Another round of breakthrough releases, long-awaited returns, and under-the-radar surprises—from Patterson Hood to Deep Sea Diver—that shaped the year in music.
Good morning!
Today we’re taking a look at part two of On Repeat Records’ Top Albums of 2025
We’re back with part two of On Repeat’s picks as the best records of 2025 so far. If you missed Part 1,you can check it outhere.
Some of these we’ve talked about before, and I’ve included excerpts from previous reviews and links to the full(er) ones if you’d like to check ’em out. Things’ll wrap up next week when I’ll join Sam Jami and Steve for our Best Records of 2025 Extravaganza. It’ll be the best “Best Of” recap you read this year. Okay, so that’s a little hyperbolic, but in these trying times we’re allowed some license, no? Really, I’m just stoked that I get to join them again for another go. I think you’ll dig it too.
Anyway.
I’ve touched on how music discovery has changed a lot lately, and to state the obvious, the Internet has helped all of us gain access to records we might otherwise never have heard. There are pros and cons to that, but in aggregate, I think our lives are richer for it. Some of these records came via word of mouth, but a lot of them came from places that would’ve felt like something out of a sci-fi novel not all that long ago. Zines? Sure, but I can only imagine 20-year-old me looking askance at someone talking about “Discord Servers” or Bandcamp.
In my head, I’m still that over-caffenated, excitable guy at the table at Quality Pie, Sharis, or wherever, playing hype man for any given record. I’m a card-carrying suburban dad now, but I hope that’s the vibe that comes through on these lists.
There’s a little bit of everything here—that’s just how I’m wired. I’m happy to talk about the ersatz rubric I tell myself I use when evaluating any release, but the common denominator is this: If it made the list, I found it exceptional. Once these found their way to my ears, they rarely left heavy rotation. Some kept me awake serenaded me on my 3:30 AM commute; others helped make Saturday mornings more enjoyable. Almost without exception, I think I’ve made a solid case for why you’ll dig these (you’ll just have to trust me with Deep Sea Diver). I hope so, anyway. I like yapping about records, but the goal is—and remains—finding you a new favorite or two.
Now on to the music…
Patterson Hood-Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams
All good things in time. It’s taken Hood a dozen(ish) years to follow up Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance, but it’s worth the wait. Hood, of course, has a second job as co-founder of The Drive-By Truckers keeping him busy.
His fourth solo record finds him in a reflective spot and revisiting his past. For example, the gorgeous, spare opener “Exploding Trees” is about a storm he experienced as a kid. He’s also brought friends along for the ride, including fellow Alabaman Waxahatchee, Wednesday, and Kevin Morby. On Repeat fave Lydia Loveless joins him on “A Werewolf and a Girl.”
This is an intentionally (?) low-key record made by a guy at a point in life where there’s is plenty of “past’ to mine. Records like this are hard to pull off, but Hood hits the right marks here.
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Kevin Sent 