My 10 most listened to albums of October 2025
Turns out writing is a lot harder than it seems. I've had a review of choke enough in my drafts for the past month now, and yet I can't bring myself to publish it because I can't even begin to put into words how I feel about that album. So instead, I figured I'll delve into some stuff I've been listening to recently and provide some context as to how I came across it, what about it inspires or excites me, and some other thoughts or memories tied to it. This is based on my last.fm stats of the month and are ordered according to those numbers and not by preference. Here we go!
10: Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party - Hayley Williams
I fear I am not parasocially obsessed with Hayley Williams enough to understand some of the deeper lore behind these songs that makes long time fans of hers drop to their knees in Walmart when they hear the lyrics. But it's safe to say you don't need to in order to resonate with the music and find something relatable within it (aside from "Mirtazapine", that medicine made me experience nothing but unbridled rage for 7 days straight, but glad it worked for at least one of us).
Releasing the album initially as 17 singles was an insane power move. It was interesting to try and construct a track list from the pieces and I ended up initially following one of the fan made ones, so when the album properly released it was a little disorienting to hear the tracks in a different order - felt like I was playing the album on shuffle. I think more artists should toy with listener's expectations like this and give art a brief period to speak for itself rather than create an expectation for the listener to attach themselves to one standout track on the record. It feels like the inverse of what Billie Eilish accomplished with the release of Hit Me Hard and Soft in 2024, where she released no singles for the album (although it would have had a stronger impact had she not teased a few songs through Coachella and social media, but these were only really received through social media channels rather than professional releases).
That being said, I will mention my personal standout track on this record is "True Believer" - and if you haven't watched her live performance of this on Jimmy Fallon, go watch it NOW. The warped and distorted piano notes provide a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere while Hayley paints a picture of the zombified remnants of her hometown that has been lost to gentrification, while commenting on the South's history with racism and violence masked under the guise of Christianity and American patriotism. It is bleak, yet tinged with hope for the future as Hayley calls herself a "true believer" - meaning that she still has faith in the city of Nashville, and also will callout the Christians who weaponize their "beliefs" to justify their prejudiced actions and behavior, despite it being so starkly opposite from everything Christianity was founded on. This track is moving, brave, and incredibly important during our current political climate.
9: Lifetime - Erika de Casier
Spoiler Alert: there's going to be a lot of Trip Hop or Trip Hop influenced records in this post. After FKA Twig's released the track "Cheap Hotel" last month AND my Ray of Light obsession bleeding over from this summer, I've been on the search for more Trip Hop influenced music. This came to be from the recommendation of both last.fm and social media. I was unfamiliar with Erika's work and found myself putting this record on while trying to focus or relax. Admittedly despite it being so high up on my list of albums I had in rotation this October, I'm still at a point where some of the tracks blur together and I haven't been able to single too many out. This isn't because the album is repetitive or not innovative, moreso I need to spend more time with it listening critically rather than having as background music.
But even as background music, I've found this album to be so interesting sonically. The kind of record you'd play just before bedtime to try and wind down and release the tensions from the day that have begun to build up. The standout track for me is "December". It feels so delicate and intimate, Erika's vocals feel like ASMR and tickle my brain in the way that those head scratcher toys do. I also found myself liking "You Got It!" and "The Chase". I'd like to revisit this album and believe with enough time I will have a lot more to say about it.
8: Vanities - Malibu
I work in podcasting for my day job, so for the longest time I wouldn't be able to listen to music while working because I was so afraid I'd miss something critical while editing. But with time as I've begun to trust myself and my clients and become more comfortable with the process, I've slowly begun to introduce ambient music to my work sessions because I am an iPad baby who cannot fathom the idea of experiencing one thing at a time.
