There is less country music on this list than in past years, though the influence lingers in many of these albums. 2025 finds neo-folk or the traditonal pagan music of northern Europe playing a much larger role, though not splitting the top ten down the middle, though all the albums are darker and more melancholy. These albums do not really give a damn about the Nashville status quo, even when it comes to the artists in the more commercial spotlight. These are not the coolest albums, but the best, fuck what other blogs say.
After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 20 albums of 2025 list. The very fact that these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album; there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day, what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, and you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list. I've included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway, here are the top 10 folk albums of 2025
10-Greet - "I Know How to Die."
The heart of the album si often the mournful-sounding folk chant of the vocals. There are also elements of country/ gospel music in the mix. It almost sounds like bagpipes. The vocal melody feels earnest enough to make this work amid the pulse that rings out. Matthew Broadley is weaving this all together. There is a more Appalachian feel that touches on the early Irish roots of things like bluegrass. Often droning, this abum feels like the soundtrack to an A24 movie.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-greet-i-know-how-to-die.html
9-Marissa Nadler -"New Radiations."
Her 10th album finds Nadler stripping things down to a more minimalist yet cinematic feel. It feels spacious, yep, with an intimate yearning. Her vocals are produced in a similar reverb-heavy manner, but the layered harmonies feel more pronounced. It feels more like her earlier work than the past couple of albums in the overall sound. The kind f haunting ballads you want for Hot Ghost Summer. At times, the guitar takes things in a more folk direction with the pining twang of country ambiance coloring things with a longing ambiance.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/marisa-nadler-new-radiations.html
8-Jason Isbell- "Foxes in the Snow"This might be his 10th album, but it's his first solo acoustic album. This brings a more stripped-down take on what he does without the 400 Unit or an accompaniment that shows his rock influence. Instead, what we are getting is his voice and guitar. There is minimal production; it just sounds like this cut in one take with a mic in a room. This is a novel concept in a world of auto-tune and dozens of producers/songwriters on just one song. Lyrically, there is the kind of depth you expect from him. The kind of solemn reflection that haunts "Southeastern" can be felt here.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/jason-isbell-foxes-in-snow.html
7-Bloodyhammers -"The Acoustic Halloween Special."
They released this collection of brooding ballads for Halloween that dips into dark country. I prefer their more driving metal output; this works for what it is. It makes sense they would need to take a breather for the sake of their creative juices and make this album to explore this side of the melodic spectrum. It works for what they do and is better than most murder ballad crooned this year.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/november-is-doom-bloody-hammers.html
6-Chimehours -"Underneath the Earth."
This British project blends a tense urgency with ethereeal melodies and a folky organic feel. The singer has a Björk feel to her emotive singing style. Her fragile folkish vocal haunts things like a higher-pitched Lana Del Rey at times. The darker elements are subtle, an eerie layer in the background. Some songs are more dynamic than others. The folk strum of guitars draped in a fairytale ambiance
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-chimehours-underneath-earth.html
6-Sowulo-"NIHT"
This Norwegian project respects ye olde days, while writing actual songs that go somewhere. Yes, there is a very ritualistic feel to what they do, but it has verses and choruses you remember. Also, a dark tension broods under some of the passages, so it is not surprising these artists are often metal adjacent in their fan base. They are named after an old Germanic name for the sun, which reflects some of the elder pagan ideology behind the concepts of this album.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/sowulo-niht.html
5-Allie -X- "Happiness is Goiung to Get You."
There is a more nuanced style of pop songwriting that leans in a somewhat Lana Del Rey direction this time, with a 1950s California vibe. These more organic vibes increase as the album progresses into this folk direction, which might not be what you would expect considering her past releases. It's moody but not as dark as the last album.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/allie-x-happiness-is-going-to-get-you.html
4-Florence + the Machine-"Everybody Scream."
A very brooding album with the centerpiece being the trembling vibrato of her rich alto is a key selling point, and she is capable of creating memorable hooks with it,t even though she wanders in a pondering circle much like Natalie Merchant at times. I can also hear the influence of the Cowboy Junkies lurking in the more organic moments, which grew on me with repeat listens.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/florence-machine-everybody-scream.html
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3-Wardruna- "Birna"
Six albums into their career, Norway's primal folk bards are still bringing an increasingly cinematic conjuring of otherworldly eons past. It is weird how they are the biggest band making this kind of music. Also, even stranger is how they can headline festivals. It is very much a wintery sound as should be expected from the region where the music is being made. It feels like they are getting ready to be hit by the worst storm in over a hundred years and are invoking the ghosts of their ancestors
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/12/wardruna-birna.html
2-Noah Cyrus- "I Want My Loved Ones to Go With Me."
Yep, this is Miley's sister. Regular readers here will know I am a fan of Miley, whom I talked about her before, saying she's never wanted her help or wanted to do anything similar to what Miley does, and you can hear that on this album. However, there is less of an indie feel on this one, with a more produced sound; however, she is not making pop country either. She has a good voice, but isn't a powerhouse like her sister. It is more melancholy and atmospheric than what Miley does. What they do have in common is that country music is just in their DNA.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/noah-cyrus-i-want-my-loved-ones-to-go.html
1-Lord Huron- "The Cosmic Selector Vol 1."
This is the 5th album from this melancholy folk rock band, which employs a reflective atmosphere in its sound that feels honest in its soul-baring introspection. They're playing a more modern take on Americana, as the vocals gain more confidence in their narrative, thanks to the shuffling groove provided by the drums that keep them moving as country influences slide in . Pull out the bong for this album.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/lord-huron-cosmic-selector-vol-1.html
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