Left: Jensen McRae, Right: Audrey Hobert (Illustration Courtesy of the CU Independent, Images Courtesy of Bao Ngo, Jensen McRae, and Audrey Hobert)
Rhett Kaya: From internet trends to the latest pop album, there is always something CU Boulder students are obsessing over, opinionated about or adding to their vernacular. The Culture Critic will keep you up to date with the latest in entertainment and popular culture through content reviews, analysis and my self-proclaimed professional opinion.
In 2025, Britain took over America again, in the form of Olivia Dean’s juggernaut new record, ‘The Art of Loving,’ while former One Direction member and fellow Brit Harry Styles is likely to continue with the release of his upcoming fourth studio album, ‘Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally.’ Alongside the “Man I Need” singer, artists like Sabrina Carpenter and resident hit makers Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny and Taylor Swift dominated the charts with their respective records. But below the heights of the Billboard Hot 100, new artists like Addison Rae and Audrey Hobert sprouted with new and often entrancing perspectives on music, while fan favorites and consistent talents like Rosalía, Ravyn Lenae and Bon Iver returned to prove they’re better than ever. These 10 records from 2025 may not be the highest charters, but their critical acclaim, cult followings, and unique sounds provide proof that this year’s best records were a few extra scrolls past the average For You Page.
‘I Love My Computer’ -Ninajirachi
In 2024, hyperpop artist Charli xcx blasted through the internet with the release of ‘brat’ and its accompanying marketing campaign. ‘Brat’ succeeded due to xcx’s clear and ambitious vision, one she’s spent plenty of time explaining and crediting since the record’s release. In 2025, Ninjirachi, or Nina Wilson, built on the explosive, techno and hyperspeed sound of xcx with her debut album, “I Love My Computer.” This techno EDM record thrives on spontaneity, finding pleasure in the destruction of boundaries as opposed to the more structured approach of ‘brat.’ ‘I Love My Computer’ is an adventure as limitless and layered as the internet, one thrashing, unorderly, calming and cold. Perhaps a thesis for this record resides in the third track, “F*** my Computer”, in which the Australian native sings, “I wanna f*** my computer/’Cause no one in the world knows me better.” Growing up in rural Australia, Wilson’s computer was a portal that granted her access to the music-making world and introduced her to song crafting. ‘I Love My Computer’ oozes in Y2K nostalgia, stimulation and euphoria, highlighting the often positive access and worldbuilding that our favorite digital supervillains can provide.
‘SABLE, fABLE’ – Bon Iver
Indie folk band Bon Iver, known for their unique ability to pair digital fuzz with a mountainous-sounding acoustic guitar, has branched out on their most recent record, ‘SABLE, fABLE.’ The “Skinny Love” creators conceived the record as two parts. The first, ‘SABLE,’ is a vulnerable sonic return to the band’s signature sound. But it’s the second half, ‘fABLE,’ that soars. Full of lush love songs and clean synths, ‘fABLE’ captures the freshness and clarity of spring and its accompanying epiphanies. Standout tracks like “From” and “Everything Is Peaceful Love” showcase the rousing combination of lead singer Justin Vernon’s scratchy voice with the record’s shiny indie pop overlay. ‘SABLE, fABLE’ is a record that beams and blossoms, as crisp and light as a gust of wind and a wave hitting shore.
