We asked different musicians, producers, bloggers, journalists, label owners to make a short list of their best albums of this year. This list was curated by stateside ambient artist and Past Inside the Present founder, zakè.
Billow Observatory – The Glass Curtain. Billow Observatory creates a place where time dissolves and those drifting guitar tones quietly pull you inward. I kept replaying it without thinking, which is always my sign of something unforgettable. Easily one of my top releases of 2025.
Benoît Pioulard – Stanza IV. I have always cherished Benoît Pioulard’s Stanza series, and Stanza IV may be his most affecting chapter yet. It feels like a private reverie unfolding in real time, as if I am being quietly drawn into a deeply personal conversation with his lush, enveloping sound world.
Lucy Gooch – Desert Window. Lucy Gooch has created something remarkable with Desert Window. The songs feel alive, constantly shifting and opening into unexpected places. It is one of those rare albums that feels less like a collection of tracks and more like a world you step into.
Primitive Man – Observance. Primitive Man has always sounded like the end of the world, but Observance feels like being forced to stare directly at the wreckage without blinking. It is brutal, unrelenting, and strangely cathartic, the kind of record you survive rather than simply listen to, and easily their most focused and devastating work yet.
Pelican – Flickering Resonance. Standing the test of time, Pelican’s Flickering Resonance reminds me exactly why I fell for them in the first place. It carries that familiar weight and melodic punch, yet there is a renewed spark here that feels both nostalgic and genuinely revitalized.
