW
Dont forget Softcult
goood list, love nabeel
It was an awesome release
Blankenberge's Decisions
Forever ⭐️ - Second Gen Dream
It’s a EP but Vein Blue -Dandelion
top 3 of the year for me were:
bleeds - wednesday (has some shoegazey moments i’d say)
raspberry moon - hotline tnt
lotto - they are gutting a body of water
was lucky enough to see all 3 bands live this year, already seeing wednesday and hotline again in the early months of 2026 too
Slowwves - Perfect Evasion
hasn’t been a gazey year for me. closest thing i liked would be faetooth’s album.
Faetooth rule and so does Jeru the Damaja lol love your username
Faetooth are awesome, including that album. It's like hex metal.
I can understand most of the suggestions here. There was a bunch of fantastic albums this year. It's been a year full of Softcult singles which were ultimatley my favorite songs released this year, so I gotta note that.
Otherwise I have to go with She's Green - "Chrysalis", though it is an EP. That's an album that remains potent all the way through and over a span of time. Zofia Smith is an insane vocalist.
Yndling - "Time, Time, Time," for favorite shoegaze adjacent and album of the year!
Absolutely love Softcult, very similar sound to Slow Crush
Whirr - Raw Blue(technically a Christmas Day release 2024)
Pink Breath of Heaven - Colors Make a Sound
Bleary Eyed - Easy
Yndling - Time Time Time(I’m in the Palm of your hand)
Slowwves- Perfect Evasion Glare- Sunset Funeral Whirr- Raw Blue Pure Hex- Spilling/Five of Tear Wisp- If Not Winter
raw blue was 2024
Oh date in Spotify is wrong, my bad.
It was end of Dec 2024 and too late to go into most 24 lists. Therefore I'd make it qualify for 25
LP - blue heron holy ghost
Raw Blue - Whirr
Seeking Darkness by Huremic! Amazing side project by Korean shoegaze artist Parannoul, and I'm monumentally impressed by his ability to switch up his sound so damn much from his recently released Sky Hundred. This noisy post-rock vibe is the fucking VIBE.
For shoegaze/dreampop it’s Time Time Time (I’m In The Palm of Your Hand) by Yndling.
All genres included my AOTY is Bury The Key by TOPS
Not shoegaze but it’s caroline 2 by caroline
Total euphoria is shoegaze-ish
Superheaven - Superheaven
In shoegaze/adjacent:
TAGABOW - LOTTO
Glare - Sunset Funeral
Superheaven - Superheaven
Cloakroom - Last Leg of the Human Table
nabeel - ghayoom غيوم
nyxy nyx - Cult Classics Vol. 1
Greet Death - Die in Love
Bleary Eyed - Easy
slow quit - Fusion in Rupture
KEEP - Almost Static
Terraplana probably
Shoegaze:
Thirst by Slow Crush
Crushed by Highspire
Chrysalis EP by She's Green
Not Shoegaze:
Pirouette by Model/Actriz
Private Music by Deftones
Die in Love - Greet Death
Quiet pleasures (ep) - Glixen
How is nobody mentioning Mo Dotti - opaque
For shoegaze, either Slow Crush, Cloakroom, Yuragi, or They Are Gutting A Body Of Water (does this count? It’s more slowcore)
Slow Crush - Thirst
How.is.noone.mentioning.julie
They didn't put out a record this year
Wow I was soooo convinced maafriend came out in 2025
Shoegaze : TAGABOW - Lotto
Non shoegaze : Geese - Getting Killed
LOTTO or Raw Blue easily…Thirst was also purdy good
Either Slowvves or Wisp for me
Adding to my own comment and conceding that music from deary is maybe only showgaze-adjacent and probably not released in 2025, I really got into deary this year. Their music just seems so real and genuine to me.