For the big overall winner of the 2025 Pop Music Sweepstakes, look no further than Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican artist whose latest album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” is an unabashed celebration of the musical mosaic of the Caribbean island. His selection for the Super Bowl halftime show is the clearest indication yet that America’s oligarchs have begun planning for life after Trump, and 47 won’t steal a 48.
If a subtler musical subplot is what you’re wanting, however, consider the resilience put on display by rock ’n’ roll in 2025. The genre has been declared dead more often than Keith Richards. Here are five albums that are full of life.
Wet Leg
“Moisturizer”
When the English indie rock band Wet Leg broke through with its self-titled debut album in 2022, it was the talk of the proverbial town. The record company must have sensed that all the hoopla was merely the tip of the iceberg, because the marketing team has been working overtime to sear the image of a sneering Rhian Teasdale on all our retinas during the rollout of the follow-up. It feels calculated because it is calculated. But calculation is how we landed astronauts on the moon. “Moisturizer” rips.
Alex G
“Headlights”
The jangly DIY strummer out of Philadelphia lends a plaintive air to “Headlights.” Violin accompaniment in rock songs always feels like an endgame scenario, so when the strings kick in on “Spinning,” you wonder whether there are any more hills left to climb. But Alex G is as much mood as music, and it’s a mood that his fans keep coming back to.
Water From Your Eyes
“It’s a Beautiful Place”
Deadpan artcore riffery from this Brooklyn-based outfit. Watch for unexpected tempo and tonal changes on “It’s A Beautiful Place.” Some of these transformations sound downright jazzy. Don’t worry, the caustic guitar of Nate Amos and disaffected delivery of vocalist Rachel Brown keep everything on track. Besides, jazz rocks.
Turnstile
“Never Enough”
The Baltimore outfit started out as a hardcore band. Shouty chord progressions are still a part of its DNA, even as it expand its attack into more exotic sonic vistas and refines its approach with slicker production. We’re way past the point of wringing our hands about what counts as “hardcore.” Enjoy Turnstile for what it is: relentlessly creative. When the song “Look Out For Me” morphs from hard rock to drum ’n’ bass in the second half of “Never Enough,” the album truly earns its title.
Geese
“Getting Killed”
Geese is a controversial band for people with a woefully underdeveloped notion of what constitutes genuine controversy. The latest release, “Getting Killed,” reflects the influences of the musical underground of members’ native New York City, casting back through the decades from Television to The Strokes. Cameron Winter’s bassy voice lays it on thick with heavy impasto. Not for everyone, but neither is black licorice. Geese has earned a cult following, is breaking into the mainstream and might have the longest legs of any band on this list.
A stronger
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