I Want to Talk About Albums I DIDN’T Review in 2025

Photo Courtesy of Harper's Bazaar

Well, this is a little different; usually, around this time every year, I like to do a video on my YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@MattsRandomJourneys) where I discuss some albums I didn’t review in a given year. 2025, though, has been a super difficult year for me, and the last week or so in particular has been pretty exhausting (I think I’ve just acknowledged that a lot of what I’ve been feeling this year, physically and mentally, has been heavy amounts of stress, and it just kinda reached a boiling point). Not only that, but I’ve been a bit less motivated to do a ton of longer videos over on the channel, so I thought it would be a better idea to just consolidate this and release it in written form. And I thought I’d be festive and release it on my music review blog, too!

So, since this is how I’d usually introduce the video, welcome back to “I Want to Talk About...,” the series where I take a topic, I sit on camera, and I blabber about it...feels weird writing that down, to be honest; I always just say it out loud. Either way, as you can tell from the title, today I want to talk about some albums I didn’t review in 2025.

As those of you who follow my YouTube channel know from previous videos, this is not a definitive “list of big and beloved albums in a year that I didn’t review,” this list is “albums I gave a chance to, either through a full listen or Spotify’s sample feature, but didn’t have enough to say about for a proper review.” I don’t just listen to every noteworthy album that falls from the sky, so if you’re wondering where my opinion is on the new Morgan Wallen album...

...I don’t want to have an opinion on it, I want to pretend it doesn’t exist; I listened to the songs that hit the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 for the sake of my yearly list I do, and that was already a few songs too many (which, btw, if you want to see that list...it’s the last post on this blog so go click on it!).

Oh, and for those that don’t know what I mean by the “sample feature,” Spotify has that thing where you can listen to 30-second previews of songs on an album, which I used for albums I was on the fence about, hence why at least a few of these didn’t get full reviews (obviously, can’t review an album if I didn’t fully listen to it). Let it be known, though, that at least a couple of these I did listen to in their entirety just out of curiosity.

This was a much lighter year for this list; last year, I talked about roughly 31 different albums in my video (counting that ending spiel about artists dropping “Deluxe Editions” of albums that were better than the base albums), but even without that, it was still about 25 different albums, especially with certain artists releasing multiple projects. This year, though, we’ve got 18 to talk about (19 if you count my brief mention of Morgan Wallen earlier), and I think the smaller list this time is for a couple reasons: one, there weren’t as many “Deluxe” reissues this year that I noticed so I didn’t have to go into the spiel again though, THOUGH, I guess we’ll make it 20 because I’ll quickly say Ariana Grande’s “eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead” (which actually felt like a NORMAL Deluxe reissue) was beautiful and “Hampstead” was one of my most replayed songs this year (I also don’t have to rant in this case because I loved the standard album so more of that was cool with me).

But either way, less reissues was one reason for there being less here, but two, given that I started adding film reviews and video game reviews to my short-form content cycle, I think I might’ve taken it a bit easier in terms of albums, so if I knew there was an album I wouldn’t get anything out of, I didn’t really go out of my way for it. Not that I didn’t want to discover anything, but I just took it a little easier on myself. And three, as I said earlier, given that this year was really messy for my mental/physical health, I think I had to take a few more breaks to just kind of breathe for a minute. I already consume enough content in a year; it’s part of the reason I generally don’t really do review requests very often, just because my schedule is so packed. Still, we’ve got a few big ones to talk about, so let’s not waste a bunch more time on this intro and let’s jump in:

FKA twigs, “EUSEXUA”

One of the bigger early-year albums in 2025, I don’t have much experience with FKA twigs, but I was suggested her new album “EUSEXUA” (which I’m still not entirely sure how to pronounce...you-sex-you-ah? I guess so) so I decided to give it a shot. Admittedly, this kind of avant-electro-club pop type of thing isn’t really my thing, but I do think it’s a quality album, just not for me. That said, in sampling it, I did find a track or two that I did enjoy (specifically “Perfect Stranger” and “Striptease”), which I would say is a success for an album that’s out of my typical genre wheelhouse. I respect FKA twigs for having such a distinct style and sound, and I’m glad this record got some great critical success this year, just as her other projects all have.

