Nite Songs Top 75 Albums of 2025 - Part 1 (75-61)
Okay, here we go, the Top 75 Albums of 2025 for Nite Songs starts here. This was originally going to be a Top 70 the same as last year until I realised I could fit fifteen labels into the box and, given there were a few that I thought were very unlucky to miss out on the list, I decided what the heck. So let's get this show on the road.
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75. THE WYTCHES - "Talking Machine"
The obvious template for Brighton natives the Wytches is the early noughties fuzzed up vein of garage rock that gave us the likes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club et al and Talking Machine, their fifth album, veers between scuzzy pedal-to-the-metal defiance and more mid-paced introspective moments. If there's a fault here, it's that it is a bit front-loaded with the latter tracks kind of losing fire a bit but at their best, the Wytches have got that sort of effortless low-slung cool about them that many aspire to but few can truly reach.
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74. GOLEM DANCE CULT - "Shamanic Faultlines"
In this day and age, it's always heartening to see a group still dedicated to keeping the spirit of classic '80s goth alive and Aussies Golem Dance Cult are very much this year's representatives. The touchstones here aren't really anything you won't have heard before (Bauhaus and the Sisters of Mercy principally) but at least these guys do it with a suitably menacing energy that'll leave you more than ready to cue this one up again for another listen.
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You certainly wouldn't guess upon listening to this album by Lincoln rockers It's Karma It's Cool that it was the work of a band on their debut album. Blending an accomplished musicianship with a deft ear for a catchy hook, you'll hear echoes of everyone from the Foo Fighters to Feeder here but in a much more down to earth setting with the title track and 21st Century Meds being particular standouts.
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72. CMAT - "Euro Country"
This then will be the token album every year that nearly everyone seemed to think I should listen to and then I did and, possibly because I'd hyped it up so much in my brain, it inevitably ended up being a disappointment. However, on revisiting it a few times since, I won't deny that it's starting to grow on me and there's every chance that if I revisit this year's list come the end of 2026 (as I may just have done with 2024's list the other week natch) then it'll be a bit higher up. There's a disarming mix of honesty and playfulness in the adult-pop-country which is CMAT's stock in trade and there's enough here to show that her meteoric rise this year is definitely no fluke.
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Someone order a grunge revival? No? Well tough, you're getting one anyway. Owing a definite nod to L7 and Mudhoney with a slight post-punk influence in there as well, the likes of Over Again and Are You Okay? You're Happy mark this out as a strong debut from these Wolverhampton natives and shows that there's no reason to suggest they can't go from strength to strength as they grow.
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Songs For The Lonely is an intriguing beast - an album which tips its hat to classic '60s rock but chucks in a psychedelic twist to it to keep things interesting. Manchester's Winter Green may be veterans of the scene (this is their fifth album) but they're definitely a band with a knack for a tune that sticks in your head as evidenced by the likes of recent single Man On The Bench.
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68. GHOST - "Skeleta"
Skeleta is, as you would expect from Ghost, a brilliantly ridiculous album. Cheesier than a fondue warehouse, it sees the ghoulish rockers coming on like some sort of bizarre cross between Whitesnake and My Chemical Romance on the likes of Satanized and Marks of the Evil One. So why, you may well ask, isn't it a bit higher up this list? Well, the truth is that there's been a couple of other albums this year which have kind of done the same thing but better and we'll be coming to them in due course. But certainly, Ghost's army of ghouls won't be disappointed by this offering.
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67. IDLEWILD - "Idlewild"
Put it down to this writer's vintage but I still have trouble sometimes coming to terms with Idlewild in their more mid-paced middle-aged guise. But this self-titled effort might just be Roddy Woomble and co's best effort for a while. It's reminiscent of Waterfront era Simple Minds but in a good way with the chiming guitars and skyscraping choruses showing that although they're almost unrecognisable from the group some of us fell in love with a quarter of a century ago (jeez, that makes me feel old), they still have plenty to say.
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There's something about this debut album from Mancunian indie types Autocamper that reminds me a lot of the Wedding Present with its jangly but abrasive guitars and have-a-go attitude. There's a hint of the Vaselines in here with the boy/girl vocal harmonising on tracks like Again. A genuinely charming album which could, all being well, be the start of something big for this group.
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65. THE LONG DECLINE - "Moribundiing"
I think if there's one thing you wouldn't have put down for 2025, it was a revival of Television Personalities indebted DIY indie and the Long Decline definitely fall into that category with their endearingly shambolic take on '80s alternative. This is, however, an experienced band with three decades under their belt and links to post-punk originals Subway Sect and Alternative TV. Maybe a bit of an acquired taste but there's something fun about this album and I'd say it's definitely worth a listen.
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64. THE CHARLATANS - "We Are Love"
First album in eight years from the Madchester/Britpop veterans and happy to report the tank shows no signs of running dry on this evidence. Built on the rock solid foundations that we've come to know this band for, you can see songs like For The Girls, You Can't Push The River and Glad You Grabbed Me becoming firm favourites in the live arena. It's good to still have them with us.
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63. THE WILDHEARTS - "Satanic Rites of the Wildhearts"
Sigh...okay, here goes, so you may well be asking why perennial Nite Songs favourites the Wildhearts, are so far down the list this year. First up, it's not a bad reflection on the new members - in fact I'd actually say the musicianship on Satanic Rites... is pretty damn sound. Pretty much a straight continuation of the experimental vein of the Wildhearts' previous effort 21st Century Love Songs, although there are times where it meanders a bit, there's still a few belters which are well worth a listen (let's be honest, we wouldn't expect anything less from Ginger) and Troubadour Moon, I'll Be Your Monster and especially the ripping Kunce are proof that the songwriting fire most definitely hasn't gone out. This new line-up definitely has it in them to produce a quality Wildhearts album, it's just that Satanic Rites... isn't quite it. But the good bits are still well worth a listen.
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61. AN SLUA - "Sure Look Like It"
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And there we go, Part 1 done. Tune back in later today for the next ten on the list.
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