Almanac Music: The Best Australian Albums of 2025

 

 

 

Australian musical gems were much easier to unearth across 2025 than they were in the previous year. Over the course of the past twelve months, I listened to upwards of 130 new Australian album and extended-play (ep) releases. There was a lot of brilliant music released across many different genres, so much so that I felt this year has been easily the most difficult for me to select a top 10. Of course, not all of the music was memorable, and there were a number of albums for which it proved a chore for me to get through. (I have a self-imposed rule that I must listen to every album from start to finish, to ‘give them a chance’, but I am giving serious thought to reconsidering this).

 

Once again, I have allowed myself the indulgence of selecting a top 50, if for nothing other than allowing you, the reader, the opportunity to do a deep dive into new Australian music. I hope you enjoy reading this list as much as I did while listening to the music (and compiling it) across the past twelve months. This year I have provided a separate list of the best ep releases.

 

 

Australian album of the year-: Sons of the East – SONS.

Occasionally, an album lands in your ears that both validates your constant search for new music and validates your belief that the future of Australian music is in safe hands. SONS is one of those rare albums, a sensational collection of perfectly-formed songs. The soothing opening track ‘It’s Alright’ sets a light folky feel, featuring banjo and an easy pace. Lead singer Jack Rollins has a voice that sounds at once both smooth and gravelly, suited to the country leanings of ‘Wish I Knew’ but equally at home belting out the bouncing stadium singalong ‘Rescue Me’. Keyboardist Dan Wallage’s ballads are also a treat – I don’t think I have heard as gorgeous a ballad as ‘Head Above The Water’ in years. The trio has Americana influences, best demonstrated by the joyous ‘Pour The Wine’, a track as close to The Band as an Australian artist could be. Other highlights include the breezy ‘Oh My My’ and ‘Recognize’. The trio of Rollins, Wallage, and Nick Johnstone possesses a certain swagger: not only are they good, but I reckon they also know they are good. And that surely assists when it comes to (seemingly) effortlessly producing music of such a high standard.

Tracks to try: ‘Recognize’, ‘Head Above The Water’, ‘Rescue Me’.

 

2-: Ball Park Music – Like Love

It is hard to believe that Ball Park Music have been around for so long. They released their first album back in 2011, and have gained a massive following in the intervening years. But this has arguably been their biggest year yet, supporting Oasis on their Australian tour and releasing Like Love, their eighth album – and in my opinion, their best. I just loved this album, which was written entirely by frontman Sam Cromack, surely now in the top echelon of songwriters in this country. The opener is the slow ‘Coast Is Clear’ which gets you in the mood, beginning with an acoustic guitar and building from there. There are moments of tenderness – especially on the plaintive title track and ‘Gabrielle’. The mid-tempo tracks that are the most infectious, such as the wonderful ‘Please Don’t Move To Melbourne’ and ‘As Far as I Can Tell’. One of the highlights is the seemingly joyous ‘Pain & Love’, which has harmonies of which The Beach Boys would be proud. Indeed, harmonies are a hallmark of this record. The epic ‘Fast Forward’ (“Only love takes you/ Far away from/ Too many ideas”) is a fitting closer to an album of lyrical depth and musical mastery.

Tracks to try: ‘Please Don’t Move To Melbourne’, ‘Pain and Love’.

 

3-: Royel Otis – hickey

I was not as big a fan of last year’s Pratts and Pain as were so many other critics, but this album really finds the duo hitting their stride. This is essentially a collection of tunes about heartbreak, desire, longing, and the messiness of relationships, most of which are set to up-tempo, danceable beats which belie the often dark or sad themes in the lyrics. Try to stop bouncing to the opener ‘I Hate This Tune’ while singing the lyrics ‘You know I hate this tune/ ‘Cause I think of you/ For the love in this place/ I can never replace’! I was fortunate to see Royel Otis in October at Margaret Court Arena and the songs translated very well to a live setting.

Tracks to try: ‘who’s your boyfriend’, ‘car’.

 

4-: WILSN – Bloom

With this, her second album, Shannon Busch (aka WILSN) cements her place as one of Australia’s very best soul singers. What a voice she has, and she demonstrates its full range on this collection of original jazz/soul songs. Just listen to her belt out the torch-like ‘Waiting For You’, for example. Recorded in New York, it is brilliantly produced and arranged; the assembled session musos and backing singers are top notch, and the horns are simply a treat, really fleshing out tracks such as ‘Keep Walkin’ and ‘If You Want My Love’. I cannot wait to see her perform live.

Track to try: ‘Keep Walkin’, ‘6 Feet Deep’.