‘I Don’t Know How, But They Found Me!’ – Jensen McRae
You may know singer-songwriter Jensen McRae from a viral TikTok video of her singing her popular song “Massachusetts,” in which she sings in precise detail, “When someone asks me who’s my favorite Batman, I’ll think of you and say ‘Christian Bale.’” Throughout the Boston native’s sophomore album, ‘I Don’t Know How, But They Found Me!’ she paints a picture of heartbreak through key details, clearly referencing other detail-oriented songwriters like Phoebe Bridgers and Joni Mitchell. At times, the information overload feels senseless, but McRae manages to keep the listener grounded with a relatively stripped-back palette and clear-cut sonic structures. The “Novelty” singer spends the record singing with a crisp clarity that feels reminiscent of Olivia Rodrigo and early Taylor Swift, so when she adds texture, whether a whisper, fuzz, or scream, it’s all the more impactful. On the standout track, “Let Me Be Wrong,” McRae embraces imperfection with a desire to rid herself of personal and societal pressures. As the song escalates, she does just that, breaking the invisible barriers of the song with a growl-esque “F***! before the second chorus. “I Don’t Know How, But They Found Me” is a singular record unafraid to cut kitschy decorations in favor of straightforward songwriting and unclouded vocals.
‘Addison’ – Addison Rae
From TikTok star to critically acclaimed darling, Addison Rae has cultivated a growing group of devout fans hooked on the genre-hopping Rae’s selling. Her debut record, ‘Addison’, indulges in 90s nostalgia, referencing musical icons like Björk and Britney Spears. If not evident by the ‘Ray of Light’-esque atmosphere setting in tracks like ‘Times Like These,’ and ‘Aquamarine,’ Addison’s role as pop student is furthered as she lists her pop inspirations on “Money Is Everything;” “please DJ, play Madonna/Wanna roll one with Lana, get high with Gaga.” ‘Addison’ operates as a vibes-first, narrative-second appeal for entry to the pop zeitgeist. As she moves from the flashy hyperpop opener “New York” to the color-drenched trip-hop closer, “Headphones On,” it’s evident Addison has barely scratched the surface of her own sonic capabilities.
‘Getting Killed’ – Geese
For Geese headman, Cameron Winter, 2025 was a breakout year, and the experimental rock band’s latest record, ‘Getting Killed,’ only cements the star’s staying power. The twiddling flute and trumpet tune of track two, “Cobra,” represents the push and pull of romantic entrancement. Winter triumphantly yells, “You can make the cobras dance, but not me,” a sentiment that is immediately contradicted as Winter continues to break free and retrap himself in a snake dance with his lover throughout the song. ‘Getting Killed’ is rough around the edges, celebratory, and brazen; it thrives on an awkward refusal to commit, rejoicing in paranoia, and dancing through anxieties. We don’t see a narrative conclusion or cyclical ending, but a promise of further discomfort. The record, decorated with yodel-like vocals and cheery guitar riffs, ends with “Long Island City, Here I Come,” a song about continuing a pursuit of something by stepping further into the unknown. The New York-based band even ends the track with an unnerving crescendo, perhaps signifying that this record’s ending is only the beginning.
‘West End Girl’ – Lily Allen
English singer-songwriter Lily Allen wrote her latest album, ‘West End Girl,’ in 10 days, and you can tell. Across fourteen tracks, Allen divulges the details of a rumored breakup with brutal honesty and diaristic messiness. Here, Allen assumes the role of both unreliable narrator and detective. As she moves from her Brooklyn brownstone to her West Village apartment, where she finds incriminating evidence on standout track, “Pussy Palace,” Allen gets increasingly closer to damning answers and newfound clarity. Allen’s lack of self-censorship and editing leaves the record unpolished, but also charming and relatable, making for a bumpy but exhilarating ride. Nonchalant, bitter and detail-oriented, ‘West End Girl’ is a thrilling limited series and addicting chapter book, you just can’t put down.
‘choke enough’ – Oklou
French electronic artist Oklou describes her music as “lullaby-ish,” evident in her latest album, “choke enough,” which feels calming yet unnerving. In an interview with Office Magazine, the “harvest sky” artist compares her record to “a messy bedroom,” one with various possibilities and paths leading to a sense of indecision and feeling overwhelmed. As Oklou coos over simmering blue piano chords and marimba riffs, the singer wrestles with the push and pull between freedom and domesticity. On the popular track, “blade bird,” she compares her lover to a bird and herself to a cage, perhaps critiquing a habit of projecting freedom onto others. Oklou herself admitted that writing and singing her songs in English instead of her native tongue, French, allows her to remove a sense of intimacy from her artistic process. ‘Choke enough’ is an ethereal, dark and feverish confrontation of the heart and its intricacies, both comforting and dark. If “choke enough” is a messy bedroom, Oklou spends the record asking herself, and potentially the listener, to choose something off the floor, examine it, and put it away; to take a step, no matter how big or small, no matter how hard.
