This post was originally published on the Mumubl.com Newsletter. For updates and recommendations direct to your inbox don’t forget to subscribe.
Hi – It’s Dave here at Mumubl.com, welcome to our recommendation email where I give you some tips on what’s great to listen to and watch in the world of music.
It has been a quiet time here on Mumubl.com in the last year, there’s been lots going on and lots of distractions, but I’ve still managed to listen to plenty of new music, and still got so much more that I didn’t get round to listening to. So it’s March and here we are with the best of *checks calendar* 2025, for my best of the year, I did wonder if I should have just left this till April 1st given it’s been so long.
I’ve gone for a short list of 5 again leaving out some great albums and some that I thoroughly expected to turn up here initially.
As I’ve done in previous years I’ll caveat that these aren’t necessarily the “best” albums of the year, they’re my favourite and amongst the ones I’ve listened to most out of the albums I listened to in 2025.
Read on and hopefully find something new to enjoy – and don’t just let my brief spiel shift your view either way, go and give them a listen and decide for yourself.
As always – tell all your friends – every little share helps
Thanks!
Dave
In this edition
Rosalia / K-Pop Demon Hunters / Bon Iver / Circa Waves / Soulwax / MUMUBL.COM
Rosalia – Lux
You have likely heard of this album if you have any part of your finger on the pulse of the music world. It’s one I keep recommending to people for the simple fact it’s easy to dismiss and overlook. A Spanish language singer with a flamenco background who has recorded an album with classical roots with the London Symphony Orchestra and it includes 13 different languages, oh and lot of it is about God and spirituality. It’s very easy to read that and for lots of people go “nah, not my thing”. But you should give it a listen.
It is partly mad, it’s epic, it’s a driving soundscape of classical music fused with pop and flamenco and so much more. It soars, it bounces, it feels huge.
Having now got the vinyl I’m told I’m supposed to listen in a darkened room with headphones whilst reading along with the lyrics. It’s not always that demanding a listen but it is a worthy and interesting one. You might not find everything enjoyable and to your taste but you may at least find something and something interesting at least.
K-Pop Demon Hunters
I am a Dad, I have endured some absolute nonsense from my kids listening habits and they have hammered my Spotify wrapped by virtue of the Alexa in the kitchen being linked to my account. But this was a joyous revelation. I had heard whispers of the phenomenon that the, now Oscar winning, film had become and decided I’d probably never engage with it. Then the kids got involved and the requests for car journeys moved on to K-Pop demon hunters and it wormed it’s way in. The breadth of vocal range of Golden, the infectiousness of Soda Pop – by the time I got around to seeing the film (sing along version with the kids at the cinema) I knew most of the words and adding the context in was refreshing.
This is pop, pure and simple enjoyable pop music, done well, done brilliantly in fact. Full of ear worms, just let yourself go to it and be glad your kids have moved on from nursery rhymes.
Bon Iver – SABLE fABLE
So we move on from the pop realm (can Lux be called pop? Possibly not) to everyone’s favourite indie darling, collaborator extraordinaire Justin Vernon, or Bon Iver as he writes and performs. Since bursting onto the scene in 2007 with his written in a cabin heart break release of “For Emma, Forever Ago” Bon Iver has long been a favourite of mine. Melancholic atmospheric indie singer songwriting at it’s best. “22, A Million” was then a departure, or at least a slight side step, that worked for me by taking base Bon Iver to a slightly different more electronic, experimental, environment. But SABLE fABLE, is probably his best yet.
Generally released to good reviews, the one bad one I read criticised it for not being as good as Prince, which is a weirdly specific reference and one that left me wondering if I’d missed something about the blurb.
It’s very much an album of two sides, a slow first half of lament, longing and reflection gives way to a side two of more upbeat positive and hopeful atmosphere. All superbly crafted it is an album that is well worth enjoying as it’s full self and not just in song sized chunks, even if they do all stand up very well on their own.
Circa Waves – Death & Love
Yes, we do have a Strokes-y sounding indie band on this years list, no it isn’t New Yorkers Geeese. It is Liverpool’s own Circa Waves. Strangely dropping an album as part 1 in January and following up with the same tracks plus a few more as the full album in October. I’m told it’s a double album but just released in two bits.
Mostly it is a straight forward sounding indie record, unlike a number of entries on this years list it isn’t pushing crazy musical boundaries or cultural zeitgeists, it’s just enjoyable guitar indie rock.
Opening with “American Dream”, a track about leaving Liverpool for New York the album meanders from catchy guitar riffs to occasional slow and uplifting. It isn’t ground breaking but by the bands own admission that wasn’t what they were trying to do. Put it on and enjoy it for what it is not what you want it to be. Then listen to it again because it’s an album that grows well with familiarity.
Soulwax – All Systems are lying
Soulwax return with their first album in a long time, leaning on the electronic music of post 2000’s Soulwax than the more guitar sound of 90s Soulwax, I’ll be honest I prefer the latter with “Much against everyone’s advice” being my favourite of the band’s studio albums. If you count their DJ / mixing output “As heard on radio Soulwax Pt. 2” is also up there.
“All System’s are lying” though is an album that has legacy of many aspects of Soulwax’s history, complete with understated vocals. I read one review that described it as trying to make a rock record with electronic studio equipment, which maybe over states the rock credentials of the record but could probably be read as reasonably accurate. Stand outs such as “Run Free”, “All Systems are Lying” and “Gimme a reason” are solid listenable entries and will earworm their way in after a few listens – “Run Free” especially.
Don’t come here expecting Soulwax of very old but do stick with it as a solid entry in the band’s catalogue.
From Mumubl.com
Got an album you’ve loved from 2025? Why not share it on mumubl.com/ – Free to register and join in sharing the music you love.
2025 was yet again a bit lighter on site content in terms of volume but there was some of the most enjoyable content we’ve produced on there last year in my opinion as we reached out to a few artists to put their spin on the Mumubl ethos. The run of posts from the interview with musician David Cloyd were fantastic – check them out here. If you’re interested in adding your take on your favourite music and don’t fancy just signing up and posting then do get in touch.
This post was originally published on the Mumubl.com Newsletter. For updates and recommendations direct to your inbox don’t forget to subscribe.
