Drowned in Sound· Staffel 4· Folge 1
Albums of the Year: Emma Wilkes & Sean Adams Pick Their Standouts
Montag, 8. Dezember 2025 · 50 min
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Shownotes
It’s that time again: lists, arguments, consensus (or lack of it). So.. how do we choose an ultimate “Album of the Year’?
In this episode, Emma Wilkes joins Sean Adams to talk through their favourite albums of 2025. No this is not the definitive list, not the ‘right’ list, just the stuff that has stuck, been obsessed over, demanded repeat listens, or just briefly rearranged their internal wiring.
They also talk openly about the collapse of monoculture, the impossibility of ‘keeping up’, and why criticism still matters amongst the fractured scenes, algorithmic bubbles, and overwhelming volume of new music to choose from.
This is not so much a ranked list and more as two very online music obsessives trying to map a year that refuses to be summarised.
The Drowned in Sound podcast is presented in partnership with Qobuz, the pioneering high-quality music streaming and download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles. Each week we curate playlists on Qobuz, featuring our favourite records, artists, and the themes we explore on the show.
Visit drownedinsound.org/playlists to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at qobuz.com/dis.
Edited by:
Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio (dubbleaudio.com)
Chapters
– Hayley Williams and the case for a bold AOTY
– Emma’s pick: The Callous Daoboys and joyful heaviness
– Grassroots venues, noise scenes, and Atlanta’s rise
– Introducing Emma Wilkes: rock, metal & Kerrang!
– Why heavy music needs catharsis, humour, and chaos
– Hardcore’s new era and the crossover wave
– The collapse of monoculture in 2025
– Discovery fatigue and the algorithm problem
– Model/Actriz, grief albums, and theatrical noise
– Heartworms and the art of gothic storytelling
– Ska, cowbells, and unexpected nostalgia
– Honourable mentions: Lambrini Girls, Wolf Alice, Nova Twins
– Hayley Williams’ political arc and southern identity
– Easter eggs, vocal shifts, and how fans decode albums
– Allyship, perspective, and storytelling in pop
– Production notes: Efterklang, Daniel James & sonic detail
– Why music criticism still matters
– Emma’s Top 10: heavy, emotional, ambitious
– Sean’s curveballs: Postcards, DARKSIDE & more
– So… who really made Album of the Year?
Albums mentioned:
• Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party
• The Callous Daoboys - I Don't Want to See You in Heaven
• Backxwash - Only Dust Remains
• Kathryn Joseph - We Were Made Prey
• FKA twigs - Eusexua Afterglow
• Ethel Cain - Perverts
• Model/Actriz - Pirouette
• Alan Sparhawk - With Trampled by Turtles
• Heartworms - Glutton for Punishment
• Die Spitz ‧ Something to Consume
• Little Simz - Lotus
• Lily Allen - West End Girl
• The Mynabirds - It's Okay To Go Back If You Keep Moving Forward
• Wolf Alice - The Clearing
• Turnstile - Never Enough
• Addison Rae - Addison
• Sharon Van Etten - Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory
• Marissa Nadler - New Radiations
• Nova Twins - Parasites & Butterflies
• Anna von Hausswolff - Iconoclasts
• Sudan Archives - The BPM
• Horsegirl - Phonetics On and On
• JADE - THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY!
• Dave - The Boy Who Played the Harp
• Garbage - Let All That We Imagine Be the Light
• Scowl - Are We All Angels
• Postcards - Ripe
• DARKSIDE - Nothing
• Jools - Violent Delights
• Witch Fever - Fevereaten
• Deafheaven - Lonely People with Power
• Lambrini Girls - Who Let The Dogs Out
• Sprints - All That Is Over
• Pinkshift - Earthkeeper
• Creeper - Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death
• Melody’s Echo Chamber - Unclouded
• HEALTH - CONFLICT DLC
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