 

5-: EGOISM – And Go Nowhere

Confession: prior to listening to this album I knew very little about Sydney trio EGOISM, and was surprised that they had not previously appeared on my radar. It turns out that, following a few eps, And Go Nowhere is their first album – and what a debut it is. That the group has two singers, in Scout Eastment and Olive Rush, who share the lead duties gives them a different feel, and really interesting punch lyrically. They regularly riff off each other (‘How To Disappear’, ‘Melbourne’) over the top of jangly guitars and the occasional synthesiser. And as ‘Records In The Dark’ shows, the pace isn’t always up-tempo. With barely a false step among the generous 13 tracks, this is power pop at its finest.

Tracks to try: ‘How To Disappear’, ‘Addison Road’.

 

6-: John Butler – PRISM

Recorded with Pond multi-instrumentalist and producer James Ireland, there is a wonderful variety to the tracks on John Butler’s latest release. There is the singalong ‘Trippin On You’, the bombastic feel of ‘The Way Back’ and ‘Goin’ Solo’, while beautiful ballads such as ‘Hand In Mine’ are something at which the 50 year old Butler has always excelled. Lyrically, the songs cover the full gamut of personal emotions, including relationship difficulties, while not forgetting his well-known devotion to environmental and humanitarian causes. Despite his decades of success, I reckon John Butler is still greatly under-appreciated.

Tracks to try: ‘Trippin On You’, ‘Goin Solo’.

 

7-: Minor Gold – Way To The Sun

Their self-titled release was one of my best of 2023, and Tracy McNeil and Dan Parsons have done it again with this album full of excellent melodic folk style tunes. I doubt that many artists have toured as relentlessly as this duo over the past two years, and the chemistry developed from this constant playing certainly shines through on Way To The Sun. The songwriting is superb, and the harmonies conjure up a loose, summery, west coast Laurel Canyon vibe on tracks such as ‘Hair Hang Down’ and ‘Moonlight Silver Highway’. There is not one bad track on this album. Memorable, simple, and extremely enjoyable.

Tracks to try: ‘Pretty Peggy’, ‘Leave A Light On’.

 

8-: The Rions – Everything Every Single Day

With such a mature and tight sound, while listening to this album I found it difficult to believe that these four guys are still only in their early-20’s. The Rions pop-rock sound isn’t about bending genres or breaking rules. But it rocks enough and is lively, with an emotional depth to the lyrics, penned by singer Harley Wilson (a fine example is ‘Oh How Hard It Is To Be 20’). His voice is perfect for this style of music, at times conjuring up comparisons with Coldplay’s Chris Martin (‘Adelaide’ in particular). A most promising debut album that I have played on repeat at various stages in recent months. It will be of great interest to see just how The Rions’ develop.

Tracks to try: ‘Cry’, ‘Shut You Out’.

 

9-: Dope Lemon – Golden Wolf

I have always been slightly ambivalent about Angus and Julia Stone’s music: I have liked, rather than loved their stuff. But I have been much more appreciative of Angus Stone’s side project Dope Lemon. Golden Wolf is a cracking album that traverses a number of different genres, including folk (the opener ‘John Belushi’), through to electro-pop (‘Sugarcat’), 70’s style r&b groove (‘Electric Green Lambo’), to psychedelia (‘Dust of a Thousand Stars). But no matter where we are led, everything feels fresh and vibrant. Clever, and just superb.

Tracks to try: ‘John Belushi’, ‘We Solid Gold’.

 

10-: Floodlights – Underneath

Melbourne group Floodlights have been a favourite of mine since 2023’s excellent Painting of my Time. With Underneath, the Melbourne five-piece demonstrates that they are one of this country’s best young bands. Lead vocalist Louis Parsons’ distinctive authoritive voice will always ensure that Floodlights sound different to most others, but the tight and heavy musicianship on tracks such as ‘Cloud Away’ and ‘’ affirms their rock credentials. Sarah Hellyer’s backing vocals and trumpet (on tracks such as ‘Buoyant’) add extra layers to the band’s sound.

Tracks to try: ‘Alive (I Want to Feel)’, ‘JOY’.

 

11-: Parcels – LOVED

Funky, with plenty of variety, this is the best Parcels album yet. They are also an excellent and much-loved live band.

 

12-: The Dreggs – The Art of Uncommon Practice

This duo is going places. A wonderful follow-up to my album of the year from last year. What’s more, I saw them at the Northcote Theatre and they were excellent live.

 

13-: The Stamps – in all the ways I am

An excellent album from the Fremantle trio who have been friends since high school. With the most perfect of harmonies and the catchiest of hooks, and with different tempos throughout, this album has been overlooked by many of the so-called experts who fell over themselves to laud Folk Bitch Trio.

 

14-: Beddy Rays – Do What Ya Wanna

I’ve seen them described as ‘surf punk’, but the Beddy Rays are surely closer to straight out rock’n’roll than most bands. Rock is one category that seems a little thin on the ground in terms of new releases, but while the Beddy Rays’ second album veers toward punk on occasion, it definitely rocks from start to finish, with superb riffs and soaring guitar solos.