Larry June, 2 Chainz & The Alchemist, “Life Is Beautiful”

Honestly, I forgot I even listened to Larry June, 2 Chainz & The Alchemist’s “Life Is Beautiful” pretty much immediately afterward because it was just that forgettable to me. Alchemist’s production is fire (which should surprise no one), 2 Chainz sounds good, but I’m not as interested in Larry June as a performer. I mostly checked this thing out because I like the occasional 2 Chainz record, but all in all, it was pretty whatever...at least, that’s what my memory tells me.

Tate McRae, “So Close to What”

Tate McRae, whose name had been bubbling for some years, had a huge commercial breakthrough in 2023 thanks to her hit single “greedy,” which she buoyed into a pretty big album in “THINK LATER.” Now this year, she released this new record “So Close to What” that got some talk in the pop circles and started to establish herself as a huge name in the pop landscape, so I gave it a quick sample. Ultimately, it’s nothing amazing, but it has its fun moments. I feel like Tate wanted to go for a pretty wide variety of styles and sounds here, and while some of the tracks were fun and even had a bit of a fun 2000s throwback-y feel to them, I feel like it didn’t stick out to me as much as other recent pop releases. I think it’s that I like Tate’s songwriting and she absolutely can sing, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like her overall style doesn’t stand out to me. She still knows how to craft a decent pop song with a fine enough hook here and there, but it just sounds like she’s still trying to find her artistic voice, so to speak. Hopefully, she does so on the next album, whenever that may be.

LISA, “Alter Ego”

One-fourth of the K-Pop girl group BLACKPINK, Lisa’s new album “Alter Ego” came out on the same weekend as the new Rebecca Black album which I was more interested in (which, btw, she liked that review on TikTok omg Rebecca Black knows who I am!). After sampling this through Spotify, though, I’ll say it’s decent enough. There are some tracks that I vibe with, some I can do without, I like the “multiple alter egos” concept of the album, and LISA is a very solid performer. It’s not super standout, but it’s definitely not bad. That Future feature was fucking crazy though, I gotta say that, and having a track that interpolates “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None The Richer...taste. Oh, and getting a Tyla feature is absolutely a hell yes out of me, too. Not the most memorable record of the year for me, but it’s definitely a solid listen and I think fans of the BLACKPINK girls will probably dig it even more than I did.

NAV, “OMW2 REXDALE”

I’ve reviewed pretty much all of NAV’s major releases up to this one, so you know it must mean something if I totally skipped reviewing his new one, “OMW2 REXDALE.” And ever since I moved from reviewing on my blog to this YouTube channel, pretty much each of my NAV reviews has gotten some level of pushback or scorn, and it’s always surprised me because so much of what I see around NAV is negative opinions, so it shocks me when I get pushback. You’d think that’d be the reason I chose not to review this album, but it really wasn’t: the truth is, while I enjoy a song or two out of NAV here and there, I feel like he “peaked” with his self-titled mixtape being “okay,” and every record since then, I haven’t enjoyed. So a part of why I didn’t review this project was because of a simple question...why? NAV is an artist who has a sound that doesn’t change between releases; he’s making a lot of the same music he’s been making all these years without bringing many switch-ups to the table, and while this project is infinitely more listenable than most of his other stuff (if I reviewed it, my rating might actually push into “Okay” territory), it’s a NAV album. While a few more tracks are a touch more introspective this time around, you know what it sounds like before even going into it. So to that end...does anyone really NEED a review of a NAV album? I could copy and paste exactly what I said about his last album, or the one before that, or even the one before that: if you vibe with his music, this will give you more of what you like, but if you don’t vibe with it, this won’t convert you. I know I could’ve given it a review off the strength of him being an XO artist and me being a huge Weeknd fan (if you’ve watched my videos, you’ve seen my XO shirts and all), but yeah...you don’t need a review of a NAV album to let you know if you should listen to a NAV album.