I found this record through twitter and was intrigued by the positive reviews on Album of the Year so I dove into it and WOW. If ambient music isn't really your shtick, I feel like this could be a good starting point. First off, I love the album art, something about it perfectly encapsulates the vibes of this album. Maybe its the lighting and colors, maybe its the way her back is turned to the viewer as she looks down out the window, maybe its both, I don't know. Second off, this album made me experience a brief moment of delusion in which I was convinced that I needed to deprive myself of all material belongings and move to Antarctica. After doing some research and learning how logistically difficult it was to get to Antarctica (both because the selection process is very...selective...and it is on the opposite side of the planet), I opted for the second best option - Alaska. I was then informed by my friends that it was ludicrous to believe that I could survive in the wintery tundra of the remote Alaskan mountains as someone who cannot be away from instagram for more than 12 hours. But damn if this album didn't make me believe I could.
I wouldn't pick out any specific tracks here as a standout. I would listen to this record front to back in one sitting, ideally in the dark and ESPECIALLY while we're in the colder months.
7: Talkie Walkie - Air
This is one of those albums thats just objectively good and definitely the oldest on this list (though not going back that far, being released in 2004). I was inspired to visit this after growing a bit of an affinity for "Cherry Blossom Girl". I had been thinking of Charli's performance of this song with Air live at We Love Green. Air had been on my list of artists to listen to, I've had Moon Safari saved in my Apple Music library for years now and only recently came around to visiting it. Unfortunately, on first listen Moon Safari didn't stick with me nearly as much as I expected it to. But thankfully Talkie Walkie hit the spot.
I'm so fascinated by how timeless this record feels, had it been released this year I wouldn't have thought twice. Not on this list but in my top 25 albums of October 2025 is Big city life by Smerz, who feel like the weird child of Air and Beach House. Of course "Cherry Blossom Girl" is my standout for this album, but I also found myself enjoying the whimsy of "Universal Traveler" and the grittiness of "Surfing on a Rocket". Even though Cherry Blossoms aren't in season in October, something about this song feels so true to the fall season and fits right into the vibes this month has been curating.
6: She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She - Chelsea Wolfe
This album was a VERY PLEASANT SURPRISE to come across this month. My friend had told me to listen to Chelsea Wolfe back in March when I was yearning for music that scratched the same itch as "Punish" by Ethel Cain. Unfortunately, I forgot - sorry! But this album came across my radar after someone on twitter identified it as Trip Hop (as we know, I was on the search...) but even so I feel this album taps into something so much darker and gloomier than any of the Trip Hop records I've been exposed to.
This album finds the perfect balance between sludgy and delicate - Chelsea's vocals switch between hauntingly beautiful descants and gritty, dirty, bouts of rage. These are complimented with instrumentals juxtaposing high pitched delicate piano notes with rich, deep, and dark guitars drawing from metal influence, and maybe even a little bit of shoegaze. Listening to this during "spooky season" felt so fitting, especially considering the schematics of what makes the soundtracks for horror music so scary. It's common to see composers utilize sounds on the extreme ends of the frequency spectrum (very high pitched or very low pitched). By leaving room open in the mid range, it creates a blank space where we normally find familiarity with the human voice and human experience, inciting fear as we are exposed to nothing but the unknown. And yet in this record, Chelsea's vocals pierce through and act as the grounding force amid the soundscape. I ended up describing it to my friends as "Evanescence for adults".
My two standout tracks on this are "Tunnel Lights" and "Salt". No additional notes there. Just go listen and enjoy the brooding.
5: After EP 2 - After
This is the best EP of the year and that's inarguable. There has been such a strong push for 2000s era nostalgia as we get deeper into the 2020's - the people yearn for frutiger aero! And I would argue that the only other artist who is accomplishing representing the frutiger aero aesthetic sonically is PinkPantheress. This EP feels like the other side of the same coin, while PinkPantheress tackles the aesthetic from an EDM perspective, this record taps into the more acoustic side of things while still maintaining a few electronic elements. After all, the internet boomed in the early 2000s, we need a couple of synths in there.
