The Best Albums of January 2025
Monthly roundups start here and now. Plus: Where to find other new music roundups, a playlist of 2025's best tracks, and this month's record giveaway.
In this post…
From Now On, We Round Up Monthly
I never intended for New Bands for Old Heads to be a source of the freshest, hottest, most up-to-the-minute takes on brand new releases.
If I did my job right, and you’re here because you’ve been out of touch with new music for a while, then it doesn’t make much difference to you if I’m recommending an album that came out last year or last week. In other words, I try not to stress over use-by dates.
Regardless, whether or not you need to set your alarm to new release calendars, it happens to be an occupational hazard for me. It would be a shame to leave all of that effort for my year-end lists, no?
So, I’ll make you a deal.
I’ll give in and do monthly music roundups from now on, but it’ll (mostly) be an extra for paid subscribers (with a deep paywall).
This one is the first of 2025.
(Don’t worry; any “Best Album of the Year”-type posts will be available to all.)
The Best Albums of January 2025
**If Bandcamp links don’t play inline, please try on a browser instead of the Substack app, or try on desktop.**
I don’t rank; albums are listed in alphabetical order.
doseone & Steel Tipped Dove - All Portrait, No Chorus (A third of the legendary cLOUDDEAD is back with NYC beatmaker for the likes of billy woods and ELUCID to answer the question we’ve all been dying to know: What would happen if Tom Waits and Smeagol decided to team up and start a hip hop career? Standout track: Wasteland Embrace)
Ela Minus - DÍA (This Colombian-born, jazz-trained artist is making dark, synth-laden dance-pop. You’ll hear a heavy dose of Björk, but also Austra, The Knife, and Radiohead. Standout track: IDOLS)
Everyone Says Hi - Everyone Says Hi (Debut record from a brand new band in name only — it’s made up of members from The Kaiser Chiefs, The Kooks, The Dead 60s, and Howling Bells. Catchy, acoustic-leaning pop reminds me of Ben Kweller or a more lush Wilco. Oh, and yes, it is named after the Bowie song. Standout track: Brain Freeze)
Psst… if you’re into this one, stay tuned for the record giveaway later in this post.
…the free preview ends here (click here to jump to the rest of the list).
Don’t want a paid subscription to see the rest of my favorites? No problem. You can find other curators who regularly post brand new music recommendations below, plus my ever-growing playlist of best tracks of the year.
Where to Find Free Music Roundups
Central Tendency - Best of January 2025
The Discover Tab - New Music Friday: February 7th, 2025
The Perfect Prescription - January’s Best New Releases
Recent and Decent - #58 (weekly new music playlists)
The Wax Museum - January 2025 Playlist
Playlist: Best Tracks of 2025
Another freebie for all: everyone can keep track alongside me as I bookmark all of my favorite songs throughout the year.
Also on Amazon, Apple, Tidal, and YouTube.
Okay, let’s keep going with the rest of January’s best, plus a record giveaway!
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