Djo, “The Crux”

The musical project of Mr. Joe Keery, who also plays Best Dad Steve Harrington in Stranger Things (love that show, still haven’t started Season 5 yet, go me), early in 2024, Djo’s 2022 track “End of Beginning” popped off big time on TikTok and I really loved the song as well, so combining my love of the song with my love of Joe Keery and Stranger Things, I gave his newest album “The Crux” a quick skim (I didn’t review it because the weekend it came out, I was busy working on my video on the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct). Honestly, this brand of indie pop (that I’ve seen get compared to MGMT but I don’t listen to them enough to know) isn’t really my thing, but it’s a cool vibe and Djo’s creativity does shine through in his performances. This album also proved to me that Djo could’ve done the soundtrack to one of the Stranger Things seasons if he wanted to...just saying.

Juicy J & Logic, “Live and In Color”

This album came out at a super busy time of year for me, so I wasn’t able to give it a ton of attention immediately when it dropped, but Juicy J & Logic’s “Live and In Color” was not a record I loved, but it was cool enough. It’s awesome to hear Logic producing Juicy J and I think both kill it on this thing, but you know how I am with albums that have too many spoken-word interludes and there are A LOT on this thing. The record is basically one-half music and another-half podcast, and look, I’d enjoy those spoken-word bits if this were a podcast, but on an album, it just kinda breaks up the flow a bit. Still, Logic is in a good zone as a producer (and when he shows up to rap, he does well), and it’s cool to hear Juicy J still sounding so good today.

Joyner Lucas, “ADHD 2”

Let’s see: a sequel to a 2020 album that was really bad, with another cringey album cover (this one looking like it’s made with AI), four of the 18 tracks being skits (which is four too many), nine of the songs ending up being available before the album’s proper release, and a pretty much generic sounding project that only really caught my attention when a feature popped up? It sounds like Joyner Lucas dropped an “ADHD” sequel! I initially just skimmed “ADHD 2” but then ended up sitting and listening to it fully and yeah, it would’ve gotten an “Awful” rating if I gave it a full review. This just sounds like Joyner stepping on the exact same rakes he stepped on with the first ADHD album, only this time the rakes were in very clear sight and he still stepped on them. I blame Eminem for this; he should’ve never said that he’d put Joyner on his “Till I Collapse” list along with Kendrick and Cole.

Metro Boomin, “Metro Boomin Presents: A Futuristic Summa (Hosted by DJ Spinz)”

Another album that came out at a busy time, Metro Boomin’s “Metro Boomin Presents: A Futuristic Summa (Hosted by DJ Spinz)” has a pretty fun, nostalgic vibe befitting its “Summa” name and serves as a cool homage to 2010s Atlanta hip-hop, even though at 24 tracks it definitely does feel same-y and bloated by the time it’s all over. Still, it’s cool to see Metro teaming with a bunch of artists he hasn’t teamed with before instead of featuring a similar cast to his usual projects, and while it’s not his most ambitious record, I get the vibe that he had a really good time putting it together and that it was definitely a passion project of his, so good on him seeing it through to the finish line.

Maroon 5, “Love Is Like”

You wanna know the true sign that 2025 made no sense and was a totally upside-down year for me? That I didn’t dislike a Maroon 5 album. I didn’t even know they dropped one until weeks later and when I listened to “Love Is Like” (fully; I didn’t skim it), I honestly was kinda nodding my head to it. They actually brought a bit more of a funk flavor to the project and it made a few of these tracks actually kinda fun and not nearly as factory-produced as their usual stuff. I mean it’s still not like “OH MY GOD WHAT AN ALBUM,” but it’s honestly not bad to turn on and vibe to.