I would liken this to something like Michelle Branch or Nelly Furtado, with a hint of Avril Lavigne coming through on a track like "Baroque". It's really hard to pin down a standout track because every track on this record delivers. The production, vocals, lyrics, and vibes are a perfect time capsule of the nostalgia it yearns to recreate. Opposite of Talkie Walkie, if you had told me this album was released in 2004, I would have believed you. The only track to me that falls somewhat short is "Close Your Eyes", and this is saying that that track is a 9 out of 10 on an album with 9.5 or 10 out of 10s.
I had read a review about this album that really stuck with me, saying that this is the type of music Taylor Swift could be making if she wasn't afraid to branch out. I do think that while lead singer Justine Dorsey stands out in her own lane, I can hear how one would pair the two artists together. So I encourage the Swifties who felt lost with The Life of a Showgirl to visit this album and see if that comparison rings true. I'm genuinely curious!
4: a.s.o - a.s.o
Ok my bad, despite this record being so high this might also be getting the Erika de Casier treatment - a great record that I'm sure with a few more listens I would have more to say about it. I found this record through twitter during my search for more Trip Hop and ultimately wasn't disappointed. I genuinely enjoyed this record and was able to isolate tracks as favorites, but THE STANDOUT track of not just this record, but of this whole list, is "My Baby's Got It Out For Me".
This is one of those songs that haunts my brain and is constantly creeping up on me. I would argue this is probably my favorite Trip Hop song I've ever listened to. Every time I listen to it I feel like I discover new layers to it and it scratches so many itches. The bass booms compliment the downtempo drums and vocals drowned in reverb while they dreamily repeat the title as the main hook. And yet the real highlight is the guitars. GOD it's so luscious. I am obsessed with how the distortion, brightness, and spaciness of the guitars contrasts with the bass. I can't even begin to put it into words properly, but this track alone is what ranked this album so high on my list. I was also a fan of the tracks "Rain Down" and "Falling Under".
3: Through The Wall - Rochelle Jordan
Rochelle Jordan has been making hits for a while so it doesn't surprise me that she's on this list, but I'm so happy she's finally getting her well deserved flowers. I found Rochelle Jordan through her track "Love You Good" while constructing my "delicate ladies and dnb" playlist back in 2021. And here we are with what might be the dance bible of 2025.
It brings me so much joy to see so many artists this year highlight the importance of freedom of expression. Records like FKA Twigs' Eusexua, Tyler, the Creator's Don't Tap the Glass, and Joey Valence & Brae's Hyperyouth act as love letters to dancing, partying, clubbing, letting loose, and being authentic. In the age of social media surveillance, dancing and revelry have turned into a lost art as people fear being made into a social media trend. They fear being individualized and made into an example. But records like this remind us of the power music has to bring people together and experience joy, no matter the circumstances in the micro and macro lens. Music is protest, music is joy, and music is freedom. I think about how ever since I went to see Machinedrum by myself on a whim in 2021, I found I prefer to go to concerts alone, and I always encourage people to do the same. Because when the lights go down and the artist comes out, and everyone is dancing and singing alone, it stops being about just you. And thats why records like this are more than just a collection of groovy tracks for you to dance to - they're a protest of surveillance culture. They're a call to return to form. And they are so so so important in this day and age.
If you are a fan of house music, I think theres a song on this record for everyone. The run of tracks starting with "Ladida" through "Doing It Too" mimic the feeling of being in the club and starting to vibe, and eventually loosening up and not caring about anyone or anything but the music. When the chorus hits in "Doing It Too" I feel a type of euphoria that almost brings tears to my eyes. It's the peak of the moment in a club where everything clicks and falls into sync. Nothing but the DJ and the dancefloor matters. It really is one of those "girl who's gonna be okay" ass tracks. And I know I keep talking about freedom but I don't think theres a better word to describe this record. Lastly, as a DnB head, I have to shout out "Words to Say". Gahd DAMN.