 

15-: The Maes – Abreast

Australian music is witnessing a boom in folk-country-acoustic style music. This is yet another excellent album in a year that has seen many fine releases in this genre (Minor Gold, The Stamps, Clews, Folk Bitch Trio). With lyrics of striking depth and clarity, sisters Maggie and Elsie Rigby harmonise beautifully.

 

16-: Bootleg Rascal – Bootleg Rascal

As a long-time fan of this duo, I was eagerly awaiting this release and was not disappointed. Always prepared to cross genres from reggae to funk to hip-hop to the perfect pop of ‘Reasons’, this album has a much more professional feel to it. This is a great jumping-off point if you are unfamiliar with these guys.

 

17-: Clews – What’s Not To Love

Sisters Lily and Grace Richardson have been performing as Clews for over seven years now, releasing a string of singles and eps across that time. Their long-awaited debut album is a mix of folk (‘Another Day’) and indie pop (‘If I Was The Sun’ and ‘You’re So Mine’), and tracks with a harder edge (‘Good For Me’). Thematically, the lyrics address various aspects of love – in a largely positive way – all enveloped in the beauty of their signature harmonies.

 

18-: Hilltop Hoods – Fall From The Light

The Adelaide trio prove that there is still some life in the old dogs yet. The seventh of their nine studio albums to hit #1, this is a strong group of songs complemented, as always, by the Hoods’ judicious use of guest vocalists. I was not into the album initially, but warmed to the brilliantly constructed tracks after repeated plays.

 

19-: Old Mervs – Old Mervs

The debut album from this West Australian duo is fun and energetic. Singer Dave House’s vocals dominate, and it can get a bit ‘samey’ toward the end, but it is nonetheless a solid and enjoyable album.

 

20-: Paul Kelly – Seventy

One does not expect the grand old man of Australian music to be re-inventing the wheel at the age of seventy. And so it is that on this album Kelly presents a bunch of tracks that are familiar, yet feel fresh. And that is some achievement for someone who has been around for so long, but it helps that Kelly’s band contains some of Australia’s best musicians (Ash Naylor, Peter Luscombe etc). I am not sure that ‘Gravy’ required a sequel, but ‘Rita Wrote A Letter’ is jaunty, the typical Kelly themes of lust and longing are in evidence (‘Don’t Give Up On Me’, ‘I Keep On Coming Back For More’), but there is also a nod toward mortality and the passing of time (‘Take It Handy’ and the beautiful ‘The Body Keeps The Score’). A record that rewards with each listen.

 

Honourable Mentions:

21-: The Cat Empire – Bird of Paradise

22-: Boy & Bear – Tripping Over Time

23-: Rum Jungle – Recency Bias (New, For Now)

24-: The Rumjacks – Dead Anthems

25-: Don West – Give Me all Your Love

26-: Close Counters – Lovers Dance Academy

27-: Babe Rainbow – Slipper Imp and Shakaerator

28-: Merpire – Milk Pool

29-: Mama Kin Spender – Promises

30-: Ocean Alley – Love Balloon

31-: Velvet Bloom – Velvet Bloom

32-: Cosmic Seeds – Brown Seeds

33-: Spacey Jane – If That Makes Sense

34-: Emily Lubitz – Two Black Horses

35-: Hands Like Houses – Atmospherics

36-: merci, mercy – Don’t Take It To Heart

37-: Liz Stringer – The Second High

38-: The Bel Air Lip Bombs – Again

39-: Melody Pool – Our Eternal Garden

40-: The Cruel Sea – Straight Into the Sun

41-: Meg Washington – GEM

42-: The Vanns – All That’s In My Head

43-: Jimmy Barnes – DEFIANT

44-: Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers – GLORY

45-: G Flip – Dream Ride

46-: Bleak Squad – Strange Love

47-: Davey Lane – Finally, A Party Record

48-: Rageflower – Infinite Highs, End of Times

49-: Fade Avare – Welcome Back

50-: Suzi – Patchwork

 

Is the ep becoming more prevalent? Possibly. And in the interests of keeping an artist’s music in the marketplace, I can see the appeal, both for artists and fans alike. The best eps:

1-: The Meltdown – Perseverance

Heavenly stuff from Melbourne’s best soul outfit. Simon Burke is a songwriter extraordinaire, and has a voice as smooth as silk.

2-: The Tullamarines – Safety Blanket

Just try to stop yourself singing along with this excellent group of power-pop tunes from an Adelaide band who are really going places.

3-: Little Quirks – The Beast

4-: Cheeky Leash – The Burrow

5-: Radio Free Alice – Empty Words

6-: Xavier Rudd – Where to Now?

7-: Fool Nelson – Bad Dreams

8-: Winter McQueen – Where Are We Now?

 

 

 

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