Ava Max, “Don’t Click Play”

This was definitely a disappointment for me because some of you may remember that I really enjoyed Ava Max’s 2023 album “Diamonds & Dancefloors.” Across her first few albums, Ava’s always been good for a few fun dance-pop bangers, but her last album really grabbed me in a way that I didn’t initially expect, and it had me excited to see where she’d go next. Sadly, the pretty messy rollout for “Don’t Click Play” had an impact on the final project, as while it was far from bad, it just didn’t feel as snappy or memorable as “Diamonds & Dancefloors.” A few decent tracks here and there, yes, but otherwise another “just okay” record from Ava Max...though I will use this record to fight against the point of Ava being reliant on samples and interpolations because there are barely any (if any) here...so I’ll defend her on that point, at least.

Offset, “KIARI”/“HAUNTED BY FAME”

Offset dropped TWO albums this year? I barely noticed that he dropped the first one until a little after it dropped, and then somehow I found out he dropped a second album on Halloween. Might help that more of the talk I’ve seen of Offset as of late centered around stuff that came from outside of the music (the ending of Migos, his divorce with Cardi B and the fallout of that, etc.). Either way, I skimmed the first album, “KIARI,” because again, it came out during a busy weekend, and it didn’t really grab me too much. It’s put together well, Offset’s rapping is solid, and there’s nothing on here that I actively “dislike,” there’s just not much I feel like coming back to. JID’s verse was really cool, but that’s the most I pulled from it. As far as “HAUNTED BY FAME,” the second album he dropped...yeah, that went in one ear and out the other. I still think Offset is a talented rapper, but “Father of 4” continues to feel more like an outlier than anything.

Justin Bieber, “SWAG II”

Justin dropped a Deluxe Edition to “SWAG” that was 23 tracks on top of the original 21...again, what is with all these modern bloated albums these days? I understand wanting to feed your fans, especially if you’re like Justin and haven’t dropped in so many years, but 44 songs in such a short span makes me feel like you’re oversaturating yourself and it’s NOT A GOOD LOOK...why was this better than the base album? Yeah, seriously, THIS should’ve been the main album, it’s much more consistent and solid. There are far fewer weird vocal filters than the main album, and it carries the R&B vibes that the original project was trying to go for far better while adding a slightly poppier sound to it. This is the most I’ve enjoyed a Bieber record since “Journals” and “Purpose” (his two best projects, in my opinion), and yet, Bieber treated it like a side piece to his main album, much like how “Journals” was treated as a “compilation” album. I hate that Bieber (or his team, whoever it is) treats all his best stuff as just side shit that you can just kinda shrug at.

Mariah Carey, “Here For It All”

Mariah Carey’s “Here For It All” came out on the same weekend as Doja Cat’s new album, and I know it’s probably sacrilege to say this given how much I’ve mentioned by love for R&B music, but I was more interested in that project. Granted, I was right to be excited for Doja’s album because it was fantastic, but I did give this album a bit of a Spotify skim. I don’t think it’s close to Mariah’s best, but it’s nice enough. Not the strongest R&B I’ve heard this year, but it sounds decent, and I have to give it credit because even though Mariah Carey is 56...wait wait wait, no she’s fucking not. She’s WHAT? FIFTY-SIX? Nope, nope, nope, I refuse to believe that for a second, those birth records are wrong, she’s fucking 31 and I’m not hearing anything to the contrary...but either way, even though she’s “allegedly” 56 (my “All I Want For Christmas Is You” white ass), her voice sounds like it hasn’t aged a day. Definitely a nice vibe of an album if you’re in the mood for some classic R&B sounds.