2: Bodhiria - Judeline
I found this record on reddit after having a borderline mental breakdown about how much I love how Billie Eilish loves Oklou and I either need them to collab or I need Billie to make a record like choke enough (or at least do a cover of blade bird). I've struggled to find another record that gives me the same feelings that choke enough does, but while digging through r/oklou I found someone recommend this as a good starting point.
Judeline feels like the intersection between Oklou and Rosalía, which seems pretty easy to say as she also hails from Spain. Her music, like Rosalía, toys with flamenco influences and even has some Arab elements. In her more delicate moments, she mimics the lush synths and gliding vocals seen within Oklou's music.
While I enjoyed tracks like "INRI" and "angelA", I found myself a bigger fan of some of the more mellow tracks on this record, including "Heavenly", "Es Dios bueno o sólo es poderoso", and most notably "mangata". I love when a language has a word that can't be directly translated into anything else because it embodies such a specific feeling or experience. The word mångata is borrowed from Swedish, meaning "the roadlike reflection of moonlight on water", combining the words "måne" (moon) and "gata" (street). This song does an excellent job of conveying this experience both sonically and lyrically. I want to talk about how "hauntingly beautiful" this song is but I've already said that about (now) 3 different songs in this. But remember, writing is hard, and it's a review for October, so I guess that's fitting. Just give it a listen, pop open google translate if you don't speak Spanish.
1: The BPM - Sudan Archives
If someone had asked me what music defined what the mid 2020s sounds like, I would tell them to listen to this album. I don't think I have heard anything like this and listening to this album excites me so much and I think will act as a major stepping stone towards the future of pop and its intersection with EDM. This year has been an incredible year for black women in electronic music especially and I would argue this record is up there along with Rochelle Jordan as some of the bests this year.
A wide variety of genres are explored throughout this record, including house, experimental hip hop, jersey club, baltimore club, afrobeats, and more. I would again say that there is a track for everyone on this record, with my favorite being "DEAD". I think this perfectly preps the listener for what they're about to dive into. There's also something so satisfying about the "1234 UH" that comes at the end. And let me tell you, everyone who didn't like "MS. PAC MAN" just DOES NOT GET IT. God forbid a girl wants to get a little weird on the track! And she delivered!
I'm also so fascinated by the use of strings throughout this record. Brittney Parks (the mastermind behind the Sudan Archives name) is a trained violinist, and there are many instances throughout the record where string arrangements shine through. Paired with dark, driving beats and bass that transports the listener to the depths of a Berlin nightclub, the strings add lift and space to the record, almost acting as a natural reverb. The combination of the two create a unique sonic experience combining the modern with the historic, the synthetic with the acoustic, and abrasiveness with gentleness.
This puts Sudan Archives on the map as a defining figure for the future, as we are seeing a big rise in strings being incorporated in popular music. Rosalía's highly anticipated album LUX is set to release this Friday, with the lead single "Berghain" prominently featuring strings courtesy of the London Symphony Orchestra. Charli xcx has also mentioned her affinity for string arrangements and her desire to incorporate more in works to follow Brat. We can already see her toying with these ideas on the track "Everything is romantic".
While I'd argue this record is another contender for "dance album designed to inspire feel good memories on the dancefloor" like Through The Wall and others listed in that section, the way this record pushes the envelope and touches on familiarity only enough to draw the listener in, but forces them to come outside the box and experience something new, is what makes this record unique. Because yes, while we are in a time where freedom of expression and unfettered joy is necessary, it's also necessary to push the boundaries of the system and challenge the status quo. While many albums nowadays are trying to recreate something from the past, this album seeks to define the future. It has had enough of nostalgia and looking back, it looks forward and innovates in ways that future generations will look back to as a marker for what makes electronic music in the mid 2020s so great.
Closing
And there's that! I wrote this entire thing in one sitting fun fact, I have been craving yapping about my music and know that there have been people who have been interested in hearing my thoughts about what I've been listening to so I hope this was a pleasant read and inspires you to check out some of these records, all of them are fantastic and I think there is something for everyone to enjoy. Happy listening :)