‘Virgin’ – Lorde
‘Virgin,’ the New Zealand native’s most recent offering, is a return to form with an added maturity that can only come from time, something Lorde allows to ebb and flow between and through her albums. Fans of the alternative pop star have grown accustomed to long breaks between releases, and ‘Virgin’ comes about four years after her previous record, ‘Solar Power.’ Lorde’s works have continuously served as resonant benchmarks for specific periods of people’s lives, with her second record, ‘Melodrama,’ seemingly representing the hyperbolic dramaticism that only teen angst, wonder and desire can fuel. But rather than vibrant parties and cinematic love affairs, ‘Virgin’s’ electricity comes from themes of gender dysphoria, sexuality and self-transformation. On the opening track, “Hammer,” the singer seductively whispers, “I might have been born again, some days I’m a woman, some days I’m a man.” Through prophetic lyricism and inklings of mysticism, ‘Virgin’s’ various messages are twistable, allowing listeners to take and receive whatever resonates. Critics of the record have labeled Lorde’s newest venture confusing and lackluster; near-perfect descriptors of living in your twenties. Lorde’s personal odyssey across the streets of New York City and within her own soul is equal parts intoxicating and intimate, so long as you’re willing to let yourself get lost.
‘LUX’ – Rosalía
In crafting ‘LUX,’ Rosalía’s fourth studio album, the ‘MOTOMAMI’ singer undertook the challenging task of singing in thirteen languages. While attempting to, as Rosalía stated in an interview with NPR, fit “the entire world into a room,” risks inauthenticity and collapse, across ‘LUX’s’ fifteen tracks, the “Berghain” singer’s voice bends naturally to the various languages and styles she pursues. Accompanied by the London Symphony, ‘LUX’ feels completely cinematic, as if a series of intimate fables told via grandiose stage play. On “La Perla,” Rosalía compares a man to a pearl, essentially describing him as alluring yet deceitful. As the buoyant “La Perla” bobs up and down, you can feel Rosalía moving with the music, as if on a stage or in a bustling town square. ‘LUX’ is a 3D experience, aided by the singer’s clear commitment to the craft and flair for sonic dramaticism.
‘Who’s The Clown?’ – Audrey Hobert
Singer-songwriter, Audrey Hobert, likes to touch people, as evident by the opening track of her debut pop record, “I like to touch people” (She likes ‘touching’ people’s hearts). Her first album, ‘Who’s the Clown?’ feels like a series of eccentric essays you just can’t put down. Hobert’s music is interesting because she is shamelessly self-aware, strange and undeniably hilarious. On “Phoebe,” Hobert uses the iconic ‘Friends’ character as a manifestation of her self-confidence, “Who cares if I’m pretty? I feel like Phoebe/I feel like it totally works.” Throughout ‘Who’s the Clown,’ we see Hobert grappling with her place in the flashy city of Los Angeles, celebrity spheres and perhaps the music industry; ultimately coming to the conclusion it’s not for her, and that’s ok. We’ve seen L.A. depicted as something to conquer; think Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” and Sheryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do,” but here, Hobert rejects the often unachievable norms, ideals and dreams the City of Angels seeks to represent. Hobert’s willingness to embrace her flaws and advertise her quirks gives her first record a refreshing authenticity. She’s not ‘too cool’ for this world, but perhaps suggesting that the real winners are able to admit when they’re not cool enough.
Contact CU Independent Opinion Editor Rhett Kaya at rhett.kaya@colorado.edu