Bryson Tiller, “Solace & The Vices”

Okay, so I could sit here and say “this released the weekend of Taylor Swift’s album” or “it was a busy time of year for me” like I have with other albums, but...fully honestly, I had no idea Bryson Tiller dropped a new album this year. Either it was Taylor’s album taking over the airwaves or this had no promo to it because I literally had ZERO clue he dropped. And I kinda feel bad because I really enjoyed his last album (the self-titled project from 2024), and I was down for another. So I took a peek at “Solace & The Vices” through Spotify, and...I mean, it’s decent. Even though it’s a two-sided project, and the “Solace” side is supposed to be the “R&B” side while “The Vices” is supposed to be the rap side, both styles kinda coalesce to the point where there’s only a minor difference. Meanwhile, I know some people felt the last album had a few too many poppier hits, but to me, songs like “Assume The Position,” “Whatever She Wants,” and “Outside” were so snappy and immediate, and are songs I still go back to. Just from skimming, this didn’t have any tracks I was begging to add to my playlist. It sounds decent, though, and I think Tiller hardcores will be satisfied, even though I feel like “Solace” definitely carries the project as a whole.

Ty Dolla $ign, “TYCOON”

The weekend Ty Dolla $ign’s “TYCOON” came out, I was super sick with a stomach virus, so much so that I had to miss my best friend’s wedding of which I was initially supposed to be a groomsman...so yeah, you can only imagine then why I wouldn’t have much motivation to review it. Plus, while I love seeing Ty Dolla $ign as a featured artist on a song, he’s rarely put out full-length projects that I’ve found to be better than “okay,” and sadly, from perusing this new album, that remains true here. Like any of his albums, there are a few fun high points and Ty definitely brings his typical melodic charm and all, but too many tracks are too generic (especially when he tries going down into something of a rage sound) and Ty once again reminds me that he’s not the best at anchoring a song by himself. If Ty Dolla $ign were a baseball player, he’d be the type of guy who hits .400 with a 1.250 OPS against right-handed pitching, but hits .113 with a .310 OPS against lefties...in other words, he’d need a platoon caddy. I love Ty Dolla $ign, but once again, I’m reminded that he’s not an album’s artist (well outside of “Free TC,” in my opinion).

Ashnikko, “Smoochies”

And lastly, Ashnikko’s “Smoochies” was an album I actually remember getting a request for at some point in the year, but like Ty’s album, this was also released on that disastrous weekend, so once more, it shouldn’t be a shock that I didn’t review it. Ashnikko is another artist who has impressed me in flashes but hasn’t quite put it together on a full project, and from skimming this new record over here (once I got past the super creepy aesthetics of some of the Spotify videos), while it’s not one I’ll go back to very often, I do think it’s by far her most ambitious project to date and probably even her best. It feels incredibly cohesive and Ashnikko sounds solid in this electropop style while bringing plenty of her trademark character and energy to the sound. It’s like she went for a very 2000s sound but decided to blow it up as big as she could, and it ultimately makes for an entertaining album. Maybe not a record I’ll go back to on repeat, but definitely showcases a lot of promise for Ashnikko and it’s proof-positive that she can absolutely put together a strong full project. Definitely inspires hope for wherever she goes next.

So yeah, that’s a look at what I listened to this year but didn’t end up reviewing. Again, I took it a bit easy on myself, but there was still plenty that I listened to and surely I’ll have plenty to listen to in 2026. Hey, thanks as always for reading and supporting my content, and thanks for understanding my decision to make this a written piece as opposed to a video. It’s just been such a hellish year and with where my stress levels have been, I’ve been needing to find ways to manage it, so doing this felt a lot smarter. I know it probably won’t get many eyes on it compared to a YouTube video, but honestly, I’m just appreciative of anyone who chooses to read it. And as always, thanks to everyone who showed their support to me in 2025; it’s been the worst year of my life, but I’m grateful that I’ve been able to use my creative platforms to escape from it all. I have a feeling 2026 is gonna be a lot better, and I hope it ends up being great for all of you, too. Until then, what were your favorite albums of 2025? Sound off in the comments section below!!!